How much will Usher get paid for the Super Bowl halftime show? A minimum wage
The NFL always gets the biggest stars to perform its Super Bowl halftime show: Lady Gaga, Rihanna and, this year, Usher. So how much money do these artists make for the show?
Usher – an eight-time Grammy winner who has had nine singles top Billboard's Hot 100 – will make a union scale for his performance, a minimum wage guaranteed in a union contract, according to People magazine.
Assuming the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union's latest contract applies, that would work out to approximately $1,000 a day — according to People.
Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day are also making union scale for their pregame performances of the national anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing," respectively.
The same minimum wage payment was made to previous halftime performers, such as Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and more. Why? Because of an NFL policy.
In a statement to The Independent, an NFL rep confirmed in 2023 that the league “covers all costs associated with the show," including travel, but the talent makes union scale.
Why do artists perform at the Super Bowl if they don't get paid very much?
Usher and other artists don't take the Super Bowl stage for the money, but for the exposure.
"The halftime show at the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists," entertainment attorney Lori Landew told Forbes back in 2019. "Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers."
The numbers don't lie: Exposure at the Super Bowl works wonders for the artists' music.
According to a story in Variety that ran the day after the 2023 Super Bowl, Rihanna’s Spotify streams went up 640%, and streams for “B---- Better Have My Money” — her opening song at the event — spiked 2,600%.
In 2020, according to Newsweek, Shakira's Spotify streams saw a 230% bump and Jennifer Lopez's had an increase of 335%. In 2017, Lady Gaga saw a 1,000% increase in song and album sales following her Super Bowl performance.
It’s also not uncommon for a halftime artist to announce a tour the Monday after the show
Usher took a different tactic, announcing a 24-date North American tour five days before the Super Bowl, with presales starting four days out and tickets going on sale to the general public on post-Super Bowl Monday. The R&B icon is also releasing his new album "Coming Home" 48 hours before the football game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How much does Usher get paid for Super Bowl halftime show? Not much
