Name for me one event that people fight over performing at, but they don’t even get paid.
If you said the Super Bowl, you’re either a genius or you’ve heard the nearly non-stop reporting that Usher won’t be paid for this year’s Super Bowl and he’s not the only one. No performers at the Super Bowl ever get paid….well….there is a small exception to that rule.
You see, all artists are paid on a “union scale,” which is just a fraction of the six or seven-figure profit they usually make, and a minimum wage is guaranteed by a union contract in accordance with the SAG-AFTRA’s most recent contract. That means that Usher will earn only $1,000 for the day.
So why do artists even want to perform at the Super Bowl if they don’t get paid?
In a word: Publicity
Following a Super Bowl performance artists usually see a huge spike in their streaming and music sales. Following this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show by Usher he’ll be embarking on his 24-city ‘Past Present Future’ tour to promote his upcoming album “Coming Home”
In an interview with Variety Usher said “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”
While artists don’t get paid to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, their dancers do get paid if they are members of SAG-AFTRA, and the artists themselves usually pay out of their own pockets for the rest of their team and any extra expenses in order to bring their vision to life so they can perform at their best for what is usually the pinnacle of their career performing at the Super Bowl.
No, Usher Won’t Get Paid for the Super Bowl Halftime Show — Here’s Why