Why Is Bad Bunny Not Getting Paid For The Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Happening just once a year, the Super Bowl halftime show is a cultural phenomenon. Since 2008, the Super Bowl has exceeded over 100 million viewers in just the US alone, and viewership often peaks during the halftime show itself when non-sports fans tune in.

Over the years, the halftime show has been headlined by some of the greatest performers in the industry. Spanning genres and generations, we have seen everyone from The Rolling Stones, Prince, Michael Jackson, Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar among others.

This year's headliner is Bad Bunny. Establishing himself as a musical juggernaut, the Puerto Rican rapper is certainly deserving of the accolade. Having recently won his sixth Grammy Award, Bad Bunny is hailed as being among the greatest Latin rappers and has been instrumental in launching Spanish-language rap into the forefront of pop culture.

No stranger to the Super Bowl, Bunny had previously performed at the 2020 halftime show as a special guest. Now receiving top billing, one would expect that an artist of his calibre performing at such a prestigious event would attract an equally sizeable pay day.

You wouldn't be remiss to think this but unfortunately, you would be mistaken. Turns out, the NFL does not pay artists for performing at the Super Bowl. Still, the opportunity remains so coveted that the League had once flirted with the idea of charging the artists to perform.

So, why do they do it anyway?

Production Costs And Expenses Are Covered

In most cases, artists usually bear the costs of their own production and travel expenses. Depending on their calibre and contractual arrangements, these costs are either borne upfront by the performers themselves or by their record labels who later recoup the money out of the artists' earnings.

In the case of the Super Bowl halftime show however, the NFL (or their various sponsors) take care of these expenses instead. Often with the backing of large corporations, the halftime show's production costs usually soar into the tens of millions and are often seen as one of the most elaborate, extravagant and expensive performances of the year.

It should be noted that performers do not work completely for free but it is only that they are not paid by the NFL. Under union rules, they still receive a minimum wage for their efforts. Based on SAG-AFTRA's most recent union rules this is somewhere just over $1000 a day. While significantly less than the 6–7 figures these artists are accustomed to earning, this is more a legal necessity than any form of actual compensation.

This is appealing for entertainers of all genres but particularly the more theatrical ones who thrive on things such as special effects and pyrotechnics. It ensures a memorable performance at no cost to the performer whatsoever and it's a fair argument to say that for many artists, the promise of this often 8 figure bill being footed by the NFL is a good trade-off for the lack of actual pay.

Exposure And Popularity

As mentioned earlier, hundreds of millions of viewers tune in every year to the Super Bowl. These viewers come from all walks of life and more often than not, may not have heard of the headlining artist had it not been for the halftime show.

Even household names (which these artists usually are), can usually attract new fans or convert detractors with preconceived notions about them thanks to the wide reaching and inherently apolitical nature of the Super Bowl itself. This gives performers the ideal platform to promote new albums, upcoming tours or any other endeavour that they wish to publicise further. With headlines about the performance usually pouring in for weeks after the fact, this is certainly a proven method to get their names out there.

Viewership and fans aside, the halftime show is also an opportunity for not only the artists but their management, stage team, dancers, choreographers etc to demonstrate the true extent of their capabilities to the industry at large. Super Bowl halftime shows have been nominated for Emmy Awards with Kendrick Lamar's performance last year winning the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).

This shows that the "prestige" that comes from headlining the halftime show is more than just some kind of abstract honour or a simple sense of personal satisfaction. The lack of upfront pay still translates into very tangible results later down the line.

What Does This Mean For Bad Bunny?

Currently navigating through yet another high point in an already successful career, Bad Bunny has joined a list of legends who can proudly say have headlined a Super Bowl halftime show.

Having performed to rave reviews, there is little doubt that his efforts have served to make him even more popular still. Search traffic is increasing, ticket sales boosted and a new demographic of fans discovered. Add on to that an all expense paid production masterpiece and the opportunity for further industry recognition and you can see why Bunny and the artists before him have not hesitated to jump at the chance to headline a Super Bowl without getting paid.

By the looks of things, it doesn't seem like the NFL will ever need to consider paying their halftime show headliners anytime soon. Fortunately, it's not because they're cheap but because they have successfully provided real, measurable and lucrative benefits on a yearly basis to justify this decision.

So, all that's left to do is to wish Bad Bunny a hearty congratulations on a halftime show well done. As he rides the tidal wave of momentum this performance has given him, the rest of us can wait with bated breath in anticipation of yet another dazzling performance from another deserving artist next year.