When Justin Timberlake performed in 2018, his music sales rose 534% that same day as for Lady Gaga, sales of her digital catalog spiked 1000% following her 2017 performance. Performing on one of the world’s biggest, most televised stages can convert into real financial gain in the form of increased music sales (almost 100 million viewers tuned into last year’s game, and even that was the lowest ratings since 2007).

So what’s in it for performers? Something familiar to freelance writers everywhere: exposure. Don’t even get us started on the cost of awe-inspiring spectacles, like Katy Perry riding into the stadium on a mechanical golden lion, or Lady Gaga parachuting into her performance from the roof. That figure finances the paychecks of up to 3,000 staffers involved in the production, as well as complicated technical elements of the performance, like a collapsible, 38-part stage, or the massive audio equipment rolled in on 18 carts. The cost of production, even for just a thirteen-minute segment, can be sky high, with the 2020 performance by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira reportedly costing the NFL approximately $13 million. Per league policy, the NFL covers all costs related to the production of the halftime show, but the performers don’t take home a paycheck (although the NFL foots the bill for their travel expenses). The surprising truth is that halftime performers aren’t paid to perform at the Super Bowl. Lo and Shakira Got Political at the Super Bowl The Weeknd Will Perform at the Super Bowl.

Last year super bowl halftime show