Why Super Bowl Halftime Show Stars Only Get Paid $1,000

Why do Super Bowl Performers only Earn Only $1,000 for their performance?

Super Bowl halftime show entertainers, despite performing on one of the world’s biggest stages in front of over 100 million viewers, receive only a minimal union-mandated payment—typically around $1,000 per day under SAG-AFTRA rules—for their rehearsals and the actual performance.

The NFL maintains a long-standing policy of not paying artists a traditional appearance fee or salary, instead covering all production costs (which can exceed $10-15 million), travel expenses, and other logistics, while viewing the gig as a massive marketing opportunity for the performers.

This modest compensation, often cited as roughly $1,000 (or sometimes less, like Usher’s reported $671 for the show itself plus rehearsal fees), is dwarfed by the indirect benefits artists gain, such as huge boosts in music streams, album sales, and global exposure that can translate to far greater long-term earnings.