With Bad Bunny set to take the stage at Super Bowl LX in California this weekend, you might be surprised to learn that he won’t be paid a penny for his performance - for a few reasons, as it happens.
So, why would the biggest performers on the planet decide to give up their time?
Bad Bunny was not everyone’s choice of artist for Super Bowl LX
It has been well documented that President Donald Trump is not a big fan of the Puerto Rican-American superstar.
In fact, he’s said that he will boycott the Super Bowl because of the choice of halftime show performer.
However, millions will be tuning in, forgoing the Turning Point USA event running at the same time, from around the world.
Bad Bunny - real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio - is the first Spanish-speaking artist to grace the NFL’s showpiece event, and millions will be tuning in to see the 31-year-old’s groundbreaking performance, even if it won’t be on in the Oval Office.
However, while the event might win him more fans, it won’t make any money directly, because of rules that apply to all performers who hit the halftime show.
Why won’t Bad Bunny be paid for his Super Bowl LX performance?
We’ve already touched on one reason, which is that the sort of exposure that you get from a performance like this is worth the fee alone.
Millions - perhaps billions - around the world will see the performance, and you can’t buy that sort of publicity.
The only way it could be more hyped is if - for example - the President of the United States repeatedly said he wasn’t going to watch it.
That exposure provides value and makes it worth doing.
The second - and most crucial - reason is that it is simply standard practice not to pay the artists for it.
The NFL does pay a small union-mandated payment to artists who perform, simply because they have to, but the millions of dollars that they command in ordinary performance fees aren’t handed out.
One thing that the NFL does cover is production costs, up to around a reported $10m.
The massive audience and reach of the performance are considered payment enough for the artists, as well as the privilege of being among the handful who are chosen to perform.
So, don’t worry too much about Bad Bunny - he’s sold millions of records, millions of tour tickets, and will have millions of eyes on his performance, again, thanks in part to Trump’s attitude towards him.
He’ll be relishing the opportunity to perform on Sunday, appearance fee or not.