- Usher will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday
- But he won't be making much for the performance itself.
On Sunday, Usher will perform what will likely be the single most-watched live musical performance of the year — and he will barely be paid for it. At least not directly.
More than 100 million people tune in to the Super Bowl yearly, but the halftime show performers are not typically paid any more than SAG-AFTRA's minimum union rate. For Usher, that amounts to $671.00 for the performance itself, a union spokesperson told Business Insider.
He'll also get paid for the rehearsals leading up to the big night — an average of $1,750 a week, based on a 35-hour workweek, per the SAG-AFTRA spokesperson — which is next to nothing for a superstar. (The NFL and the halftime show's sponsor, Apple Music, do foot multimillion-dollar production costs.)
That said, the R&B star isn't exactly performing out of the goodness of his heart, and he's already reaping some of the financial rewards that come with the title of halftime show performer.
First are the checks for endorsement deals, particularly for ads and campaigns around the Super Bowl. Uber Eats and BMW have already released commercials featuring the "Yeah!" singer. He's also the new face of Skims' menswear collection, with Kim Kardashian's brand pushing his new album and, in turn, his abs — and performance — presumably pushing underwear sales.
While representatives for Usher did not respond to requests for comment, stars of his magnitude can be expected to earn at least six or seven figures per Super Bowl ad spot.
It's also typical for headliners to experience a bump in music streams following their performances. Last year's halftime show performer Rihanna saw a 390% boost in song sales and a 140% surge in streams in the US after she took the stage, Luminate estimated. Lady Gaga saw album and song sales skyrocket 1,000% on the day of her Super Bowl gig in 2017, Billboard reported. These boosts translate directly into cash for the musician.
And then there's the exposure: The performance and the fanfare, including plenty of airtime on Apple Music, will essentially act as a 13-minute ad for Usher. With 30-second spots going for $7 million, that's a value of about $182 million.
He'll be promoting his just-released album "Coming Home" and his upcoming tour, which kicks off in August. In past years, StubHub has reported that search traffic has jumped as high as 50% for halftime show acts following the Super Bowl. The publicity could prove even more impactful in selling concert tickets for someone like Usher than for previous acts like The Weeknd, as he's been out of the spotlight for years.
As we've seen this summer from the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé — who received her own Super Bowl boost in 2016 — there's nothing quite like a blockbuster tour to line the coffers of a musician.
So, Usher, go get that money, money, money.