Super Bowl LI: What is Lady Gaga Paid to Headline the Halftime Show? 

It's the greatest show on earth! 

Just like her predecessors, Lady Gaga has spent months preparing for her 13-minute appearance during the Super Bowl halftime show, where music is only part of the spectacle. Outrageous set designs, designer costumes and hi-tech animation have become the norm during the spectacular production. Gaga will join an exclusive roster of musical legends who headlined the biggest show on earth…. and weren’t paid a dime. Michael Jackson, U2, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen all earned top dollar for appearances at the time of their performance, but none of them were paid anything for their halftime performance. 

The NFL does not pay artists to perform at the Super Bowl, but will cover expenses and production costs. This can be a small fortune considering Katy Perry's 13-minute appearance in 2015, which included a giant mechanical tiger, 4 costume changes, cutting edge projections, a legion of backup dancers and dancing sharks, cost upwards of $10 million. But post-performance, Perry enjoyed a significant sales spike due to the 118.5 million viewers who tuned-in the most-watched halftime show ever.   

Would you be surprised to know Super Bowl halftime artists aren't paid a dime? Read the facts:

 Bruno Mars 2014 halftime show was seen by 115.3 million viewers. After the show, Mars went on to gross $43 million in tour revenue by mid-2014. Similarly, Beyoncé – who performed during the 2013 halftime show – saw album sales surge by 59% after her performance and went on to make nearly $180 million from touring that year.  

Meanwhile, NFL players who make it to the final game are rewarded generously for their participation. Post-season bonuses are distributed on a fixed-payout system that compensates every player equally. Post Super Bowl, each member of Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots will receive bonus checks from the NFL: $97k for winning team players and $49k for losing team members. This is in addition to the post-season bonuses already accumulated by each player: Wildcard round (winning team players gets $25k); Divisional playoffs ($24k each); Conference championship ($44k each); Pro Bowl ($55k for winning team players). At the end of the season, players of teams who made it to Super Bowl champs can earn as much as $165,000 in post-season bonuses.