NFL Asks Super Bowl Half Time Acts To 'Pay To Play'

The National Football League has taken the unprecedented step of asking potential performers at the Super Bowl Half Time show to ‘pay to play’. Traditionally, the NFL doesn’t pay those it selects for the highly desired spot. But this year, it has asked those artists on the shortlist – believed to be Rihanna, Katy Perry and Coldplay – if they would be willing to donate a portion of their post-Super Bowl tour income to the NFL, or some other type of financial contribution.

While this percentage is undisclosed, the request has met with a chilly reception from those artists’ representatives, according to insiders.

The 49th edition of the Super Bowl is due to be played outside Phoenix, Arizona on February 1st next year. NFL spokeswoman Joanna Hunter said about the matter that its only goal is “to put on the best possible show” and that the details of any contracts were confidential. As to the identity of the final performer, Hunter also said “when we have something to announce, we’ll announce it”.

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We’re not quite sure what’s really in it for Rihanna, Coldplay or Perry. All three acts are absolutely enormous in their own right – how many more potential fans could any of them really capture by playing the Super Bowl anyway? It hardly seems worth the fee. Perhaps the NFL should consider asking a record label to pay for one of their newer or smaller acts to perform and introduce them to the world that way.

This year’s Super Bowl Half Time show featured performances from Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers, drawing in a record 115.3 million viewers, more than the game itself. The huge audience makes the coveted spot one of the most valuable promotional platforms in the music industry.