Usher’s move to release his ninth solo studio album, Coming Home, two days before his headline performance at the Super Bowl 58 Halftime Show on Sunday, February 12, 2024, might just turn out to be a masterstroke for both him and Burna Boy.
The album which features the Afrobeats star on its lead single titled ‘Coming Home’ is expected to be performed at the Super Bowl HalfTime, and Burna is expected to feature on stage. If Burna features, he will become the first Afrobeats artist at the international event which is one of the few events yet to host a star of the genre.
The Super Bowl, the annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States is one of the most watched single sporting events, however, it is its HalfTime Show headlined by some of the biggest music stars that get the world tuned in.
Joe Pompliano, a US sports business journalist, on his X handle, recently revealed the economics behind what artists benefited from headlining the Super Bowl HalfTime show. He disclosed that the NFL does not pay artists to perform.
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According to Pompliano, Apple Music, one of the headline sponsors, pays the NFL $50 million annually to sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show. Usher who is headlining this year’s event will not get any of that money just like previous headlining artists. Rather, he will be leveraging the exposure to gain more followers, sell tickets, and increase his streaming numbers.
Other famous artists including Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, The Rolling Stones, Dr Dre and West Coast hip hop legends, The Weeknd, and Rihanna who have also performed at the Super Bowl did not get paid.
In his explanation, Pompliano said the NFL gave artists a $15 million budget to produce their show. “This budget covers 2,000 to 3,000 part-time workers, including set design, security, dancers, and marketing. In fact, some artists end up spending millions of dollars of their own money on the performance,” he stated.
The Weeknd spent $7 million from his pocket on his show at Super Bowl 55, and Dr. Dre reportedly spent a similar amount in 2022, the journalist noted.
Commenting on what artists benefited from the exposure of the Super Bowl HalfTime show, Pompliano said, “The Super Bowl is watched by 115 million people. Brands will spend $7 million for 30-second commercials during this year’s game, yet Usher will receive an uninterrupted 13-minute commercial for free.”
Pompliano highlighted that Justin Timberlake saw a 534 percent increase in music sales after his Super Bowl 52 performance and Travis Scott’s performance fee doubled from $500,000 to $1 million after he featured in Super Bowl 53. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira gained 3 million Instagram followers after their joint headlining performance in Super Bowl 54, he noted.
Rihanna’s performance had more viewers (118 million) than the game (115 million) and some of her numbers after the show includes Number 1 most-streamed artist globally, 17 songs in the Top 40 on Spotify, 3 million extra Instagram followers, and an 833 percent increase in Fenty Beauty searches, the journalist stated.
“Usher is releasing his new album ‘Coming Home’ just two days before the Super Bowl, hoping his performance sends it to the top of the charts. He also signed several endorsement deals and will even be in a commercial,” Pompliano added.
Commenting under Pompliano’s tweet, Omosomi, on X, said, “The NFL gets one of the world’s top artists to perform at its biggest event for free, and the musician gets a 13-minute commercial in front of 115 million people for a fraction of what brands pay.
“The benefits of the performance far outweigh any performance fee… with a new album and concert tour on the way, the returns for Usher are about to be huge, not to mention the endorsement deals he’s already received ahead of the show.”
Music analysts believe Usher’s move to release an album was deliberate and should see his commercial numbers move to astronomical levels. According to Stubhub, artists see a 50 percent increase in concert ticket searches after performing at the Super Bowl, with The Weeknd selling 1 million tickets after his performance in 2020.
Tickets for Usher’s 24-city tour, after the Super Bowl, are set to double. Also, Burna Boy who is rumoured to charge between $500,000 to $1 million might see his performance fee double if he features alongside Usher this year. The Afrobeats star, whose show is set for Canada and the US, is also likely to gain more prominence by having 115 million people watch him perform if he features alongside Usher.
