We not only get to see the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles go hard on the field this Super Bowl Sunday, but we also get to witness the greatness of Kendrick Lamar's halftime show with SZA (and more special guests that have yet to be announced!). It all goes down at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, and we are seated.
Ofc, if you're nosy like me, you're probably asking yourself, How much is Kendrick Lamar getting paid for the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show? After all, headlining the Super Bowl halftime show is a massive career milestone for any musician (see: Prince, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga...you know the vibes), so there must be tons of money tied to it, right? Wrong. Over the years, halftime show performers haven't gotten paid much—if at all—but their iconic contributions to pop culture are truly priceless. Let's get into the logistics.
Kendrick Lamar is not getting paid for the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show
Wild, but true. Historically, the NFL doesn't pay Super Bowl halftime performers, but that's because the coveted 13-minute slot is essentially A) a free concert smack in the middle of a football game and B) a commercial for the headliner's discography. An NFL spokesperson told Forbes in 2016, "We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs."
Every year, the performances also have a sponsor. Pepsi has sponsored in the past, and Apple Music has taken the reigns for the last few years. Along with the NFL, sponsors cover production costs like the stage, lights, and outfits. It's unclear whether the performers also receive a payout from sponsors, but...
Kendrick could make $$$ from streams and ticket sales after his performance
Kendrick might not receive a large check from the NFL but he will likely see a jump in music streams, which is a primary source of income for artists aside from live performances. This year's Super Bowl is predicted to have 120 million viewers (!!!) and counting, so a 13-minute slot to perform all the highlights from your discography is highly coveted for a reason. Per Forbes, Usher's 2024 halftime show earned him a 550 percent boost in Spotify streams, and the year before that, Variety reported that Rihanna's performance saw a surge of 640 percent.
"After a major live show, many fans head straight to Spotify. The same is true for the Super Bowl halftime show each year. We see massive spikes not just for the performing artists, like Rihanna and Usher, but also for team chants and anthems," Monica Herrera Damashek, Head of Artist & Label Partnerships at Spotify, said in an exclusive statement to Cosmo.
She added, "This surge in streaming translates directly into increased revenue for artists and their teams. While each artist has their own agreement with rights holders—details that Spotify isn’t directly involved in—we do see the impact in our payouts. These cultural moments consistently drive significant boosts in both streams and earnings."
Not to mention! Kendrick is also headed on a stadium tour in support of his latest album GNX with SZA, which means the demand for tickets will likely spike up after they take the stage at Caesars Superdome in NOLA. So! It's not nothing!
