Super Bowl x Fenty: Why Artists and Entertainers Deserve To Be Paid
This full post is for supporters only, a shorter free version is available on LinkedIn here. You can get £2 off a £10 annual membership with this special link.
I struggle to take proper time off and made the mistake of opening LinkedIn when doomscrolling earlier. In my defence, after the demise of Twitter the hustle-bro-professional-network has become surprisingly good for getting music or tech articles to read or podcast recommendations.
To my shock, my feed was filled with Rihanna at Super Bowl posts that read like AI slop and they all seem to share a world view.
The timing and volume of posts is curious but back in 2023 Rihanna didn't get paid her usual $90 million fee to play the - let me get this right! - Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show.
Rather than not getting what she's used to, she didn't get paid at all.
Don't worry about our RiRi though because these LinkedIn robo-posts assure us that she made millions from sales of a specific Fenty Beauty product line, as well as millions more from indirect sales from the boost to her profile.
She's not alone in not getting paid to play one of the biggest shows on earth:
The surprising truth is that halftime performers aren’t paid to perform at the Super Bowl. Per league policy, the NFL covers all costs related to the production of the halftime show, but the talent doesn't take home a paycheck (although the NFL foots the bill for their travel expenses).
