At the Super Bowl LVII on Feb 11, Mercole Hardman Jr’s touchdown led to a Kansas City Chiefs victory over San Francisco 49ers.
But the big winner, by a mile, has to be Usher.
The R&B star appeared for only 13 minutes at halftime, yet he is already on course to net millions, way more than any of the players on either side, in the weeks to come.
As much as it is a symbol for American football, the Super Bowl has long also been the launchpad to greatness for artistes.
Apple Music had paid the National Football League US$50 million to have Usher appear on the halftime show.
His performance drew a record 129.3 million viewers, well ahead of the 123.7 million for the main event — the match itself.
His 13-minute exposure has been valued at US$52,479,822 by advertising and branding consulting services provider Apex Marketing Group.
Beyond that, his ninth album “Coming Home”, launched just two days before his gig, rose to second place on the iTunes and Spotify charts, putting him ahead of megastars Taylor Swift, Adele and Coldplay.
No doubt, the timing was perfect.
The power of sports as a medium to boost an artiste’s popularity is not lost on those in showbusiness.
In fact, some artistes don’t even bat an eyelid stumping out millions just to get on the Super Bowl show.
Of the US$50 million that Apple Music pays, about US$15 million goes into the production cost.
However, the sum is not always enough.
For instance, The Weeknd topped it up with US$7 million of his own money when he appeared at Super Bowl LV in 2021 and Dr Dre invested the same amount the following year.
But that’s a small investment — in time and money — for a mega payoff.
Businesses typically pay about US$7 million for a 30-second commercial at the Super Bowl. The artistes get 15 minutes free of charge.
On average, up to 115 million people watch a Super Bowl game, way more than any artiste can hope for in a single performance.
There is more to gain beyond the halftime gig.
After his appearance at Super Bowl LII in 2017, Justin Timberlake saw a 534% increase in music sales.
In the following year, Travis Scott was able to double his performance fee to US$1 million after his Super Bowl engagement.
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, who appeared on Super Bowl LIV, saw an addition of three million followers each on their Instagram accounts.
But the record must go to Rihanna. After her performance at Super Bowl LVII last year she leapt to the top on streaming media, gained three million new followers on Instagram and saw 17 of her songs enter the Top 40 list on Spotify.
Fenty Beauty, her line of beauty products, saw an 833% increase in searches on the internet.
These gains are not lost on Usher. He has announced a 24-city arena tour with tickets going up for sale immediately after his Super Bowl performance. Again, another coup in timing.
Ticket exchange and resale company Stubhub estimated that an artiste typically sees a 50% increase in concert ticket searches after performing at the Super Bowl.
The Weeknd sold a million tickets to his concerts after his Super Bowl gig.
The arena is not what it used to be. The players may score the goals, but it is the artistes who win the match. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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