Why did Bad Bunny charge no money for his Super Bowl performance?

The roar of the crowd at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night was not just for the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots. For 13 electric minutes, all eyes were on Bad Bunny, who made history as the first solo Spanish-language artiste to headline a Super Bowl halftime show. However, while the performance featured a record 10,000 pyrotechnics and a star-studded guest list, the global icon did not pocket a single penny in appearance fees.

Here’s why Bad Bunny will not get paid for his Super Bowl performance

As is tradition for the NFL showpiece, headliners perform for free. While Apple Music pays roughly $50 million annually to sponsor the spectacle, that money covers production costs-which often exceed $15 million-rather than artist wages. For Benito, the ‘paycheck’ comes in the form of unparalleled global exposure. Previous headliners have seen streaming figures spike by over 400 percent in the hours following the game, a trend he is already mirroring. Following his recent Grammy wins, searches for his upcoming tour rose by over 1,500 percent.

As much cultural statement as musical, the performance saw Benito turn the field into a technicolored love letter to Puerto Rico, with faux sugarcane fields and an over-run ‘casita’ party. He was joined by Lady Gaga for a salsa-infused rendition of Die With a Smile, while Ricky Martin and Cardi B added to the high-energy set.

Despite the tension that pre-existed between Benito and some people at the Grammy awards event concerning his "ICE out" remarks, he managed to maintain a message of unity through the show. The event ended with Benito throwing a football with a message of ‘Together We Are America’ while a banner at the background read that love conquers hate. He might not have left with a cheque, but he definitively secured a place as a worldwide powerhouse by delivering the message to over 130 million people at the age of 31.

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