When you think of the formidable pair that is Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, you might be reminded of the incredible way they command the stage, sell out arenas for thousands of fans and their ability to gross the big bucks at every tour stop along the way.
Watch below: Jennifer Lopez channels 'Hustlers' character in Super Bowl performance
All this, minus one detail, was true of their 2020 Super Bowl performance. The two legendary artists put on a show that was impossible to miss for their biggest crowd to date, at the coveted Super Bowl halftime show. Despite their iconic performance that undoubtedly broke the internet, the stars weren’t paid a single cent.
Yes, you read that correctly. What you might be surprised to learn is that it’s not unusual for Super Bowl performers to basically put on a show for free. According to Forbes, even though the performers don’t walk away with any cash in hand, they do benefit from something called union scale, which is "a fraction of the six- and seven-figure sums these acts have banked on a nightly basis."
Plus, staging costs like extravagant lighting, several stages, outfit changes and guest appearances – added extras that Shakira and J.Lo’s performance definitely included, are not footed by the performers themselves, but rather the NFL. Hence, the technically free performance.
What the likes of Shakira and J.Lo certainly do receive from the Super Bowl performance is exposure – in case they didn’t have enough of that already. Forbes reported that following Justin Timberlake’s 2018 halftime show, there was a 214% spike in his Spotify stream. The year before that, Lady Gaga’s album Joanne instantly returned to the Billboard 200 chart despite the album being released the year before in October.
So, if "Hips Don't Lie" or "Get Right" suddenly pop up at the top of your Spotify charts, you'll know why.
