Superbowl: NFL asks acts to pay to perform at halftime
Artists don't expect to be paid for their performances at halftime during the Super Bowl.
Being surrounded by the adoration of thousands and adored via television by millions is usually enough to entice the biggest names.
Then again, everything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. According to the Wall Street Journal, the NFL wants to know if it can make the biggest names in the music business pay to perform.
Of course there are more diplomatic ways to put this to the potential acts:
The NFL has narrowed down the list of potential performers for the 2015 Super Bowl to three candidates: Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Coldplay, these people said. While notifying the artists' camps of their candidacy, league representatives also asked at least some of the acts if they would be willing to contribute a portion of their post-Super Bowl tour income to the league, or if they would make some other type of financial contribution, in exchange for the halftime gig.
There is speculation that the candidate willing to give up the biggest amount will be the one to get the slot, rather than a more traditional selection process.
As you might expect there has been a somewhat "chilly reception" to the idea from the artists themselves. It is hard to ascertain what kind of boost a short spell in the Super Bowl spotlight can do. But, as The Verge points out, Rhianna is currently working on a new album, her eighth, and may be the one who would benefit most from a timely exposure to 115m viewers.