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The question arises every year before the Super Bowl: How much do halftime performers earn? The answer remains the same—zero. Despite the NFL not paying artists beyond the minimum union scale (approximately $1,000 per day for rehearsals and the performance), the financial impact of the stage is undeniable, per TheRoot. This year, Kendrick Lamar seized that opportunity and turned it into an even bigger payday.
Super Bowl Spotlight Brings Streaming Surge
Performing in front of a record-breaking 133.5 million viewers at Super Bowl LIX, Lamar made a lasting impression, and the numbers prove it. Following his halftime show, his music saw massive streaming spikes. According to a Feb. 10, 2025, Instagram post from Spotify, Lamar’s recent diss track “Not Like Us” surged by 430%, while “HUMBLE” gained 300%. “DNA” followed with a 260% jump, and his collaborations “Luther” with SZA and “tv off” featuring lefty gunplay each saw a 170% increase in streams. SZA also reaped benefits from the performance, experiencing an 80% streaming boost.
Super Bowl halftime performances have historically translated into streaming and sales spikes. In 2020, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez saw increases of 267% and 187%, respectively. Lady Gaga’s 2017 show sparked a 1,000% boost in album sales. More recently, Usher strategically dropped his album “Coming Home” just before his 2024 halftime performance, propelling it to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking his highest ranking in over a decade.
A Career-Defining Moment
Lamar’s Super Bowl moment came just one week after his five-Grammy sweep, bringing his career total to 22 wins. He delivered a 10-song set at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, featuring five tracks from his latest album, “GNX,” which debuted in November 2024. The halftime show was another testament to his influence, reinforcing rap’s global dominance.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why,” Lamar stated when the NFL announced him as the Super Bowl headliner on Sept. 8, 2024. “They got the right one.”
Now, Lamar and SZA are taking that momentum on the road. Their Grand National Tour will span 19 North American stadiums, beginning April 19 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and wrapping up June 18 in Washington, D.C. Additional European dates, starting in Cologne, Germany, on July 2, were announced the day after their Super Bowl performance.
With this performance and his upcoming tour, Kendrick Lamar is proving once again that the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t about the paycheck—it’s about the long-term payoff.
