Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi
Unbelievable…! The National Football League (NFL) has reportedly asked potential Super Bowl halftime performers if they would be willing to pay the league to play at its big game. I can’t believe this?!
A couple of weeks I decided for myself not to play for free any more. Yesterday I found out that some major musicians might have played for free for the NFL’s SUPER BOWL HALF TIME event. This is a perfect example what happens in this music business industry, but on a higher and sophisticated level. In this case, much money is made by the NFL, and no money goes to the (major) performing artists who decided to play for free.
Even David Letterman made a joke about this news last night.
These musicians or their labels agreed to do that because performing on that stage would mean to showcase themselves to millions of people. As an exchange for that the NFL would get some FREE entertainment.
Music business is really a lousy business and so corrupt…and we musicians play (sometimes a big) a part in it.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAFM President Blasts NFL Super Bowl Halftime Kickback Scheme
New York, NY – In what could be deemed the most colossal pay to play scheme ever, the National Football League (NFL) has reportedly asked potential Super Bowl halftime performers if they would be willing to pay the league to play at its big game.
“It’s not like the NFL and its Super Bowl organizers don’t have any money and can’t afford to pay for halftime show performances, it’s about the insatiable thirst for profits at the expense of great musical entertainment and those who create it. You can find kickback schemes like this coming from unscrupulous bar and nightclub owners, but for the NFL to descend to such depths would be unconscionable,” said American Federation of Musicians International President Ray Hair.
The AFM will bring the matter up for discussion with the AFL-CIO’s Department of Professional Employees which includes representatives from all US art and entertainment unions, including the NFL Players Association.
Though the NFL doesn’t usually pay the performing halftime acts, this seems to be a new low. The NFL has reportedly shortlisted its choices for next year’s Super Bowl halftime show to Rihanna, Coldplay and Katie Perry, and was also reported to have requested a portion of post-show tour earnings to secure the booking. A 30-second TV commercial cost $3.8 million and there were 45 minutes of advertisements during the game. The league’s annual revenue is more than $9 billion, and Commissioner Roger Goodell says he would like to reach $25 billion by 2027.
ABOUT THE AFM–Founded in 1896, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), AFL-CIO, is the largest organization in the world dedicated to representing the interests of professional musicians. With more than 80,000 members, the AFM represents all types of professional musicians, including those who record music for sound recordings, film scores, videogames, radio, television and commercial announcements, as well as perform music of every genre in every sort of venue from small jazz clubs to symphony orchestra halls to major stadiums. Whether negotiating fair agreements, protecting ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health care and pension, or lobbying legislators, the AFM is committed to raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the foreground of the cultural landscape. For more information, contact the main number at (212) 869-1330 or visit the website at www.afm.org.
Follow the AFM on Twitter www.twitter.com/the_AFM and Facebookwww.facebook.com/afm.org
