NFL to Coldplay: Pay to Play the Super Bowl

[groundloop]

Source: Wall Street Journal

The National Football League doesn't usually pay the act that performs at halftime during the Super Bowl. But in a twist this year, the league has asked artists under consideration for the high-profile gig to pay to play, according to people familiar with the matter.

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.

The pay-to-play suggestion got a chilly reception from the candidates' representatives, these people said..............

It's unclear how much money the NFL was seeking, and whether it would likely have amounted to more or less than the extra income the chosen performer might stand to generate from the exposure. No decision has been made yet and it is possible another act could be selected.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/articles/nfl-to-coldplay-pay-to-play-the-super-bowl-1408465018

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Greed Greed Greed.

The NFL rakes in over $10 Billion per year, enjoys tax exempt status, and now feel that they need to fleece money from artists for performing at the Super Bowl.

[Ed Suspicious]

1. Disgusting. Capitalists pigs.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. I'd love to see the halftime act at the superbowl be somebody's

uncle in polyester plaid on an accordion because no one else is willing to 'pay to play'.

[maddogesq]

18. I say the show should be a teaching tool.

Not that I would want John to pay to play, but this would be a good place to start.

[TDale313]

3. Are you friggin' kidding me?!?

Greedy is right. I still can't get past them not allowing people to bring purses. Of course it's "security"- not that they want you to buy their food- nosiree. And they'll happily sell you clear bags that'll meet the criteria.

[Lint Head]

4. Any artist with any integrity at all will refuse. Of course there are quite a few with very

little integrity left.

[SunSeeker]

5. Rihanna will tell them to go fuck themselves. So should Katy Perry & Coldplay.

The more popular the act, the less likely it will be that they'll agree to this bullshit. I can't imagine any self-respecting headline act agreeing to pay to play.

[big_dog]

10. Coldplay doesnt need the money or exposure

so that leaves Katy Perry with so-so receipts on her tour and a record with many fewer singles than last time. looks like the Prismatic Super Bowl 49 halftime sponsored by Kodak!

[SunSeeker]

34. Yes, and Coldplay just isn't a halftime stadium crowd type band.

That leaves Perry, who was not as successful with her last album. But good grief, I hope she has more self-respect than that. How humiliating will it be to be known as the first act that had to PAY THE NFL to play at halftime?

[tom_kelly]

6. I stopped watching NFL games a few years ago because

of crap like this. They will be their own demise.

[LittleGirl]

7. OMG, I hope nobody signs up

those greedy bastards. Sheesh.

[tblue37]

42. I wish Andy Kaufman still lived--so Tony Clifton could play the halftime show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=z2wDAA7O0ho

[whereisjustice]

8. fucking sick. it just keeps getting worse...

[rocktivity]

9. Great idea -- I recall how well that turned out

for MTV.


rocktivity

[xocet]

37. Is that what happened to MTV and music videos? n/t

[rocktivity]

48. Yep -- their so-called groundbreaking cultural changeover to "reality programming"

Last edited Thu Aug 21, 2014, 11:19 AM - Edit history (1)

was the result of the record labels collectively turning down MTV's request to pay them for playing their bands' videos.


rocktivity

[xocet]

52. Thank you for that information.

I never knew why they went from being worth watching to what they are....

[RobinA]

56. Didn't That

used to be called payola? And didn't people get into trouble for it? I dunno, maybe my mind is fuzzy or something.

[Chan790]

11. Ugh.

I'm still supporting the petition to the NFL to have Weird Al perform the halftime show. It'd be the best halftime show since that one that only occurred in my head where Janet Jackson slapped the silly out of Justin Timberlake.

[big_dog]

13. i vote for weird al

the NFL should pay HIM for performing at halftime

[historylovr]

15. +1.

[Kalidurga]

20. If Weird Al did the half time show I would watch the whole freakin game

[onecaliberal]

12. What!!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

14. A friend in the industry tells me some performers are looking for appearance fees now

Since their participation in such things is far more important to the broadcasters than their marketing endeavors.

[big_dog]

17. Aerosmith was paid a substantial fee for a Super Bowl

not sure about Janet Jackson, something like 100-200k?

[Baclava]

16. Fuck all that! - I got FREE DirecTV Sunday Ticket Max this year + $30 off my monthly bill for a year

I lead a pure life

and now can stream all the games live on my andriod

[Throd]

19. Coldplay at the Superbowl? Has America lost its balls?

[d_b]

26. no shit

[jmowreader]

21. They need to pick someone very Republican who isn't Ted Nugent...

I don't think I'd want to risk a stay in Joe "Fucking" Arpaio's Tent Jail if he didn't like the song I sang at the Super Bowl. And he'd put you there. There's probably a long list of gospel stars who'd love to perform at The Worst Super Bowl in History.

[Tanuki]

29. I nominate Meatloaf!

[jmowreader]

38. Meat Loaf would be a great choice!

He's Republican, and a lot of people like his music.

[Lost In America]

22. Rich country's problems.

[Codeine]

23. Coldplay; literally the only thing on earth

more boring than an NFL game is fucking Coldplay.

Worst. Band. Ever.

[jmowreader]

39. You missed this year's Super Bowl, I take it

One of the more entertaining Super Bowls in memory...after the Seahawks scored 12 seconds into the game, and Kam Chancellor threw Demaryus Thomas seven yards down the field on the Broncos' second possession, the question changed from "who's going to win?" to "how fucked are the Broncos?" As it turned out, they were extremely fucked.

[Nye Bevan]

50. Yeah, why don't they get a proper band like the Moody Blues? (nt)

[The Second Stone]

24. Yeah, cuz the National Concussion League

is a charity or something. Like how they pay their cheerleaders less than minimum wage. My guess is that Al Davis went to hell, took over from the devil and then possessed the commissioner of football.

[LeftyMom]

31. Al Davis would have picked the band whose leader ran the fastest 40.

[DonCoquixote]

25. after years of disastrous choices

Now they want to exploit the younger artists, instead of trying to do that with someone with lawyers, like Elton John or the Rolling Stones.

Seriously, if I was Katy or Rhianna or Coldplay, I would offer instead to play a rival's halftime show, for free. That way, people will use the mighty channel zapper, and undo the programming mentally that says "must watch halftime show." Watch the dollars BURN!

[Thor_MN]

28. Excellent idea. I wish they would.

[rocktivity]

49. Better yet, they should arrange to do a halftime show ON ANOTHER CHANNEL!

In Living Color did that in 1992, with a countdown clock! Featuring Blaine Edwards and Antoine Merriweather, of course, discussing the game from a male point of view...

rocktivity

[Shrike47]

27. Ted Nugent, definitely. Collective toilet flushing all over America.

[jmowreader]

40. Dude, there's no way they'd ever book Ted Nugent

They want people to watch the second half, which you can't do after you've thrown your brand-new TV off the roof.

[KamaAina]

54. Nuge should totally sing the national anthem

at the NFL stadium in Landover.

[Gman]

30. This is an insidious trend in music

Many venues on 6th Street in Austin have the bands pay to play saying that what the band gets is good exposure. This is no different than a company have someone pay to work there. Music is work. People should be paid for their work.

[Codeine]

32. Yep. Exposure doesn't pay the rent,

buy new strings, or replace worn drumheads. The notion that artists should be working for free is offensive.

[Ed Suspicious]

33. NFL should buy a monkey who grinds the organ. You know, to control the means of production.

[davidpdx]

35. Extremely disappointing

Will this be a race to the bottom with other sports doing the same?

I hope someone starts a petition to tell the NFL Not Fucking Likely

[olddad56]

36. I would like to hear, "Coldplay to NFL, go fuck yourself"

Last edited Thu Aug 21, 2014, 10:35 AM - Edit history (1)

[tomm2thumbs]

41. '...narrowed down to Rihanna, Katy Perry and Coldplay' -- nuff said

[BrotherIvan]

43. Tax Exempt

[rpannier]

44. They do that in overseas markets as well

They wanted sports channels in Korea to pay premium fees to show the games
They got some positive response after the Steelers won the Super Bowl (Hines Ward)
But the following year, no network would pay that money.
The games start between 1 and 3 am on a Monday morning.
Very few people are going to be up and it's the first day of the week
So they were told to pound sand.
Had they accepted a little less money for tape delay showings like the NCAA does for basketball they could have made some money

Many cable companies in Seoul get AFN (Armed Forces Network) which shows the games live and in tape delay
So, there is little-to-no market in Seoul for networks to show the games

[Dr Hobbitstein]

45. Sadly, this is what has become of music venues...

I don't see much of it happen in my area, but in places like Orlando, New York, LA, et al, venues are charging bands for tickets. The band has to sell said tickets. Any money they make off the tickets is their ONLY profit. What this ends up doing is HURTING the up-and-coming acts, and bands that have money or lots of friends (we're talking local acts, not national acts) end up with all the gigs.

I'm kind of OK with it happening to big name acts. Let them get a taste of what us locals have to go through. Maybe they'll do something about it.

[GeorgeGist]

46. Hope they all say FU NFL!

[IDemo]

47. The NFL needs to do this

so they will have the money to pay viewers to watch Coldplay.

[ProfessorGAC]

51. One Bad Idea. . .

. . .from one guy who won't be making statements to the press anymore. Let's not overreact.

[KamaAina]

53. How can this not be The Onion?

[FSogol]

55. LOL: What is "Up With People" doing next Feburary 3rd?

[jmowreader]

57. Having enough sense NOT to go to Maricopa County as long as Sheriff Joe's dictator there!

[tabasco]

58. They're gonna have to pay me

to listen to that shite.

[Paladin]

62. Ya beat me to it.

And your sentiment is all over my FaceBook, this morning.

[zonkers]

59. I'd like to see a bunch of bands organize a competing entertainment show during the Super Bowl.

Maybe a charity event. Stream it for free. And screw the NFL.

[groundloop]

61. Excellent idea, especially since the halftime show will be lip-sync anyway

Last year the NFL wanted the Chili Peppers to prerecord the entire halftime show, but they'd only agree to prerecord the instruments and do live vocals. The Chili Peppers protested by blatantly leaving their instruments unplugged during the show so it was obvious they weren't playing live.

[harun]

60. Everything is for sale in America