Sophie Moser 0:02
Hey, I'm Sophie.
Sophia Barber 0:03
And I'm Sophia.
Sophie Moser 0:05
And this is the That's Showbiz, Baby! podcast.
Sophia Barber 0:12
Hi, everyone, welcome back to another day another episode. Today we are going to start out with some song recommendations. So I am going to go first. And my song recommendation this week is "Debbie" by Your Smith. So let's take a listen to that.
Audio 0:32
*Clip of "Debbie" by Your Smith*
Sophia Barber 0:55
So I just think the song is super fun and it makes me want to you know, dance a little bit. I also really love her singing voice and her inflection is kind of unique in a subtle way. And overall, the song is just a good time. So I would recommend checking out Your Smith and specifically the song Debbie. Sophie, what do you have this week?
Sophie Moser 1:16
So I brought a song called "Use Me" featuring 070 Shake, I'm pretty sure that's how you say that part by PVRIS, and it is P-V-R-I-S in case you're looking it up. So let's take a listen.
Audio 1:31
*Clip of "Use Me" (feat. 070 Shake) by PVRIS*
Sophie Moser 2:02
Okay, so this song was released back in August of 2020. So it's not fresh off the presses. But it is a new find for me. And I came across this while working on my internship and it just immediately caught my ear. Like I think there's something really just noticeable about it like it catches your attention. And PVRIS, this group, they've been receiving really like rave reviews in the industry recently and are on the climb. And I can kind of see why. I really liked the song. I think it has this like cool drama to it. And it like moves you I think so I would definitely recommend the song to you all.
Sophia Barber 2:42
Fun choices this week.
Sophie Moser 2:45
Yes. And now, moving on to the main part of our episode, we are going to talk about the Super Bowl since this just happened last weekend. So we want to kind of go through a rundown of the performance from last weekend, and then talk about some of our other favorite and iconic performances. So first, let's talk about The Weeknd. If you haven't seen his Super Bowl halftime performance from last weekend, here's a little rundown, I will do my best to describe it. He performed solo with no guest artists but a big crew of backup dancers. He performed a medley of his greatest hits, which is pretty typical at the Super Bowl. And he had a really cool entrance where we got faked out like three times by different Weeknds until the real one was finally revealed. And he started on stage which was kind of to the side of the stadium. And then he went through like this tunnel of golden mirrors, which has, you know, since become a big meme, and this was where he was like spinning the camera around like crazy. Everyone got a little dizzy, I think. But he later went on to the field itself and did a really cool routine to finish the show. Obviously, there were a ton of fireworks. And yeah, they did not build a stage directly on the field like they normally do. Because they said it would take too many people to set it up and tear it down in time to maintain COVID safety. They just have to move so fast that they need so many people that it was not feasible. And apparently this performance was kind of a continuation of his after hours era, like the evolution of his face bandages and plastic surgery stunt. And I am not a super big Weeknd fan. So I was not really following this whole development. But The Weeknd has been sporting bandages and prosthetics and looking a little strange in his recent appearances. And the point of this whole thing like this whole story he's creating, he said himself signifies the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated. So there's definitely, you know, a pretty deep and seems like relevant meaning behind it. And this performance was supposedly another continuation of this character he has been creating. But at the show, he looked himself with no bandages or anything. But his backup dancers were all wearing matching outfits to him. And they were wearing face bandages, which side note also covered up there and n95 masks. So that was definitely kind of, you know, we had some overlap of a cool, artistic and also practical moment happening here. And then one more fun fact about this. While I was researching, I learned that his red jacket that he wore during during the performance was made out of real rubies, and it weighed 40 pounds.
Sophia Barber 5:42
Wow, dramatic.
Sophie Moser 5:43
So yeah, definitely crazy. I saw a quote where he was like, yeah, rubies are not really flexible. So it was kind of hard to move. And I was like, that's awesome.
Sophia Barber 5:56
Wow, super relatable.
Sophie Moser 5:57
So, that was interesting. Yeah. Also, this was apparently his first time really working with dancers and choreography. And oh, I also have one more fun fact, which is that Showtime is now working on a full length, so like a 90 minute documentary of this performance that we'll take a look at the months of work that went into the show. So-
Sophia Barber 6:20
Oh, that's cool.
Sophie Moser 6:21
Go off The Weeknd. And that sounds like it'll be super cool. So personally, I can give my thoughts on the performance now. I think it was super sleek and cool. I think it is honestly my favorite Super Bowl halftime show or one of them that I've seen. And like for those reasons, it was really artistic and well developed, like you could tell he had thought it through like it wasn't just about like the wow factor of like all these cool things for entertainment. But there was definitely like this artistry behind it. And you could hear his real raw voice and he wasn't like lip synching, which, you know, did, like allow some imperfections to come through from time to time. But I think that that's worth it. And that that is a real, invaluable part of a live experience. And I would rather hear the imperfections than like, your pre-recorded track that you can like listen to any other time. And yeah, I also love that it was less busy, like there weren't out- there weren't any guests, it was a little more simple. He kind of just had this like progression straight through the whole time. And I really liked his performance on the field and how they didn't really have to deal with the craziness of like building the stage. So I think that that kind of created him this space to focus on artistry and telling a story. So I really liked it. Sophia?
Sophia Barber 7:48
Fun. You know, even though I'm not like a huge Weeknd fan, I really liked the performance. I thought it was very good. It was really well done. And I loved that like huge wall backdrop with all the musicians in it. I thought that was sick. He's a very talented performer. And I did also I was like, is he singing this live like, wow, pop off. That's amazing, because a lot of people don't do that. which is understandable, especially if they're like doing a lot of dancing and stuff. But it was cool to hear him sing it live. Personally, the face bandages, like freaked me out a little bit like I wasn't the hugest fan. So I think the Blinding Lights segment on the field was maybe my least favorite. But overall, I thought it was really good. And I did love the memes that came from him like holding the camera. Those were really funny. So overall, yeah, I'm a fan. I thought he did a really good job.
Sophie Moser 8:40
Yes, we support, we are big fans of The Weeknd Super Bowl performance over here. But now we can throw it back and talk about some iconic Superbowl performances of the past. So Sophia and I have both brought two other Super Bowl performances that we think were really iconic that we want to share a little bit of information about. So I can kick us off. I'm going to start by talking about Katy Perry's performance in 2015. So the 2015 Super Bowl was hosted in Arizona. This was a game between the Patriots and the Seahawks and the Patriots won of course. And Katy Perry- first off she rode into the stadium on a mechanical, golden lion in this like golden flame fire dress. So, talk about iconic.
Sophia Barber 9:34
Uh, the Roar era.
Sophie Moser 9:33
That was maybe my favorite Katy Perr- Perry era. She brought out Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott as her guests, which I did hear was like a little disappointing for some of the people at the show because I guess she hyped it up like they thought she was gonna bring out like Beyonce. So I don't know that's- that's that. But she performed nine songs including "Roar," "California Girls," and then had a big finale with "Firework." And yes, a lot of pyro was used during her performance, like a lot. And I also learned that she sang some of the show live, but also certain parts were pre-recorded due to all of her move- movement, so kind of half and half from her. But overall, really incredible performance. Something, another cool thing I learned is that the estimated audience for the show was 120.7 million people worldwide, which is the most watched Superbowl halftime ever, I believe, which is kind of crazy. So talk about iconic. And like, just to put that in perspective, I guess pre the Superbowl she was on her Prismatic World Tour, and she had played her first 108 shows of the tour. And that had like total over those 108 shows she had an estimated audience of 2 million. So that like the 127, or 120.7 million number is nuts. But back to the show, she had lots of colorful and iconic outfits throughout the whole thing. And of course, her performance on her own was very iconic. But like the absolutely most iconic part of this show was left shark. She had her shark backup dancers during her performance of "Teenage Dream." And of course, as we all know, the left shark started dancing out of sync, and just went absolutely viral, full internet sensation like has not left, I feel like, culture since. So yeah, all I have to say about that is the legacy of the left shark will live on. So of course this has to go down as one of the most iconic Superbowl performances ever.
Sophie Moser 12:03
Anyways, the next show I'm going to talk about is Lady Gaga's show of 2017. And this is the other show that's like tied for first place with The Weeknd show, I think, out of my favorite Sup- Super Bowl performances. This was yet another incredible performance and a spectacle. This was at, yeah, the 2017 Super Bowl, once again, between the Patriots and the Falcons with the Patriots winning. She also performed alone with no special guests. So it hit me that like maybe that's what I really value in Super Bowl performances. But her show was highly acclaimed. She received six Emmy nominations, which is crazy. And I believe she won one of them. And the show kicked off with her jumping off of the roof of the stadium in Dallas, which was actually her, not a stunt double, but that part was pre recorded. And I actually had no idea that that part was pre-recorded until doing this research. So they really killed that transition in the video. But she did pick up live, the real Lady Gaga picked up live from like halfway down the stadium at this big pillar, got into the live portion of the concert. She also had 300 drones from Intel as part of her show, which was definitely kind of like a new territory. They danced in the air behind her to create visuals like the American flag. And per usual she performed a medley of her songs. She had pyro, backup dancers, just incredible outfits, I learned that Versace created her wardrobe for the show, which is really cool. So, yes, talk about an iconic woman from her performance with jumping off the roof and the Emmys, and just her incredible wardrobe. And once again, just high production value. And this show is actually the second most watched Superbowl halftime performance in history. So this one had 117.5 million TV viewers. So coming in at second place. And yeah, I have to say, you know, this show and Lady Gaga are just incredible. So, yes, one of the most iconic.
Sophie Moser 14:21
I love it. Yes, the powerful women up in here. Um, now I'm gonna take it back to 1993 when Michael Jackson performed at the Buffalo Bills vs. Dallas Cowboys halftime show. So this one was wild. It started with Michael Jackson lookalikes shooting up on top of the jumbotron like there was a video of him being sucked up to the top and then an actual person appeared and that happened twice. And then we finally got to see the real Michael on the mainstage. So The Weeknd, during his performance this year probably did a little tribute to this and after we see him on the main stage He actually just stood still, like completely still for about 90 seconds, just letting people scream and cheer for him. And then after that 90 seconds-
Sophie Moser 15:09
Talk about iconic.
Sophia Barber 15:10
Yeah. Then after he got all of his applause, then he decided to put on an incredible performance. His show is regarded kind of as a turning point for the halftime shows into the pop extravaganzas that they are today. They used to be not such a big deal and not really this, like high profile. I know it's like the first Super Bowl halftime show in 1967, I believe had The Three Stooges perform. So it was kind of that vibe. And this Jackson performance was seen as the turning point into what we know today. Michael Jackson also wanted $1 million for his performance, but the NFL has a policy against paying artists that performance the halftime show. So they settled and partnered with Frito Lay to make 100,000 donatio- a $100,000 donation to Jackson's Heal The World Foundation, as well as a 30 second TV spot about the f- about the foundation. So after performing a medley of "Jam," "Billie Jean," and "Black or White", it turned into an interesting performance of the songs "We Are The World" and "Heal The World" during which he was joined by 3,500 children from Los Angeles. So it was very interesting. He wanted to kind of dedicate it to his foundation and the work he does with children or did with children. And you know, even watching it on YouTube in 1993 video quality, it was a great show. It was pretty entertaining. I mean, like at least the first half when he wasn't singing the like peace world songs was like super entertaining. And I'd recommend watching it if you haven't seen it.
Sophia Barber 16:54
Next, I'm going to talk about Beyonce's performance in 2013. And this was the Super Bowl of the Baltimore Ravens versus the San Francisco 49ers. And, you know what can I even say about this, it was an incredible performance. I literally got chills when I was watching the video, because it was just choreographed and performed so perfectly. It started with a fire illuminating outlines of faces that turned into the stage and had insane dancers and even a guitar with sparklers on either end that looks like it was on fire while the person was playing it. And you know, it was fairly simple for a halftime show. Like it didn't have huge elaborate sets, no one jumped off buildings, no giant gold lions, but it was incredibly entertaining and really high quality. So that is another one I'd recommend checking out.
Sophie Moser 17:44
Amazing. So we also wanted to investigate kind of some of the logistics behind the Super Bowl on the music side. So now that we've been able to talk through our favorite performances, we're going to talk about how music kind of weaves its way into Super Bowl commercials, and then also the booking logistics of how artists get, you know, set up at the Superbowl. So I'm gonna go ahead and talk about the Superbowl commercials. And this is another huge part of the whole Super Bowl spectacle. Super Bowl commercials are an incredible opportunity to reach an audience. I mean, think about the numbers I mentioned earlier, we're talking around like 110 to 120 million viewers, which is more than 1/3 of the population of the United States, which is crazy to think about. It is yeah, a massive platform that can get companies in front of a huge audience. And the Superbowl is such a cultural phenomenon that ads are generally talked about a lot, which like further increases their value and their reach. And you know, just think about the fact that like a lot of people who don't enjoy football and would never watch a football game, they will tune in to the Superbowl just for the commercials. So, you know, since we are a music industry podcast, I was really interested in thinking through how music is involved in these commercials. So you know, generally commercials have music in them. So music sync or the licensing of songs to be used in synchronization with video content. Hence, music sync is definitely a topic that is like deeply intertwined with the superbowl commercial landscape, as songs are being synced to ads. And songs are you know, definitely a huge part of these ads and they can really make or break the- you know how it goes over if it's successful, how people are going to respond to it. So songs are definitely really important when it comes to Superbowl commercials. And so you know, companies wanting to use certain songs, they're going to have to procure and pay for licenses for them. So that is going to be you know, like that's a huge way that the music industry is involved in Superbowl commercials. So if you're, you know, coming at it from the the side of the company, it's definitely an expensive project you have going on here, we can take a step back and start at the beginning, even just securing a 30 second ad space at the Superbowl takes a lot of money. So as of 2020, 30 second ad slots generally cost about $5.6 million. And that does not include any production costs involved in making the ad, that is just for the TV time, just for the slot at the Superbowl. So we're definitely talking expensive, because companies do have huge production costs. And a big part of that is going to be companies paying for this music licensing, or even for celebrities to do cameos. So there's not a whole lot of explicit information out there about how this works. A lot of it is kept kind of secret in terms of, you know, specifically the Super Bowl. But, you know, on the most basic level for any song to be used in any video content, the correct permission must be obtained. So the company is going to have to make sure they have the permission from each involved party. So this includes each songwriter who wrote on the song, they need to clear its use and say, you know, give their Okay, which isn't such a big deal if it's written by one person. But if there are eight or nine writers on a song, you're definitely moving into a much more time consuming process. Similarly, the record label or the party that controls the master, so the copyright of the particular recording being used, they also have to give permission. So there's a lot of parties that you know, have to be asked for permission before a song can be used. So that is a big part of how music ends up in Super Bowl commercials or in any commercials in general. Um, also, companies who want to put an ad in the Superbowl are also going to need to do a lot of creative work, they're going to have to find a song that fits the vibe of their commercial. And that will kind of like elevate it to a new level. And those working in sync are going to be actively looking for placements at this time too, so that they can, you know, make room for their songs be competitive in the sync market and get their music out in front of such a big audience. So, at the same time, the companies are looking for music, music publishers and music sync, you know, figures are going to be also coming from the other side and trying to pitch songs for projects. So that's a little bit about how the music ends up there. But honestly, what I was most interested in researching was how much the song licenses might cost for Superbowl ad placements. And this is where you definitely can't find much, which is unfortunate, but it makes sense. But I did find some allusions to kind of the amounts in some articles. And what I did find is that placing songs in Superbowl commercials is definitely a big payday. Songs used for super, Super Bowl ads will cost more than they would in other circumstances. So you know that at least give somewhat of an idea. I think it's definitely safe to say that the song licenses cost a lot. And they definitely make musicians or companies with a stake in the copyrights at hand a good amount of money. And the other thing that I did see is that bigger artists like the Beatles, per se, probably, you know, a license for one of their songs would cost around in like the seven digits. And then it kind of decreases from there, depending on how big an artist is. So that's going to play the biggest role in cost. So these amounts, yeah, they're split between those with a stake in the master recordings for publishing. So no one person is getting all of that money. But it's still definitely a big payday as, as the internet told me, so. Yeah, one more interesting thing that I did stumble across during my research is that these song placements are often made super last minute, even within a few days of the game. So I'm not sure quite why that is. But I think that's interesting to know. I'm sure they're just moving. It's a probably quick paced thing. So-
Sophia Barber 24:22
Wow. Alright.
Sophie Moser 24:26
Yes.
Sophia Barber 24:27
Yeah. Going from that we're gonna, I'm going to touch on the booking logistics for the actual show, like the halftime show. So a quick rundown. I'll start with how they choose who is going to play. The NFL considers popularity, music genre, and the artist's overall performance value, and they generally are looking for someone who is super popular and will also appeal to as many people as possible. But the NFL doesn't actually have the final say of who performs. They put together a shortlist of ideal candidates and then the host city gets to actually pick the performer that plays. As far as payment goes, the artists performing don't get paid. So what's in it for them is publicity pretty much and you know, audience reach, not really money. The NFL does give the artists a production budget, which is paid for at least in part by Pepsi, who has been the halftime show presenting sponsor since 2012. And this year, Pepsi even took out a Super Bowl ad for themselves promoting the halftime show, rather than their company. So Pepsi is all about the halftime show, and they probably pay for a lot of that production budget given to the artists. However, this NFL budget is almost never enough to cover the performance that the artists actually want to do, you know, they want to make it big and really talked about so they will often put their own money in or the label will put money in. So for example, the NFL gave Bruce Springsteen $1 million in 2009 for his set, which was plenty because he had a relatively bare bones performance. But some more extravagant performances cost closer to $10 million or $12 million. And so yeah, when there is a gap between the NFL budget and the actual costs, usually the artist's label will provide the funding for it, so that it can be as cool as they all want it to be. And then while I couldn't find the NFL budget versus personal contribution, necessarily, for any of the shows, I did find the overall cost of a few shows that I can share. So the 2020 show with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira cost $13 million, the 2017 Lady Gaga one was $10 million, the 2007 Prince show cost $12 million. And then surprisingly, the 2013 Beyonce show only cost $600,000, because she didn't have that many production elements. So she probably didn't have to pay much to put that show on, the NFL budget probably covered that. But generally, the shows are definitely very expensive to put on. And most of the big artists pay some money, either from themselves or the label to perform.
Sophie Moser 27:17
And I looked into a little bit more information specifically about The Weeknd and how the booking logistics for his performance, you know, all happened and went. And there's not a whole lot out there. And maybe that will come with time. I'm sure the Showtime documentary will contribute some new information. But like Sophia discussed, he was not actually paid anything for his halftime show. And he didn't pay to perform. But he did- he didn't pay the NFL to perform but he did pay $7 million of his own money to ensure that the production was exactly what he wanted. So he pitched in to pay for, you know, production costs, like Sophia talked about. And that was just so he could make the performance as high quality as he wanted it and have exactly what he wanted it to be. I know, this is something I've kind of seen on the internet. And I think people were a little shocked about like, oh, why did you have to pay $7 million of his own money. But it's kind of standard, like what Sophia talked about the NFL, I, you know, couldn't find numbers, but they cover- they'll cover like a kind of standard amount. I'm sure it gets adjusted year by year as things get a little more inflated and expensive. But they covered- they didn't like rip him off, they covered this same amount that they normally would. And he just paid more to go above and beyond and create the show that he wanted. And yeah, like Sophia discussed the reason for this is that the exposure that the Superbowl provides is kind of unbeatable, like that is pretty much like it's often the most watched TV program of its calendar year. So, you know, generally the biggest show, and yeah, every artist who has performed receives a huge increase in sales. And that was no different for The Weeknd. So he is already experiencing an uptick in streaming data and, and music sales. And the odds that The Weeknd will more than make back the money he put into the show are very high. So in fact, like just on February 7, which was the very day of the Superbowl, his sales rose by 385%. And he experienced a 220% increase in streams. And that will probably go up even after the fact like after, you know, a little more time is passing. So couldn't find much other than that, but just know he will be okay. And he will probably more than make back the $7 million that he put into the show to make it what it was.
Sophia Barber 29:49
Yeah. So kind of jumping off of that I'm going to talk about generally how performing affects these artist's numbers and career. So determining these numbers and whether this undertaking of the cost is worth it for these artists in terms of sales increases is pretty hard to determine especially because, you know, I don't have inside access to their numbers. But how much actual money they're going to make has definitely decreased over the years because of fans streaming the artist's music or listening to an on YouTube, rather than purching a physic- purchasing a physical copy or a download. So we all know streams give artists a fraction of a penny per stream. So you know, like a 500% increase in streams, while that is impressive, might not actually provide them with that much additional revenue. So it really depends about their fan breakdown. And who is going to go buy a Weeknd CD versus who's gonna go listen to The Weeknd on Spotify. Some artists like Bruno Mars in 2014, saw a huge growth in sales after his performance, whereas Beyonce in 2013 actually saw fairly limited returns. People speculate that this is because it was br- Mars's first high profile appearance, so he could have gotten his music in front of new fans that had never heard of him before. Whereas most people are already fairly familiar with Beyonce. So that also is a factor on whether they are going to see increased sales revenue is their current exposure and their current streaming numbers. And an interesting fact that I learned in my research is that while the Superbowl is one of the most viewed TV events like of the year, the Superbowl has actually never had the sales impact that the Grammys has had. The Grammys always has a higher sales impact for artists that perform there, rather than the halftime show performances. My personal theory is probably just because the Grammys is a very music focused audience, whereas the Superbowl might have people that are or does have people that are only there for the sports. So that was I just thought was an interesting fact. But overall, it's kind of hard to do a direct comparison between money spent and money earned. But it is an incredible way to guarantee a large amount of eyes on your performance and lots of buzz surrounding it. And it also has impacts past just the current year. I mean, we're still talking about Super Bowls from 1993 and other older halftime shows, so they kind of live on and get recycling news coverage around the Superbowl time. So overall, if they can afford it, I'm sure it's an incredible investment that helps their performance.
Sophia Barber 32:33
Thank you all for listening. You can find us on Instagram at Sophia.productions. And please go rate, download, and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai