(NEXSTAR) – With so many eyes watching the Super Bowl each year, the halftime show during the big game is one of the most sought-after gigs for artists and performers.

But it doesn’t pay much at all — at least not upfront.

The NFL does not pay any appearance fees for entertainers who perform during the mid-game spectacle, either directly or through sponsors. But the artists do get paid for their time, even if it’s much less than they’re used to.

“The NFL covers all costs associated with the show and does pay the performers’ union scale. There is not an appearance fee, but the artists are indeed paid union scale,” Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of communications, told Newsweek in 2022.

With so many artists, musicians and dancers on the stage at any given halftime show, it’s unclear how much “union scale” means for different entertainers. SAG-AFTRA, which represents dancers and vocalists in addition to actors, sets its performers’ rates at around $1,100 per day, or slightly more depending on their expected duties, according to the union’s 2023 wage table.

From the NFL’s perspective, the artists are paid in exposure. Whether they believe it is worth it is up to the performer.

In addition to the millions of viewers who see their performances, artists who take the stage during halftime can expect a bump in streaming numbers and sales. The Weeknd, for instance, sold about four times as many albums on the day of his Super Bowl performance compared to the day before, and his streaming rates more than tripled, Forbes reported. Rihanna, meanwhile, saw a 390% increase in song sales after her performance in 2023, according to Forbes, as well as a 640% jump in Spotify streams. After Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl performance, his streams boosted about 550%, with his hit “Caught Up” surging at a 2,000% increase, according to Forbes.

But not every performer is chomping at the bit to perform on the Super Bowl stage.

It was rumored in 2016 that Adele would perform in the following year’s halftime show, but she set the record straight, announcing at a Los Angeles concert that it wasn’t true.

“First of all, I’m not doing the Super Bowl. I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don’t really — I can’t dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no,” Adele told the audience, according to Billboard.

The NFL later said they never extended a formal offer.

Taylor Swift also reportedly denied an offer to perform in 2023, TMZ reported, as the superstar was in the midst of re-recording her albums.