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Hey! I’m happy for Quality Control Music founders Coach K and P. Scooter Braun’s HYBE acquired QC for $320 million. QC had been in talks with several firms for a potential sale. This is less money than that rumored $450 million Warner deal, but it’s more money than other offers I heard privately from other sources.

For HYBE and Scooter, this is a bet on the shelf life of QC’s biggest songs, like Lil Baby “Yes Indeed” and Migos “Bad and Boujee.” Let’s be real, that decay curve can be steep and unpredictable for streaming era music. But I’m happy to see hip-hop companies get their money in these wave of deals.

Today’s memo is about the Super Bowl Halftime Show, Rihanna, Roc Nation, Apple Music, and how this show has evolved. On this week’s Trapital podcast, I was joined by DJ Louie XIV (host of Pop Pantheon) to break it all down. Here are the highlights from our chat.

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the real Super Bowl bump

Every year, there are several articles about how the halftime show performer’s streams grow around 100 to 200% in the week after the show. Those percentages are great for headlines and clicks, but don’t mean much for artists.

In recent years, that boost averages out to around 50 million additional streams for solo performers. That translates to a few hundred thousand dollars of revenue, and that’s before the record label takes its cut. It’s chump change to artists at this level.

The real Super Bowl bump is the money these artists make from everything else.

Last year, Mary J. Blige was asked about not being paid by the NFL to perform. She said:​

Mary’s right. Last year, her Good Morning Gorgeous Tour grossed $34 million. It’s the highest-grossing tour of her career. She sold out arenas across America. Mary is one of the few two-time Super Bowl performers, she already knew the power of that stage.

And after last year’s show, Snoop Dogg relaunched Death Row Records and made tens of millions from NFT sales after the show. The 2021 performer, The Weeknd, had upgraded his After Hours tour from arenas to stadiums in 2022, grossing roughly $7 – 8 million more revenue per show. This is where the real impact is.

In 95% of situations, companies asking talent to do things free “for exposure” is bullshit. But the Super Bowl halftime show is one of those 5% exceptions. It’s the rare event that the talent can reap the long-term rewards for the exposure.

Roc Nation’s impact since managing the halftime show

This is the fourth Super Bowl halftime show since Roc Nation became the NFL’s official live music entertainment partner:

• 2020: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (Miami, FL)
• 2021: The Weeknd (Tampa, FL)
• 2022: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak (Los Angeles, CA)
• 2023: Rihanna (Glendale, AZ)

We’ve seen three big improvements since Jay Z’s firm got involved.

First, the process of performer selection was fractured. Before Roc Nation, the NFL would have an interview process with 3-4 artists at once to discuss performing and wait to hear back on who says yes. It’s a quick way to get it done, and an even quicker way to burn bridges!

As Jay Z said in a 2019 NFL-Roc Nation press conference:​

Now, the process is to ask one person. If they can do it, great. If not, move on to the next. It sounds obvious. It should have been that way to begin with.

Second, the shows have themes. Before Roc Nation, there were missed opportunities to celebrate Atlanta’s music properly in 2019, or pairings that seemed last minute. That changed when the J.Lo and Shakira show in Miami was a tribute to Latino culture. Last year’s LA show was a west coast hip-hop tribute, which I heard Jay Z pushed the NFL hard to make happen. In 2025, the game in New Orleans. I would love to see a Cash Money show with Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne.

Third, the impact of relationships. Jay can close deals with artists that the NFL can’t. Rihanna famously declined past opportunities after the NFL’s poor handling of Colin Kaepernick’s protests against police brutality. But this year, the person she was talking to was Jay Z: The guy who signed her to Def Jam when she was a teenager, signed her to Roc Nation, and made hit records with her. It’s a different conversation.

how Rihanna will maximize the moment

Rihanna and her team are ready to make the most of this. The Fenty Beauty marketing channels are in full effect and has new releases tied in with the show. Savage X Fenty is opening a new store in Atlanta this weekend, new collections, and more. Apple Music has made its big promotional splash for Rihanna as well with a touching video in her home country, Barbados. The machine is doing its thing.

Sources say Rihanna will announce a new tour that’s more of a residency format, which fits the lifestyle of a newborn parent who probably doesn’t want to be traveling for five months straight.

The artists who maximize this stage often have enough foundation to reap the rewards. Rihanna is the first Super Bowl halftime show performer with two billion-dollar businesses behind her. It’s been seven years since her last album, but most fans don’t mind. Her back catalog has hits for days.

If you want more on Rihanna, Roc Nation, and the Super Bowl, check out the full conversation with DJ Louie XIV and I. We talk more about:

• how the halftime shows have evolved since the 90s and 2000s
• what are the next biggest stages after the Super Bowl?
• predictions on future super bowl performers

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​https://trapital.co/2023/02/09/how-roc-nation-changed-the-super-bowl-halftime-show/​

money moves

• Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl talks about efficiency, financial discipline, and AI in investor call​
• Michael Jackson’s estate nearing $800-900 million deal for 50% of estate’s interest in several revenues and assets
• 50 Cent reflects on Get Rich or Die Tryin’s 20-year anniversary, POWER, and getting $1 million per show
• Beyonce's Ivy Park suffers 50% annual sales drop and $200 million hole for adidas

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