Would you work for free? Pro Sports vs Pro Music
Would Peyton Manning or Richard Sherman play football during intermission of a Bruno Mars concert for free?
Because that’s exactly what Bruno did at their game a couple of weeks ago…
Bruno Mars is at the top of his game.
His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, is at the top of the charts (as was his first).
In just three years, five of his songs have reached number one….
Forbes ranked him number one on their 30 under 30 list last year, and Time Magazine named him one of the top 100 most influential people…in the world!
Yet he was paid zilch for his performance that day, in front of 82,000 plus fans!
Granted, it was the Super Bowl, perhaps the most popular sporting event on the planet….but nothing?
I think an argument could be made that Mars is as skilled at his craft as any pro athlete is at theirs…
So it made me think:
The NBA…would Lebron James or Kevin Durant work (b/c that what Mars did – worked) for 30 minutes, for free, at a Justin Timberlake show?
MLB…would Derek Jeter or David Ortiz do a freebie at a Cold Play concert?
The NFL claims exposure was his payment, but does Bruno Mars need the exposure?
If we decided that exposure for one of our singer/songwriters was payment enough because of the popularity of a prime time show, a lawsuit would surely ensue.
Mars seemed to be okay with it, as was Anthony Kiedis and his crew, because of the once in a lifetime opportunity.
What do you think?