Rihanna, Katy Perry, Coldyplay Superbowl Halftime Performers? NFL Making Performers Pay To Be Part Of Concert Event?

The race to play the Super Bowl is heating up, as it appears that three frontrunners have emerged who could possibly be headlining the event in February. Katy Perry, Coldplay and Rihanna's names have all been thrown around in the NFL's decision.

Despite earlier reports that the face of Sunday Night Football, Carrie Underwood would get to showcase her talents at the huge sporting event, the Wall Street Journal is claiming that the NFL has picked their top three contenders and Underwood's name isn't on the list.

The "Dark Horse" singer, the Barbadian beauty, and the British pop band are allegedly looking to take the stage, but there is a stipulation. If they want to get the honor they're going to have to cough up the cash first.

According to the new report in the Journal, the NFL has asked if the stars would be wiling to make a donation or some other contribution to the league, if they're the one that is picked to perform.

They asked each artists representative if they'd 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."

This would be the first time in the games history that any artist has had to pay for the halftime slot, and the request wasn't well received by any of the artists according to the article.

Past performers including Beyonce and Bruno Mars have never had to pay nor have they ever been compensated for taking to the stage. The league says that the exposure and publicity that they receive from the halftime show is money enough.

This past Super Bowl saw 111.5 million viewers tuning in to watch.

According to E! News, who spoke with Joanna Hunter an NFL spokesperson, the monetary demands are "to put on the best possible show."

She also told the news site, "our contract arrangements with artists are confidential."

This year's Super Bowl will take place in Glendale, Arizona at the University of Phoenix stadium on February 1.