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As quiet as it’s kept, there’s a convincing argument to be made that Bruno Mars is the biggest artist in the world. He may not have the discipline of Taylor Swift or Beyoncé to go on a two-year tour, but if you check the numbers — at least on Spotify — the number of listeners he amasses is never too far from the top spot. And he’s well aware of his value; his asking price to perform on your special occasion is high enough to make even his colleagues’ jaws hit the floor.
The exact finances of public figures’ lifestyles and careers are so intriguing and elusive that we live in an age where there are entire publications that track that sort of thing. But even the most accurate publications can only find so much information because, usually, when you negotiate a deal with someone as big as Bruno Mars, there’s an NDA included. So people tend to calculate their net worth through their expenditures. If you can figure out how much an artist spent on their house, their cars — and if Bruno Mars ever got married and divorced — maybe the amount he would have to chalk up in divorce proceedings could give you a ballpark figure of his monthly income. But rarely do we ever just get a straight figure of how much an artist as big as Bruno Mars charges for a private show.
However, through an unlikely source, we now have Mars’ number. Entertainment Weekly reports that celebrity planner Marcy Blum was the latest guest on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast, where she discussed the eccentric options celebs consider when planning their weddings. Blum went into detail about her preliminary planning for legendary pop star Jennifer Lopez’s then-upcoming nuptials to retired New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
Two icons getting married? Lopez knew she had to go big, and they went through a couple of names before Lopez finally landed on Bruno Mars. Luckily, Blum had just recently worked with him and informed J-Lo that his number is a whopping $5 million. Blum was relaying this anecdote on the podcast and recalled how that number left even J-Lo startled, who exclaimed, “Don’t be ridiculous!” Blum reiterated that Mars indeed does ask for that exorbitant amount, plus rider requests.
Lopez and Rodriguez soon broke up and never had to pay that fee, but J-Lo — the ever-so-enthusiastic lovergirl — briefly found her husband momentarily in her former ex-boyfriend and now ex-husband Ben Affleck. Now that we know these A-listers’ numbers, maybe it puts into perspective why ticket prices for shows keep soaring to unimaginable rates.
And for those thinking that maybe these artists should just lower their rates to make their shows more accessible — maybe they could, but the probable reason the numbers are so high is that, with the ever-diminishing rates of streaming payouts, shows are the primary way they make a living and take care of their staff. And if the words of Bruno Mars’ frequent collaborator James Fauntleroy — who co-wrote hits such as That’s What I Like and Versace on the Floor — is anything to go by, the “Die With a Smile” singer takes good care of his people.
Bruno Mars is currently the top-streaming artist on Spotify.