By Zachary Swickey
Over the weekend, former NBC/Universal honcho Jeff Zucker dished out $250,000 to have Drake perform at his son's bar mitzvah. Sounds like a lot of cash, but it’s a deal compared to the $1,000,000 Kanye West was reportedly asking for a performance. Sometimes controversial, private performances have long been the industry's dirty little secret: the performer gets paid a ton of cash, and, usually, no one ever knows about it. And, if you ever caught an episode of "My Super Sweet 16," then you know just how lavish some of these parties can be (read: great buffets). So, if you're looking to book some top-notch talent for your next shindig, here's a quick run down of how much it'll cost you. Hopefully, you've got a rich Aunt or something.
Rihanna: $500,000
What better time to have your favorite pop star serenade you than New Year’s Eve? Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska paid a cool half million for Rihanna to do just that for him and some buddies. You’ll soon notice Russian billionaires seem to be the main customers for the private concert business.
Miley Cyrus: $1,000,000
In 2008 a high-powered attorney from Texas hired Miley Cyrus to perform a private concert for the Lanier Law Firm's "Christmas Cheers and Charity" holiday party. The $1,000,000 bash went down on a ranch in Houston and included a barbeque for 7,000 guests. Hope they got to bring their kids.
By Rya Backer