If the FCC levies a fine over M.I.A.’s bird dropping during the Super Bowl halftime show, the singer will receive the bill.  According to TMZ, M.I.A. signed a contract with the NFL which indemnifies both the league and NBC, which leaves the British singer holding the bag, so to speak.

There’s a lot of debate taking place over whether her middle finger dance was merely a spontaneous stage move or a premeditated stunt to gain attention.

However, there’s something else we find very interesting.  M.I.A.’s new record drops soon and her new single “Bad Girls” was released last Friday, just two days before the Super Bowl – what timing for such attention.   We don’t foresee this controversy hurting album sales unless retail outlets ban the record, which would be too much of a stretch.  Her music will ultimately speak for itself, for better or worse, as most M.I.A. fans won’t be fazed by the middle finger fiasco and will choose to buy the music based on its merits.

The reminder here for broadcast talent, while going on TV and having an appendage malfunction isn’t recommended, smart controversy can lead to fan interest, press, viral activity, and often ratings and revenue.  There’s no way I’d think to write about M.I.A. today without this controversy, and she wouldn’t have been the water cooler buzz topic yesterday.

Ironically, Madonna and many others like Howard Stern, Michael Moore, Bill O’Reilly, Kim Kardashian and hundreds of others could write novels about how authentic controversy has been a catalyst for big career leaps.  The challenge is picking the right, authentic battle that’s in line with who you are as a personality and won’t cause a career to come to a halt.