The spectacle that was the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 London Olympic Games featured the star power of Paul McCartney in a prominent role — and the Olympics got the original Beatle for a bargain price, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

McCartney’s fee to perform in front of a global television audience of about 1 billion viewers was a nominal amount, just one pound — $1.57 in U.S. funds.

The stars involved in the opening essentially donated their services. According to a London 2012 spokeswoman the payment was a formality.

The rep told Agence France-Presse: "The top talent basically gave their services for free. But in order to have a formal contract for their services you have to show an amount, so that was set at a pound, which enables them to have a contractual arrangement."

Other participants in the Opening Ceremony, including Mike Oldfield, Underworld, Dizzee Rascal and Emeli Sande, reportedly had similar arrangements.