Madonna's latest single "4 Minutes" from her upcoming album Hard Candy is becoming a huge hit around the world, and is a top seller on download charts. It is number one on both the American and Canadian iTunes singles charts, and the video has become a hot download as well. The song is doing exceptionally well on Canadian radio. Yet, on American radio, Madonna seems to be making little progress.
On the Billboard Hot 100, which takes into account both sales and radio play, Madonna is #3, mostly based on downloads. The number-one song is "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey, which has received far more radio spins than Madonna's song, almost three times the amount. So, what is going on here? Why is Madonna's song, which is a top seller, getting such a chilly reception from American radio?
There seems to be a number of factors. Firstly, Madonna has not been a huge American radio presence in many years. Madonna's last big single on radio was "Don't Tell Me" from her 2000 album, Music. Madonna is now approaching 50, and American radio has always been a bit hesitant to play more established (read: veteran) artists, and it seems radio programmers are less likely to play a sexy uptempo track from an almost-50-year-old woman than the latest club jam from Fergie. Ageism is no doubt a factor here.
Secondly, Madonna's music has become increasingly European-influenced for the last decade or so, and European-style music has never been popular on American radio. For her latest album, Madonna has hooked up with hot producers Pharrell Williams and Timblaland to give the album a more American feel, which she hopes will put her back on the radio map. So far, it's been a struggle.
Thirdly, Madonna's political views and her move to England have no doubt helped distance her from American audiences. She bashed President Bush in her "American Life" video and in both her Re-invention and Confessions tours. This may also be a factor in why radio programmers are not keen to play her latest song.
Perhaps it comes down to the fact that America no longer cares for Madonna. Gone are the days of "Papa Don't Preach", "Like A Prayer" and "Vogue", when the release of the latest Madonna single on radio was an event. Yet "4 Minutes" is a huge hit on the U.S. iTunes, so obviously Madonna is still very popular in America.
Madonna may be pop royalty, and despite her strong sales, for some reason America doesn't want to set aside "4 Minutes" for the Queen of Pop.
1 comment:
Poor Modanna. It's quite true that the American radio station are ageist and as well they seem to have a thing for European style music. Look at Kylie's songs in the past. She is huge in Europe, as well in Canada. But in the U.S its a more difficult road. I guess the very echocentric culture has less tolerance for anything that comes off foriegn.
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