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Use organic instruments again. Real drums, real guitars, real pianos. Orchestrated strings vs. synths....there is no comparison. Imagine Masterpiece with a real orchestra instead of the keyboard midi demo production it ended up with.

I agree with this.I'm tired of the cold,electronica/techno sounds! How about some real instruments for a change? She could even put together an amazing band of musicians and record the entire album with them.It would be a refreshing change of pace.Maybe even add some horns on a few tracks.

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I bet Madonna doesnt agree..she did the fucking Super Bowl and 6 months Word Tour, Ellen, Kimmel, Bimmel and zillions interviews, facebook and Twitter chats too for christ sake..

I think Madonna and Guy mistakenly assumed that the Super Bowl performance (as amazing as it was) would be the ultimate way to promote the album.The problem is,people have short attention spans.By the time the album was released in late March,the SuperBowl was all but forgotten.

The Facebook and Twitter chats are NOT effective ways to promote an album.Those chats only appealed to hardcore fans (like us) who were going to buy the new album anyway.As a form of promotion,her appearance at that Electronic Music festival was also ill-advised and did nothing to introduce the album to mainstream audiences.

Yes,Madonna did a 6-month tour and it was brilliant,but it didn't really save the album,did it? That's because *aggressive,effective* promotion must be done BEFORE the album comes out,and in the few weeks after.An artist has to be everywhere in the weeks leading up to an album release...on all the popular talk shows,on the nighttime chat shows,etc.

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I think Madonna and Guy mistakenly assumed that the Super Bowl performance (as amazing as it was) would be the ultimate way to promote the album.The problem is,people have short attention spans.By the time the album was released in late March,the SuperBowl was all but forgotten.

The Facebook and Twitter chats are NOT effective ways to promote an album.Those chats only appealed to hardcore fans (like us) who were going to buy the new album anyway.As a form of promotion,her appearance at that Electronic Music festival was also ill-advised and did nothing to introduce the album to mainstream audiences.

Yes,Madonna did a 6-month tour and it was brilliant,but it didn't really save the album,did it? That's because *aggressive,effective* promotion must be done BEFORE the album comes out,and in the few weeks after.An artist has to be everywhere in the weeks leading up to an album release...on all the popular talk shows,on the nighttime chat shows,etc.

Totally agree.

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I think the issue is that COAD was her last well received album. Both HC and MDNA had sales fall off quickly so it was almost inevitable there would be little promotion beyond the tours. So whilst I agree she should get out there and push her new material, I think we're all really praying that she puts out an incredible album that will have some longevity. I know some fans enjoy MDNA but there's nothing on it that comes close to her truly great moments of the past and for which she's known, and so even wall-to-wall promotion would have been unlikely to save it.

You make some good points.

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i slightly disagree with you here...

imo, the point is not to have massive album sales.. the effort would be worthless....

But... like it or not, Madonna is not U2, Springsteen or Rolling Stones... She's not a rock act that always have and always will have, at any age, sold out stadiums...

She's a pop act, the most exceptional and all of all times, but still a pop act, and, unless she does a big promotion through albums and songs (or unless she makes hit-tour a la mccartney-borington john, and she's not the type, luckily) her audience will fade year after year

I can understand why you would say that, She may sing pop songs, but she's a rock star when you break it down and I think she can definitely hold her own against the "rock boys". Over the past decade plus, she has proven herself to be a touring force to be reckoned with. From a US perspective, I don't think it's the new material that draws the bulk of the casual fans anyways. ROL/Music were her most successful eras since the 80's, yet every review of DWT focused on it's lack of old songs.....as have reviews of every tour since (except maybe RIT). As long as she releases albums, she'll have that lead single here and there that connects with the general public. It seems like with her, she doesn't really HAVE to promote her lead singles.....they either hit or they don't. Music, HU and 4M were hits before she even did any major promotion. She did a lot of promotion for AL and it didn't save that albums singles at all.....even "The Kiss" couldn't put Hollywood on the Hot 100.

It's interesting to see her promo now is definitely geared toward promoting HER as a live act as opposed to a new single or album. The Super Bowl was less about promoting the new single/album and more about promoting the tour hence the tickets for the tour going on sale two days later, the Ellen appearance came in the middle of the US leg and she visited Ellen with the Vogue costume on from the tour. Even this year she has been promoting her "brand" as a live act......at the Billboard Awards where she won a handful of awards and premiered the tour trailer.....then of course the screening of the DVD in NYC + Epix broadcast.

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I think Madonna and Guy mistakenly assumed that the Super Bowl performance (as amazing as it was) would be the ultimate way to promote the album.The problem is,people have short attention spans.By the time the album was released in late March,the SuperBowl was all but forgotten.

...

Yes,Madonna did a 6-month tour and it was brilliant,but it didn't really save the album,did it? That's because *aggressive,effective* promotion must be done BEFORE the album comes out,and in the few weeks after.An artist has to be everywhere in the weeks leading up to an album release...on all the popular talk shows,on the nighttime chat shows,etc.

Well, the album was available for pre-order on iTunes during SuperBowl weekend -- "Give Me All Your Luvin' " downloaded immediately, and the video for GMAYL was out for viewing and purchase, too. It's not like she had nothing on the shelves prior to the release in March. (I mean, heck, Beyonce did the SuperBowl this year and her album's release date is still TBD, right? I haven't been playing close attention to her -- I just remember seeing signs in the stores in January that said Beyonce's album would be out in 2013. How's that for vague?) The real problem was that her first week sales were super over-inflated due to this. Right, it "always" tends to happen that her fans buy it in the first week, and then she sees a decline. This time, anyone who did pre-order because of the SuperBowl also figured into the first week sales. Of course an artist will see an even steeper decline following a huge increase like that. (That's why the reports of the "largest decrease" were so unfair -- when they barely reported on the first week's success. Instead, they were busy hyping Lionel Richie's release. No disrespect to Lionel -- just saying.)

I tend to agree with what Kurt's saying ... Madonna's playing to her strength in this case. The tour is what garnered her a lot of press -- there were a lot of controversies, some of her own doing (flashing body parts, bloody gun violence, Gaga shade) and some because the world is a crazy place (Pussy Riot, Russian anti-gay laws). Her tour really got a lot of attention, and then it got more attention when it was over, because she came out on top (again).

Had she been doing a lot of interviews with radio stations and TV hosts, she would have been sacrificing time in the rehearsal studio for the tour. She'd have to release the album at a different time or begin the tour at a different time... She tends to like to release things in March, and we know she likes to tour in the summer because of the kids. In all honesty, I'd rather have the experience of seeing/hearing her live on tour for two hours at a time than to just watch an interview on YouTube. (Don't get me wrong -- love watching her interviews, but ... if timing is going to make her choose touring or talking to DJs, I'm going to choose touring.) She did do several insightful radio interviews about MDNA, by the way... and as Kurt pointed out, she did Ellen.

Look, the SuperBowl was a one-time thing... She would've been crazy to pass that up. Every artist wants the catalogue sales boost you get from the SuperBowl. She pulled it off magnificently, and it was good promo for her, her touring/live-act reputation, and her impending new release. Here's the good part for the fans that aren't pleased with the promo for MDNA: Madonna won't be doing the SuperBowl again next time around -- almost guaranteed. So you don't have to worry about her putting all her eggs in that basket again. Plus, being "absent" from certain shows for a while makes your return more special. When she went on David Letterman around the time of Celebration, it barely got mentioned -- same with the Confessions Tour CD/DVD. Although a product is the impetus for the visit, she rarely talks about the product with him (unlike a lot of other stars who are there to talk about their movie, or whatever, and they spend a lot of time talking about that). By contrast, when she was promoting the children's books, she REALLY talked about them, which is a little strange. Her appearance on a talk show doesn't necessarily mean exposure for the album.

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I would like a video album to coincide with the release of the album. A mind fuck of a story that goes from the beginning to end of the album. Bring it to life on stage with the tour. I like that she brought out her more theatrical side for MDNA tour, I would like her to expand on that.

I liked this idea, too, Kurt... I noticed Goldfrapp is doing something similar with releasing a number of short films (which I'm sure are, in a way, glorified music videos) to accompany certain tracks from the album. I think that's something right up Madonna's alley, given her love for film and her passion for directing.

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In the late summer/fall of 2011,Madonna was everywhere promoting the 'W.E'. movie.I know the film meant alot to her and she wanted to promote it aggressively,but it would be nice if she did that same type of promotion for an album.Let's face it,a new Madonna album has a greater chance of success than a new Madonna movie.

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Had she been doing a lot of interviews with radio stations and TV hosts, she would have been sacrificing time in the rehearsal studio for the tour. She'd have to release the album at a different time or begin the tour at a different time... She tends to like to release things in March, and we know she likes to tour in the summer because of the kids. In all honesty, I'd rather have the experience of seeing/hearing her live on tour for two hours at a time than to just watch an interview on YouTube. (Don't get me wrong -- love watching her interviews, but ... if timing is going to make her choose touring or talking to DJs, I'm going to choose touring.) She did do several insightful radio interviews about MDNA, by the way... and as Kurt pointed out, she did Ellen.

but this is exactly why she should plan things differently.Things need be arranged so that the album promotion (TV appearances,performances,print interviews,promo tour,etc) doesn't interfere with tour rehearsals.Why not follow the COADF strategy: release the album in November instead of March.She wouldn't have to start tour rehearsals until March/April,which would give her a few months to do some major promotion in the weeks leading up to the release of the album,and in the weeks after it has been released.

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1. Be inspired. Find underground/fresh/new producers to help create an original sound. No more aiming for radio hits (it will most likely not happen anyway). A FREE and EXPERIMENTAL creative process equals the best results. Remember a little album called Ray of Light?

2. NO guest artists!

3. Focus SOLELY on the music project. Let Guy O handle the scents, shoes, and gyms for a while. Madonna Inc. must be second best to Madonna the artist during this time.

4. Use organic instruments again. Real drums, real guitars, real pianos. Orchestrated strings vs. synths....there is no comparison. Imagine Masterpiece with a real orchestra instead of the keyboard midi demo production it ended up with.

5. Even if you have to personally fund it yourself, MAKE AN EPIC MUSIC VIDEO for at least the FIRST single. Epic means a PLOT...something mini-cinema. Tap your director bug and go all out. This does not mean looking hot and humping the walls, we know you look amazing, now tell us a story!

6. Promote properly, you are not above this. Your name alone sells, but TO YOUR FANS. MDNA (the record breaking sales drop) proves that the fans clamor to buy the new release on day one and then the rest of the world, who has never even heard of the new release, slowly follows suit. A hyped first single will make all the difference.

Yes! I agree with every word you said! I wish you were Madonna's manager! :(

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I can understand why you would say that, She may sing pop songs, but she's a rock star when you break it down and I think she can definitely hold her own against the "rock boys". Over the past decade plus, she has proven herself to be a touring force to be reckoned with. From a US perspective, I don't think it's the new material that draws the bulk of the casual fans anyways. ROL/Music were her most successful eras since the 80's, yet every review of DWT focused on it's lack of old songs.....as have reviews of every tour since (except maybe RIT). As long as she releases albums, she'll have that lead single here and there that connects with the general public. It seems like with her, she doesn't really HAVE to promote her lead singles.....they either hit or they don't. Music, HU and 4M were hits before she even did any major promotion. She did a lot of promotion for AL and it didn't save that albums singles at all.....even "The Kiss" couldn't put Hollywood on the Hot 100.

It's interesting to see her promo now is definitely geared toward promoting HER as a live act as opposed to a new single or album. The Super Bowl was less about promoting the new single/album and more about promoting the tour hence the tickets for the tour going on sale two days later, the Ellen appearance came in the middle of the US leg and she visited Ellen with the Vogue costume on from the tour. Even this year she has been promoting her "brand" as a live act......at the Billboard Awards where she won a handful of awards and premiered the tour trailer.....then of course the screening of the DVD in NYC + Epix broadcast.

i agree with what you say and with "she's a rock star when you break it down", but she's not a fan base of that kind. And if you look on the last 3 tours, CT was coming from a hugely successful album, S&S from a "massive" first hit single and has gone in places she's never gone before or from a long time, and the last, even if totally successful, has seen a fading audience, especially in europe (for a lot of reasons...). and i think that this will be the trajectory, unless she will promote properly her new material and choose the right singles.

on the other hand, Springsteen, for example, doesn't need to promote anything and he make full stadium gigs....

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In the late summer/fall of 2011,Madonna was everywhere promoting the 'W.E'. movie.I know the film meant alot to her and she wanted to promote it aggressively,but it would be nice if she did that same type of promotion for an album.Let's face it,a new Madonna album has a greater chance of success than a new Madonna movie.

Totally agree. She really need to care more about her next album, all the promo she could do for a movie will NEVER change the fact that the critics and the GP are extremely biased when it comes to her movies.

I remember when i heard about her movie W.E, i knew it was going to be a flop both commercially anbd critically just because she directed it. And unfortunately i was right. People are so biased and predictable.

So i really hope she will focus more on her next album.

Edited by madonnasuperfan01
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but this is exactly why she should plan things differently.Things need be arranged so that the album promotion (TV appearances,performances,print interviews,promo tour,etc) doesn't interfere with tour rehearsals.Why not follow the COADF strategy: release the album in November instead of March.She wouldn't have to start tour rehearsals until March/April,which would give her a few months to do some major promotion in the weeks leading up to the release of the album,and in the weeks after it has been released.

I agree that the timing for COADF was preferable, but I wonder if even Madonna can't always release an album in November. That's a premium time for all artists to get product on the shelf because of the holidays -- which means there's a lot of competition. Let's face it, they clearly like to choose a time/week for release when they think they can attain a #1 opening (even though that sort of backfired this time). November would be nice -- I just think it's not always possible. And I wouldn't want her to sit around and wait for months -- if the album isn't ready to be delivered by November, I'll gladly take it in March instead of waiting until the next November.

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Guest Not4Pussies

Well AL was released in April and she didn't go on tour until may 2004. It's just been different for the last two albums where she has toured right after an album release. Hope that's not something she continues to do.

Also it did make me scratch my head and left me wondering as to why she promoted the childrens books, W.E., and her perfume a lot more than her music.

The way she was everywhere for W.E. and leading up to the super bowl is the type of promo I would've liked to have seen for MDNA.

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I agree that the timing for COADF was preferable, but I wonder if even Madonna can't always release an album in November. That's a premium time for all artists to get product on the shelf because of the holidays -- which means there's a lot of competition. Let's face it, they clearly like to choose a time/week for release when they think they can attain a #1 opening (even though that sort of backfired this time). November would be nice -- I just think it's not always possible. And I wouldn't want her to sit around and wait for months -- if the album isn't ready to be delivered by November, I'll gladly take it in March instead of waiting until the next November.

I get what you're saying but come on....this is Madonna we're talking about :) The Queen of Pop.All she has to do is snap her fingers and she could have any release date she wants.I doubt that LiveNation/Interscope would give her a hard time if she said she wanted to release the album in November.

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Also it did make me scratch my head and left me wondering as to why she promoted the childrens books, W.E., and her perfume a lot more than her music.

The way she was everywhere for W.E. and leading up to the super bowl is the type of promo I would've liked to have seen for MDNA.

THIS, and with TV performances ala 2005! and not only when album is new, but a few months later also, ala 1998 ROL!

the perfection would have been:-a song from a movie to remind people that she is alive, and a few months later another song as the lead single...with MDNA they could have done it, but...anyways, visibility and performances of her songs

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I get what you're saying but come on....this is Madonna we're talking about :) The Queen of Pop.All she has to do is snap her fingers and she could have any release date she wants.I doubt that LiveNation/Interscope would give her a hard time if she said she wanted to release the album in November.

I mean, I agree, she can probably have a November release date EVERY time if she wants it, but no one can guarantee her a #1 album each time, you know? I hate to be cynical, but it seems sometimes that they are carefully choosing the release week. I could be mistaken. It could just be related to her own private timeline, but ... just the way it's seemed for the last few albums.

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It's simple.

  • She needs to hype the album making sure that everyone and their granma knows about the album and single. Have it be promoted everywhere + Have NO leaks. Have that shit under 24/7 security.
  • NO features on the first single. Look at the past. Madonna does better on her own...BUT the music/single needs to be amazing and groundbreaking like Hung Up or Ray Of Light. People don't like to see Madonna with others and Rihanna's albums are completely shit minus 1 or 2 singles each release.
  • Have a MAJOR magazine spread showing her new look with a fun but in-depth interview about the music and the sound with a few personal stories. Kids, relationship to her bf, being almost 4decades on top...to have people invested in her as a human and NOT just the music.
  • Interview with LIVE performances. Johnathon Ross show on ITV. Have Madonna be on the entire hour with two NEW performances from her latest BLOCKBUSTER album!
  • Have a major phone company Samsung/iPhone debut the track for download a few hours before official release (on chart week). Have them use the single to promote there TV advert for a new phone model with access to Madonna's new #1 single before release all over the TV with release date of the Phone and Madonna's single announced.
  • So when you watch TV you will hear Madonna's new song with perhaps her in the advert or a clip of the music video. Genius marketing + have the bus adverts having the phone with Madonna's single as the file being accessed. Most do that nowadays.
  • To sum up. It needs hyped to death. She needs 3/4 MAJOR rated TV shows in that country to perform her new material with a big reinvention. Good music is all she needs with only Madonna on the first single with a new underground producer who everyone is talking about. Even people who don't follow Madonna said her last album, she was trying to lure the kids with the song and it sounded like all the rest.
  • People KNOW Madonna's music was unique. She needs that approach again! She needs to spend quality time and find the Vogue quality HIT song for the next single.
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Call it #secretproject and get your fans online all hyped up months in advance... *crosses fingers hoping #secretproject involves music* :)

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  • Have a major phone company Samsung/iPhone debut the track for download a few hours before official release (on chart week). Have them use the single to promote there TV advert for a new phone model with access to Madonna's new #1 single before release all over the TV with release date of the Phone and Madonna's single announced.
  • So when you watch TV you will hear Madonna's new song with perhaps her in the advert or a clip of the music video. Genius marketing + have the bus adverts having the phone with Madonna's single as the file being accessed. Most do that nowadays.
I agree with your entire post,but especially these two suggestions.Madonna needs to align herself with a major company (iPhone and/or Samsung are excellent choices) and come up with a clever marketing tie-in/strategy.This is the way to go.Jay Z. did something like this for his new album and as a result,his album is already platinum.
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I agree with your entire post,but especially these two suggestions.Madonna needs to align herself with a major company (iPhone and/or Samsung are excellent choices) and come up with a clever marketing tie-in/strategy.This is the way to go.Jay Z. did something like this for his new album and as a result,his album is already platinum.

I'm sure Samsung or iPhone would die at the opportunity to have Madonna be the focal point of the next phone launch. She should inquire about it similar to Jay Z but make sure each sale is counted in the official charts and that way you cannot loose.

Then after having another massive hit album she can slowly begin to promote the tour a few months later and with fresh material that is a HIT she doesn't need to worry about singing new songs people don't know.

And to all the haters, if you don't promote your stuff to the masses then you will be stuck with low sales and wonder why people beg you to sing old songs. I'm sure my approach will be used considering she has nothing to lose and a November launch always helps Madonna AKA COADF

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For me, the first single is the key. We cannot afford another bad first single at this point. Everyone tried to enjoy 4 Minutes and GMAYL just because she is Madonna. We need a pure Madonna classic 1st single. It's gonna be 9 years since the last time we got one when the next album is out. That is a long time.

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I don't understand why she releases the surefire hit as the first single... Hear me out, everyone clamours to buy M's new singles even if they don't connect and are shit (see GMAYL), it's the second and third singles that need to pack punches, rather release things of decreasing quality, release better singles, different singles. Change it up. If Give It 2 Me had been the first single off Hard Candy, it would have charted higher because people were thirsty, and if 4 Minutes had been released second, it would have still been the smash it was because it's a massive song and everyone loves Tim & JT. That way, it feels to the general public that there is SUSTAINED interest and if people feel others are reverent and interested, they will be too, it's mob mentality.

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I don't understand why she releases the surefire hit as the first single... Hear me out, everyone clamours to buy M's new singles even if they don't connect and are shit (see GMAYL), it's the second and third singles that need to pack punches, rather release things of decreasing quality, release better singles, different singles. Change it up. If Give It 2 Me had been the first single off Hard Candy, it would have charted higher because people were thirsty, and if 4 Minutes had been released second, it would have still been the smash it was because it's a massive song and everyone loves Tim & JT. That way, it feels to the general public that there is SUSTAINED interest and if people feel others are reverent and interested, they will be too, it's mob mentality.

quite interesting... except the "4 minutes...a massive song" :laugh:

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quite interesting... except the "4 minutes...a massive song" :laugh:

it is it's big horns and incessant beat, people still like it, it's credibility as part of M's canon is debatable, but you cant deny it's got something

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