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Madonna news - April 2012
← March 2012 | May 2012 →
MDNA Tour logo
Source: Comcasttix - 30 April 2012
It circulated on the Internet for a few days and now it also appears on official ticket websites, so this seems to be the official logo for the MDNA Tour.
The Voice producers want Madonna on the show
Source: Daily Star - 30 April 2012BOSSES at the Beeb are aiming for record ratings by lining up Madonna for a guest performance.
They believe the queen of pop will give the hit show its biggest audience to date.
And they want Madonna, 53, to perform during a Sunday night results show.
A source said: "Getting Madge on to sing is bound to pull in the viewers. You don't get much bigger than her – she's a living legend."
"The show has regularly been getting ratings of over ten million. Having Madonna, plus the all-important results, could push it past the 12million mark."
Securing the pop icon for an appearance would be the biggest coup in TV talent show history, according to insiders.
One said last night: "X Factor's finest hour was getting Britney Spears on – but there's no doubt Madonna is a much bigger name. Simon Cowell will be furious if The Voice upstages him with a massive guest performer like Madonna in its first series."
Video Games singer Lana Del Rey, 25, will perform on tonight's results show and BRIT award winner Emeli Sandé, 24, is due to sing next weekend.
MDNA tour now opens in Tel Aviv on May 31
Source: Madonna.com - 26 April 2012
The highly anticipated opening of Madonna's MDNA Tour is now planned for Thursday, May 31st at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv, two days later than previously scheduled due to production delays. The change in the opening date was announced today by promoters Live Nation and Shuki Weiss. All tickets dated May 29th will be honored at the rescheduled May 31st event.
The Material Girl has already announced 76 concert dates in arenas, stadiums and special outdoor sites throughout Europe and North America with confirmed sales of over 1.4 million tickets to date. The MDNA Tour which has already sold out in Berlin (2 shows sold out), Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Istanbul (45,000 tickets sold) as well as Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Quebec City (70,000 tickets), New York's Yankee Stadium (73,000 tickets over 2 shows), Washington DC and the Staples Center in LA, has recently announced additional concert dates in Mexico and South America which will be followed by a visit to Australia where Madonna has not performed in 20 years.
Along with state of the art technical components including the largest video screens ever created, Madonna, her band and her dancers are expected to reach above and beyond her Super Bowl performance where she performed to an audience of over 112 million people around the world, the highest number of viewers in Super Bowl history.
Madonna's latest studio recording MDNA debuted on iTunes at the #1 spot in over 40 countries. Her newest single Girl Gone Wild is #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs Chart - her 42nd time in the top slot. She remains the artist with the most #1 songs in the chart's 35-year history. MDNA has received glowing reviews including USA Today which commented, "Madonna's MDNA is rocking and revelatory... her most personal effort to date.
"The woman is pop's most durable alpha female, coolly courting fascination and controversy on her own terms." Added The Sun in the UK, "The album should be the spine of an incredible live show - just what her army of followers will want to hear."
The MDNA Tour is produced by Live Nation Global Touring and presented locally in association with Shuki Weiss.
MDNA tour on track 'to end up in the Top 10 Tours of all Time'
Source: Billboard - 22 April 2012Ongoing chatter that the Madonna tour, and by extension her multi-rights deal with Live Nation, are underperforming is "baseless," according to sales figures provided by tour producer Arthur Fogel, chairman of Live Nation Global Touring.
The precipitous drop of MDNA in its second week, while certainly not something an artist would want (though the nature of the beast when pricing strategies are geared toward impressive first-week sales), actually has little to do with the performance of Live Nation's 10-year, $120 million multi-rights deal with Madonna. The days of tours supporting records are long gone; for some time now, touring drives record sales, not the reverse, and the Madonna touring business is more than solid.
As for the multi-rights deal, while MDNA is the first album under the 360, the upcoming trek is not the first tour. That would be Sticky and Sweet of 2008-2009, which grossed $408 million, according to Billboard Boxscore, the third-highest gross all-time and the highest ever notched by a solo artist. Merchandising is also a component of this tour and in Madonna's case is a significant revenue producer. Finally, given that the entire 360 deal is, at its core, performance-based and assuredly tour-driven in its concept, Madonna is delivering.
According to Fogel -- the guy who would know -- these are the facts: 76 Madonna shows at arenas and stadiums are on sale in North America and Europe combined. More than 1.4 million tickets have been sold, banking about $214 million for an average in the $2.7 million per show in a mix of stadiums and arenas. And the tour doesn't even begin until May 29 in Tel Aviv, first hitting America in Philadelphia Aug. 28.
Fogel's not sure what to make of the detractors. "This tour is completely on track to end up in the top 10 tours of all time, especially considering we haven't put South America or Australia on sale," he tells Billboard.biz. "To say this tour is not performing is so off base I don't even know what to say. When this tour is said and done, combined with Sticky and Sweet, you're talking $750 million in gross ticket sales. That sounds pretty impressive to me."
If tickets are still available for certain shows, that by no means spells disaster. "One of the things some people don't get is, I don't necessarily want to be sold out at this point; I keep trying to find tickets to sell," says Fogel. "Every day our people are trying to fine-tune the site lines and production kills. That's my job. It's great when you can say 'sold out,' but right now I want to keep finding tickets to sell. That's the game."
European dates, which are mostly in stadiums, have come under particular scrutiny. Fogel says the $214 million gross banked so far is spread "pretty evenly" between North America and Europe, and there are 43 shows on sale in North America versus 33 in Europe. "You can do the math," Fogel says, reeling off sales figures. "46,000 in Istanbul, 44,000 in Milan, 39,000 in Florence. We sold out two arenas in Barcelona, two in Berlin, two in Amsterdam, we sold 42,000 in Edinburgh, 40,000 in Helsinki, 51,000 in Paris. If that's trouble, give me more."
Fogel concedes Europe didn't blow up the way North America did, but cites buying patterns for stadium general admission tickets in Europe, and the huge promotional boost of the Super Bowl performance in America as key factors in that disparity.
"She's at the top of her game and she ain't goin' away," he concludes.
Dick Clark, Thank You For Introducing Madonna to The World
Source: MTV - 20 April 2012Pop star's appearance on 'American Bandstand' remains one of her most legendary.
Twenty eight years later, it remains one of the most famous things she's ever said. Asked on "American Bandstand" by TV icon Dick Clark, who died on Wednesday at the age of 82, "What do you hope will happen, not only in 1984 but for the rest of your professional life? What are your dreams? What's left?" Madonna answered simply, famously and with characteristic directness.
"To rule the world," she said without hesitation. And that's what she went on to do ... well, the pop world anyway.
She was on "Bandstand," ostensibly, to perform "Holiday" and promote her self-titled debut, which was released a few months earlier in the summer of 1983, but in retrospect it feels like she was really there to prepare the world for what was coming. Like a Virgin dropped later that same year, and with its release Madonna went from being a well-liked and charismatic pop tart with a few radio hits to the most famous female singer on the planet.
The "Bandstand" crowd went wild for then-25-year-old Madonna's performance, and Clark had a hard time getting a word in. When everyone finally settled down, he asked Madonna about her burgeoning career, including her early years in New York and touring Paris with "Born to Be Alive" singer Patrick Hernandez. "He offered me a tour with him as a background singer and a dancer," Madonna told Clark. "So I jumped on that boat and got into the music industry that way and started writing songs, and here I am."
As news of Clark's passing began to surface, fans started posting the clip all over Twitter and soon enough, Madonna's herself chimed in, posting the video to her Facebook page with the message,
"Even though I told him in 1984 that I wanted to rule the world, it's Dick Clark who has ruled the world. He loved what he did and his energy and enthusiasm were boundless. A great man. I bow to his memory and everything he did with his life."
Madonna doesn't know One Direction, wanted Adele on Super Bowl
Source: ITV, West Australian - 19 April 2012Madonna has told ITV1's Daybreak that she hasn't got round to watching One Direction yet - and actually isn't too sure who they are.
During the interview which will be shown Daybreak and Lorraine tomorrow as part of 'Madonna morning' the singer responded by saying:
"That's a pop group, right? Sorry... I haven't seen them yet, no, sorry. Slap my hand."
However she did admit to being a big fan of another British success story, Adele.
Madonna said she wanted to work with Adele:
"I would love to. I would love to meet her, I think she's brilliant, I love her."
She claimed she had hoped to have Adele join her for her huge performance at the Super Bowl earlier this year.
"I think she was having her throat problem or throat operation or something."
She ruled out the idea of judging a TV talent contest:
"I haven't really thought about it to tell you truth and I've never actually seen any of those shows - I don't watch television. And the contests, well everybody's a bit contest obsessed. I don't actually like the idea of being a judge. It's so subjective - like what's good and what isn't?"
Tour sales rise above $250 million
Source: PerezHilton - 19 April 2012The queen must be loving that throne right now!!
Sources tell PerezHilton.com EXCLUSIVELY that Madonna's upcoming tour has sold over $250 million in ADVANCE ticket sales!!! Wowza!!
And get ready, Madgestic Kingdom, because sources also tell us there are MANY new dates in the works!!!!
If you live in South America, she's gonna be spending a lot more time with you than you think!! And if you're an Aussie lad or lass, keep your fingers crossed all of these negotiations go well, because she could be giving you some extra' luv too!!
Hmm… we bet those VIP packages are really helping boost the sales! This tour is EASILY going to be beat her Sticky & Sweet tour. Easily.
We know we can't wait to see this MADGIC!!! It's going to be EPIC!!!
Guy Oseary bites back: facts about album & tour
Source: Twitter - 19 April 2012Guy Oseary has replied to press reports, claiming that Madonna's album and tour aren't selling well. He doesn't say which article he means, but probably he's talking about the New York Post.
"Gossip writer out to attack today with full disregard. MDNA U.S. tour is 97 percent SOLD OUT with many months to go THANKS to the fans #FACT"
"MDNA album reached number 1 on the charts in 37 countries worldwide.. THANKS to the fans.. and 40 markets on iTunes... #FACT"
"I've survived juggling motherhood and work with sanity and humor intact"
Source: AceShowbiz - 19 April 2012During an interview with Brian Williams for NBC's 'Rock Center', the 'Girl Gone Wild' singer admits she 'wasn't very happy' when her teen daughter was caught smoking a cigarette.
Madonna is calling herself a survivor. The Material Girl sat down with veteran journalist Brian Williams in an interview for NBC's "Rock Center" that aired Wednesday, April 18 night, and opened up about how she feels about having to juggle her role as a single mother of four and as an international superstar.
Asked if it is hard being her, the ex-wife of director Guy Ritchie joked at first, "I imagine. It must be. Yes, it is. It must be hard 'cause I complained all the time." On a serious note, she said, "To be a single mother of four and to work as much as I do, to live my life in kind of a metaphorical fishbowl, it's pretty challenging. But so far I've survived with sanity and humor intact."
During the chat, Williams also brought up the subject of her teen daughter being photographed smoking a cigarette in New York City recently. Having admitted that she "wasn't very happy" about that, the Give Me All Your Luvin' singer said that she'd like to think she's a tough mother. She, however, was quick to say, "Honestly I don't think I'm as tough as I should be."
"I think I need to be maybe tougher," the 53-year-old went on to confess. "It's hard though... everyday is a negotiation. But cigarette smoking I'm not very fond of, for anyone, I don't approve of anyone smoking cigarettes, most of all my daughter."
When Williams pointed out that she puffs on a cigarette in her music video for Girl Gone Wild, Madonna responded, "Yeah, I don't smoke. That's just an accessory, Harry. There's a difference." She further stated that her daughter Lourdes "smoked that cigarette before I did that video, so she didn't get that from me, OK?"
Madonna interviews on 'Rock Center' and 'Daybreak and Lorraine'
Source: Madonna.com - 17 April 2012A special interview with Harry Smith will air as part of NBC's 'Rock Center' show tonight at 9pm Eastern.
UK fans can tune in to Daybreak and Lorraine on ITV1 this Friday from 6am for Madonna Morning, Madonna's only exclusive UK TV interview with Dan Wootton. For more info, please visit http://itv.co/MadonnaMorning
Marie Claire chats with Madonna at Truth or Dare launch
Source: Marie Claire - 17 April 2012We knew that when Madonna created her debut fragrance it was going to be huge, so when we were invited to jet over to New York to attend the launch of Truth or Dare we jumped at it!
Wearing a sheer dress by Dolce & Gabanna and black peep toe Christian Louboutin heels, the world-famous singer arrived at the event to hordes of photographers, press and excitable fans, all eager to get a glimpse of Madge, and to sample her perfume, of course.
Our beauty director, Lisa Oxenham, was the only UK journalist to interview Madonna about her foray into the world of fragrance and the exclusive chat will appear in the September issue of Marie Claire.
In the mean time, take a look at our meeting with her on the red carpet of the perfume launch in NYC - she even breaks into an impromptu song!
Truth or Dare, released through Paris-based beauty giant Coty , will launch exclusively at Selfridge's on April 18 then will hit stores nationwide on May 2. Prices start at £25 for a 30ml bottle.
A feast for the eyes and ears
Source: MTV - 16 April 2012 
Madonna is several weeks out from launching her MDNA tour. That means she's working hard on getting every aspect of the show just right, from the music to the design to the looks.
Given that Madonna is famous for her spectacular stage shows, fans of the glitzy singer have high expectations for the jaunt, which will kick off on May 29 in Tel Aviv, and will wrap around the globe before planting Stateside on August 28 in Philadelphia.
When MTV News caught up with singer at the launch of her Truth or Dare perfume in New York City, she revealed that fans should expect this latest excursion to be just as eye-catching as the ones that came before. "Amazing music, incredible dancing, the team of people that I worked with for the Super Bowl is working with me on this as well," she explained about the show, which she is currently rehearsing for. And, in the end, she hopes it will be "a feast for the eyes and the ears."
Given how decadent her Roman- and Egyptian-themed Super Bowl performance was, full of acrobatics, sparkling costumes and enough diva-tude to make Cleopatra jealous, it seems that Madge is taking all the right steps to capture that eye-popping essence for her traveling stage show.
Madonna Talks Fashion and Fragrance
Source: WWD - 16 April 2012NEW YORK — She may be sporting Gaultier and Givenchy — as well as her first fine fragrance, Truth or Dare — on her upcoming tour, but Madonna hopes there's one thing she won't be wearing as she travels the globe to promote her new album: injuries.
The MDNA tour, in support of her 12th studio album — currently challenged in the charts — is requiring some physically intense moves. At Macy's Herald Square on Thursday night, making an appearance in support of her scent, Madonna was nursing what she called "a big old cut" on her leg. Motioning to her black lace Dolce & Gabbana dress, she laughed, "I take these clothes off, and I'm covered in bruises. It's very sexy." Why? Wait and see, she said, but promised it will be intense.
The tour kicks off in Tel Aviv on May 20, wending its way around the Middle East and Europe before the first North American date, Aug. 28 in Philadelphia. "It's crunch time for me getting my show ready, so after this I have to go back to the dungeon," she told WWD during an interview after the Macy's appearance. "I call it the dungeon, where we work. In a room with no light. It's kind of our factory, but I have a lot of work to do."
As for the show's couture, "I worship and adore [Jean Paul Gaultier]. He's creating one of my costumes, and kind of godfathering the costumes for a section of my show, with all my dancers. I'm really happy he's doing it, because he's such a genius. And I'll probably wear something that Riccardo [Tisci] from Givenchy makes. But the rest of it is going to be what my costume designer Arianne Phillips creates with me."
If her Super Bowl XLVI costumes — which included a glittery Egyptian caftan, fanciful Philip Treacy headpieces and a priest's robes — are any barometer, those MDNA costumes will get people talking. Madonna called the Super Bowl show "one of my most favorite and most treasured performing experiences, for sure. That was amazing." But next time she may opt for flats instead of heels: "The dance that LMFAO does, the shuffle, was really hard to do in heels. I have to say, I would prefer to do the shuffle in sneakers. If you want to drop it like it's hot, it's good to wear flats, because then your booty gets really close to the floor, but then there are things you can do in heels that you can't do in sneakers."
Madonna's fingerprint goes on anything that bears her name. "I don't take the job of creating anything — whether it's fragrance, or beauty products, or clothes — lightly, and I need a lot of time to do stuff. I don't like it when other people create for me."
That was definitely true when it came to her debut scent.
"The time was right," she said of partnering with Coty Prestige. "I've been working off and on on various fragrances over the years, and [have been] approached by a lot of companies and have tried to create fragrances. They were always abandoned projects. I've always loved perfume; it's always been a big part of my life. But every time I tried to create the scent I was looking for, it never reached the stage where I thought it was good enough or I was told that the ingredients would be impossible to re-create in a mass way. Then I'd say, ‘let's try and do a synthetic version,' and it never smelled as good as I wanted it to. And if I'm not going to wear it, I'm not going to sell it. So, I finally was able to create, with my partners [MG Icon and Coty], a fragrance that I could stand behind. We tested a lot of things over the past few years, and [Lourdes "Lola" Leon, her 15-year-old daughter] has told me what she likes. She is a very opinionated young lady, and she likes this perfume."
She had her late mother, also named Madonna, in mind when creating the scent, too. Her mother, she recalled, wore Fracas. "I wanted to create a fragrance that would remind me of her."
She shrugged off the brewing controversy about the sexy TV campaign for Truth or Dare, a black-and-white spot that features her writhing in lingerie — and reportedly censored by ABC. "I don't understand. It was perfectly innocent," she said with an arch look. "I just touch my cleavage once or something. I think it's dreamy and sensual, and I think it perfectly conveys the feeling I'm trying to evoke with the perfume. It's a perfume for a woman."
With her Material Girl line, also for Macy's, Madonna has dabbled in body sprays and nail polishes, and would like to extend her Truth or Dare fragrance franchise with Coty Prestige into additional categories. But first up are lingerie and footwear under the Truth or Dare name: "Once again, time-consuming. I want it to be good. [More beauty categories are] something I'd like to develop, but I need to get past all of my other responsibilities and commitments like my tour. So, sometime in the future, yeah."
She has a second fragrance, a companion to Truth or Dare, in the works; it is due out "sometime next year. I think it would be good to do a men's fragrance, as well," said Madonna. "My daughter thinks so. She wants to wear it. She likes to wear men's cologne — don't ask me why." If she does do one, "I love musk and amber and woody kind of fragrances on men. I love the smell of whiskey — we should make a men's cologne that smells like whiskey. I can't drink it, it's too strong, but it smells amazing — a really good old whiskey."
Before heading upstairs to speak to WWD, Madonna answered a handful of preselected questions for the first 300 people who had purchased a $151 gift set of her new fragrance. "That was fun — I like talking to my fans," she said later. "They're real. I can play with them and have a laugh."
And laugh she did at some of the queries, especially when one fan asked, "Are you planning on coming to a gay nightclub for this album?" Madonna shot back: "Are you inviting me? The thing is, I'm really busy rehearsing and I'm so tired at the end of every day that the only thing I could do would be to hang out. Would that be OK? Have a cocktail? Get a little tipsy?"
A Brazilian fan asked what Madonna would do if she could change the world. "Let's start with the way everyone smells….That's the frivolous answer. But if I could change the world? I would like to live in a world where there is no prejudice, where people have the freedom to be who they are, to believe what they want to believe in. That would be a good start." An Israeli fan asked, "How was your seder?" Madonna, who practices Kabbalah and took the Jewish name Esther, answered, "Long."
Yet another fan asked if she could sign his arm so he could get a tattoo. "Are you kidding me?" she asked. When he replied that he'd been a fan since 1982, she obliged. "He's stuck with me forever."
She also told the crowd she wants to learn to snowboard. "I learned to ski this year and that was the most thrilling experience, and my children got really good at snowboarding and I was really jealous of them, so that's my next goal in life. I want to learn how to snowboard. I hope there are no paparazzi there to catch me falling on my ass every two seconds."
A 12-year-old asked her what she's afraid of. "Not being in control. Not knowing what lies ahead. And also, meeting people who are ignorant and prejudiced and judgmental."
But the question she said she found the strangest was "What are you addicted to?" The crowd, as one, shouted, "LOVE!"
New tour dates confirmed in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Chile
Source: Madonna.com - 16 April 2012 Madonna's highly anticipated MDNA tour will return to Mexico and South America, it was announced today by Live Nation, OCESA and Time For Fun. Following the European and North American legs of her MDNA Tour, the Material Girl has confirmed performances in Mexico City, Mexico; Medellin, Colombia; Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre, Brazil as well as Santiago, Chile. Tickets for these newly announced dates will go on sale starting April 25th.
The Madonna MDNA World Tour begins May 29th 2012 in Tel Aviv, Israel will stop in 26 European cities before starting in North America in August. The shows will include arenas, stadiums and special outdoor sights. Following her return visit to Mexico and South America, Madonna will visit Australia where she has not performed in 20 years.
24-Nov - Mexico City, Mexico - Foro Sol - On sale 4.27 - Fan club pre-sale starts April 18 at 11am local time for Legacy members (12noon for Live Pass members)
28-Nov - Medellin, Colombia - Estadio Atanasio Girardot - On sale 4.26 - Fan club pre-sale starts April 17 at 11am local time for Legacy members (12noon for Live Pass members)
01-Dec - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Parque Dos Atletas - On sale 5.4 - Live Pass registrations will begin April 23.
04-Dec - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Estadio do Morumbi - On sale 4.25 - Fan club pre-sale will start April 18 at 10am for Legacy members (11am for Live Pass members)
09-Dec - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Estadio Olimpico - On sale 4.26 - Fan club pre-sale will start April 18 at 10am for Legacy members (11am for Live Pass members)
19-Dec - Santiago, Chile - Estadio Nacional - On sale 5.2 - Live Pass registrations will begin April 23.
Punk star Smith 'inspired Madonna'
Source: Belfast Telegraph - 16 April 2012Chart queen Madonna has revealed an unlikely musical inspiration - punk poet Patti Smith.
The singer, who recently scored her 12th number one album with MDNA, has named Smith's recording of Gloria as one of her key influences.
Despite her background in the New York dance scene as she began her career she went for the reworking of the track written by Van Morrison and originally recorded by his band Them in 1964.
Madonna has long been known for her references to religion throughout her work and she cited the line "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine", which Smith added to the song, as her key inspiration.
She chose the lyric and song after being invited to give her choice as part of HMV's "my inspiration" campaign - the 300th artist to do so.
The campaign began in 2006 when David Bowie selected a line from Syd Barrett's song Gigolo Aunt. Sir Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Lady Gaga are among the other names to have taken part.
The almost six-minute version of Gloria featured on Smith's 1975 debut Horses.
HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: "We've been honoured to have some truly legendary artists take part in recent years, but we're particularly proud and thrilled that Madonna has agreed to participate to celebrate our 300th landmark.
"Naturally we were really intrigued to learn her choice, but should have guessed that, in Patti Smith, she'd go for another artist who has rewritten the rules and, in Gloria, a song that makes a powerful statement."
MDNA reaches Gold and Platinum
Source: Twitter - 12 April 2012
Guy Oseary has announced the Gold and Platinum status of the MDNA album in a large range of countries.
Gold
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK and Venezuela.
Platinum
Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy and Poland.
Double platinum
Colombia, Greece and Russia.
Forbes attempts to generate controversy over Madonna's MDNA sales
Source: About.com Top 40 - 12 April 2012 Forbes magazine generated a significant amount of mention in the press over a request that Madonna's people should apologize to Lionel Richie for preventing him from taking a rightful position at #1 on the Billboard album chart with his album Tuskegee. That would be a dramatic and powerful statment if it were based on solid analysis.
Madonna's official first week sales reported by SoundScan totaled 364,000. This included 185,000 copies that were bundled as an incentive to purchase concert tickets. That means 179,000 copies of MDNA were sold separately. It is this total compared with 199,000 copies sold of Lionel Richie's Tuskegee that leads to the overblown statement that without the concert ticket sales, Lionel Richie would have been #1.
However, it is an extreme stretch of the imagination to think that not even 21,000 of the 185,000 people who bought concert tickets would have bought the MDNA album if they were not getting it for free with their tickets. These, in fact, likely include many of Madonna's core fans who are willing to spend $200 or more to see her live.
The Forbes writer goes on to say that Lionel Richie's album is a major hit while Madonna's is not. It seems an open question to call either a major hit until we find out if they even reach gold certification status. The writer erroneously states MDNA has produced nothing like a hit single and no radio airplay while Give Me All Your Luvin' did reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 40 in pop radio airplay.
Lionel Richie, for his part, generated a significant amount of his album's sales by appearing on the Home Shopping Network, and, so far, has failed to generate a pop or country chart single from Tuskegee.
Madonna's sales numbers may be a bit over-inflated, but Billboard's policy to measure the intent to purchase an album on the part of consumers remains solid reasoning when assuming concert ticket purchasers are the core of an artist's fan base. Interesting sales numbers to contemplate? Yes, indeed. Controversy? Not really.
Diet Coke unveils Madonna-inspired bottle
Source: Billboard - 12 April 2012
Diet Coke has unveiled a new line of fashionable bottles, one of which draws inspiration from Madonna's infamous cone bra ensemble.
Famed French designer John Paul Gaultier -- the man who created Madge's iconic 1990 outfit -- was recently appointed the creative director of Diet Coke. His first order of business was to create the new bottles, showing off not only the Queen of Pop's signature look, but his own: white and blue stripes.
The cream-colored Madonna bottle, which has no official tie to the singer, is painted with a fishnet corset and, of course, cone bra.
Coke has long been a partner to fashion, having worked with Karl Lagerfeld and Dolce and Gabbana in the past, but now the cola brand is taking it a step further, mixing music history and style into one campaign.
Unfortunately for American Madonna fans, the John Paul Gaultier bottles are for a European campaign, and therefore won't be available in the U.S.
Gaultier to design costumes for MDNA Tour
Source: Twitter - 12 April 2012Yesterday, fashion journalist Melanie Rickey tweeted: "Jean Paul Gaultier just confirmed that YES he is indeed creating costumes for Madonna's forthcoming world tour."
Gaultier and Madonna have collaborated multiple times in the past 20 years and the pair has become very good friends. Gaultier has often joked that he'd love to marry her.
His best known creation for Madonna's golden corset with pointy bra, which was worn at the 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. Two years later, Madonna appeared on Gaultier's catwalk, wearing a bustier that left her breasts bare, adding to the controversy of her Erotica era.
In the past decade, Gaultier also designed costumes for the Drowned World Tour and the Confessions Tour.
Madonna launches Truth Or Dare at Macy's in NYC
Source: Press Association - 12 April 2012Madonna has launched her new fragrance, Truth Or Dare, in New York.
The Queen of Pop - who unveiled the scent at Macy's - said she had "been trying to develop a fragrance for probably the last 15 years".
"It's never worked out with various companies and different people and trying different fragrances," she said. "They never turned out the way I wanted them to smell."
But Madonna said that was partially due to her expensive taste.
"It's the mass producing part that always gets tricky, because for some reason the fragrances that I like tend to be really expensive," the singer said.
"One time I created a smell and I was told the amber, it was like a million dollars to ship from India or something. ...And then they tried to make (a) synthetic (version). This happens a lot and it never smells as good as you want it to smell. That's happened a couple times.
"Finally I got a smell I like that I can mass produce. Yay!"
Truth Or Dare costs from £24.50 to £43.
Guy O. tweets about MDNA sales, next single, tourbook and South America
Source: Twitter - 11 April 2012
About new tour dates: "I believe South America info is in next few days.. Finishing last few things..."
About the tour book: "i actually saw it last night.. the amazing Giovanni Bianco is working on it.. it looks incredible"
About the name of the tour: "yes its called the MDNA tour"
About the next single: "turn up the radio is feeling like the next single"
In response to the reports of MDNA's sales drop: "its gold and platinum all over the world in one week.. but hey, thats not a headline :)"
In response to complaints of lack of album promo: "performing MDNA live everywhere is promo. but I do agree and wish we could have done more. SuperBowl took 2 months"
About Madonna promoting her Truth or Dare fragrance at Macy's tomorrow: "Madonna at Macy's Herald Square NY tomorrow for her fragrance launch.. if you're in NY come join us...http://on.fb.me/IgM5eo"
Madonna tops Lady Gaga for biggest 2nd week sales drop for a #1 Album
Source: Billboard - 11 April 2012
This week, Madonna's MDNA earns the distinction of the largest second-week percentage sales drop for a No. 1-debuting album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. The album slides from No. 1 to No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with a 86.7% sales decline (falling from 359,000 to 48,000 according to SoundScan).
The percentage dip surpasses the record set by Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," when it fell 84.27% in its second week on the chart dated June 18, 2011. "Born This Way" bowed the previous frame at No. 1 with 1.11 million, and then sold 174,000 in its second week at the top of the chart. "Born This Way's" debut was amplified by Amazon MP3's decision to offer the set at 99 cents twice on two separate days during its premiere week.
MDNA's large fall was expected, as its debut was bolstered by sales gained from a concert ticket/album promotion as well as preorders from iTunes. Further, without a current hit single on our major airplay charts nor any substantial recent promotion on Madonna's part, the drop was bound to be significant.
Both MDNA and "Born This Way" would have not had such steep drops, had it not been for unusually enhanced first-week sales.
While MDNA has the biggest drop for a No. 1-debuting set in SoundScan history, it's actually the second-biggest fall for a top 10-bowing album. The largest second-week collapse for a top 10-debut was for the rock compilation titled "The Edge" on April 10, 2010. It sold 53,000 when it bowed at No. 4 and then fell by 87.2% to 7,000 (No. 81) in its second week. The Razor & Tie compilation saw its sizable first week sales generated by a direct-response TV ad campaign and preorders.
Most superstar albums that start at or near the top of the chart fall by 60% to 80% in their second week. And, high-debuting sets that are especially front-loaded by pre-orders, niche fanbases or unusual marketing campaigns take harder hits.
MDNA's lead single Give Me All Your Luvin' (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- thanks to strong initial sales. However, on the Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart -- the diva's home radio format -- the single faltered at No. 24 and spent only five weeks on the list. The album's second single, Girl Gone Wild, has yet to dent the Mainstream Top 40 tally.
In terms of recent promotion, Madonna has basically been off the radar, instead focusing her energy on rehearsals for her upcoming world tour. Since headlining the Feb. 5 Super Bowl halftime show, her only significant recent media appearances have been via a live Facebook chat with Jimmy Fallon (March 24) and a brief drop-in at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami the same night.
Guy Oseary, Madonna's manager, tweeted in response to a fan's question last night, saying "...I wish we could have done TV last week but we were in rehearsals morning and night. 7 more weeks to show time..."
Here are the five largest second-week percentage drops for No. 1-debuting albums in the SoundScan era:
Chart Date - Artist - Title - % Decline - Debut Units - 2nd Week Units
1. April 21, 2012 - Madonna, MDNA - 86.70% (from 359,000 to 48,000 at No. 8)
2. June 18, 2011 - Lady Gaga, "Born This Way" - 84.28% (from 1.11 million to 147,000 at No. 1)
3. Dec. 3, 2011 - Mac Miller, "Blue Slide Park" - 82.54% (from 144,000 to 25,000 at No. 24)
4. Dec. 16, 2006 - Jay-Z, "Kingdom Come" - 79.42% (from 680,000 to 140,000 at No. 6)
5. Dec. 11, 2010 - Kanye West, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" - 78.14% (from 496,000 to 108,000 at No. 7)
And, the five largest second-week percentage drops for top 10-debuting albums in the SoundScan era:
Chart Date - Artist, Title - % Decline - Debut Units - 2nd Week Units
1. April 3, 2010 - Various Artists, "The Edge" - 87.19% (from 53,000 at No. 4 to 7,000 at No. 81)
2. April 21, 2012 - Madonna, MDNA - 86.70% (from 1.11 million to 147,000 at No. 1)
3. June 18, 2011 - Lady Gaga, "Born This Way" - 84.28% (from 1.11 million to 147,000 at No. 1)
4. March 24, 2012 - WZRD, "WZRD" - 84.25% (from 70,000 at No. 3 to 10,000 at No. 34)
5. March 31, 2012 - Passion, "Passion: White Flag" - 83.71% (from 49,000 at No. 5 to 8,000 at No. 51)
Madonna notches 42nd #1 on Dance/Club Play Songs
Source: Billboard - 10 April 2012Madonna earns her record-extending 42nd No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs chart, as Girl Gone Wild zips 4-1. (All charts will be refreshed Thursday (April 12) on Billboard.com).
The song is the second topper from Madonna's 12th studio album, MDNA, which bowed atop the Billboard 200 last week with 359,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Just three weeks ago, the set's first single, Give Me All Your Luvin', featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., reached the chart's summit.
The speedy return to the survey's top spot grants Madonna her quickest span of back-to-back No. 1s. She had previously linked faster consecutive No. 1s when Vogue ruled just seven weeks after Keep It Together in 1990.
Madonna extends her lead for the most No. 1s in the Dance/Club Play Songs chart's 35-year history, pulling further away from runner-up Janet Jackson, who has 19. Beyonce follows with 18 No. 1s, trailed by Rihanna (17), Kristine W (16), Mariah Carey (16) and Whitney Houston (15).
With her latest leader, Madonna also tallies her record-padding 73rd week atop the ranking.
Perhaps aiding its chart domination, the black-and-white Erotica-era throwback video for Wild on the Official Madonna YouTube Channel has racked 4.1 million views since its premiere on March 21.
As previously reported, Madonna also premiered the Avicii remix of Wild live on-stage on March 24 at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. She spoke to the crowd of revelers and then danced onstage with the Swedish producer as he played the remix.
"I had about three days to do (the remix) and I was in the middle of touring, as well," Avicii told Billboard. "(But), it turned out great."
~ You can find all 42 Club Play leaders on our charts page.
Madonna inspired Katy Perry's concert film
Source: Yahoo - 10 April 2012Katy Perry has credited pop queen Madonna with inspiring her upcoming 3D concert movie.
Perry invited a camera crew to film her California Dreams Tour for Part Of Me, which will feature live footage and touch on personal issues including her failed marriage to Russell Brand.
The singer admits plans for the forthcoming documentary were inspired by the Material Girl and her 1991 film Madonna: Truth or Dare, which chronicled the pop icon's Blond Ambition World Tour.
She tells Teen Vogue, "Madonna is everything to me, and that movie is amazing, because it caught her at a time when she was a bit more vulnerable.
"I wanted to do that too, to capture a snapshot of who I am now so that I can remind myself what I've lost if I ever do become totally jaded."
Part Of Me is due in theatres in July.
Go behind the scenes of Madonna's fragrance ad
Source: Extra - 10 April 2012
Video! Go Behind the Scenes of Madonna's Fragrance Ad
Pop superstar Madonna slinks in next to nothing in this crazy hot ad for her fragrance, "Truth or Dare by Madonna."
And now you can see all the sexy behind-the-scene moments!
According the official release, "Truth or Dare by Madonna represents the dual forces that coexist in all of us. Daring to embrace the duality of our true nature. The bottle and carton, designed by Fabien Baron in collaboration with Madonna, feature a palette of rich gold and white, marrying elegance and sophistication with a touch of edginess."
Madonna described her thoughts on the scent. "There is something primal and mystical about the sense of smell. It connects us to memory, nostalgia and the ability to dream and fantasize."
The fragrance will be available in April at Macy's. Click here for more information!
Why Madonna still leads, others follow
Source: CNN - 6 April 2012I thought she was over. Madonna, that is.
I thought she was too old to be referring to herself as a "girl." I thought pop music passed her by. I thought Lady Gaga had killed her.
And then I look at this week's Billboard chart and I see I thought wrong.
Her 12th CD, MDNA debuted No. 1 on the album chart and she has two singles on the dance-chart Top 10. She's 53 and the clubs are banging her new stuff, including Give Me All Your Luvin', which became her 38th top 10 hit on the pop chart. For those of you keeping score, that's more than Elvis, more than The Beatles. I'm not saying she's better, but clearly she's done -- correction -- doing more.
This year she won another Golden Globe and her halftime performance at the Super Bowl drew more viewers than the game itself, according to Nielsen. I know the perception is that only gay men care about Madonna, but if that were true, given the 114 million viewers who tuned in to watch her at halftime, maybe "don't ask, don't tell" should have been called "just assume."
The reality is it's hard for pop music to leave behind someone who keeps leading the pack. Madonna had the highest grossing tour ever for a solo artist (2008) and has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. She's an '80s child whose 2005 single Hung Up holds the Guinness Book record for topping the charts in 41 countries, while 2012's MDNA was No. 1 on iTunes in 40 countries.
That's not "over," that's now.
When you look at where Madonna's career is today in the same week we learned Whitney Houston drowned in a foot of water, you're reminded that God truly does work in mysterious ways. The two pop icons released debut albums within two years of each other, Madonna in 1983 and Houston in 1985.
Of course, Houston was the former model with a voice for the ages, while Madonna was the thin-voiced tart rolling around on the floor of the MTV music awards in a wedding dress proclaiming that she felt like a virgin. If anyone might have been expected to meet a desperate, tragic end, back then the safe money would have been on Madonna. And yet Houston's gone, Michael Jackson's gone, Prince is semi-retired and everyone else, with the exception of U2, is making their money off nostalgia.
Meanwhile, Madonna has methodically become, arguably, the greatest recording artist of all time. Who would've thunk it?
As for the music, her latest CD is not breaking any new ground, but it does remind everyone who owns the ground Gaga, Rihanna, Beyonce and others are walking on. In fact, each time they receive a royalty check, they should be sending Madonna a cut.
While MDNA is about three songs too long for my taste, I will tell you the first five songs make it very difficult not to want to dance, and that the track Gang Bang is pure genius. As you could probably figure out from the title, it's not radio friendly, but likely not because of what you may think. And that, in a nutshell, is why Madonna is who she is.
You can tell you're watching a Woody Allen film with the first five minutes of dialogue. You can identify the beautiful prose of Toni Morrison within a couple of pages. But my 15-year-old came home one day and asked who I was listening to. I told him Madonna and my son, who loves techno and hip hop, thought I was joking.
"Seriously... like your Madonna?" he asked.
"Yep," I said.
"Well, she's still old but that song's not."
The song was Gang Bang and I'm glad he left the room before she started singing. As I said, it's not radio friendly. But then again, it wouldn't be Madonna if a song like that was.
Madonna tweets with fans, Lionel, Britney, Katy and more
Source: AskMadonna - 5 April 2012 
Yesterday evening, Madonna took to Twitter again. Not only did she reply to questions of dozens of fans, but she also chatted away with several fellow stars. Here are some highlights.
She started off by congratulating Lionel Richie, which turned into a nice chat between the 2 stars:
Madonna: "@LionelRichie congrats on a successful record. To the other ritchie in my life.... "
Lionel: "What's going on family? Can you believe we are sitting on the top of the charts together again? There is no one I would rather be on top with. Congratulations!! I am so happy for you."
M: "OK, but as long as I'm on top."
L: "I wouldn't have it any other way!!"
M: "Smart man"
M: "Remember when we were neighbors?"
L: "I was the tour guide for the street. The neighborhood was never the same after you left."
M: "Bless you. You still live in that shithole?"
Another old friend turned up: Debi Mazar. A fan had tweeted her "@debimazar have u said hi to @ MadonnaMDNAday yet? She's online now." Debi said: "No..i have her phone #!But I love watching the madness!" to which Madonna tweeted "Hey Deb, come back to Brooklyn, New York misses you."
Britney Spears congratulated Madonna on her album: "love the new album - every single song is incredible. congrats girl!" to which Madonna invited her on tour: "@britneyspears please come on stage and kiss me again. I miss you!!". Britney in turn replied with "Tempting...". Madonna: "Are you gonna make me work for this?"
Katy Perry also joined in, asking "which evolution of you in your career has been your favorite/ most fulfilling, besides the present?". Madonna: "Ray of Light. That was a good moment. I wanna see you in the front row somewhere this year. okay?"
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton asked: "I'm late to the party. Just got out of therapy! I have a question! Can you perform #RescueMe on the new tour? Ha! Request!"
Madonna: "interesting question - what do you like about that song? do you need to be rescued?"
Perez: "And P.S. You have already rescued me and inspired me! A constant source of both in my life!"
M: "That's a great compliment, for someone to say you inspire them is what makes it all worth while."
Replying to the congratulations of Anderson Cooper, who interviewed Madonna earlier this year, she said "aww, thanks Anderson. Do u miss me? Do u want me to come back and visit you in a leather dress? What suit are you wearing?"
When asked who designed her tour costumes, Madonna replied "Arianne - as usual. @ariannephillips" but she also thanked Stefano Gabbana (from D&G) "thanks for all the gorgeous corsets!! You're the best."
Fan Jakub asked if she contacted Tarantino, and M said "he's shooting a movie til June. Thats no excuse. I'm still waiting for his call. every little thing, everything little thing..." Later on, someone asked what she would do if she could be invisible for a day: "i would follow quentin tarantino around for a day and see if he is really too busy to direct Gang Bang."
She also sent tweets to her producers and some DJs:
"@msolveig are you smiling professor polanski?"
"@WilliamOrbit mazel tov billy bubbles!"
"@BennyBenassi where's your funny cousin Alle? Have you learned to speak English yet? Mille grazie"
"@avicii I had so much fun with you at Ultra. Looking forward to having our remix out soon."
"@Skrillex I worship you. Why won't you open up for one of my shows?"
MTV tweeted: "Love you, queen."
M: "@MTV Thank you. We started together."
To another fan she revealed about her tour rehearsals: "[My day was] not bad. I walked all the way across the slackline today in my bare feet. Yessss."
Q: "How were rehearsals today?? Any new injuries??"
A: "yep - I cut my shin. First section of the show is a little bit violent."
Q: "Banjo in Love Spent = Brilliant. Where'd idea come from??"
A: "that was @WilliamOrbit 's idea."
Q: "So what kind of flowers DO you like?"
A: "calla lillies. gardenias. tuberose."
Q: "will your four children be with you while you are on tour?"
A: "I won't go on tour without them."
Q: "best Superbowl moment?"
A: "singing Like a Prayer and seeing the stadium lit up."
She also talked about the surprise party that she received from her crew earlier that day, when she hadn't yet heard that she had scored her #1: "I swear I didnt know. I walked into rehearsal with 100 balloons and was confused. The thrill of being #1 never goes away."
Worldwide chart positions for MDNA
4 April 2012As more chart reports come in, the list of countries where MDNA tops the album charts, continues to grow! Is the album #1 in your country and it's not mentioned here? Let us know!
#1
US - UK - Australia - Argentina - Belgium (Flanders) - Brazil - Canada - Croatia - Czech Republic - Finland - Greece - Hungary - Ireland - Israel - Italy - Mexico - Slovakia - Spain - Sweden - The Netherlands - Turkey
#2
France - Norway - Switserland
#3
Belgium (Wallonia) - Germany
#4
Japan - South Korea
Guy Oseary, Jimmy Iovine on the Art of the Album Roll-Out
Source: Hollywood Reporter - 4 April 2012The pop queen's longtime manager and brand new label head reflect on the road taken straight to the top of the charts and answer a nagging question: three decades in, is Madonna still selling scandal?
When Madonna's twelfth album, MDNA, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 today with Nielsen SoundScan-certified sales of 359,000, she'll not only have the biggest first week of the year, but will instantly reinstate her place at the top of the pop heap.
That's right, in this digital age of naysayers, haters, critics and cynics, Madonna is on her third decade of relevance. With MDNA, she trails only Barbra Streisand for the most chart-toppers ever by a female artist (Babs has nine, Madge is one shy) -- an extraordinary musical and cultural feat. Still, some will inevitably credit controversy for MDNA's out-the-gate success.
Have your pick of which one from recent months -- the album title, which is a letter away from MDMA, the common name for the drug ecstasy; the Super Bowl halftime performance during which guest M.I.A. gave some 150 million people the finger; a permanent ban by Piers Morgan and subsequent Twitter spat between the talk show host and Madonna's manager Guy Oseary; or a surprise appearance at Miami's Ultra Music Festival in March, where Madonna took the stage alongside Avicii and instantly riled up a crowd of 100,000 by asking if anyone had seen "Molly," the street name for ecstasy, a comment that prompted superstar DJ Deadmau5 to take her to task publicly. All have kept Madonna's name in the headlines just as new music hit the market.
"All those things didn't start with us," Oseary tells The Hollywood Reporter, shrugging off any insinuation that scandal is a step in the roll-out plan. "It's just part of the gig." Indeed, Oseary and his client of 22 years can explain away each one -- the title has multiple meanings and came about like this, according to Oseary: "[Madonna] told me one day, ‘Here's what I'm calling my album.' And I went, ‘Cool.' She had a vision." As for M.I.A.? She acted on her own accord; Piers Morgan's people continue to reach out for a booking despite the ban; and Madonna was referring to a song by producer and DJ Cedric Gervais called "Have You Seen Molly," not the staple drug of all-night dance parties. What may be harder to wrap the head around is the continued omnipotence of the eighties-bred pop star, who's already topped the iTunes charts in 35 countries with MDNA presales alone.
"She gives me the forum to be honest and I give her the forum to yell at me." — Guy Oseary
Truth be told, Madonna did little in the way of traditional promotion for the album, her first for Interscope after some 30 years at Warner Bros. She skipped the club shows, the late night lead guest slot and the Diane Sawyer interview. Her only broadcast sit-down was with Jimmy Fallon on Facebook. She premiered her single at the Super Bowl and her video on American Idol (Interscope is the show's music partner) rather than MTV or Vevo. If there's a plan, says Oseary, it was for the music to speak for itself, and thanks to the current popularity of EDM (electronic dance music), it seems the former Danceteria regular is having her day yet again -- and at 53 years old.
"Anyone who can have a career as long and as healthy, strong and consistent as Madonna's, that's a once-in-a-lifetime artist," says Interscope Geffen A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine . "It's incredible what she's done. You can have an act earn money like her, but you can't have a career like that."
Curiously, though her touring sets have featured many of her greatest hits, sometimes going deep into the catalog, like her first No. 1 dance smash, 1983's Burning Up, Oseary says both he and Madonna rarely look back themselves. The decades spent at Warner Bros.? They hardly gave it a second thought when "friend" Jimmy Iovine came into the picture. "I have a lot of faith in him," says the 39-year-old Israel-born Oseary. "I didn't shop a deal. I didn't go meet with every label and play the field. I was pretty confident with [Universal Music Group chairman and CEO] Lucian [Grainge] and Jimmy as partners." (Iovine returns the admiration, telling THR, "Guy is honest, straight-headed and talented -- a great combination.") Besides, adds Oseary, "One of the things that I've learned working with Madonna is you just move forward. It's really rare that she ever brings up the past."
On this album cycle, she really doesn't need to "go retro" as so many veteran artists do. Always one step ahead of the latest sounds and production trends (Martin Solveig , Benny Benassi and William Orbit were each enlisted for their studio skills on multiple MDNA tracks), her brand of dance music meets delectable pop comes at a perfect time, just as EDM has, to put it plainly, taken over. "Dance music is Madonna's base," says Oseary, who can't recall exactly how many club hits she's had but knows it's more than 40. "It's what she likes, it's what she listens to. It's not anything other than that. She doesn't read what's on the charts. And if it's on time, great. This is who she is."
Still, there are those pesky detractors who insist Madonna's MDNA motif -- from the cheerleader costume she wears in the video for Give Me All Your Luvin' to the album's title to her Ultra appearance just before midnight on March 24, are simply age-inappropriate, a slag Oseary doesn't take to kindly. "Didn't Lionel Richie just make a country album?" he barks. "God bless him, I love Lionel, but how come no one is yelling at him? The ageism criticism is getting old. It's, like, let's just talk about the music. Do you like it?"
Clearly, people do, what with first week sales of MDNA beating her last studio effort, 2008's Hard Candy , by more than 50 percent -- her best showing in over a decade. Partly to thank: a U.S. promotion where customers who bought a concert ticket had the option to receive the album as part of their purchase. These opt-in sales counted towards the chart's tally, according to Billboard. And Oseary says she's also engaging more with her fans. Although Madonna has been reluctant to hop on the Twitter bandwagon, she's logged on for one-night events (a second is coming up on Wednesday at 10 p.m.; the handle: @MadonnaMDNAday) and fielded hundreds of questions from fans, no doubt convinced by active tweeter Oseary.
All the awareness when you add the Super Bowl audience to that of Facebook and Twitter users coupled with a Smirnoff-sponsored dance contest that provides key primetime television advertising and an international tour kicking off May 29 in Tel Aviv, and you're looking at more than a billion potential impressions within four months time.
But while the numbers make for a nice security blanket, positive reception from critics, fans and peers is ultimately how Oseary quantifies success, and so far, he's more than pleased. "People are really digging it," he says. "We feel good about the album, I'm proud of the work she's done, [the EDM community] is giving the love back. It's her 12th album and the same story she had 30 years ago. That's an amazing accomplishment."
Madonna's On Top.... Again
Source: Madonna.com - 4 April 2012 Madonna has returned for the 8th time to the top of the Billboard's Pop Charts with MDNA selling 359,000 albums according to Neilsen Soundscan and is the biggest selling first week debut this year. MDNA is The Material Girl's fifth No. 1 studio album in a row and her first album for Interscope Records.
On the Billboard Dance Club Play Charts, Madonna remains queen of the clubs with two song from MDNA in the Top Ten including Girl Gone Wild which has gone to No. 4 and is the "greatest gainer" for the last three weeks. Her first dance hit from MDNA Give Me All Your Luvin' after going to No. 1 remains in the Top Ten in the No. 8 spot.
The critical response to MDNA has been equally impressive:
"Madonna has made it through the wilderness to deliver one of the best albums of her career." Daily News
"Her best album since "Ray of Light" Chicago Tribune
"Still the Queen of Pop" The London Times
"Some of the finest musical moments we've heard from the pop legend in the last few years" MTV News
"The woman is pop's most durable alpha female" USA TODAY
Other facts:
MDNA debuted No. 1 on iTunes Charts in 40 countries and had the biggest one day pre-sale on iTunes by any artist in history.
Madonna's Give Me All Your Luvin' video is her most viewed video on YouTube with 32 million views.
Barbra Streisand is the only other female to have more No. 1 albums (9) according to Billboard's Keith Caufield.
In the UK, the MDNA album puts Madonna in a league of her own. MDNA's No. 1 spot gives Madonna the most No. 1 albums of all time in the UK (12) by a solo artist - surpassing Elvis Presley. The Beatles are the only artists who have had 15 No. 1 albums in the UK.
In Japan, MDNA is her 22nd Top Ten album passing The Beatles record of 19 Top Ten albums in Japan. MDNA entered their Oricon international charts at No. 1 and the combined Oricon Charts at #4.
To celebrate the first week success with her millions of fans, Madonna will once again be on Twitter this Wednesday, the 4th of April at l0:00 pm EST. The link is: @MadonnaMDNAday
MDNA debuts at no. 1 in Billboard 200; sells 359,000 copies
Source: Billboard - 3 April 2012 Madonna scores her eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with the debut of her MDNA, while Lionel Richie's all-star country collaborations covers album "Tuskegee" bows in the runner-up slot -- his highest-charting album since 1986.
Madonna remains in second place among women with the most No. 1 albums. She now needs only one more No. 1 to tie Barbra Streisand, the leader among women with nine chart-toppers.
MDNA sold 359,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, and is Madonna's fifth straight studio album to debut at No. 1. It follows 2008's Hard Candy, which moved 280,000 in its first week. MDNA's opener is her best sales week since 2000's Music shifted 420,000 when it debuted at No. 1.
In terms of release-week promotion, Madonna was basically off the radar, instead focusing her energy on rehearsals for her upcoming world tour. That stands in contrast to Richie, who worked the TV circuit hard in the past week.
As for Madonna, since headlining the Feb. 5 Super Bowl halftime show, she's been laying low. Her only significant recent media appearances have been via a live Facebook chat with Jimmy Fallon (March 24) and a brief drop-in at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami the same night.
MDNA's sales were aided by a successful album sales promotion involving Madonna's upcoming world tour. U.S. customers who bought a concert ticket had the option of also receiving the album as part of their purchase. The only sales that count towards Billboard's charts are those where the customer opted to receive MDNA.
Truth or Dare released on Blu-Ray
Source: Madonna.com - 3 April 2012
Madonna's famous "Truth or Dare" tour documentary, directed by Alek Keshishian and filmed during the 1990 "Blond Ambition Tour" is released on Blu-ray today, April 3rd!
If you haven't done so yet, visit Amazon now to order your copy of it!
MDNA tops album charts, surpasses Elvis' record
Source: BBC, MusicWeek, Ariacharts, Ultratop - 1 April 2012UK
As the mid-week charts predicted, Madonna's MDNA tops the UK album charts for the week of April 1st. It is her 12th appearance at the top of this chart, surpassing Elvis who had 11 #1 albums. She can now add 'Most number one albums by a solo artist' to her extensive list of records. On Tuesday, the album had shifted 39,000 copies in the UK.
US
In the US, it is expected to sell 300,000 - 350,000 copies, almost double this week's number one, which is the soundtrack to action movie The Hunger Games.
It will be Madonna's 8th number one album in the US, and the first-week sales will be higher than those of Hard Candy, which debuted at number one with 280,000 copies sold, according to US chart compilers Nielsen SoundScan.
Australia
Madonna also scores a number one album down under. MDNA is her 10th #1 in the Australian album charts. She also scored a Gold certification.
Belgium
Belgium has separate charts for Flanders and Wallonia. While the French-speaking Wallonia currently holds MDNA at a #3 position, the album tops the Ultratop chart in Dutch-speaking Flanders.
Other countries
MDNA is also topping the charts in The Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, Turkey, Israel and Taiwan. Other countries to follow!
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