I Can't Remember When I Was Young

I guess I deserve it.

Talk about sour grapes!

Even though Madonna has loyally recorded for Warner Bros. for 25 years, generating I assume billions of dollars in sales, now that she is leaving them in a very professional, above-board way, for a sweet Live Nation deal, they've issued a statement saying she is unworthy of that deal. Either the report or Variety's reporting on the report calls attention to the fact that she will turn 60 in the final year of that 10-year pact.

Madonna is a woman who, at 25, endured the taunts of critics saying, "What are you gonna do when you're 40? Still be singing 'Like A Virgin?'" Yes. Next question.

Madonna has proven that her appeal and—more importantly—the appeal of her music is ageless. Madonna's fans are not, nor were they ever, horny businessmen clamoring around a stripper pole. Sex is as major a part of Madonna's work as it is a part of everyone's lives, but it is not her only draw. And besides, are people in their fifties and beyond supposed to be instantly unsexy and/or asexual? I'm sure a lot of the brass at Warner Bros. and at the bank who issued the catty report are older than 49 and some are probably older than 60.

Will I grow old?

Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee, Tina Turner—these are women who had highly successful careers touring with or without multi-platinum albums. Madonna has as much stamina as all of them and, if I may be so bold, far more creativity as a writer and as a conceptual artist. And that's only to compare her to some famous old-lady crooners—if you want to bring up the men, who are probably more exact comparisons to Madonna in many ways, it's almost too easy to find examples that gather no moss.

Madonna is forward-thinking. She has proven that time and again, first by openly detesting some of her earlier hits, then with her famous "absolutely no regrets" mantra and always by taking her albums to unexpected places. Now, despite showing some signs of mellowing (her latest tours and one-off live gigs tend to throw us dogs some old bones from her catalog), Madonna is very aggressively and bravely casting off the comforts of a traditonal recording contract in order to cast off its increasing limitations, committing herself to recording and more remarkably touring throughout her fifties in a bid to stay relevant, provocative, productive. That's not putting out classic ’70s songs tributes, Broadway salutes and best-of after best-of—that's dynamism, baby.

Simply put: There is no telling where Madonna will be with her music, her art, in 2018, but as Condé Nast Portfolio points out in this excellent post, she and Live Nation will certainly be in the black.

That is why it's really extra-embarrassing for Warner Bros. to snark on Madonna's age and on her viability as a recording artist. There is every reason to believe that Madonna will be standing tall in 2018...does anyone seriously believe Warner Bros. Records will be?

Madonna is not too old for the recording industry—the recording industry is too old for Madonna.

The power of good-bye.

Comments

[Hephaestion]

The recording industry is sexist, racist and homophobic. I am still surprised by WB though, afterall she has been an *ahem* cash cow for them.

I am glad that she is rid off them. I wonder if Liz Rosenberg will continue being her publicist. Didn´t she say she would never leave WB.

[Trub]

Hey Matt!! I didn't see the article where WB came out against Madonna like that. Can you point me in the right direction??

The only thing that concerns me in this deal is WB holding her back catalog. I fear her ending up on those albums she joked about on her Will & Grace appearance. It also makes me wonder about the looming (and rumored for YEARS) boxset release.

Very tacky on WB's side.

[Matthew Rettenmund]

The article is (now!) linked in my post.

[Tomi]

Damn, I really smell crappy promotion for her next album... :(

It's funny how it became evident to me how she outlived every single female artist hailed as the 'next Madonna.' God knows she outlived Britney and I wouldn't be surprised if in five years Madonna is in the charts and nobody remembers who Rihanna is.

But it never ocurred to me she was out to outlast the music industry itself. Funny.