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Post by MattyJam on Jul 29, 2017 18:08:37 GMT
Forgive the click-bait title, but I read this on another forum, discussing Thriller being certified 33x Platinum and Bad being certified Diamond and was curious to see what other people thought:
Do you think this is a fair comment to make? On the whole, a lot of pop music is very of-its-time and whilst nobody can dispute Madonna's longevity in the industry, you do have to wonder if, in 25 years time, people will still be buying any of her albums the way MJ's still sell. I mean, even now in 2017, with Madonna still alive and active, her catalogue doesn't sell anywhere near MJ's. I really think her appeal was more limited to her core fanbase who grew up with her and I can't see it connecting much beyond her current fanbase.
Thoughts/opinions?
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Post by Liberian Girl on Jul 29, 2017 18:41:46 GMT
I strongly disagree. There is no reason to think that Madonna's work will not sell or be recognised in the future. She is very talented. Okay, she is not an amazing vocalist, but it's the whole package with Madonna that makes her work so well. Her image, her confidence, her ambition... many of her songs are not only extremely catchy and damn good pop, but some of her tracks are beautiful - such as 'Oh, Father', 'Live to Tell', 'Joan of Arc', 'Ghost Town,' 'Promise to Try,' 'Masterpiece' and 'Drowned World/Substitute For Love' etc. Obviously, the classics are there too - Like a Virgin, La Isla Bonita, Vogue and Like a Prayer. Her back catalogue is very impressive.
She worked damned hard for her place amongst her peers.
Madonna started working towards a music career back in the late 70s, got her first music contract in 1982, and then worked continuously to keep her place secure amongst other legends ever since. And yes, I consider her a legend. She was, in my opinion, part of the Holy Trinity of Music: Michael, Prince and Madonna. She was up there, she earned it, people love her. All these years later, her music is still known, remembered and loved. I admit she doesn't sell what she once did, but I don't think that will effect her place in music history. She is the biggest female artist ever - what else is there to prove? Is it because she is a woman, that she cannot be remembered? ... Prince became famous and earned his place in the 70s/80s, sold really well - but he never sold the same in later years. He never had big hits in his much later years. In fact, his music was being given away in newspapers and some could only be ordered from websites. Yet nobody (and rightfully so, I may add!) questions whether he will be remembered or recognised for being the wonderful artist he was.
So, I'm ranting now. LOL. Nutshell? Highly disagree. Madonna is a legend, she will never be forgotten, as much as some people would very much like her to.
"So there!" - Madge.
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Post by Snow White on Jul 29, 2017 18:57:07 GMT
Even though she has released more albums, Michael still has the record as the biggest USA selling artist. Madonna is the biggest female selling artist but Michael has always sold more copies than her.
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Post by Liberian Girl on Jul 29, 2017 19:51:34 GMT
I don't understand how anyone can say with confidence that "Madonna won't sell much in the future." She doesn't sell as well as she did in the 90s (although mainstream media are partly responsible, because they are ageist. They pretty much refused to play anything of hers once she was in her 50s, thus denying her the mass exposure she used to enjoy). But as I previously mentioned, Prince did not sell as well in the later half of his career and I don't see anyone saying his music won't still be purchased in the future.
Upon what do people base it on - this idea that she won't sell much in the future? It's this comparison to MJ that bugs me. I've heard several people online say that she won't sell or be remembered like MJ in the future. Actually, that's true. She won't - because Michael was/is exceptional. But that doesn't mean Madonna doesn't have a place at the table. Other massive artists don't sell like MJ (none do?!) but we will still remember and buy songs of people such as Elton John, Bowie, Prince, Madonna. They are not Michael Jackson and so to try to disqualify them from the game for that reason seems highly unfair.
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Post by Thriller on Jul 29, 2017 20:27:42 GMT
I disagree. There are lot's of current young people who like Madonna. No doubt there will be fans among the next generation also given her standing in music history.
The reason for her poor catalogue sales is The Immaculate Collection. Often greatest hits albums absolutely destroy catalogue sales of studio albums. Madonna has been a victim of it. The Bee Gees are another. Their early studio albums have awful sales figures as their label decided to stop printing them, and instead chose to release multiple hits collections.
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Post by Snow White on Jul 29, 2017 20:36:30 GMT
No one said Madonna is not a good seller, she beats the rest of female solo acts but Michael has always beaten her despite the media trying to turn the public against him. Madonna has received backlash,no doubt but people have been kind to her compared to Michael.
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respect77
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Post by respect77 on Jul 29, 2017 21:21:49 GMT
I think it is probably right. I think when she dies she will have the expected post-death hype for a while, but I don't think she will be in MJ's league in terms of longevity. That is not meant to say she won't have any significance at all - she does have her place in pop history - but I too feel that MJ's music and art is more timeless.
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Post by aazzaabb on Jul 29, 2017 21:22:17 GMT
It's a hard call to make. Personally I don't think anyone will sell massively in the future because technology has advanced so much. Again -I'm going to say this - her 80's albums are built on great singles -there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, I may even be wrong as I'm not over familiar with all 4 of her 80's albums- and personally I'll always pick up The Immaculate Collection; the best tracks/singles from the 80's all remastered and start to finish absolute pop gold! All of the mixes on it are done by Shep Pettibone who also did some amazing work for Pet Shop Boys -my favorite pop duo- and honestly, that collection is like her Thriller to me.
I think if she along with Warner Bros struck a deal to remaster, repackage the albums in deluxe editions or a seriously decent box set with a ton of extras and a massive advertising campaign it might do quite well? I know Warner Bros put out that career spanning box set when she left the label but from what I remember it was just a bare bones last cash-in on her.
She does have around 3 discs worth of classic hits and I would hope they'll always sell but comparing anyone to MJ is unreasonable, he's one of the few exceptions and nobody needs to sell on that level to sustain a legacy.
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Post by Liberian Girl on Jul 29, 2017 22:01:36 GMT
Michael Jackson once said, a great song will never die. I do believe this. Madonna has done great pop songs - I think the greatest hits of her career will reach future audiences.
I think Madonna is worth more than some are giving her credit for. I think the reason a thread like this even exists is because she's one of the only artists alive now who could even remotely been compared to Michael in terms of being a massive artist with a major, long spanning career.
I would be surprised if Prince's back catalogue would have longevity if we look at his career in the same way ...he almost alienated a wider audience by releasing music in random ways. But I trust the value of his name, fame and work will allow him to be remembered well in music history. I feel the same for Madonna. Her hits may be in the past, she may not sell like she once did, but she's definitely one of the last major legends in music and I find it hard to believe her work and name will just be forgotten. Different if you're talking about Take That, Beiber or Pink, but come on, surely even if you dislike Madonna or her music, you can accept she is a massive name, an icon, with very classic hits embedded within in pop history and culture.
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Post by aazzaabb on Jul 29, 2017 22:23:48 GMT
I think Madonna is worth more than some are giving her credit for. I think the reason a thread like this even exists is because she's one of the only artists alive now who could even remotely been compared to Michael in terms of being a massive artist with a major, long spanning career. I would be surprised if Prince's back catalogue would have longevity if we look at his career in the same way ...he almost alienated a wider audience by releasing music in random ways. But I trust the value of his name, fame and work will allow him to be remembered well in music history. I feel the same for Madonna. Her hits may be in the past, she may not sell like she once did, but she's definitely one of the last major legends in music and I find it hard to believe her work and name will just be forgotten. Different if you're talking about Take That or Pink, but come on, surely even if you dislike Madonna or her music, you can accept she is a massive name, an icon, with very classic hits in pop history. One thing I've always liked about Madonna and Prince is that they never leaned too heavily on their past achievements and did exactly what they wanted to. Prince self-sabotaged himself by playing the mystery game; everything being so disjointed and cryptic; the WB's albums, the NPG online only albums, the jazz side-projects, the free newspapers albums, Lotus Flower/Mplsound only available in the USA etc. At times I almost felt like he resented the industry and fans. I think Madonna also has a much more accessible body of work, as at times Prince's albums -catalog as a whole- can be very hard work. You can chill to pretty much all of Madonna's albums and even if you're not massively into a particular album you can at the very least still enjoy it to some extent.
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Post by HIStoric on Jul 30, 2017 10:43:14 GMT
Madonna should be okay with future generations, likely not to the level of MJ but certainly far better than Prince. I'm of the current generation and I know some girls my age who look up to her. She still has a number of songs - Holiday, Like A Virgin, Vogue - that are still pretty well known amongst anyone in their late teens and older.
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Huey
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Post by Huey on Jul 30, 2017 19:16:22 GMT
I don't think it will sell as well as MJ's catalogue.
But, it will sell much. I am not a fan of Madonna, but I would be really surprised if songs like "Like a Virgin", "la Isla Bonita", "Like a Prayer" or "Hung up" won't be remembered and liked in the future.
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Post by Russg on Jul 31, 2017 2:11:30 GMT
I think the reason her past albums don't sell like MJs continue to, is because she's always been an artist who concerns herself with the latest trends. MJ did this with Invincible and look how that panned out for him. But up until Invincible, MJs work simply sounded like Michael Jackson. He WAS the trend.
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Post by Hazelnut on Aug 1, 2017 0:50:57 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of Madonna but I think she has released songs over the years that still sound awesome today. I think she is pretty legendary therefore I don't see why her music wouldnt sell in the future.
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Post by suzie on Aug 8, 2017 12:32:11 GMT
No it won't. MJ does and always has done really well in back catalog sales. Madonnas aren't that great but people will be familiar with her music
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