Radio 1 scandal over Madonna’s songs

The scandal surrounding Radio 1 about Madonna’s songs is a series of events that occurred as a result of the decision of BBC Radio 1 not to include in February 2015 a single of the American singer and songwriter Madonna 's Living for Love in the playlist. Despite moderate rotation on commercial radio stations in the UK, the single was not added to the Radio 1 playlist, leading to allegations of age discrimination . The scandal erupted after an article in the Daily Mail , in which an anonymous source of Radio 1 called Madonna "old" and "irrelevant." In response, the singer’s fans began to write numerous song requests on BBC’s social accounts, and some artists criticized Radio 1’s policies, forcing the station to issue a statement in defense of its decision not to play the track.

The scandal was widely covered by the media in the UK and around the world (including Russia ^[1] ^[2] ), giving rise to a broader discussion about age discrimination in the music industry. “Living for Love” was subsequently added to the C-list on BBC Radio 2 , and eventually moved to the B-list - the station focuses on an audience of 35 years and older. Commercially, the single reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending February 28, 2015.

Content

Background

Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills : “I don’t think that we will continue to put the Madonna”

Madonna's songs have received sufficient rotation on BBC Radio 1 from the very beginning of her career. She herself first appeared in person at the station on December 22, 1986 for an interview with Simon Bates as part of the Shanghai Surprise promotion campaign ^[3] . The singer gave subsequent interviews to such presenters as Jackie Brambles , Bates, Simon Mayo , Sarah Cox , Joe Wiley , and Chris Moyes in 1990, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001 and 2006, respectively. The station also broadcast the Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990 and The Girlie Show World Tour and 1993 ^[4] ^[5] . On May 10, 2008, Madonna headlined Radio 1's Big Weekend at Mote Park ( Maidstone ) as a promo of her album Hard Candy ^[6] . The first single from the album “ 4 Minutes ” (2008) was added by the radio station to the A-list ^[7] .

In 2012, Madonna released the twelfth studio album MDNA . The first single “ Give Me All Your Luvin ' ” and subsequent releases from the album did not make it onto the playlist of Radio 1. This happened despite the presence of rapper Niki Minaj and MIA , two musicians who receive regular rotation at the station. DJ Radio 1 Scott Mills defended their decision not to lose Madonna ^[8] :

I do not think that we will now lose the Madonna. Now there is a lot of research, and if you ask 17-year-olds about it, they don’t care ... it's a sign of the times, everything changes, generations change. I like Madonna, but a 17 year old? Perhaps he is far from at the top of the honor list. And this is terrible, but it is ... and the young audience is so inconsistent in what they like and what not, and they are pretty stubborn, so you have to keep your nose in the wind.

Original text (English) :

I don't think we play Madonna any more. There is a lot of research, and if you ask a 17-year-old about her, they go 'don't care' [...] it's a sign of the times, things change, it's a generational thing. I like Madonna, does a 17-year-old? [She's] probably not at the top of their list. And that's horrible, but that is the way it is [...] and also youth audiences are so fickle in what they like and what they don't like, and they're quite opinionated, you just have got to keep on top of that .

The head of the music editor, George Ergatoudis, in an interview at the Radio Academy ceremony in 2014, said that the audience has “moved away” from Madonna, and most of her fans are now “over 30 years old.” He added that the BBC Trust decided to make Radio 1 a youth station, so this factor now determines their daily playlists ^[9] .

Event

The co-producer of Living for Love is Diplo , who hosts a weekly show on Radio 1

On December 20, 2014, Madonna’s thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart was released for online pre-order. Unlike other countries, the first single “ Living for Love ” became available in the UK only as a pre-order, so it was not allowed on the charts until February 25, 2015 ^[10] . On December 22, 2014, “Living for Love” got into rotation on commercial radio, especially in the network of Radio stations FM Capital , where the song was subsequently added to the station’s playlist ^[11] .

January 9, 2015 Annie Mack put “Living for Love” on Radio 1 during an evening dance show ^[12] . In a subsequent interview with The Independent, Mack said her mission was “to honestly present a new musical landscape ”, and also wish that older artists like Madonna didn’t get out of the air. She added: “I’ve been a fan of Madonna all my life and put it on the air on my Friday show ... If the song intrigues me, I think it's right to put it on” ^[13] .

An article published by the Daily Mail on February 14, 2015 quoted an unnamed source from BBC Radio 1 stating that “Living for Love” would not be played at the station, since Madonna was “outdated” and “old” ^[14] . Radio 1 denied this on its Facebook page , saying the station “doesn’t forbid anyone”. One of the representatives explained that the tracks are selected according to the “musical criterion”, and the age of the artist is never a factor by which the songs fall into the playlist ^[15] .

Reaction

The Daily Mail article quickly spread, and Madonna fans began to leave hundreds of messages on the Radio 1 page demanding to play Living for Love. Soon, the support of the singer spread to the station’s accounts on Twitter and Instagram , where fans left links to the video “Living for Love”, performing the song at the 57th Grammy ceremony , and also accused the BBC of discrimination ^[16] .

Madonna was supported by artists such as Boy George , Ally Jackson , Diplo and Rita Ora . Shirley Manson tweeted that Madonna " Radio 1 should be condemned for discrimination in the workplace ", and the music policy of the radio station" borders on lawlessness, if not lawless already ” ^[17] / In response to the scandal, the media sided with the Madonna. The Sun 'journalist Dan Wooton criticized Radio 1's decision not to play the track. In his column, he described the station’s daily playlist as “Cray List,” listing a few more artists who have problems with Radio 1, including Robbie Williams , Take That , and Meghan Trainor ^[18] .

Madonna posted a snippet of an article on Twitter accounts on Instagram and thanked fans for their support. In an interview with Wooton for The Sun, the singer called the situation “unfair” and “discriminatory,” calling ageism another taboo that is hushed up. She also remembered that she was discussing this incident with her manager Guy Osiri , and admitted that she was puzzled to learn that after fifty, musicians were not playing on the radio, and there were no exceptions. She added ^[19] :

We have succeeded so much in other areas: civil rights, gay rights; however, ageism remains in the area of taboos - they do not talk about it and do not resist it.

Original text (English) :

We've made so many advances in other areas - civil rights, gay rights - but ageism is still an area that's taboo and not talked about and dealt with.

BBC Denial and Consequences

The BBC quickly rejected allegations of age discrimination, and explained that songs for the weekly playlist are selected on a case-by-case basis. A company spokesman noted that Paul McCartney has two songs on the playlist, although critics have noted that both tracks are only participation with younger artists (McCartney participates in “ Only One ” with Kanye West and FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna ). The station also listed David Guetta , Foo Fighters, and singer Siya as examples of older artists on the playlist. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Radio 1 regulator Beth Cooper explained that the station didn’t “ban” Madonna, and a focus group of twelve people aged 16-24 will meet regularly to listen to music that can be played at the station, determining the actual the choice of music for this demography ^[20] .

In an interview with The Daily Mirror, Mills defended the station’s decision not to stage the song. He said: “[Radio 1] is trying to lower the average age of the audience, and, to be honest, most Madonna fans are over 30 and 40 years old. I personally have nothing against the new single, but do I think Radio 1 should put it on? I believe not. ” ^[21] According to the Official Charts Company, “Living for Love” was in the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart after two days of sales according to mid-week data ^[22] . As a result, the single debuted at number 26 on the chart with sales of 17,936 copies, ^[23] ^[24] becoming her 71st Top 40 single, thereby increasing her lead as a female record holder for the number of singles in the UK Top 40 ^[25] .

Notes

↑ Otar Kushanashvili: The Old Madonna and Eternal Money (Neopr.) . The interlocutor . Date of appeal October 19, 2017.
↑ "Rebel Heart" of the Madonna (neopr.) . Poster. Date of appeal October 19, 2017.
↑ Simon Bates Show (neopr.) . BBC Music (December 22, 1986). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Madonna in Concert (neopr.) . BBC Music (July 21, 1990). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Madonna by Public Demand (neopr.) . BBC Music (December 27, 1993). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Radio 1's Big Weekend 2008 - Line-up (unopened) . Bbc music. Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ BBC Radio 1 - Playlist (unspecified) . Bbc music. Date of treatment June 7, 2015. Archived July 18, 2008.
↑ Scott Mills: Young listeners don't care about Madonna anymore (neopr.) . Metro (September 23, 2012). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Dearden, Lizzie Madonna urges music industry to deal with ageism 'taboo' after Radio 1 playlist snub ( unopened ) . The Independent (March 13, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Madonna Responds to 'Rebel Heart' Leak by Releasing Six Songs , Rolling Stone (December 20, 2014). Date of treatment December 20, 2014.
↑ Corner, Lewis Madonna fans urge BBC Radio 1 to play 'Living for Love' (neopr.) . Digital Spy (February 17, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Annie Mac's Friday Night, Benji B Special Delivery & Tough Love Mini Mix (neopr.) . BBC Music (January 9, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Sherwin, Adam Annie Mac speaks on being the first woman to take over from Zane Lowe's Radio 1 weekday evening show (unspecified) . The Independent (March 8, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Hastings, Chris Get out of the goove! Now Radio 1 bans Madonna, 56, for being 'irrelevant and old' for its teenage listeners (unopened) . Daily Mail (February 14, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Rigby, Sam BBC Radio 1 on Madonna ban reports: 'Artist's age is never a factor' - Music News (unopened) . Digital Spy (February 17, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Izundu, Chi Chi Is Madonna really banned from the BBC Radio 1 playlist? (unspecified) . BBC News (February 18, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Bowman, Patrick Madonna's BBC Radio 1 Ban: Shirley Manson Suggests Legal Intervention, La Roux's Elly Jackson Cracks Jokes (unopened) . Idolator (February 2, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Wootton, Dan Radio 1 'age ban' made me hopping Mad (neopr.) . The Sun (March 12, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Madonna's age played no role in playlist snub, says BBC Radio 1 (neopr.) . The Guardian (March 12, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Singh, Anita Radio 1 boss: Madonna isn't banned, she just needs some better songs (neopr.) . The Daily Telegraph (March 24, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills defends decision to keep Madonna off station's playlist (unspecified) . NME (March 21, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.
↑ Copsey, Robert . Madonna's Living For Love hurtling towards Official Chart Top 20 , Official Charts Company (February 27, 2015). Date of treatment February 27, 2015.
↑ Myers, Justin . Ellie Goulding spends fourth week at Number 1 on Official Singles Chart , Official Charts Company (March 1, 2015). Date of treatment March 1, 2015.
↑ Jones, Alan . Sam Smith tops first streaming integrated UK Albums Chart , Music Week (March 1, 2015). Date of treatment March 1, 2015.
↑ Caulfield, Keith . Madonna Scores Historic 71st Top 40 UK Single , Billboard (March 1, 2015). Date of treatment March 1, 2015.

[1] Otar Kushanashvili: The Old Madonna and Eternal Money (Neopr.) . The interlocutor . Date of appeal October 19, 2017.

[2] "Rebel Heart" of the Madonna (neopr.) . Poster. Date of appeal October 19, 2017.

[3] Simon Bates Show (neopr.) . BBC Music (December 22, 1986). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[4] Madonna in Concert (neopr.) . BBC Music (July 21, 1990). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[5] Madonna by Public Demand (neopr.) . BBC Music (December 27, 1993). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[6] Radio 1's Big Weekend 2008 - Line-up (unopened) . Bbc music. Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[7] BBC Radio 1 - Playlist (unspecified) . Bbc music. Date of treatment June 7, 2015. Archived July 18, 2008.

[scottmillsinterview-8] Scott Mills: Young listeners don't care about Madonna anymore (neopr.) . Metro (September 23, 2012). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[9] Dearden, Lizzie Madonna urges music industry to deal with ageism 'taboo' after Radio 1 playlist snub ( unopened ) . The Independent (March 13, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[rollstonetwentith-10] Madonna Responds to 'Rebel Heart' Leak by Releasing Six Songs , Rolling Stone (December 20, 2014). Date of treatment December 20, 2014.

[11] Corner, Lewis Madonna fans urge BBC Radio 1 to play 'Living for Love' (neopr.) . Digital Spy (February 17, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[12] Annie Mac's Friday Night, Benji B Special Delivery & Tough Love Mini Mix (neopr.) . BBC Music (January 9, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[13] Sherwin, Adam Annie Mac speaks on being the first woman to take over from Zane Lowe's Radio 1 weekday evening show (unspecified) . The Independent (March 8, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[dailymail-14] Hastings, Chris Get out of the goove! Now Radio 1 bans Madonna, 56, for being 'irrelevant and old' for its teenage listeners (unopened) . Daily Mail (February 14, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[15] Rigby, Sam BBC Radio 1 on Madonna ban reports: 'Artist's age is never a factor' - Music News (unopened) . Digital Spy (February 17, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[16] Izundu, Chi Chi Is Madonna really banned from the BBC Radio 1 playlist? (unspecified) . BBC News (February 18, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[17] Bowman, Patrick Madonna's BBC Radio 1 Ban: Shirley Manson Suggests Legal Intervention, La Roux's Elly Jackson Cracks Jokes (unopened) . Idolator (February 2, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[thesun-18] Wootton, Dan Radio 1 'age ban' made me hopping Mad (neopr.) . The Sun (March 12, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[19] Madonna's age played no role in playlist snub, says BBC Radio 1 (neopr.) . The Guardian (March 12, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[tdt-20] Singh, Anita Radio 1 boss: Madonna isn't banned, she just needs some better songs (neopr.) . The Daily Telegraph (March 24, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[21] Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills defends decision to keep Madonna off station's playlist (unspecified) . NME (March 21, 2015). Date of treatment June 7, 2015.

[22] Copsey, Robert . Madonna's Living For Love hurtling towards Official Chart Top 20 , Official Charts Company (February 27, 2015). Date of treatment February 27, 2015.

[23] Myers, Justin . Ellie Goulding spends fourth week at Number 1 on Official Singles Chart , Official Charts Company (March 1, 2015). Date of treatment March 1, 2015.

[24] Jones, Alan . Sam Smith tops first streaming integrated UK Albums Chart , Music Week (March 1, 2015). Date of treatment March 1, 2015.

[25] Caulfield, Keith . Madonna Scores Historic 71st Top 40 UK Single , Billboard (March 1, 2015). Date of treatment March 1, 2015.