Méditation sur Madonna.

From MLive:

Meditation on Madonna: Material girl went 'Vogue' during controversial '90s work
Published: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 2:50 PM
Updated: Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 4:03 PM
By Justin L. Engel | The Saginaw News

BAY CITY — Madonna had the template set for her by plenty other female musicians who climbed the Billboard charts in the early 1980s: Cash in on the rebellious femme pop music championed by the likes of herself, Cyndi Lauper and Pat Benatar, and then cash out.
Instead, the girl born in Bay City as Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, reinvented herself to appeal to the ever-changing sensibilities of music fans.
It's an ability many pop music critics credit Madonna for when explaining why she remains relevant today – relevant enough that she will perform during halftime of Sunday's Super Bowl.
As that halftime performance nears, The Bay City Times and Saginaw News will reflect on the many iterations of the "Material Girl," from her days singing "Like A Virgin" to her collaboration with today's top acts including Nicki Minaj and Kanye West.
While how best to separate the mid-Michigan native's career transformations remains a debatable subject, we will recognize four eras of Madge over four days.
Then, on Friday, MLive readers can vote which "version" of Madonna they prefer. On Super Bowl Sunday, the results will be posted online.
On Monday, we highlighted Madonna's earliest work. Today, we focus on her years going "Vogue," a song she reportedly plans to perform on Sunday.
While "Vogue" – a single off her 1990 album, "I'm Breathless" – was arguably the second act of Madonna's anthem, her transformation began during the previous year's album, "Like A Prayer."
It was that record's title song, and the music video that accompanied it, that propelled Madge from the fun, flirty 20something of her "True Blue" days to the statement-making woman who defined much of her early 1990s work.
"Like A Prayer" dealt with issues of race and religion – particularly the music video, which featured burning crosses, a black man crucified and a rape scene.
The song's album also featured "Express Yourself," in which Madonna seemed to ditch her message on "Material Girl" and instead called for female empowerment with lyrics such as, "You don't need diamond rings/Or 18-karat gold/Fancy cars that go very fast/you know they never last/no no."
Madonna stayed on the theme of self-liberation -- but ramped it up to risque levels -- with 1990's "Justify My Love," a slow-moving, sexual roll call. Again, the music was punctuated by a music video, which this time famously was banned by MTV for its graphic sexual imagery.
Her 1993 album, "Erotica," continued Madonna's message of liberation from sexual restraint. As a companion piece to the record, she released a coffee table-sized book titled, simply, "Sex." Its pages featured what today would be considered softcore pornographic images.
Return to MLive Wednesday to examine "Evita"-era Madonna.

Madonna touched on controversial subjects -- and wore controversial attire -- during her concert performances beginning in the early 1990s.

Liz Smith sur Lady Gaga, Elton John et Madonna.

From wowowow:

Liz Smith: Lady Gaga — Born That Way, Or Merely “Reductive?” (Let’s Ask Miss Ciccone)
by Liz Smith on January 19, 2012

“IT’S REDUCTIVE.”
Those two words, uttered by Madonna, in response to ABC-TV’s Cynthia McFadden’s question about a Lady Gaga song, has “gone viral,” as they say.
Even better, when McFadden, who certainly knows what the word means, asked Madonna to define it, M coyly said, “Look it up!”
Apparently, a lot of people have. Now, I keep hearing the word, generally accompanied with a laugh and a reference to the pop icon. Madonna has taught us much over the years, now she’s revived a word rarely used. (Well, I’ve always said if Madonna hadn’t gone into music, she would have stayed in Michigan and become Miss Ciccone, the stern English teacher.)
It was this benign answer about Gaga that became part of the Elton John/ David Furnish’s attack on Madonna, after she won a Golden Globe for best original song on Sunday night. The song is titled “Masterpiece” from her coming film, “W.E.” (Elton’s effort was “Hello, Hello” from the flop animated movie “Gnomeo and Juliet.”) Aside from ripping Madonna’s song, the pair declared — on Twitter and Facebook — that Madonna’s “attack” on Gaga “shows how desperate she is.”
Goodness, I didn’t get that at all. Madonna has no inclination to trash Gaga. But she is certainly within her rights to imply, gently, that Lady G. has appropriated some aspects of her image, sound and message. Music critics were the first, in fact, to point out the similarities between Gaga’s “Born This Way” and M’s “Express Yourself.”
Elton John, who has been a star since 1970, feels he has earned the right to be perennially cranky and opinionated. Fine. And he does wonderful charity work.
But I think Madonna, who has been a star since 1983, has earned the right to answer a question honestly, from her point of view. Or to accept an award, if she wins one.
Elton has had a bee in his bonnet about Madonna for years. At various times he has criticized her singing, dancing, her right to be a star, even. She has rarely responded.
In this case, however, it is Elton who appears to be “desperate.” Back in the day, Madonna could be ungracious and careless in her remarks, but I never recall her attacking another performer in this manner, or publicly declaring she should have won an award instead of somebody else. (Perhaps she learned her lesson when, in the midst of a wave of positive reviews and publicity for “Evita” — and a Golden Globe win — she said she thought she deserved to be nominated for an Oscar, too. The Academy was not amused.)
The truth is, most of the public has never heard either Elton or Madonna’s song. Why carry on so?
Oh, “reductive?” It means something is the same, only less.

Le producteur de "Born This Way" de Lady Gaga au sujet de Madonna.

From DJ WHITE SHADOW on Twitter:
DJ WHITE SHADOW
@DJWS iPhone: 21.113464,-86.760483
I am DJWS. I am always working to create, or seek out and expose meaningful things. I heart art. I recently produced the album Born This Way with Lady Gaga.
DJWS DJ WHITE SHADOW

And obviously: someone should take there old lady meds before they are allowed to talk in public. No memories having motherfucker.
14 Janv
http://twitter.com/#!/DJWS/status/158319843152629760

1. I challenge any of you to type on an iPhone and not make a spelling error. 2. I just say what I feel, what I know is the truth.
15 Janv

3. No reason to make threats of violence. I can clearly hold my own if you would like to meet in public, but it is not that serious.
15 Janv

4. I obviously do not hate Madonna, or belittle her talent or achievements, however, if she thinks we stole a song from her she is wrong.
15 Janv
http://twitter.com/#!/DJWS/status/158335331207364608

5. If you don't like what I have to say, unfollow me. Fuck off.
15 Janv

"Shady Love" des Scissor Sisters figurant Madonna.

The Scissor Sisters on Madonna in "Shady Love":

- in the lyrics:
"She gon' vote for Obama and she likes to dance with Madonna"

- in the video with Madonna masks

From BlackBook:

Scissor Sisters & Azealia Banks Collaborate on 'Shady Love'
By Jeremy Gordon January 3, 2012

Azealia Banks had quite the 2011, tearing up year-end lists and dance floors with the irresistible "212." It's only fitting that her 2012 kicks off with similar fervor. The Harlem rapper appears on a new Scissor Sisters song, "Shady Love," which was released over the weekend. She's not in the video, unfortunately -- that one's left to an ensemble of school children acting out the song in a positively Rushmore-ian assembly, replete with choreographed dancers, Madonna masks, and confused parents wondering where their tax dollars are going.

Des campagnes dans les médias sociaux aident à lancer le guitariste de Madonna, Monte Pittman.

Official Press Release - Communiqué Officiel de Presse

“Street Teams” Powered by Social Media Help Launch Independent Musicians: Stars Like Adam Lambert Galvanize Fans to Support Their Favorite

– Wed Jun 8, 9:00 am ET

Midwestern fans of virtuoso rock guitarist Monte Pittman, who has toured with Madonna, Prong and Adam Lambert, have a treat in store for them this week. On June 10 and 11, Pittman is putting on two private concerts, in Chicago and Cleveland, for admirers who pooled their funds to donate $4,000 towards his new album. Pittman has very adroitly used social media to build grassroots support for his independent career.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) June 08, 2011

Midwestern fans of virtuoso rock guitarist Monte Pittman, who has toured with Madonna, Prong and Adam Lambert, have a treat in store for them this week. On June 10 and 11, according to the music fan blog Juneau & Xena’s Salon, Pittman is putting on two private concerts in Chicago and Cleveland for admirers who pooled their funds to donate $4,000 towards his new album.
“Pittman has very adroitly used social media to build grassroots support for his independent career,” say Juneau Underwood and Katherine Hollinsworth, creators of the popular blog. “But the fans are stepping up to the plate too,” they note. “This coming weekend, our blog will be posting photos, videos and reports sent by fans attending the concerts. And on Sunday, June 12, we’ll have some of them on our radio show to share first-hand accounts. This kind of activity helps to forge strong ties between artists and their fans.”
Musicians are legendary for fighting with their record labels, but young bands today can only dream about waging such epic battles. These days, most artists assume they have a better chance of making the top 10 on American Idol than of inserting a sneakered foot in the door of a major label. Instead, savvy musicians are turning to sites like YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, to give their careers a boost.
“Social media is going to be transformational for creative artists,” say Underwood and Hollinsworth. The two women first met around a shared interest in singer Adam Lambert, and have parlayed their passion for music into a venture to promote independent musicians. Their weekly radio program attracts a global audience of listeners who want to hear the latest releases of artists like Pittman and others, including alt-folk rocker Charlie Christos, reggae-fusion artist Ty Hall, electro-pop duo Uh Huh Her and “nouveau soul” band Vintage Trouble.
They have also rallied fans to support artists’ CD projects through Kickstarter, a Web-based funding platform that enables the public to finance creative projects. One of these was an album by Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Scarlett Cherry, inspired by her experience of becoming a mother for the first time. The aptly titled album, “Labor of Love,” raised over $42,000 through a Kickstarter campaign. The initial fund-raising goal of $6,500 was quickly exceeded as supporters flocked to contribute, motivated by incentives ranging from autographed CDs to portrait sessions with Cherry’s husband, celebrity photographer Lee Cherry. "The energy during this creative process has been indescribable," says Lee Cherry.
“Labor of Love” was released in late April and is available at laborofloveproject.com and on iTunes. The beautifully produced album showcases Scarlett Cherry’s rich, supple vocals on pop and R&B-inflected tunes celebrating motherhood with sass and style.
Guitarist Pittman is another musician who is drawing strong support over social media. Last year he toured with Lambert’s Glam Nation tour. Pittman’s blazing guitar solos won him thousands of enthusiastic fans, who converged on his Kickstarter campaign to raise $65,500 for his next solo album, “Pain, Love and Destiny,” which will be released later this year.
Among the incentives Pittman offered were private “house concerts” for a $2,000 contribution. Fans quickly reached out to one another over Twitter, Facebook and email and organized more than a dozen such concerts. In addition to the Midwestern shows this week, Pittman will be playing to private groups in Philadelphia and Boston in mid-July.
One thing that can help jump-start an artist’s career is to find champions among people with large social media impact. Singer Adam Lambert, an international star who has more than one million Twitter followers, has been notably generous about Tweeting his enthusiasm for talented artists, whether they are megastars like Lady Gaga and the British band Muse or independent artists like Cherry and Pittman. A Lambert tweet propelled the song “Whiskey in Churches” by Los Angeles artist Cassidy Haley to the top of the iTune charts.
“Adam Lambert is a natural-born social media genius," Hollinsworth and Underwood remark. "He genuinely loves interacting with fans via Twitter, and is masterful at using it to announce news, promote his charitable causes and quash rumors. And he’s sincere about wanting to spread his good fortune. We’d love to see other major stars study his example and encourage their fans to form ‘street teams’ to support the artists they believe in.”
When Pittman arrives in Chicago and Cleveland this week, he doesn’t intend to disappoint the fans. “It’s the best stuff I’ve ever written,” he says of the songs on his new album. “This project couldn’t have happened at a better time – there’s a big void to be filled.” And social media campaigns are helping to fill it.

Source: PRWEB.

Monte Pittman

Téléchargez des démos et des remixes inédits de Madonna.

Gone (William Orbit Remix)
http://www.mediafire.com/?1lmrsmibxdh5we5

Cyberraga (William Orbit Remix)
http://www.mediafire.com/?bf26bz1zo1vkdb1

Let It Will Be (Mirwais Demo)
http://www.mediafire.com/?nsjn1a9rjxlznb9

SuperPop (Mirwais Early Demo #1)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YVUCI0BB

SuperPop (Mirwais Early Demo #2)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YVK1Q6GY

How High (Bloodshy & Avant Demo #1)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2AAY7J95

How High (Bloodshy & Avant Demo #2)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1GBH3SRD

Rain (Acapella 2a – Harmony)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=K4PPHNTI

Rain (Acapella 2B – Back Vox)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ATVFU60E

Cyber Raga (William Orbit Mix)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YRH5SCIR

Gone (William Orbit Mix)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EFGF6WMT

Like It Or Not (Confessions Studio Demo #1)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UEJRTP8F

Like It Or Not (Confessions Studio Demo #2)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SHSI4J84

It’s So Cool (Bloodshy & Avant Demo)
http://www.mediafire.com/?jvjwk828t66d6a6

It’s So Cool (Oakenfold Demo Mix 2)
http://www.mediafire.com/?xb4hp1gwcm34kuo

Fiona McCade: Madonna a ruiné la musique pop pour les femmes.

Published Date: 02 June 2011
By Fiona McCade

Do YOU remember Kate Bush? If you don't, Google her. She was talented, clever and beautiful, the writer of wonderful memorable songs, and a unique singer who also choreographed and performed her own material.
Women wanted to be her and men lusted after her ethereal, leotard-clad loveliness. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with Kate blazing the trail, the future of women in pop looked very bright indeed. Then something happened.
That something was called Madonna. Madonna co-wrote some songs, and she also sang them, in her unremarkable fashion. She danced too, but her career has never really been about music. Music is just one of the many ways Madonna chooses to present her product. Her product is Madonna, in her myriad incarnations, and I would suggest that by far the most important method Madonna uses to sell Madonna is sex.
I'm not suggesting Madonna finished Kate Bush's career. Kate has always had her own agenda, but once Madonna took hold of the charts, something shifted. Madonna used shock-porn to make us notice her, perhaps because she knew her talent and looks alone could never hold our attention. She stripped off, simulated sex acts and canoodled with a half-naked Christ figure. The music took a back seat to what Madonna was doing with her body. The books, videos and stage shows were what made her famous. The hardcore sexualisation of female pop artists had started.
And it goes on, although it takes a brave record-industry executive to point it out. Luckily, Richard Russell of XL Records is a brave man. This week he said that the "faux porn" exhibited by some artists' performances makes him feel "queasy". "It's just so boring, crass and unoriginal," he added, before mentioning that as far as his own artist, Adele, is concerned: "The whole message is that it's just really good music …There are no gimmicks, no selling of sexuality …What a great thing, how amazing."
And how unusual, because thanks to Madonna and her ilk, it's almost impossible for a girl to make music these days without being forced to get her kit off.
True, there are some exceptions. Adele is an obvious one; Lily Allen is another, but back in 2007 she was called "a chick with a dick" by Cheryl Cole, who evidently thought Lily wasn't nearly good-looking and sexy enough to be a pop star.
Thankfully, when her beauty was being disparaged, Lily's brains came to her aid and she handled the spat in her usual, pithy manner, retorting: "Cheryl, if you're reading this, I may not be as pretty as you but at least I write and SING my own songs without the aid of Auto-Tune. I must say taking your clothes off, doing sexy dancing and marrying a rich footballer must be very gratifying, your mother must be so proud, stupid b****."
Interestingly, Cheryl - who is good-looking enough to be a pop star but definitely wouldn't be one if she had to rely solely on her musical talents - was recently told by a US TV executive that she should lose two stone if she wanted to be successful in America. Even if you're perceived as being a powerful woman in the music industry, it appears your body is still up for scrutiny.
It's not fair, is it? Nobody ever asks Will.i.am to strut his stuff in a thong, but Fergie is expected to gyrate like a pole-dancer on poppers.
And that's because Madonna not only sold her image, she sold a lot of impressionable young women the myth that looking like a tart in a brothel window is somehow a feminist statement. So now we have Gaga, Britney and Christina all being desperately outrageous, and Rihanna cavorting around in skimpy bondage gear, singing: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whips excite me," while offstage she has been the victim of domestic violence. So much for liberation.
Sadly, until female artistes free themselves from Madonna's legacy of sleazy sex and shock-porn, the Kate Bushes, Annie Lennoxes or Suzanne Vegas of the future will find it harder than ever to break through - and to keep their clothes on while they're doing it.

Source: The Scotsman.

Seymour Stein au Festival Sound City à Liverpool.

Music legend who signed Madonna visits Liverpool for Sound City
by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Echo
May 21 2011

The music industry legend who signed Madonna paid a return visit to Merseyside for Liverpool Sound City.
Seymour Stein, the co-founder of Sire Records, who also signed Liverpool’s Echo And The Bunnymen, also spoke at the festival last year – and he loved the event so much that he is back this time around.
As well as watching some of the dozens of gigs at Sound City, he visited Liverpool town hall yesterday to meet Lord Mayor Hazel Williams.
She told New Yorker Stein she believed Liverpool was the world capital of music.
And he replied: “Yes, it’s a harbour – it’s where things come in.”
Festival gigs last night included Miles Kane’s show at St George’s Hall and Black Lips performing at The Masque.

Source: Liverpool Echo.

Seymour Stein (center) at Liverpool Sound City Festival.