Madonna: Radio 1 is ageist for refusing to play my song
Pop icon Madonna has branded Radio 1 “discriminatory and unfair” after it declined to play her latest single.
Living For Love failed to make the station’s playlist, leading to accusations of ageism by the star.
Madonna told The Sun: “My manager said to me, ‘If you’re not in your twenties, it’s hard. You might get your record played in your thirties.
“There’s a handful of people who do – Pharrell [who is 41] got lucky. But if you’re in your fifties, you can forget it”.
She added: “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.”
Radio 1 has denied claims that it banned Madonna from its playlist because of her age.
A spokesperson said: “Radio 1 do not ever ban artists. The tracks are chosen on musical merit and their relevance to our young audience on a case-by-case basis.
“Whilst around 40 per cent of the country’s 15 to 29-year-olds tune into Radio 1 each week, an artist’s age is never a factor.”
Speaking at a Radio Academy event last year, Radio 1’s Head of Music, George Ergatoudis, said the station had “moved on” from Madonna’s music.
Earlier this week, Madonna claimed “gay rights are way more advanced than women’s rights”.
She added: “People are a lot more open-minded to the gay community than they are to women, period.”
