base talk Is Madonna more respectable than Taylor?

[Solaria]

Soon Taylor will overtake Madonna as the best selling female artist of all time. We all know it, it's a matter of when, not if.

 

But is Madonna's position as the top selling female artist more respectable then when Taylor takes the crown, considering Madonna took much more artistic risks and didn't have social media and streaming tactics at the play of her hand? Discuss 

[Loca]

She is a real artist, for starters 

[ImpressMeMuch]

Madonna of today may be a mess in many ways, but you are correct that her rise and success is much more respectable than Taylor's. 

 

Inarguably her work takes more risks, stands up for injustice, and has had more of a positive effect on the world than Taylor's and that where I personally source my respect.

 

No shade to Taylor who has done her thing, made shareholders happy and touched the lives of her fans... but it's apples and oranges.

[UseYourIllusion2002]

Yes because Madonna will always be seen as a pioneer and the first. 

[Popboi.]

"Respectable" would be a very narrow minded way to put it. Both are extremely liked by people, or else they wouldn't have become this big.

 

Madonna defined the female pop artist archetype, archetype that even Taylor follows, so that instantly cements her Queen of Pop title that no one will take even if she loses the best selling female artist status to Taylor or anyone in the future.

 

If you ask who is more respected, it's Taylor by default as she's not as polarizing, she's reinvented her sounds and image but never in a way that could offend people (except ME!, that was a plain horrifying moment). If you ask who's journey to the top is more impressive, it's Madonna as she had absolutely everything against her in social stigmas, daring reinventions (for better or worse) and doors still yet to be opened for female entertainers.

Edited 17 hours ago by Popboi.

[A-V-XYZ]

Clearly not. Modonna doesn't even have a general Grammy award win.

[sugarysunflower]

Madonna's impact will still be felt and recognised for decades to come. Yes, she is narcissistic but she always took gambles and wanted to take on risks against her own self-interests, even if it wasn't going to pan out. 
 

There's a reason why, don't quote me but it was either Rolling Stones or Billboard said, in pop culture for females there are two definitive eras, Pre-Madonna and then Madonna-onwards. Not only did she shift the same PHYSICAL units as Swift, she changed the game for females altogether from business management, the new strategy of the female pop era, how to create impactful music videos, re-establish the idea of a tour into a theatrical production, opening one's own music management company, and challenging the status quo on several societal issues tackling themes on religion, misogyny, pro-choice / life, sexual liberation, ageism, LGBT+ advocation, underground societies to mainstream media and safe sex practices, to name some. 

 

Swifties cannot be honest with themselves when I say this……………………..what is Taylor to be respected for, other than shifting a lot of units and creating a career that is in the benefits of her own self-interest, i.e., musicians' rights in contracts. Anything that she has done to be deemed positively is only when it suits her or is beneficial for a PR spin. Namely, YNTCD or the Eras Tour bonus scheme. 

[Cheers]

It's all about perspective.

[alexrex]

Taylor has class to it 

[rebeltwat]

Definitely Madonna.  She's the Queen of Pop for a reason and no one's taking that from her, regardless of who sells what. Taylor needs to be careful with how she strategises future albums. Being the biggest pop star in the world and smashing records left and right is great but the general consensus that her last 2 albums don't come close to her artistic peak should be a red flag to her, especially at 35 when she's still making songs like Bejewelled, ICDIWABH and Who's Afraid. I say all of this as a fan.

[Solaria]

16 minutes ago, A-V-XYZ said:

Clearly not. Modonna doesn't even have a general Grammy award win.

Well neither do Queen, Mariah, Janet, Lana, Gaga, Joni Mitchell, etc. So I guess they aren't respected either?

[PaloSanto]

Apples and oranges. Madonna is a popstar™️, Taylor is a singer-songwriter™️.

[Dante Silva]

Madonna's influence on society  caused entire generations to cast of the shackles of sexual shame, bigotry, repression and to feel liberated in a world not interconnected by the internet.

 

I don't think Taylor has had the same impact on peoples lives. Particularly as the tribes of people Madonna embraced are the exact tribes of people who Taylor's core, original country audience would literally burn on the same cross Madonna depicted.

[Pluto6]

Being a female musician and being officially labelled and known as "The Queen of Pop" by the entire world is way more respectable than anything else.

 

The only reason why Madonna might not be seen as "respected" as some of her peers in general was simply because she was WAY ahead of her time, and was breaking barriers and went against the norm back then

 

Edited 17 hours ago by Pluto6

[Punky Rooster]

Madonna created the game, Taylor, Beyoncé, Gaga, whoever, are benefiting from the groundwork Madonna laid. Even if Taylor has more equivalent streams than Madonna and by some weird metric has more "sales" than her, Taylor's impact on pop culture, music and celebrity in general will never be that of Madonna. Taylor is a huge pop star, but hasn't become an important part of history like Madonna has. There's no mystique, no uniqueness, no struggle, no controversy. 
 

There's a reason why MJ is the King of Pop and not Lionel Richie for example.

[sugarysunflower]

20 minutes ago, Solaria said:

Well neither do Queen, Mariah, Janet, Lana, Gaga, Joni Mitchell, etc. So I guess they aren't respected either?

(Mariah won BNA in 1991  )

[Katamari]

Ok fantasia

 

[NEX]

Madonna run her career as an artist, a trailblazer, an innovator. Taylor Swift is a corporation. 

[MP3]

No Madonna, no Taylor. Easy

[ImpressMeMuch]

1 hour ago, sugarysunflower said:

Madonna's impact will still be felt and recognised for decades to come. Yes, she is narcissistic but she always took gambles and wanted to take on risks against her own self-interests, even if it wasn't going to pan out. 

and Taylor is narcissistic as all hell too, she's just not so upfront about it 

Edited 16 hours ago by ImpressMeMuch

[John Slayne]

Madonna literally created the niche and art form that Taylor is dominating, so yes, Madonna will remain THE Queen of Pop 

[narid]

1 hour ago, Solaria said:

Soon Taylor will overtake Madonna as the best selling female artist of all time.

I would add an asterisk to that first sentence.

 

'Soon Taylor will overtake Madonna as the CSPC best selling female artist of all-time.'

 

I don't intend to diminish Taylor's achievements in any way - which are monumental - but Madonna's sales are different from Taylor's, and historically that will always need to be acknowledged. 

[LittleStarmen]

Taylor has only the current dollars, her respect is only bought just like her grammys

. In 5 years when inflation is double again she will be surpassed by Sabrina Carpenter AI drone album

[LittleStarmen]

Taylor has only the current dollars, her respect is only bought just like her grammys

. In 5 years when inflation is double again she will be surpassed by Sabrina Carpenter AI drone album

[Joaco95]

1 hour ago, alexrex said:

Taylor has class to it