Madonna Uses Secret Nightclub ‘Focus Groups’ To Pick Songs For New Album

Claire Beale, the editor of Campaign magazine, tells Telegraph Madonna’s in-club research to test tracks for her ‘Confessions On A Dance Floor’ could be seen as a crisis of confidence for someone normally known for their business acumen. “This is a new one on me,” she said. “In the advertising world, creative people tend to distrust focus groups precisely because they can undermine originality and bring everything down to the lowest common denominator. Having said that, people in the advertising industry are becoming increasingly reliant on them because there is a growing lack of confidence about what people want. Madonna is obviously running her material past a very niche audience rather than a focus group. But it still suggests she feels a need for endorsement. Like a lot of people who work in advertising she is far older than her target audience. She may feel this is a useful way of reconnecting with a younger generation.” Read more.