Sabrina Carpenter and Madonna Swap Brand Equities @ Coachella #MusicMonday

Source: YouTube

If Bieber dominated Coachella Weekend 1, then Sabrina Carpenter owned Weekend 2 as the headliner Friday night. Her elaborate production and guest appearance from Geena Davis (as her older self) would have been enough to satisfy, but then along came the Queen of Pop.

To a perfect cue, Madonna ceremoniously appeared from beneath the stage floor in the same iconic outfit she wore 20 years ago for her Coachella debut, and at 67 delivered a lesson in music marketing that she wrote decades ago.

She opened her lineup with "Vogue," then quickly pivoted to "Like a Prayer" that included a gospel choir recreating the legendary MTV music video, the platform she all but invented. There was no clapping to the choir, however, because the entire audience was hands up with their mobiles to capture the moment on vid.

It was pure brand equity exchange: Sabrina borrowed Madonna's legendary status and catalog to elevate her own presence, while Madonna tapped into Sabrina's youthful energy to reclaim her throne.

Both won, from one music generation to the next.

The third and final song delivered marketing precision … a new song from her forthcoming album “Confessions II.” Because timing is everything in marketing, Madonna then released the album’s first single the very next day on Saturday so everyone could stream it for the weekend. Club DJs received the club mixes Friday night for the weekend, a page right out of the Donna Summer playbook, who was the dance diva that came before Madonna.

Madonna’s first single is called “I Feel So Free” and it is full-on dance. Back to her roots, rightly so and rightly timed.

Safety in numbers.

The timing was flawless. One night of cultural dominance, one album launched via a fresh new single, and one generation showing the next what owning the stage looks like.

Madonna's contributions to music and the LGBTQ+ community will continue to make me a fan for life. I vividly remember when "Like a Prayer" broke through in 1989 while I was studying at Columbia University. A New York radio DJ locked himself in the booth and played it on repeat for hours until his boss physically “broke into” the booth to get him to stop. Of course we listened all day, to see what would happen. The song immediately went to #1. Tucked in the album sleeve was information about HIV/AIDS.

That was Madonna. She ruled.

I have almost all of Madonna’s albums in vinyl sitting next to my turntable at home. I'll be there for this one too, on colored vinyl. I likely won’t be at a club, but you know I’ll be bopping around my house at full volume in a flowered shirt from two decades ago that still fits.

I’m taking Madonna’s inspiration full on.

What’s your experience?

JIM

P.S. - Here’s a little “Vogue” from the MTV Music Video Awards in 1990. Her productions were incredible.