Analysis: Madonna goes anti-war online

WASHINGTON, March 25 (UPI) -- Madonna's new anti-war single will be available next month online only. But will consumers buy, either the music or the message?

Sociology professor Paul Levinson of Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y., says a media theory called "False Association" is at work when Madonna and others use their status as celebrities to make political statements.

"Whenever celebrities make political statements, the only reason people pay attention to them is because they are celebrities; they're glamorous and they have an impact on pop culture," he said.

For example, Martin Sheen, star of NBC's "The West Wing," may say that U.N. inspections in Iraq need more time to work, before a U.S.-led invasion of the Arab nation. But how does he know that? Levinson asked. Does he have the expertise?

"It's unfortunate because people pay attention for the wrong reasons," he said.

Although the war in Iraq is continuing, celebrities, and peace activists continue to voice opposition to this conflict, calling instead for a peaceful resolution. But when celebrities make anti-war statements, whether at last Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles or in street protests, will anyone listen? It does not seem like they will, with public support for the war growing day by day.

"I think people should pay less attention to celebrities," Levinson concluded.

Whatever one's thoughts on the war, Madonna may be leading a trend in the music business.

Her single, which will be released on April 11, will sell for $1.49. The single will be available at maverick.com.

Michael Friedman -- an entertainment lawyer for law firm of Jenkins, Gilchrist, Parker, and Chapin in New York City -- says he is impressed that Madonna was able to disseminate a new single online.

"I think it's very intelligent that artists like Madonna can put together a piece with a political message and get it across the globe. It's an effective means of communicating a political message," he said.

He too believes celebrities will generate a lot of attention because of their status. He also said music artists can convey their message easily because of the Internet age.

Whether or not the public is influenced by the message depends on the message itself and how it is disseminated, Friedman said.

Another entertainment lawyer -- Jerry Reisman of the Reisman, Peirez, and Reisman firm in Garden City, N.Y. -- said the online marketing of a single involves more than a celebrity craving publicity.

"She is doing this to enhance her career, because the music industry is losing sales to Internet piracy and will continue to do so in the future," he said.

"Only Madonna could do this because of her noted popularity. A new artist could not sidestep traditional marketing avenues because they need the labels to distribute their music and publicize them."

Reisman called this "a turning point in the music industry because if this is successful, it will encourage other prominent artists to distribute their music without recording industry support."

The economics of the music business are changing, the attorney said. Artists will want to sell their music directly through the Internet, cutting out the middlemen.

"When artists contracts are up, they will not re-sign with their labels," he predicted.

Reisman said that artists like Madonna are trying to determine if anyone will pay to download a single rather than downloading it for free.

Madonna is under contract with Maverick, a division of Warner Brothers, Reisman said.

"If any artist says they're not doing this for money, they're doing it for money," he added.

Reisman's firm represents a number of recording studios in the United States. One is Hit Factory, the world's largest recording studio.