Madonna urges music industry to deal with ageism 'taboo'

Madonna has blamed the “taboo” of ageism for Radio 1’s snub after it dropped her latest single from its playlist.

The BBC station has repeatedly said an artist's age is never a factor in selecting songs, which are based solely on musical merit and “relevance” to its young target audience, reports The Independent.

Madonna told The Sun she was “shocked” by her exclusion as her new album Rebel Heart heads towards becoming her 12th UK number one.

"I was like, 'Wait a second. Shouldn't it be to do with whether you wrote a good, catchy pop song?” she said.

"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 [41] got lucky. But if you're in your fifties, you can forget it'.

The 56-year-old’s latest single, "Living for Love", was not included on the playlist that dictates Radio 1’s most played songs but that does not mean it can never be aired on the station.