AceShowbiz -

Apart from her talent in music, Madonna has to be recognized for her ability in making the most of her fortune. The "Material Girl" singer has licensed at least half of the songs in her upcoming album "Hard Candy", to be used in commercial ads before the songs actually hit the streets. She reportedly, will receive millions from it.

Earlier this month, "4 Minutes to Save the World", the first single from the album has been used in the Sunsilk ad while another track, "Miles Away" is slated to be used as the theme song of a Japanese drama called "Change". The former is part of her deal with Unilever while the latter is with Japanese TV giant, Fuji. It is now revealed that another major company Vodafone will use her songs to promote their mobile phones.

Not only will the deals merely utilize the songs, they will also make sure the album earns global publicity before it hits the shelves. The Vodafone deal in particular enables their customers to listen as many as seven tracks from the album one week in advance before they are actually released along with the album on April 29. The Sunsilk ad is slated to go global in April, the same month the TV series will hit the screen in Japan.

"It's not about upfront payments, it's about selling the product," John Reid, president of Warner Music Europe and vice-chairman of Warner Music International said. "She is a very smart businesswoman who wants to sell a lot of albums. These companies want their customers to know about their links with Madonna. They are going to promote the deals and her music online and in extensive television, radio and press adverts." Reid added that there would be lots of possibility that other artists will "strike similar deals."

Madonna is also taking a different approach in premiering the music video of "4 Minutes" that features Justin Timberlake. It has been confirmed that the clip will go on-line instead of being serviced to MTV for its debut.