WELCOME to The Madonna Catalog - the world's largest and most comprehensive all-Madonna web site. If you're looking for a HUGE site that covers everything from Madonna's earliest pre-stardom days to what she's doing today, with an emphasis on memorabilia and collecting, you've come to the right place.

BIRTH OF THE CATALOG

In the fall of 1992, mega-fan Steve Caraco (a collector from Massachusetts since 1988) needed to sell off a few duplicate items in his collection, in order to finance this expensive hobby. He started offering printed merchandise catalogs called THE MADONNA CATALOG through the classified section of GOLDMINE magazine. Through his catalogs, he sold a wide variety of Madonna memorabilia from all around the world. Athough the catalogs looked pretty, they were very time consuming and expensive to produce and mail out, and were out-dated by the time they reached their destination. There had to be a better way.

 

TMC GOES ONLINE

Four years later (September 1996), the internet started to take off, and Steve got a job working as a support technician for an internet provider. One of the job's benefits was free web site hosting. One night in December, Steve was really bored (working second shift was torture) so he put together the very first online version of his catalog, which at first was only a single page with a few pictures and a few items for sale. But at the time, it was one of the only all-Madonna web sites in existence. He then purchased the domain name madonnacatalog.com, and the web site was launched in early January of 1997. In October of 1997, Steve left his job at the internet provider (way too much stress!) so he had to start paying for his own web hosting, which got very expensive.

 

A TOUGH DECISION

The Madonna Catalog web site was 100% free for everyone to view, from its opening in January 1997 until February 14, 2002, when the site became so large and generated so much bandwidth (traffic) that Steve could no longer afford to host the site for free. He had to make a tough but important decision: either discontinue the web site, or keep it going and start charging fans a small fee to help cover the costs. He didn't have the heart to stop working on the site, which is a labor of love for him, so he moved most of the site's highest traffic-generating pages to a "members only" area. A very special thanks to Steve's friend Haakon Sundry, who "did all the hard work and made it look real pretty". UPDATE: On February 19, 2006 (almost exactly 4 years to the day after the members-only section launched), The Madonna Catalog signed on its 900th supporting member!

 

CONTROVERSEY

At first, Steve's "pay-per-view" site generated a fair amount of controversey. Some fans were furious that they now had to pay for something that used to be free, and started bashing Steve on several different message boards. They just didn't understand the amount of hard work (and money) that goes into keeping a site like The Madonna Catalog online. They argued that other comparable web sites (such as Madonnarama, Madonna.nu, Madonnapower and Madonna's Ashram) didn't charge their viewers anything to view them. In the end, all that controversey did nothing more than generate even more business for Steve. Well, all four of those "other" sites (and others like them) are now long-gone. I rest my case.

 

WHAT THE MADONNA CATALOG IS TODAY

As Madonna's career approaches the 25-year milestone, The Madonna Catalog has grown from a single page to hundreds and hundreds of pages, geared mostly toward collecting Madonna memorabilia. Most of its pages feature information and photos of rare (and not-so-rare) collectibles from every era of Madonna's career - every album, every movie, every tour, and much more. Thousands of items are featured among the web site's hundreds of pages, many of which were contributed by other fans and collectors from around the world. Over 100 of the rarest items featured on the Madonna Catalog site are owned by MADIVA, a mega-fan from Brooklyn, New York who owns the world's largest and most valuable Madonna collection ever documented.

The web site also features hundreds of ultra-rare photos of Madonna, many never-before seen, and not shown on any other web site. Many of these photos are from Steve's own private collection of over 35,000 photos and 1,600 magazine covers (the largest collections of their kind in the world) and some of them are presented in very high-quality (1500 pixels or more, some at up to 4000 pixels). The site is visited by approximately 2,000 to 3,000 fans each day, and has received over one million unique visitors since it opened in January of 1997. Read what some of The Madonna Catalog's biggest fans are saying in a page of testimonials. Or, write your own testimonial by visiting The Madonna Catalog's guest book page.

Some exclusive features of the Madonna Catalog web site include:

This web site is a 100% fan-owned and fan-operated site. No part of this site is officially approved by or endorsed by Madonna or any of her affiliates. Most images shown on this site are copyrighted images, and are shown for informational, educational, or reference purposes only, and may not be distributed, sold, re-transmitted, printed, or otherwise used on any other web site without permission. For technical information about the Madonna Catalog site, click here

 

ABOUT THE OWNER/WEBMASTER:

Steve Caraco was born in Somerville, Massachusetts on April 3, 1970. The first Madonna songs he remembers are "Holiday" and "Borderline" - he has been a huge fan since day one. Some of his all-time favorite Madonna songs include "Dress You Up", "Inside Of Me", "Forbidden Love" (2006) and "Jump". He has seen Madonna perform live a total of 11 times, including being lucky enough to be at the invitation-only Roseland Ballroom show and the Tower Records in-store performance and autograph signing in New York City. He is also friendly with Donna DeLory, one of Madonna's long-time backup singers and dancers. "She [Donna] is one of the friendliest, most talented, and most down-to-earth people I have ever met," Steve says. "She could sing the alphabet and make you cry."

 

In his free time (which is rare), Steve enjoys photography, music, computers (Mac only!), travel, graphic design, and spending time with his friends. Steve's own personal web site can be seen here. Steve has also created a beautiful web site devoted to the late Ephraim Lewis, an amazing Soul/R&B singer who died a tragic death at the age of only 26. Steve's all-time favorite movie is "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind". He currently works for Apple, Inc., as Mentor and Mac Specialist for a fast-paced retail store in Burlington, Massachusetts.

 

Steve admits that his Madonna Catalog site isn't the "prettiest" or the "flashiest" out there (he gives that honor to sites like Madonnatribe and Madonnalicious) but it IS the largest, most content-rich, and longest-running all-Madonna web site on the entire internet. It is simple in design and easy to navigate.

 

No matter how much you think you know about Madonna, this web site is sure to introduce you to a wealth of information that I guarantee you never knew before. I doubt that even Madonna herself knows exactly how many times she's sung "Holiday" during her six world tours (in case you're wondering, the answer is 272). Now I present to you, THE MADONNA CATALOG. I hope you enjoy your journey through the world's largest web site devoted to the one and only MADONNA.

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve Caraco

January 5, 2008

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