Madonna defends expensive tour tickets

Pop superstar Madonna refuses to sympathise with fans who grumble about the escalating price of her concert tickets - insisting they should "start saving" their money because she's "worth it".

Tickets for the Material Girl's live shows are always in high demand, allowing promoters to list them at premium prices, despite some complaints from devotees about having to dig deep to afford mediocre seats.

But Madonna, who is planning to hit the road later this year, is unconcerned - because she guarantees ticketholders will have a good time at her gigs.

She tells Newsweek magazine, "Start saving your pennies now. People spend $300 on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together, and come to my show. I'm worth it."

The forthcoming tour will be in support of her new album, MDNA, which will be released in March.