Billboard 200, 05/08/2010: Glee Cast #1, 98K

[busyboy]

SOUNDSCAN (WEEK ENDING 4/25/10)
1) Glee Cast – Power Of Madonna – 97,973
2) Lady Antebellum – Need You Now – 82,794 (After 13 weeks – 1,852,480)
3) Justin Beiber – My World 2.0 – 80,791 (After 5 weeks – 848,774)

Other Debuts
4) AC/DC – Iron Man 2 – 75,974
7) Jimmy Buffet – Encores – 30,822
11) Circa Survive – Blue Sky Noise – 27,829
12) Sevendust – Cold Day Memory – 26,736
19) Cypress Hill – Rise Up – 18,343
20) Willie Nelson – Country Music – 18,085

[HolidayGuy]

Ooh, the #1 didn't break 100K. Least it's a little higher than last week's #1 total, though.

[HolidayGuy]

www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3if0dcc1217c8006b4143934f7667e7d4c

Glee' + Madonna = No. 1
April 28, 2010

Editor: Keith Caulfield; Contributors: Gary Trust, Alex Vitoulis; Editorial Director: Silvio Pietroluongo

Fox TV's "Glee" and the Queen of Pop team up for "The Power of Madonna," which debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 98,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan . . . It's the first non-Disney TV soundtrack to reach the top of the chart since "Miami Vice" way back in late 1985 and early 1986 . . . AC/DC is the second-highest debut this week at No. 4 with its soundtrack to the upcoming "Iron Man 2" film . . . Jimmy Buffett's Wal-Mart-exclusive live album "Encores" is the third and final arrival in the top 10, coming in at No. 7.


FLASH POINTS
• It's all about "The Power of Madonna" this week on the Billboard 200, where the soundtrack from last week's Madonna-themed episode of Fox TV's "Glee" debuts at No. 1 with 98,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

• The week's second-highest debut is also a soundtrack: AC/DC's "Iron Man 2" at No. 4 with 76,000 sold. Thus, with soundtracks debuting at Nos. 1 and 4 this week, it marks the first time in the Billboard 200's nearly 54-year history that two soundtracks simultaneously debut in the top five.

• A whopping 75% of "Madonna's" first-week sales came from download retailers. The arrival is reminiscent of when Ke$ha's "Animal" wowed the digital world in January when a then-record 76% of its first-week numbers were downloads. (That record was later broken by the all-digital debut at No. 1 from the "Hope for Haiti Now" charity album.)

• "The Power of Madonna" is the third album release from "Glee," but the first to reach No. 1. "Glee Season One: The Music Volume 1" peaked at No. 4 last November with a 113,000 debut week, and then "Volume 2" bowed (and peaked) at No. 3 the following month with 173,000 in its premiere frame. Combined, the first two volumes have now sold 1.4 million.

• Unlike the first two "Glee" albums—which collected musical highlights from the first half of the show's season—"The Power of Madonna" focuses on only one episode. It contains the seven numbers that the cast performed, including "Vogue" and "Like a Prayer." (The iTunes edition comes with one bonus track not sung in the episode: "Burning Up.")

• "The Power of Madonna" is the first TV soundtrack to be No. 1 since Walt Disney's "High School Musical 2" spent four weeks atop the tally in September 2007. If we back out the house of Mouse, the last non-Disney TV soundtrack to reign at No. 1 before "Glee" was the "Miami Vice" soundtrack in late 1985 and early 1986. It spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks in the penthouse.

• "The Power of Madonna" is also the first No. 1 album consisting totally of covers of one act's songs since the all-ABBA "Mamma Mia!" soundtrack reigned for a week in August 2008.

• Trailing the "Glee" kids is Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," moving up one spot to No. 2. It posts a 27% increase, selling 83,000 copies (up from 65,000 last week). That's a sales gain no doubt generated by the act's five wins on the April 18 Academy of Country Music Awards show.

• Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0" falls from No. 1 to No. 3 this week with 81,000—down 12%.

• As mentioned earlier, AC/DC's soundtrack to the upcoming "Iron Man 2" film arrives at No. 4 with 76,000. The 15-song album—the band's eighth top 10 set—comprises previously released AC/DC tunes and includes such well-known tracks as "Highway to Hell," "Back in Black" and its lead single, "Shoot to Thrill." It's a safe bet that once "Iron Man 2" arrives in theaters May 7, this album's sales should spike handsomely.

• Usher's "Raymond v Raymond" slips one rung to No. 5 with 52,000 (down 19%), and the "Now 33" compilation holds at No. 6 with 37,000 (down 18%).

• The final debut in the top 10 this week comes from chart veteran Jimmy Buffett at No. 7 with the live set "Encores" (31,000). The double-length album is available exclusively through Wal-Mart, Buffett's Margaritaville retail stores and its Web site. "Encores" is Buffett's ninth top 10 album and his first since 2006's "Take the Weather With You" debuted and peaked at No. 4.

• Bieber's first "My World" album skips up two positions with a 3% gain to No. 8 with 31,000. (Rounding off SoundScan figures renders this title's sales to appear the same as Buffett's, though the latter leads.) Zac Brown Band's "The Foundation"—another album that profits from the Academy of Country Music Awards—rises to a new chart high of No. 9 with 29,000 (up 26%). Lady Gaga's "The Fame" drops three spots to No. 10 with 28,000 (down 10%).

• Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending April 25) totaled 5.6 million units, up 3% compared with the sum last week (5.5 million) and down 10% compared with the comparable sales week of 2009 (6.2 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 98.2 million, down 10% compared with the same total at this point last year (11 million).

• AND NEXT WEEK:

• Next week on the Billboard 200, a familiar face (or group of faces) will probably reign at No. 1. Either Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" or Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0" seem likely to return to the penthouse, as—so far—none of the new albums released April 27 will pose a threat for the top slot.

• The two highest debuts will come from rapper B.o.B's debut album, "The Adventures of Bobby Ray," and rock band Bullet for My Valentine's "Fever," but not necessarily in that order. Presently, industry prognosticators think the former could sell around 55,000 by week's end May 2, while the latter could do maybe 60,000.

• Other albums in the hunt for high debuts on next week's chart include Melissa Etheridge's "Fearless Love," Miranda Cosgrove's "Sparks Fly" and Hole's "Nobody's Daughter." Etheridge and Cosgrove may each sell perhaps 40,000, while Hole's set looks safe for a start somewhere in the 15,000 to 25,000 range.


MARKET WATCH
• Album units, current chart week: 5.6 million units
• UP 2% from last week's charts: 5.5 million units
• DOWN 10% from the comparable week in 2009: 6.2 million units
• This week: No albums sell more than 100,000 copies.
• This week last year on the Billboard 200: Rick Ross' "Deeper Than Rap" debuted atop the tally with 158,000 while the previous week's No. 1, the "Hannah Montana: The Movie" soundtrack fell to No. 2 with 104,000 (down 22%). Depeche Mode's "Sounds of the Universe" was the second-highest new entry, starting at No. 3 with 80,000. Asher Roth's "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" was the final arrival in the top 10, opening at No. 5 with 65,000.


A LOOK AHEAD
• Among the albums released this week, due on next week's charts: Bullet for My Valentine's "Fever," Melissa Etheridge's "Fearless Love," Hole's "Nobody's Daughter," B.o.B's "The Adventures of Bobby Ray," Miranda Cosgrove's "Sparks Fly," Daddy Yankee's "Mundial" and Drowning Pool's "Drowning Pool."

• Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2009 when: Bob Dylan's "Together Through Life" arrived atop the tally with 125,000. The previous week's No. 1, Rick Ross' "Deeper Than Rap," fell to No. 4 with 51,000 (down 68%). Two more albums started in the top 10: rock super group Heaven & Hell's "The Devil You Know" (No. 8 with 30,000) and the compilation "Playing for Change: Songs Around the World" (No. 10 with 26,000).

[galvanize]

B.O.B. is yet another crowning definition that huge digital single sales don't translate to big album sales for new acts.

[Tanisha Thomas.]

Ugh @ B.O.B. It's sad because he actually has several good songs on his album. Does he have any promo? I haven't even seen him on TV. I hope he pulls more than that.

[Honeymoon]

edit: oh nevermind, I see

[Tanisha Thomas.]

Apr 28, 2010 10:26:56 GMT -5 Honeymoon said:

Are there any projections for B.o.B.'s album? He seems to have more of a buzz around him than some of the other urban/hip hop acts of late that have underwhelmed in the album sales department.

In the article, it says he could sell anywhere in the 55k range. Not good. I don't know what's going with these artists with the huge digital sales and terrible album sales.

[Honeymoon]

Maybe hip hop/rap fans are generally not big album buyers? The only hip hop albums in the past year that I remember selling well were Eminem and Jay-Z and both of them are very established.

[Tanisha Thomas.]

Apr 28, 2010 10:30:15 GMT -5 Honeymoon said:

Maybe hip hop/rap fans are generally not big album buyers? The only hip hop albums in the past year that I remember selling well were Eminem and Jay-Z and both of them are very established.

I thought Hip Hop artists are usually the ones to put up huge first week sales, but then again, this is a different period. I was hoping for at least 100k for him.

[HolidayGuy]

Celebration did re-enter the chart (number not yet known)- look for a Billboard article later today regarding the "Glee" impact on Madonna's catalog.

[joeysbluerose]

can't wait to see that maybe some of her catalog will get some re-certs as some of her albums are deffinately do new certifications

[fran182]

11) Circa Survive – Blue Sky Noise – 27,829

^That's great! :)

[HolidayGuy]

Some Madge albums are eligible for recerts, but WB doesn't seem to have interest in certifying them. Would be surprised if they did now, with her going to Live Nation.

Celebration unquestionably had the biggest boost (with Immaculate Collection not found at many outlets now), but a few studio albums probably saw a decent percentage spike.

[Deleted]

Nice #'s for Lady A :) And shit, I really thought BOB would open up with at least 100k, that seems really low for an act with a #1 and a new song blowing up. What did Cudi open with? Maybe he;s the new Flo Rida(although it's too early to say and his music is a whole lot better).

[jgizzle89]

wow, that is really depressing for B.o.B. i have a feeling they undershipped him. at my local target there were barely any copies, and he certainly has had no promo. all i saw was an "Ellen" performance...

[HolidayGuy]

Maybe it's just me, but is a hit single not good promo for an album release? :) Granted, promotion/performances don't hurt (and in some cases, don't help, either), but if a track (or more than one, in the case of B.o.B) are doing well (in airplay and/or sales), then that's good promo.

In this economy, people may be more cautious about investing in full albums by new acts right away these days. Unless, of course, there's a big discount (like with Ke$sha's album in the first week).

[badrobot]

People keep expecting big debut weeks for new artists, with little reason to believe that.

What examples of huge opening weeks do they have in mind? We can keep saying that Pitbull or B.O.B. or Jason DeRulo or whoever have weak starts, but if virtually EVERY time a new artist releases their debut album after a hit song, they have "weak" sales, maybe we just need to re-evaluate expectations here.

The only major exceptions I can think of are American Idol artists (and that's only some of the time) -- but they should be considered an exception, clearly, as they are TV stars for months before their albums come out.

[Tanisha Thomas.]

Apr 28, 2010 12:20:07 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Maybe it's just me, but is a hit single not good promo for an album release? :) Granted, promotion/performances don't hurt (and in some cases, don't help, either), but if a track (or more than one, in the case of B.o.B) are doing well (in airplay and/or sales), then that's good promo.

In this economy, people may be more cautious about investing in full albums by new acts right away these days. Unless, of course, there's a big discount (like with Ke$sha's album in the first week).

Yes, and only a hit drives huge first week sales? I'm sure he would have done less without his smash. These artists need more than just a hit single for people to wanna buy their albums, especially since they are new.

[HolidayGuy]

^I agree with that. Some may think that a hit single is enough, but as bad robot stated, most new-act albums aren't selling hot out of the gate in recent times. So we should lower expectations for debut album's first weeks, regardless of whether that have a big single or not.

[Tanisha Thomas.]

How did Bieber do over 200k first week and second week? I can understand the first week because of the promo, but second week? How was he able to pull that off? I don't think Easter had anything to do with it. If B.o.B does 60k this week and do around a similar amount next week, then that wouldn't be so bad. But that's wishful thinking. I expect a big drop for some reason.

[HolidayGuy]

it's Bieber's second album- and he has the youth factor/tween appeal going for him. Easter definitely helped sustain second-week sales; no album that opens with that amount holds up that well in a non-holiday second week (barring the possibility of soundtracks and things of that nature).

[HolidayGuy]

www.billboard.com/news/madonna-s-glee-tastic-celebration-continues-1004087053.story#/news/madonna-s-glee-tastic-celebration-continues-1004087053.story

Madonna's 'Glee'tastic 'Celebration' Continues on Hot 100, Digital Chart

The "Glee"/Madonna celebration is in full swing on the Billboard 200 albums chart, where "The Power of Madonna" soundtrack to last week's Queen of Pop-themed show debuts at No. 1 with 98,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Additionally, the "Glee" cast's version of Madonna's 1989 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Like a Prayer" was the biggest selling individual track from the show last week, debuting at No. 10 on the Digital Songs chart with 87,000 downloads sold. "Prayer" will debut at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart tomorrow when it's unveiled on billboard.com.

But the party also extends to the diva's own catalog of her original recordings as well. For example, her appropriately titled "Celebration" greatest hits album re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 85 with 6,000 (up 219%). That's the package's best sales week since Christmas. (In the show last week, "Glee" character Sue Sylvester gave the title some ridiculous product placement when she held the CD in her hand during an appeal to have Madonna's music blasted through the school's intercom.)

All told, Madonna's catalog of albums saw a 44% jump in sales, selling 17,000 this past week (up from 12,000).

Her digital song download tally this week also got a big bump. Her total track sales totaled 108,000 for the week ‹ up 169% compared to the week previous (40,000). Her two biggest-selling songs of the week were "4 Minutes" and "Like a Prayer" (each selling 12,000 with gains of 183% and 267%, respectively).

[Tanisha Thomas.]

Apr 28, 2010 13:35:33 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

it's Bieber's second album- and he has the youth factor/tween appeal going for him. Easter definitely helped sustain second-week sales; no album that opens with that amount holds up that well in a non-holiday second week (barring the possibility of soundtracks and things of that nature).

It has held up pretty well though. It's still a contender for #1.

[HolidayGuy]

new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/52508/week-ending-april-25-2010-faux-madonna-beats-real-madonna/

Week Ending April 25, 2010: Faux Madonna Beats Real Madonna
Posted by Paul Grein in Chart Watch

Glee: The Power Of Madonna enters The Billboard 200 at #1. The album from the recent prime-time salute to Her Madgesty is outselling Madonna's current CD/DVD combo, Sticky & Sweet Tour. The Glee album sold 98,000 copies this week. Sticky & Sweet Tour has sold 41,000 copies in its first three weeks. In fairness to Madonna, her hits have been repackaged on numerous compilations over the years. The Glee versions are new.

All seven selections from the EP are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Like A Prayer" bows at #10, followed by "Borderline"/"Open Your Heart" at #41, "Like A Virgin" at #51, "4 Minutes" at #55, "Express Yourself" at #90, "What It Feels Like For A Girl" at #117 and "Vogue" at #153. Two of Madonna's original recordings return to Hot Digital Songs. "4 Minutes" (featuring Justin Timberlake) bows at #127. "Like A Prayer" (which is starting to feel like her most classic recording) bows at #135.

Madonna's Celebration album returns to The Billboard 200 at #85. The two-disc greatest hits set has sold 226,000 copies since its release in September.

The success of the Glee album is akin to people buying original cast albums to Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys rather than compilations by ABBA and the 4 Seasons, respectively. I would rather have the real thing in all three cases, but some fans are more connected to the theatrical show than they are to the artist involved.

Madonna was the perfect choice to be the first artist saluted with a Glee episode and album. Such other superstar divas as Barbra Streisand and Cher are prime candidates for future salutes, but it's always best to be first. This is far from the first indication of Madonna's pop-culture impact. There have been many such indicators through the years, from "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1985 parody, "Like A Surgeon," to Train's current "Hey, Soul Sister," with its Madonna name-check.

Some will be surprised by the album's #1 ranking. Madonna peaked as a chart and cultural force in the ‘80s and ‘90s. But she has more than held her own in the past decade. Madonna's last four studio albums, stretching from 2000's Music to 2008's Hard Candy, have all debuted at #1.

The first-week sales tally for Glee: The Power Of Madonna includes 74,000 digital copies. That's 75% of the total. Digital has accounted for that big a chunk of the weekly sales tally on only two previous #1 albums. Both were earlier this year. Ke$ha's Animal (76% digital) and Hope For Haiti Now (100%).

The title, Glee: The Power Of Madonna, is a nod to Madonna's 1998 hit "The Power Of Good-bye." Madonna has had 37 top 10 hits on the Hot 100, but that isn't one of them. The song peaked at #11.

Pop Quiz: Three of Madonna's 55 Hot 100 hits were cover versions of songs that first charted for other artists. Name them.

All three Glee albums to date have made the top 10. Volume 1 peaked at #4. Volume 2 hit #3. Glee is one of only six weekly series in television history to spawn three or more top 10 albums. Sing Along With Mitch, which ran from 1961 to 1964, generated five top 10 albums during the run of the show. The Monkees, whose eponymous show ran from 1966 to 1968, had five top 10 albums. American Idol, which debuted in 2002, has spawned five top 10 thematic albums (not counting albums by individual contestants). Hannah Montana, which debuted in 2006, has yielded five top 10 albums (not counting the movie soundtrack or strictly solo releases by Miley Cyrus). The Partridge Family, whose eponymous show ran from 1970 to 1974, had three top 10 albums.

Quiz Answer: The three Madonna chart hits that first charted for other artists were "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (Rose Royce, 1979), "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" (Festival, 1980) and "American Pie" (Don McLean, 1971).

The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" this week becomes the best-selling song in digital history, surpassing "Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain. "I Gotta Feeling" has sold 5,561,000 digital copies, to 5,536,000 for "Low." Both songs were smash hits, but "I Gotta Feeling" penetrated pop culture in a way that "Low" didn't. The jingle-like song became one of the most ubiquitous songs of the past year.

"I Gotta Feeling" also did better at the Grammys. It won this year for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. "Low" was nominated last year for Best Rap/Sung Performance, but lost to "American Boy" by Estelle featuring Kanye West.

Lady Antebellum's Need You Now rebounds to #2 in its 13th week on The Billboard 200. It also holds at #1 on Top Country Albums for the 13th straight week. It's the first album to spend its first 13 weeks at #1 on the country chart since Kenny Chesney's When The Sun Goes Down, which spent its first 14 weeks on top in 2004. Chesney's album went on to win the Country Music Assn. award for Album of the Year. Will Lady A's album follow suit this November? It will.

AC/DC's Iron Man 2 soundtrack enters The Billboard 200 at #3.The album consists of music recorded by the Aussie hard rock band between 1976 and 2008. This is AC/DC's second soundtrack release. The band's music was featured in the 1986 movie Maximum Overdrive. (It was marketed as an album under the title Who Made Who.) Iron Man 2 is the week's top movie soundtrack, replacing Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. (The charts make for strange bedfellows.) AC/DC first cracked the top 10 in October 1980 with Back In Black, giving the band a nearly 30 year span of top 10 albums.

Iron Man 2 sold 76,000 copies in its first week, less than one-tenth of the first-week tally (784,000) of the band's 2008 studio album, Black Ice. Bear in mind, though, that the movie, starring Robert Downey Jr., doesn't open until May 7. The soundtrack is off to a faster start in the U.K., where it debuts at #1. It's the band's third #1 album in the U.K., following Back In Black (which peaked at #4 in the U.S.) and Black Ice.

The Zac Brown Band's The Foundation jumps from #15 to #9. This is the highest ranking to date for the album that has been on the chart for 75 weeks. The album got a boost from the recent Academy of Country Music Awards telecast, on which the band was seen performing for troops in the Persian Gulf. The show also boosted Lady A and Miranda Lambert, whose Revolution rebounds from #36 to #13 in its 30th week.

"Nothin' On You" by B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars holds at #1 on Hot Digital Songs for the second straight week. The song sold 179,000 copies this week, bringing its 13-week total to 1,566,000. B.o.B has two of the week's top three digital hits. "Airplanes" (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore) jumps from #5 to #3. (If "Airplanes" had sold 500 more copies, it would have been #2.)

Shameless Plug: Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me" tops the 1 million mark in paid downloads this week. It's the 26th song by an American Idol contestant to cross this threshold. Which Idol contestant has the most million-sellers? What song is the best-seller by an Idol alum? All will be revealed in my latest Chart Watch Extra, a countdown of the biggest Idol hits. Check it out on Friday.

Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 albums.

1. Various Artists, Glee: The Power Of Madonna, 98,000. This new entry is the first TV soundtrack to hit #1 since High School Musical 2 in 2007. All seven songs from the EP are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Like A Prayer," which enters at #10.

2. Lady Antebellum, Need You Now, 83,000. The former #1 album rebounds from #3 to #2 in its 13th week. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Need You Now" rebounds from #12 to #8. "American Honey" jumps from #37 to #25.

3. Justin Bieber, My World 2.0, 81,000. The album drops from #1 to #3 in its fifth week. Three songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Baby" (featuring Ludacris), which drops from #10 to #14.

4. AC/DC, Iron Man 2 soundtrack, 76,000. This new entry is the band's eighth top 10 album. AC/DC has yet to enter the digital marketplace, so none of their songs are listed on Hot Digital Songs. I wonder how much longer they can hold out. (Guys, it's time.)

5. Usher, Raymond V Raymond, 52,000. The former #1 album dips from #4 to #5 in its fourth week. Four songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "OMG" (featuring will.i.am), which jumps from #6 to #2.

6. Various Artists, NOW 33, 37,000. The compilation holds at #6 in its fifth week. It has sold 393,000 copies.

7. Jimmy Buffett, Encores, 31,000. This new entry is Buffett's 10th top 10 album. He first cracked the top 10 in 1978 with Son Of A Son Of A Sailor. The new album is a Walmart exclusive.

8. Justin Bieber, My World, 31,000. The EP rebounds from #10 to #8 in its 23rd week. This is its 13th week in the top 10. Two songs from the EP are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "One Time" dips from #98 to #110. "One Less Lonely Girl" drops from #161 to #189.

9. Zac Brown Band, The Foundation, 29,000. The album zooms from #15 to #9 in its 75th week. Three songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Highway 20 Ride," which drops from #59 to #75.

10. Lady Gaga, The Fame, 28,000. The album drops from #7 to #10 in its 78th week. (It's even older than The Foundation.) This is its 44th week in the top 10. Six songs from the expanded version of the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Telephone" (featuring Beyonce), which dips from #13 to #16.

Four albums drop out of the top 10 this week. MGMT's Congratulations dives from #2 to #18, Coheed and Cambria's Year Of The Black Rainbow plummets from #5 to #42, Ke$ha's Animal drops from #8 to #14 and Monica's Still Standing drops from #9 to #15.

Circa Survive's Blue Sky Noise bows at #11. This is the rock band's highest-charting album to date. On Letting Go debuted (and peaked) at #24 in June 2007...Sevendust's Cold Day Memory bows at #12. This is the hard rock band's sixth album to crack the top 20...Cypress Hill's Rise Up bows at #19. It's the Latin rap trio's first album since 2004. Cypress Hill had three top 10 albums from 1993 to 2000.

Willie Nelson's Country Music debuts at #20. It's the country legend's highest-charting album since Always On My Mind reached #2 in 1982...Ratt's Infestation bows at #30. This is the band's first album with a rat-centric title to hit the chart since its 1984 debut, Out Of The Cellar.

The Broadway cast album from American Idiot bows at #43. The show is based on Green Day's 2004 album of the same name. The band is featured along with the cast of the show on 21 of the 22 cuts on the new album, including "21 Guns," which has sold 1,670,000 digital copies.

Tenth Avenue North's Over & Underneath is #1 on the Catalog Albums chart for the third straight week. The Contemporary Christian album holds at #48 on The Billboard 200.

Two legendary vocalists make posthumous returns to The Billboard 200. Peggy Lee's Peggy Lee Opus Series opens at #50. Luciano Pavarotti's 75th Birthday Limited Edition, a digital-only release, bows at #75. Lee first hit The Billboard 200 in 1948 (back when it was just a top five listing!) with Rendezvous With Peggy Lee. Pavarotti first scored in 1979 with O Sole Mio-Favorite Neapolitan Songs. Lee died in 2002. Pavarotti died in 2007.

Rufus Wainwright's All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu bows at #74. This is Wainwright's fifth album to crack The Billboard 200. His dad, Loudon Wainwright III, has had three chart albums. But dad is ahead when it comes to the Hot 100. Loudon's novelty tune "Dead Skunk" was a top 20 hit in 1973. Rufus has yet to crack the Hot 100.

How To Train Your Dragon was #1 at the box-office over the weekend. The movie has grossed $178 million to date, according to www.boxofficemojo.com the soundtrack has sold a paltry 8,000 copies. If they're going to train that dragon, I hope they train it to buy albums.

Song Scorecard: Chris Brown's 2008 smash "Forever" tops the 3 million mark in paid downloads this week. This is Brown's second song to top 3 million in digital sales, following "No Air," a duet with Jordin Sparks, which has sold 3,127,000 copies....Taylor Swift's "Today Was A Fairytale" from Valentine's Day tops the 1 million mark in paid downloads.

"Young Forever" by Jay-Z + Mr. Hudson jumps from #11 to #9 on Hot Digital Songs. The song incorporates Alphaville's 1988 near-hit "Forever Young." This isn't the first time an artist has simply reversed the title of an old song he reworked. Arrested Development's 1992 hit "People Everyday" featured the chorus of Sly & the Family Stone's 1969 classic "Everyday People."

Heads Up: Bullet For My Valentine's Fever is expected to be next week's highest-debuting new album, but it probably won't sell enough copies to open at #1. Two debut albums, B.o.B's B.o.B Presents The Adventures Of Bobby Ray and Miranda Cosgrove's Sparks Fly and are also expected to make strong entries. Cosgrove is the 16-year old star of iCarly. Also due: Melissa Etheridge's Fearless Love, Hole's Nobody's Daughter, Daddy Yankee's Mundial and Drowning Pool's Drowning Pool.

[jgizzle89]

HITS is saying B.o.B will open with 80-85k, not 60k...

[Tanisha Thomas.]

^ Well, that's better, I guess.

[PDC1987]

Apr 28, 2010 14:21:11 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Pop Quiz: Three of Madonna's 55 Hot 100 hits were cover versions of songs that first charted for other artists. Name them.

"Love Don't Live Here Anymore," "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," and "American Pie."

(Whose version of DCFMA charted prior to Madonna's?)

[HolidayGuy]

^Festival, as noted in the article- was a disco studio group. Its version peaked at #72 in 1980.

[Rodze]

gothamjungle.com/GothamBlog/?p=8659

1 1 GLEE CAST POWER OF MADONNA 97973 97995
13 2 LADY ANTEBELLUM NEED YOU NOW 82794 1852480
5 3 JUSTIN BIEBER MY WORLD 2.O 80791 848774
1 4 AC/DC IRON MAN 2 75974 76155
4 5 USHER RAYMOND V RAYMOND 51972 538030
5 6 VARIOUS NOW 33 36933 393438
1 7 JIMMY BUFFETT ENCORES 30822 30822
23 8 JUSTIN BIEBER MY WORLD 30769 1263019
75 9 ZAC BROWN BAND FOUNDATION 28567 1851842
78 10 LADY GAGA FAME 28363 3241380
1 11 CIRCA SURVIVE BLUE SKY NOISE 27829 28137
1 12 SEVENDUST COLD DAY MEMORY 26736 27401
30 13 MIRANDA LAMBERT REVOLUTION 25526 523866
16 14 KE$HA ANIMAL 24334 623840
5 15 MONICA STILL STANDING 22579 356646
46 16 BLACK EYED PEAS E.N.D. (ENERGY NEVER DIES) 21362 2456332
7 17 LUDACRIS BATTLE OF THE SEXES 21095 355610
2 18 MGMT CONGRATULATIONS 20056 86852
1 19 CYPRESS HILL RISE UP 18343 18456
1 20 WILLIE NELSON COUNTRY MUSIC 18085 18192

[asg4]

So this is the lowest first week sales for a glee album