Chart Watch

Week Ending Nov. 15, 2009: The Hair Band That Lasted

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:34:51 -0800

Bon Jovi lands its second straight #1 album with "The Circle." This is the second time that the group has had back-to-back #1 albums. It last did this in the late '80s heyday of "hair bands."

Chart Watch Extra: Jackson Blitz Prompts Chart Change

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:00:18 -0800

Billboard has seen the light. Starting in two weeks, the magazine's flagship album chart will include older "catalog" albums. The move was prompted by Michael Jackson's phenomenal success this year.

Week Ending Nov. 8, 2009: The Host With The Most

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:29:49 -0800

Carrie Underwood’s Play On sold 318,000 copies, the biggest weekly sales tally for an album by a woman so far in 2009. She's the second American Idol alum to top the 10 million mark in career album sales.

Chart Watch Extra: Country's Top Prize: Entertainer Of The Year

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:49:40 -0800

The odds are four out of five that history will be made when the Entertainer of the Year is announced at the Country Music Assn. Awards on Wednesday.

Week Ending Oct. 25, 2009: Taking A Second Bite Out Of #1

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:43:19 -0800
The soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: New Moon moves up to #1, less than a year after the initial Twilight soundtrack debuted in the top spot. Also: it's feast or famine in the music business.

Week Ending Oct. 18, 2009: Taylor Swift's Minor Miracle

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:16:52 -0800
Taylor Swift is on the brink of accomplishing something that I was starting to think we might never see again: topping the 4 million mark in sales with back-to-back studio albums.

Week Ending Oct. 11, 2009: Oprah Saves The Music Industry

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:17:37 -0800
Want to sell albums in a down market? Go on "Oprah." Four of this week's top 10 albums got a boost from Winfrey's top-rated talk show. The roster includes Michael Buble, who debuts at #1.

Chart Watch Extra: Pop Music's Longevity Champs

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:42:38 -0800
Barbra Streisand, who returns to #1 this week, is one of two dozen artists who have had #1 albums spanning 20 or more years. Here's a complete list, from Frank Sinatra to U2.