The third full-length “Glee” soundtrack arrives at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 136,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan . . . The Rolling Stones’ reissue of “Exile on Main St.” re-enters the list at No. 2 with 76,000 after it was relaunched last week . . . “Glee” and the Stones lead a pack of six arrivals in the top 10, where Nas and Damian Marley, Black Keys, Band of Horses and LCD Soundsystem all start high . . . On the Digital Songs chart, Miley Cyrus’ “Can’t Be Tamed” dances in at No. 4 with 191,000 sold in its debut week.
FLASH POINTS
• The “Glee—The Music Volume 3: Showstoppers” soundtrack arrives at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as expected, starting with 136,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
• The cast of “Glee” claimed its first No. 1 recently with “The Power of Madonna” when that seven-song EP arrived at the top with 98,000. “Showstoppers” is the third proper full-length soundtrack from the Fox TV show. The first two volumes were released in quick succession last November and December. This third edition includes highlights from the second half of “Glee’s” debut season. A forthcoming six-track EP titled “Journey to Regionals” is due June 8. (Don’t peek at its tracklist if you don’t want upcoming episodes to be spoiled.)
• The cast of “Glee” blocks the Rolling Stones from re-entering the chart at No. 1 with the reissue of its classic album “Exile on Main St.” The set returns to the tally at No. 2 with 76,000 sold after Universal Republic/UMe relaunched the album last week.
• “Exile”—which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in 1972—was reissued last week in an array of configurations, including the standard remastered album, a deluxe version with 10 additional tracks and a super deluxe boxed set. A separate Target-exclusive set, “Exile on Main St.—Rarities Edition,” which contains only the 10 bonus cuts, charts separately and debuts at No. 27 with 15,000 copies.
• The “Glee” cast is also out in force on the Digital Songs chart, where its take on Aerosmith’s “Dream On” (featuring Neil Patrick Harris) debuts at No. 13 with 84,000 sold. It’s one of six debuts for the cast this week on the 75-position tally.
• However, the highest debut on the Digital Songs chart this week is Miley Cyrus’ new single, “Can’t Be Tamed.” The song struts in at No. 4 with a 191,000 bow. It’s her second-best debut sales week for a download, following “Party in the U.S.A.,” which entered at No. 1 on Digital Songs last August with 226,000.
• The opener for “Tamed” will probably lock up a top 10 debut for the single on the Billboard Hot 100 when it’s unveiled Thursday morning (May 27). If it bows as expected, it will be Cyrus’ sixth top 10 hit on the sales/airplay-hybrid Billboard Hot 100 (including one credited to her TV character “Hannah Montana”).
• Last week’s Digital Songs No. 1, Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” falls to No. 3, selling 231,000 (down 22%). Usher’s “OMG” (featuring will.i.am) returns to No. 1 with 236,000 (despite a decline of 2%), while B.o.B’s “Airplanes” climbs one spot to No. 2 with 232,000 (up 6%).
• A full recap of all the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart action will follow Thursday morning.
• Back on the Billboard 200, the kids of “Glee” and the elder statesmen of the Stones lead a jammed chart as four more albums also arrive in the top 10. After the Stones, the next-highest entry is the Black Keys with “Brothers” starting at No. 3 with 73,000. It’s the highest-charting album and the best sales week for the duo. The pair previously earned both its highest-charting set (and sales frame) when its last album, “Attack and Release,” debuted and peaked at No. 14 with 29,000.
• “Distant Relatives,” the collaboration album from Damian Marley and Nas, bows at No. 5 with 57,000. It’s the second top 10 for Marley, following “Welcome to Jamrock” (No. 7 in 2005) and the 10th top 10 for Nas.
• Band of Horses and LCD Soundsystem also arrive high—entering at Nos. 7 and 10, respectively, with their latest efforts. Band of Horses’ “Infinite Arms” starts with 45,000 while LCD’s “This Is Happening” opens with 31,000. They are the highest-charting albums—and best sales weeks—for both acts.
• Last week’s No. 1 album, Justin Bieber’s “My World 2.0,” falls to No. 4 with 62,000 (pushed down despite its 3% increase). Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” drops four rungs to No. 6 (46,000; down 15%), Usher’s “Raymond v Raymond” is down one to No. 8 (41,000; down 6%), and AC/DC’s “Iron Man 2” falls five slots to No. 9 (32,000; down 33%).
• Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending May 23) totaled 5.31 million units, down less than 1% compared with the sum last week (5.32 million) and down 19% compared with the same sales week of 2009 (6.6 million) when Eminem’s “Relapse” bowed at No. 1 with 608,000. Year-to-date album sales stand at 120.4 million, down 10% compared with the same total at this point last year (134.4 million).
• Digital track sales this past week totaled 21.9 million downloads, down 1% compared with last week (22.2 million) and up 1% compared with the comparable week of 2009 (21.7 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 466.2 million, down less than 1% compared with the same total at this point last year (467 million).
• AND NEXT WEEK:
• Next week on the Billboard 200, Stone Temple Pilots will return to the tally after a long absence, as its new self-titled set will be the chart’s highest debut.
• Industry prognosticators think the album (the band’s first studio release since 2001) could sell in the neighborhood of 60,000 to 70,000 copies by week’s end on May 30. That might be enough to enable a No. 1 debut, depending on how the current week’s topper, “Glee—The Music Volume 3: Showstoppers,” declines in its second week.
• If “Stone Temple Pilots” arrives in the top 10, it will mark the sixth top 10 for the band—its entire output of studio albums. Only its greatest-hits package “Thank You” missed the top 10 (No. 26 in 2003).
• The second-highest debut might be the “Sex and the City 2” soundtrack, which may sell around 30,000 copies. With the film bowing in theaters this week, that number could grow, depending on how the movie’s music resonates with consumers.
• Other sets we expect to debut high on the Billboard 200 next week include Marc Anthony’s “Iconos” and Widespread Panic’s “Dirty Side Down.”
MARKET WATCH
• Album units, current chart week: 5.31 million units
• DOWN less than 1% from last week’s charts: 5.32 million units
• DOWN 19% from the comparable week in 2009: 6.6 million units
• This week: Only the No. 1 album sells more than 100,000 copies.
• This week last year on the Billboard 200: Eminem’s “Relapse” blasted in at No. 1 with 608,000 copies. The previous week’s No. 1, Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown,” fell to No. 2 in its second week with 166,000 (down 23%). Five more albums arrived in the top 10, with Kenny Chesney’s “Greatest Hits II” earning the second-best bow, debuting at No. 3 with 89,000.
A LOOK AHEAD
• Among the albums released this week, due on next week’s charts: Stone Temple Pilots’ “Stone Temple Pilots,” the “Sex and the City 2” soundtrack, Marc Anthony’s “Iconos,” Rihanna’s “Rated R: Remixed” and Widespread Panic’s “Dirty Side Down.”
• Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2009 when: Eminem’s “Relapse” refused to budge, as it held at No. 1 for a second week, selling 211,000 (down 65%). The highest debut on the chart belonged to Marilyn Manson’s “The High End of Low,” which arrived at No. 4 with 49,000. Two more sets started in the top 10 that week: Wisin and Yandel’s “La Revolucion” (No. 7 with 36,000) and Grizzly Bear’s “Veckatimest” (No. 8 with 33,000).
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news