The top of the Billboard 200 chart has been unusually heavy on soundtracks and compilations lately, and next week will be no exception.
The new “Now 49” compilation album is heading for a high debut — possibly No. 1, industry forecasters suggest. The album may sell around 90,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Feb. 9.
‘Frozen’ Longest-Running No. 1 Film Soundtrack Since 2003
That might be enough to bump Disney’s “Frozen” soundtrack out of the top slot, where it has resided for four nonconsecutive weeks. (It topped the list this past week, selling 94,000 in the week ending Feb. 2, according to Nielsen SoundScan.)
The “Frozen” soundtrack has reigned at No. 1 for the past two consecutive frames, ahead of the runner-up title: the compilation “2014 Grammy Nominees.”
The new Billboard 200’s top 10 will be revealed on Feb. 12.
All 48 of the regular (numbered) “Now” albums have reached the top 10, and all but the first debuted in the top 10. The last “Now” set, “Now 48,” debuted at No. 3 with 114,000 sold in November.
If “Frozen” spends a fifth week at No. 1, it will be the longest-running No. 1 soundtrack since “Waiting to Exhale” spent five weeks atop the tally in early 1996.
Other albums heading for a high debut on the Billboard 200 next week include: Toni Braxton and Babyface’s “Love, Marriage & Divorce” (maybe 55,000), Broken Bells’ “After the Disco” (around 40,000) and Little Mix’s “Salute” (35,000 to 40,000).