*Whoa! When you’re hot, you’re hot.
By now everyone knows that “Empire” is the hottest thing on TV … by a mile.
It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that success has rubbed off on the show’s soundtrack. Conveniently titled “Original Soundtrack From Season 1 of Empire,” the musical collection is now the USA’s number 1 album.
The hip-hop soap soundtrack debuts at the top of the Billboard 200 this week, and it’s no rare feat — especially for a network drama series, according to Deadline.
Not only has the sales and streams of the freshman show beaten a musical icon for the top spot but the last time any TV soundtrack reached No. 1 on the charts was back in 2010, when three Glee collections hit the top spot (also a Fox show). Now those were covers of classics but for a TV soundtrack of tunes performed by the original artists – it’s been three decades since a network series turned the trick. You have to go all the way back to the first Miami Vice soundtrack, which spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 1985-86. Yes, a couple of Hannah Montana albums and High School Musical soundtracks topped in the chart in the mid-’00s, but they’re cable fodder.
If you’re wondering, Billboard’s official numbers are due out this morning, but advance info suggests “Original Soundtrack From Season 1 of Empire” will keep Madonna from having a No. 1 debut for the first time since 1998. Sorry Madonna, but you’re dealing with something even you can compete with … at least not right now. Empire‘s ratings grew in each of its first nine weeks on the air and last week hit a high of 14.9 million. And since tonight is the 2-hour season finale, we’re not betting against another record setting performance.
Read/learn MORE at Deadline.
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