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King Of Pop's boost post X Factor
By Georgie Rogers
6 Music news reporter
Michael Jackson has been releasing his music since 1972
Michael Jackson's King Of Pop has re-entered the top ten of the album chart, from 47, since this week's X Factor.
The TV talent show, which aired on Saturday, featured all of its 11 contestants singing from the star's extensive back catalogue.
Music industry experts claim the hit show has become the biggest music promoter since Top Of The Pops.
Meanwhile AC/DC's Black Ice has stormed the album charts, estimated to outsell Kaiser Chiefs and Leon by two to one.
'Incredible power'
King Of Pop is the Thriller hitmaker's compilation album, released in celebration of his 50th birthday.
Speaking about its boost in sales since last week's midweek figures HMV's spokesman, Genaro Castaldo, told 6 Music: "The X Factor shows have become the biggest way of promoting music in the UK ever since we lost Top Of The Pops. Everyone queues up to get on there.
It just shows you the enduring appeal of Michael Jackson, reminding you of how brilliant his songs are
HMV spokesman, Genaro Castaldo
"Off the back of that his album King Of Pop,which was released some weeks ago and was around number 47 last week, has had a massive boost.
"It was at number 47, but the midweek figures show that it is currently sitting in the top ten.
"It just shows you the enduring appeal of Michael Jackson, reminding you of how brilliant his songs are, but also it tells us all how incredibly powerful the X Factor has become at promoting music in the UK."
However, Castaldo estimated that its position will peter out by the end of the week: "I think potentially the King Of Pop album might fall away a little bit because it's natural that the most interest follows straight after the show.
"I'd be very surprised if it didn't make the top 15 or 20 and now that it's there it might be the case that it'll carry on selling quite well in the next few weeks."
AC/DC's selling fast
Elsewhere in the charts, the Kaiser Chiefs could be knocked off the album top spot this weekend by veteran rockers AC/DC.
Early reports indicated that their new album Black Ice had already sold nearly 25,000 more copies than Kaisers' Off With Their Heads and is available in two formats, the standard edition and a deluxe version.
HMV's spokesman estimates AC/DC to outsell the Kaiser Chiefs by two to one.
"They're by far outselling any of the other releases this week," Castaldo explained. "That includes Kaiser Chiefs in the number two spot and the X Factor's Leon Jackson at number three.
"They'll probably outsell the Kaiser Chiefs and Leon by a margin of two to one, which is quite an achievement, because those artists are high profile.
"It's no surprise really because it's been six years since their last album was released. They've obviously got a huge fan base in the UK and around the rest of the world, so it's a big deal that it's come out and people are responding."
Speaking for the whole of the market, not just HMV, he continued: "We estimate that the band and the album should comfortably go through the 100,000 mark by the end of the week, which will put them up there in the top ten best selling albums of 2008." However, Castaldo claims Black Ice is still far off matching the likes of Coldplay, Kings Of Leon and Oasis' recent album successes. He quoted Coldplay's 300,000 copies of Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends sold in the first week of sales, as a comparison.
! (Thanks to MJDangerous @ Ukmix board).
