Promotion catapults Bon Jovi back to top of US chart

Jon Bon Jovi attending the Samsung Charity Gala 2017 at Skylight Clarkson Square in New York.
PHOTO: AFP

NEW YORK (AFP) - Bon Jovi has returned to the top of the US album chart thanks to a CD promotion, a triumph for a physical format in an era increasingly dominated by streaming.

The New Jersey rockers' 13th studio album This House Is Not For Sale, which had first hit number one on the Billboard 200 in November 2016, soared back to the top of the chart for the week through Thursday.

The arena-packing band, who in April will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saw a surge in sales as it bundled its album as part of a tour, with fans who bought tickets given a code for the CD to be shipped by mail.

Bon Jovi's success marks an unusual dominance of traditional sales in a music industry where CDs are on the wane and labels are putting an ever greater focus on on-demand streaming.

This House Is Not For Sale sold 120,000 copies in the reporting week, tracking service Nielsen Music said late Sunday (March 4).

It edged out the soundtrack featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar to the African-themed superhero film Black Panther, which spent the previous two weeks at number one.

Black Panther: The Album sold 99,000 copies or the equivalent in streaming and downloads in the latest week.

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