Black Sabbath's 81,000% Sales Spike, Explained
Black Sabbath's The Eternal Idol returns to the Billboard charts decades after its release, boosted ... More by a special Record Store Day reissue on red vinyl. Singer Tony Martin is shown performing on stage during a live concert appearance with Black Sabbath on February 8, 1994. (Photo by)
Black Sabbath is inching toward the end of the road. The band, which is slated to perform with frontman Ozzy Osbourne this summer, is preparing for what's being called not just its final concert, but likely his as well. Ahead of that thrilling and bittersweet performance, the heavy metal legends make a somewhat surprising return to a Billboard chart this week.
The group's latest showing comes not from a brand new release, but via a classic project that fans have loved for decades — even though Osbourne wasn't actually involved in its production.
The Eternal Idol debuts on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart, the ranking that measures the bestselling full-lengths and EPs in the U.S., blending both physical purchases and digital downloads into one tally. The collection just barely makes the 50-spot list, sneaking in at No. 48.
According to Luminate, The Eternal Idol sold just under 4,100 copies in the latest tracking frame. To put that figure in perspective, the week before, the album managed only single-digit sales. That increase clocks in at over 81,000% – a staggering growth for any piece of music.
The massive sales spike comes thanks to Record Store Day. For the annual celebration, 6,000 copies of The Eternal Idol were reissued on red translucent vinyl. It seems a large portion of those LPs were snapped up by collectors and longtime fans around the event, pushing the decades-old release back onto Billboard's radar.
While The Eternal Idol is brand new to the Top Album Sales chart, this isn't its first time appearing on the Billboard rankings. Upon its original release in the late 1980s, the set peaked at No. 168 on the Billboard 200, which at the time focused purely on album purchases. These days, the Billboard 200 blends sales, streams, and track downloads, sometimes making it much tougher for typical catalog titles to compete without a major push.
The Eternal Idol was released in 1987, and it was the group's thirteenth full-length effort. The project was the first to feature vocalist Tony Martin, who stepped in after Ozzy Osbourne had been fired. Though it wasn't a major commercial win at the time, the collection is still loved by fans of the band to this day, which is clear based on its ability to become a bestseller decades after it was first made available.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Black America Web
an hour ago
- Black America Web
Timbaland Announces Work With AI Artist, Sparking Criticism
Source: Prince Williams / Getty Veteran producer and artist Timbaland is now working with artificial intelligence, announcing that he'll also be working with a new AI artist as part of a venture with an AI company. But the news has caused some backlash. Timbaland has launched Stage Zero, an AI-focused entertainment company, which he claims has signed the first-ever AI artist named TaTa. 'I'm not just producing tracks anymore. I'm producing systems, stories, and stars from scratch,' Timbaland said in an interview with Billboard. '[TaTa] is not an avatar. She is not a character. TaTa is a living, learning, autonomous music artist built with AI. TaTa is the start of something bigger. She's the first artist of a new generation. A-Pop is the next cultural evolution, and TaTa is its first icon.' He and Stage Zero released an image of 'TaTa,' depicted as a young, pink-haired woman. The venture is what the artist hopes will be a new genre of music called 'A-pop,' reflecting his work with Suno, a company that has reportedly used millions of copyrighted songs to train its AI engine. In an interview with Rolling Stone , he's reportedly created 50,000 songs from working with Suno, saying: 'The technology of today is perfect for what this is. What used to take me three months only takes me two days. In the beginning, it was like a toy. It was like going to a toy store. You gotta go through gluttony, because you can't believe that it's here.' The Grammy-winning producer's stance has earned him some backlash from fans and others in the music industry, notably from producer Young Guru who blasted him on his Instagram page. 'I'm going to say it again,' Young Guru wrote. 'I swear I love you bro but this ain't it. Do you not realize what is going on in the world. Your voice is powerful and way too important to do anything like this. I have students who worship you. They are going to say 'if Tim can do it, then it is ok for me to do it.' These are the times, right here, that history is defined .. Human expression can never be reduced to this!!! This is way bigger than music!!! I say this all in love.' SEE ALSO Timbaland Announces Work With AI Artist, Sparking Criticism was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Eminem allegedly wanted rumored ex Mariah Carey to play his mother in ‘8 Mile'
We belong together — as mother and son. Eminem — who starred as aspiring rapper B-Rabbit in '8 Mile,' the 2002 movie based on his own life — reportedly had a certain pop superstar in mind to play the role of his alcoholic mom, who he lives with in a trailer home. And it was none other than Mariah Carey, according to producer Damion 'Damizza' Young, who was working with the legendary singer at the time. 7 After Mariah Carey was reportedly offered the role, Kim Basinger played Eminem's mother in 2002's '8 MIle.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 7 Mariah Carey performed her new single 'Type Dangerous' at the BET Awards on Monday night. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection It all began when Eminem requested a meeting with Carey, Damizza said on the 'TFU Podcast.' 'I'm not getting in the middle of that. I know how this ends,' he said. Damizza claimed that Carey initially turned down the meeting before she heard about the movie, alleging she eventually agreed to it. 'The first thing out of [Eminem's] mouth is, 'I want you to play my mother,'' Damizza recalled. But Carey, who at 56 is only four years older than Eminem, was allegedly insulted by the offer. 'Her insecurities kicked in big time,' he said. 7 Eminem performed at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York Billboard via Getty Images Although Carey never went on to join the cast of '8 Mile' — with the role of Eminem's mom going to Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger — Damizza alleged that the meeting was the catalyst for the long-rumored romance between the two music icons. 'It was her chasing him, not him chasing her,' he said. 'Next thing I know, we are at Eminem's house … and they disappear. The second they went into his room, literally, I was like, 'I'm going back to LA. There is no point of me being here.' 'It went from business to f—king,' he claimed. 7 Mariah Carey dressed in an Eminem-like disguise as a stalker in her 2009 'Obsessed' video. Billboard via Getty Images 7 Mariah Carey received the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards. REUTERS While Eminem has also claimed that they dated — he even referenced Carey on the tracks 'Superman' and 'When the Music Stops' from 2002's 'The Eminem Show' — Carey has denied ever having a relationship with him. That led the 'We Be Together' singer to seemingly take aim at Eminem on her 2009 hit 'Obsessed.' 'Telling the world how much you miss me/But we never were, so why you tripping?' sings Carey, who also donned an Eminem-like disguise as a stalker in the music video. 7 Eminem won a Best Original Song Oscar for 'Lose Yourself' from his 2002 film '8 Mile.' REUTERS 7 Eminem and Kim Basinger co-starred as a son and his alcoholic mom living in a trailer home in 2002's '8 Mile.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Eminem responded with another track, 'The Warning,' in 2009. 'Wow Mariah, didn't expect you to go balls out/ Bitch, shut the f—k up 'fore I put all them phone calls out,' he rapped. These days, though, Carey has put the Eminem feud far behind her. On Friday, she dropped 'Type Dangerous,' her first proper single since 2018's 'Caution.' She performed the new track on Monday night at the BET Awards, where she received the Ultimate Icon Award. 'This means so much, especially coming from BET,' Carey said. 'This is my first BET Award. I mean, if you're gonna get one, might as well start with the Ultimate Icon Award.' She continued, 'It took me a while, but I finally realized life is far too short to live for anyone else's approval, which is something I always did. So I decided to own who I am—my extra-ness, my fabulousness and, yes, my success and my iconic-ness.'
Buzz Feed
2 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
Katy Perry And Orlando Bloom Tension In Relationship
No need to sugarcoat things: The release of Katy Perry's most recent album, last year's 143, great. Katy's seventh album was met with negative reviews (it's currently Metacritic's lowest-rated album in more than a decade) and, for the first time since her 2008 debut One of the Boys, failed to crack the top 5 of the Billboard 200. She also received a lot of criticism for working with Dr. Luke, who Kesha has famously accused of drugging and raping her. Dr. Luke has denied the allegations. You also probably know that Katy is currently engaged to actor Orlando Bloom. The couple share a child together, Daisy. Well, according to a new report from People, the negative press around143 was so rough that it allegedly affected Katy's relationship with Orlando. "Katy was deeply frustrated following the reception of her new album," a source tells the publication. "It made her very stressed. Orlando was understanding, but it did cause some tension." Now, if you've been online at all in the last month or so, you've probably seen people criticizing Katy's tour behind 143 as well. The TikToks were been so brutal that she felt the need to issue a statement about all the criticism. According to a second source, the negativity around the tour has allegedly also affected Katy and Orlando's current sitch. "She was also disappointed in some of the tour reviews," a second source tells People. "It's put stress on their relationship." We've reached out to Katy and Orlando's reps for further comment and will let you know if we hear back.
