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.
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'We come from different musical backgrounds, but the emotion, the storytelling — that was shared. Collaborating with him wasn't about chasing a fusion — it was about two artists trusting each other to make something honest. Going down to Mexico and being immersed in his world was a powerful reminder of how universal that connection through music really is.' From a purely commercial standpoint, León has no need to take musical risks like this beyond the Latin realm. In the past five years alone, he has notched three entries on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, including Colmillo de Leche (2023) and Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 (2024), which both reached the top 10. He has placed three No. 1s on the Latin Airplay chart, seven No. 1s on Regional Mexican Airplay and 19 entries on Hot Latin Songs, including three top 10s. He's a widely sought-after collaborator for pop stars (Camilo, Maluma, Kany García, Carlos Vives), Spanish stars (Manuel Carrasco, El Cigala), Mexican legends (Pepe Aguilar, Alejandro Fernández) and fellow current chart-toppers (Grupo Firme, Gabito Ballesteros) alike. But regardless of what sounds he's working with, or whether his collaborator is an established name or an untested act (a particular favorite of his), León knows what he likes. That confidence is at the core of his and manager Jorge Juarez's strategic plan to make him a truly global artist — and for the past year, they've set their sights on country music, hoping to bridge the divide between two genres that, despite their different languages, are in fact remarkably similar. 'It's something that fills me with pride and something that's been very difficult to achieve as a Mexican and as a Latin: to reach the center of the marrow of this country movement,' León says. 'To get to know this [country music] industry and start moving the threads to act as this missing link between regional Mexican and country music.' León first tested the country waters back in 2019 with a Mexican/country version of Extreme's 'More Than Words,' recorded in English and Spanish. Though it now has 14 million streams on Spotify, 'it's kind of lost because there was so much other stuff happening at the time,' he says. It was a risky move, especially coming when León was not yet the established star he is today. But to him, it was one worth taking. 'It was the perfect excuse to show something different,' he says. 'And it was amazing. It was so liberating. Because I was trapped in this box that was regional mexicano at that time, and [this song] was very fun for me.' Country and regional Mexican are, truly, natural siblings. Both genres are anchored in storytelling, with acoustic instrumentation and guitars central to their sound. Boots, hats and fringe jackets are staple outfits for artists and fans alike. And though they stem from different cultures, both are, as León puts it, 'roots genres' with their foundations in regional sounds. Unsurprisingly, other Latin artists have forayed into country before — but none have brought León's existing level of Latin music stardom, nor have they generated the buzz and impact that he has since releasing his first country team-up, 'The One (Pero No Como Yo),' with Brown in March 2024. Since then, he has spent weeks in Nashville, working with local producers and songwriters for a country-leaning album featuring other major names that's slated for a 2026 release. For country music, that's good news. According to the Country Music Association's 2024 Diverse Audience study, 58% of Latino music listeners consume country music at least monthly, compared with 50% when the last study was conducted in 2021. Finding the right opportunity to tap that market had long been in the Grand Ole Opry's sights. 'And then,' says Jordan Pettit, Opry Entertainment Group vp of artist and industry relations, 'the opportunity with Carín came up.' At León's Opry debut in 2024, 'we had a lot of audience there, more than normal,' Pettit recalls. 'The show itself absolutely blew my expectations.' The plan had been for León to play three songs, but the crowd clamored for more, and the musician obliged with a fourth. 'I can think of only one or two occasions in my seven years here where I've seen an artist get an encore,' Pettit says. 'It was really, really awesome to see the worlds collide.' León's worlds have been colliding since he was born Óscar Armando Díaz de León in Hermosillo, Mexico, a business hub and the capital of the northwestern state of Sonora, located 200 miles from the U.S. border at Nogales, Ariz. That proximity, coupled with his family's voracious appetite for music, exposed him to a constant and eclectic soundtrack that ranged from Cuban troubadour Silvio Rodríguez and corrido singer Chalino Sánchez to country stars Johnny Cash and George Strait to rock mainstays like Journey, Paul McCartney and Queen. 'What's happening now in my career is the result of the music I ingested since I was a kid,' he says. 'Music gave me the incentive to learn about many things — the origin of other countries, political movements linked to music, cultural movements. I'm very freaky about music. Everything I have comes from the music I listened to.' When León finally started dabbling in guitar, he gravitated to the music closest to his roots, regional Mexican, and eventually adopted his stage name. By 2010, he was the singer for Grupo Arranke, which through its blend of traditional sinaloense banda brass and sierreño guitars eventually landed a deal with the Mexican indie Balboa. After a slow but steady rise, Grupo Arranke garnered its sole Billboard chart entry, peaking at No. 34 on Hot Latin Songs in 2019 with 'A Través del Vaso,' penned by veteran songwriter Horacio Palencia. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and León switched gears: He went solo, signed to indie Tamarindo Recordz and began releasing music at a prolific pace, launching what he now calls his 'exotic' cross-genre fusions. He scored his first top 10 on a Billboard chart with 'Me la Aventé,' which peaked at No. 6 on Regional Mexican Airplay in 2019. But his true breakouts were two live albums recorded and filmed in small studios during lockdown, Encerrados Pero Enfiestados, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Locked Up, but Partying). The bare-bones sets, featuring León singing and playing guitar with a stripped-down accompaniment of tuba and guitar, struck a powerful chord. At a time when teenage performers with gold chains and exotic cars were propelling corridos tumbados and música mexicana with hip-hop attitude up the charts, this 30-year-old relative unknown with a poignant tenor that oozed emotion was performing regional Mexican music with a Rhodes organ, a country twang and, with his cover of '90s pop hit 'Tú,' a female point of view. No one else sounded like him. Those acoustic sessions 'were the first things I realized could make the audience uncomfortable [and] question what they were hearing,' León recalls. 'Wanting everyone to like you works, but it doesn't let you transcend. I think things happen when you change something — for good or bad — and you get that divided opinion. All my idols — Elvis, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash — were people who swam against the current. And not in a forced way, but in a sincere way, exposing vulnerabilities. We knew it was good stuff. And things began to happen.' During the pandemic lockdown, León had the time and creative space to experiment and explore a new openness within regional Mexican music, a genre where artists used to seldom collaborate with one another. In 2021, he notched his first No. 1 with 'El Tóxico,' a collaboration with Grupo Firme that ruled Regional Mexican Airplay for two weeks. Then, Spanish urban/flamenco star C. Tangana DM'd him on Instagram and invited him to collaborate on 'Cambia!,' a song from Tangana's acclaimed album El Madrileño that also featured young sierreño star Adriel Favela and can best be described as a corrido flamenco. The track 'blew my mind,' León says — and exposed him to a completely different audience. 'It taught me divisions are literally only a label. When I heard that album, I understood music has no limits. C. Tangana is to blame for what's happening with my music now.' Collaboration requests from artists seeking León's unique sound (and sonic curiosity) started to flow in at the precise time that he was itching to explore and globalize his music. In 2022, after recording the pop/regional Mexican ballad 'Como lo Hice Yo' with Mexican pop group Matisse, he met the band's manager, Jorge Juárez, co-owner of well-known Mexican management and concert promotion company Westwood Entertainment. The two clicked, and when León's label and management contract with Tamarindo expired in early 2023, he approached Juárez. 'There comes a time when managers and the artist have to be a power couple,' León observes. 'I found the right fit with Mr. Jorge Juárez. He's a music fiend; he has a very out-of-the-box vision. That's where we clicked. And he had huge ambition, which is very important to us. He's the man of the impossible. We want to change the rules of the game.' In León, Juárez says he saw 'a very versatile artist who could ride out trends, who could become an icon. He wasn't looking to be No. 1, but to be the biggest across time. He had so many attributes, I felt I had the right ammunition to demonstrate my experience of so many years and take him to a global level.' Juárez, who shuttles between his Miami home base and Mexico, is a respected industry veteran who has long managed a marquee roster of mostly Mexican pop acts including Camila, Reik, Sin Bandera and Carlos Rivera. He's also a concert promoter with expertise in the United States and Latin America. He sees León as having the potential to become 'the next Vicente Fernández,' he adds, referring to the late global ranchero star. Because León had parted ways with Tamarindo, which kept his recording catalog, he urgently had to build a new one. He and Juárez partnered in founding a label, Socios Music, and began releasing material prolifically, financing the productions out of their own pockets. Since partnering with Juárez, León has released three studio albums: Colmillo de Leche and Boca Chueca, Vol. 1, which both peaked at No. 8 on Top Latin Albums, and Palabra de To's, which reached No. 20. Beyond the catalog, they had three other key goals: finding a tour promoter with global reach, building the Carín León brand and expanding into country. AEG, which León and Juárez partnered with in 2023, could help with all of it. Last year, the promoter booked León's back-to-back performances at Coachella and Stagecoach — making him one of very few artists to play both of the Southern California Goldenvoice festivals in the same year — as well as his slot opening for The Rolling Stones in May in Glendale, Ariz. AEG president of global touring Rich Schaefer says they sold over 500,000 tickets for León headline shows in the United States since they started working together, including a 2024 sellout at Los Angeles' BMO Stadium. 'There are few artists who put out as much music as Carín does on a regular basis,' Schaefer adds. 'He's able to sing and speak fluently in two languages, which has already opened a lot of doors both in the States and abroad. Our team works very closely with Jorge and his team, and he has a deep understanding of how to approach international territories. With a little luck, Carín is poised to take over the world.' That international viewpoint also informed León's approach to recording. When Juárez set out to unlock country music for his client, he first contacted Universal Music Publishing Group head Jody Gerson — 'our godmother,' as Juárez likes to say. 'She opened so many doors to us.' Gerson first met León in 2023, after Yadira Moreno, UMPG's managing director in Mexico, signed him. 'It was clear from my first meeting with him that he possessed an expansive vision for his songwriting and artistry that would take him beyond Mexican music,' Gerson says. 'Before signing with us, he wanted to make sure that we were aligned with his ambitions and that he would get meaningful global support from our company, specifically in Nashville. Carín actually grew up listening to country music, so his desire to collaborate with country songwriters is an organic one.' Beyond opening the door to working with Nashville producers and songwriters, Gerson also connected Juárez and León with Universal Music Group chief Lucian Grainge, who in June 2024 helped formulate a unique partnership between Virgin Music Group, Island Records and Socios Music. Through it, Virgin and Island distribute and market León's music under Socios, with Virgin distributing and marketing to the U.S. Latin and global markets and Island working the U.S. mainstream market. The agreement encompasses parts of León's back catalog as well as new material, including 2024's Boca Chueca, Vol. 1, which featured his bilingual collaborations with Brown ('The One [Pero No Como Yo],' which peaked at No. 46 on Hot Country Songs) and Bridges. He plans to deliver Boca Chueca, Vol. 2 before the end of the year and just released a deluxe version of Palabra de To's that includes new pairings with Maluma (their 'Según Quién' topped the Latin Airplay chart for four weeks in 2023 and 2024) and first-time duets with ranchera star Alejandro Fernández and flamenco icon El Cigala. While flamenco is another passion point for León, the country album — his 'first magnum opus,' he says — is his most ambitious goal. Already, he has worked in Nashville with major producers and songwriters including Amy Allen, Dan Wilson and Natalie Hemby. On the eclectic project, he says, 'Some stuff sounds like James Brown, some stuff sounds like Queen, some stuff sounds like regional Mexican with these corrido tumbado melodies, but in a country way. It's very Carín. It's what's happening in my head and in my heart.' He won't divulge all of its guests just yet, but he says it includes friends like 'my man Jelly Roll' and other big stars he admires. It's new territory for a Latin act, and León is acutely aware of the fact. But he's approaching it from a very different point of view. 'I'm not a country artist,' he says flatly. 'I'm a sonorense. I have regional Mexican in my bones. But I love country music, and I'm trying to do my approach with my Mexican music and find a middle point. It's not easy. You have a lot of barriers because of the accent, because of the language, the racial stuff.' For some successful regional Mexican artists who tour constantly and make top dollar, the trade-off is not worth it; financially speaking, they don't need to open new territories or genres and the audiences that come with them. But for León, 'the money trip passed a lot of years ago,' he says with a shrug, taking a last sip of tequila and adjusting the brim of that ever-present accessory he shares with his country friends. 'I need to change the game,' he adds. 'I'm hungry to make history, to be the one and only. I'm so ambitious with what I want to do with the music. It's always the music. She's the boss.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
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