Business

Sony Music poised to have big sales week

Sony Music was already expected to be a major business beneficiary of tonight’s Grammys, with at least nine acts set to perform during the show, but the label will likely experience even more sales as fans remember Whitney Houston by purchasing her music.

Houston’s songs and albums, released through Sony, are already dominating the download charts on iTunes and Amazon.

On iTunes, eight of Houston’s albums were listed on the top 100 album sales chart, with “The Greatest Hits” taking the No. 1 slot and both the original and deluxe versions of her eponymous 1985 debut charting, as of Sunday afternoon.

On Amazon, 10 albums, including the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack, were in the top 100 sales chart, with her “Greatest Hits” album at No. 1.

As far as songs, 24 tracks from Houston were on Amazon’s 100 most-downloaded songs chart, even though some were the same song from different albums.

A tribute to Houston is planned for the Grammys, but the show’s other performers are also expected to do big business.

Adele, Jason Aldean, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Brown, the Foo Fighters, Foster the People, Alicia Keys and Bruce Springsteen all release albums through Sony’s various divisions. Brown and the Foo Fighters may also be performing twice — at least that’s how the Grammys listed them — which would give them an extra opportunity to get their music in front of viewers.

Adele is also performing for the first time since she had vocal-cord surgery last fall, and the singer, who already topped the charts throughout 2011, is expected to be a big winner.

With NewsCore