Women Hold Top 5 Spots on Billboard 200 for the First Time Ever

We’re not usually into music chart-tracking around here, but an interesting observation just came across my screen about the most recent Billboard 200 chart worth noting. According to Chart Watch (via Spare Candy, via @sarahspy), the top five spots on Billboard’s list are currently held by female artists for the first time in history. Now these aren’t the artists we typically cover, but it’s an interesting milestone to say the least. Here’s the list:

1) Susan Boyle – “I Dreamed A Dream”
2) Lady Gaga – “The Fame”
3) Alicia Keys – “The Element Of Freedom”
4) Mary J. Blige – “Stronger with Each Tear”
5) Taylor Swift – “Fearless”

Paul Grein crunched the numbers even more for a host of other statistical observations about women on the charts over the years here.

In semi-related news, LA Times revealed that overall music sales hit an all-time high in 2009, with vinyl sales up 33%. Has the recession spared the music industry?