Tweens' impact on music world

It's significant and growing. The soundtrack for a made-for-TV movie targeting people under 15 – Disney's "High School Musical" – is the No. 1 album in iTunes and has the No. 1 song ("Breaking Free"), Reuters reports. But tweens' clout goes beyond online sales: Nine of the soundtrack's songs are on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, without any airtime on radio, which is usually a big influence on the Hot 100. The soundtrack's popularity has remained steady since the movie first aired on the Disney Channel January 20, Reuters adds. Since then some 20 million people have seen it. According to Reuters, the soundtrack's phenomenal sales are due partly to all the iPods tweens received as holiday gifts. Clearly, electronic gadgets instead of toys in kids' hands is great news for producers of all forms of media. "Music targeting kids age 14 and under is emerging as a growth segment for labels," Reuters reports. Here's more on changes in the music world from the Washington Post - including how singles, "which were on the music industry's endangered-species list at the turn of the 21st century, have come roaring back to life in the digital age."