Black Sabbath Hits The Streaming Charts For The First Time

Following Ozzy Osbourne’s death, Black Sabbath reaches two of Billboard’s streaming charts for the first time, in both instances with Paranoid. WANTAGH, NY – AUGUST 17: (L-R) Tommy Clufetos, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, and Tony Iommi perform onstage as Black Sabbath on “The End Tour” at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 17, 2016 in Wantagh, New York. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

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Ozzy Osbourne’s death in July prompted fans around the world to revisit the catalog that helped change rock music forever, and that renewed attention has given Black Sabbath a string of new chart successes. This frame, the band breaks onto two of Billboard’s streaming rankings for the first time, which is a rare sight for two different acts that got their start decades ago.

Paranoid Debuts on Billboard’s Streaming Chart

Black Sabbath earns its first appearance on the Top Streaming Albums chart as Paranoid opens at No. 40. The 1970 full-length is a landmark in hard rock history, but it’s never ranked among the 50 most-streamed collections in the U.S. until this frame.

Its arrival on the streaming-only tally suggests listeners aren’t just pressing play on a single cut or two from the set, but rather, that they’re consuming the project in full. All that streaming activity helps push Paranoid to six Billboard charts this week, and it reaches new peaks on two of them.

“Paranoid” Hits Streaming Songs for the First Time

The title track “Paranoid” from the album of the same name also earns a first as it debuts at No. 43 on the Streaming Songs chart. The cut is currently featured on more than 10 Billboard tallies. While it launches on just one list this frame, it improves on nearly all of the others, hitting new highs on half a dozen of them.

Black Sabbath’s Catalog Climbs Following Ozzy Osbourne’s Death

Streams and sales typically spike in the days after an artist’s passing, but Black Sabbath’s numbers aren’t simply holding, they’re growing. Osbourne’s solo material is also growing in popularity and rising on the charts, and streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are playing a huge role in the rediscovery of many of Osbourne’s biggest hits and most popular albums.

Released in 1970, Paranoid helped define heavy metal, with tracks like “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and its title cut becoming staples of the genre. More than five decades later, the set is still a classic, and at the moment, it’s enjoying quite the renaissance.