‘Hope for Haiti Now’ Digital Album Tops U.S. Chart

The numbers are in and history is being made. 'Hope for Haiti Now,' the compilation soundtrack of new songs, covers and special one-off performances from last Friday's 'Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief' telethon has topped the Billboard chart. This is huge news as it's the first digital-only No. 1 album in the chart's 54-year history. The compilation more than doubled the numbers of Susan Boyle's seemingly eternal 'I Dreamed A Dream' by moving around 171,000 units total.

The album -- a deal at $7.99 -- features all 20 performances from the telethon and each track can be downloaded individually for $0.99. The disc has everything from the excellent Neil Young and Dave Matthews collaboration on Hank Williams' 'Alone and Forsaken' to the wince-inducing Bono, the Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna collaboration on 'Stranded.'

Of course, 'Hope For Haiti Now' goes way beyond a digital-only release as all proceeds are going directly to organizations helping with Haitian relief efforts. These include: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.

'Hope Now For Haiti' also received the biggest pre-order in the history of iTunes when it went on sale the Thursday before the telethon.