A NEW television musical for “tweenagers” — described by critics as a modern-day Grease — has become an unlikely hit in America thanks to the influence of iPods and legal downloading.

In what is regarded as one of the savviest marketing decisions, the Disney Channel released High School Musical on January 20, usually a quiet time of year for television networks. But it was exactly what tweenagers, or pre-teens aged between 7 and 11, who had been given iPods and iTunes vouchers for Christmas wanted — and they went online in record numbers to buy the squeaky-clean pop ballads from the soundtrack.

The upshot has caused the biggest stir in the music industry for years: High School Musical rose 48 places to No 10 in the latest Billboard 200 albums chart, with nine songs appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The achievement was remarkable for two reasons: the Billboard charts take into account airplay on 1,028 radio stations, of which High School Musical received none; and nearly half the sales came from legitimate online retailers.

“It’s novel for a television movie soundtrack to take over iTunes,” Gary Marsh, the president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, said. “But you’ve got the perfect iPod storm — holiday gift cards burning holes in kids’ pockets, and content with themes that speak to kids, just waiting for them to embrace it.”

High School Musical regularly claims the top-selling album, top-selling track and up to five other positions on the iTunes lists. Its lead characters are Troy, a basketball star, and Gabriella, a beautiful swot who does well in exams. Both want the lead roles in their school’s winter musical, but they have already been taken by the spoilt, brattish Sharpay and her brother, Ryan. The plot follows their attempts to beat the siblings while keeping their parents and friends happy. It reaches a climax one dramatic day on which the winter musical audition, the basketball game and the “scholastic decathlon” are held.

Data suggests that more than 413,000 songs and 28,000 digital albums of the soundtrack have been sold. Total album sales (digital and non-digital) stand at more than 75,000. The soundtrack already ranks as the top digital seller for Disney Records, with more than 413,000 tracks and 28,000 digital albums sold.

Still, it has a long way to go before it can beat Disney’s The Cheetah Girls (2003), which ultimately sold 1.5 million units.

Unsurprisingly High School Musical was also a television ratings success, attracting 7.7 million viewers, the highest ratings for a Disney Channel original film. By the time the first Friday-to-Sunday run of the film was finished, Disney claimed a total audience of more than 20 million.

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