Some Heavy Lifting Is Ahead for Dion

Can Celine Dion give the sagging music marketplace a titanic boost this week? Dion has been a powerhouse in pop in the past with album sales that match her arching vocals, but she stepped away from the touring stage and recording studio for two years to devote time to her family. Her new album, “A New Day Has Come,” hits the sales chart this week and has a chance to be the first title this year to sell 500,000 copies in its first week in stores.

“The release schedule has been a little slow to get started this year, but there have been some good signs in the last few weeks and this Dion album is very strong out of the box,” said Bob Bell, music buyer for the Wherehouse chain of music stores. “It would be optimistic to think it will break the 500,000 mark in the current marketplace, but it has a chance. Anything over 400,000 right now is spectacular.”

The sales reports of late have been so bleak that retailers will take what they can get. They point to a variety of culprits--among them the sluggish economy and rampant music downloading by non-paying fans--but Bell and others say the most obvious factor has been a dearth of reliable superstar releases.

Dion’s new disc should provide sustained help. Her CBS special Sunday night will give her a second-week sales bump while her fan base (which is older than the eager pop and rock fans who rush out to buy new releases right away) will give her disc stamina through the holidays this year and even next year, according to Bell.

Still, retailers are already looking down the road for the albums that can be even bigger blockbusters. The top candidates in sight: Eminem’s new album, currently scheduled for late May, and the Korn release in mid-June.

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Compiled by Times staff writers