Nowadays, a slow-and-steady climb to the top is much less ... For four straight weeks, the top 13 albums on the Billboard 200 have all already peaked at either No. 1 or No. 2.

Nowadays, a slow-and-steady climb to the top is much less common — and generally reserved for breakthroughs by new and heretofore little-known artists. If you want a sense of how the standard chart ...