Dr. Horrible Soundtrack Now Available on iTunes

OK, Joss Whedon superfans — time to replace your MP3 bootlegs with the official Dr. Horrible soundtrack, now available via iTunes. With studio-quality production value and no sound effects, it’s a fantastic chance to catch all the lyrics you might have missed the first time — “But her tears will dry when I hand her the keys to her new shiny Australia” is a gem from Brand New Day. And it also gives all those planning to ambush Felicia Day with a serenade better research materials.

In its first day of release, the soundtrack is the No. 2 downloaded album on iTunes in the U.S., and Young Jezzy’s The Recession may not hold the top slot for much longer. The album is also No. 1 in Canada and Australia.

Between the soundtrack and the Dark Horse web comics written by Zach Whedon, the Dr. Horrible franchise is still going strong. The DVD (featuring fan-created applications to join the Evil League of Evil) should be out by December — meaning that the hardcore fanatic will have spent at least $35 on the series (iTunes season pass for original airing + soundtrack + estimated $20 for the DVD). That right there, that’s what I call monetization.