The week Miley Cyrus debuted on top of the album charts with "Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus," she appeared on national morning television shows, the cover of People magazine, newspaper front pages and other media outlets. The only spot she couldn't be found was the one sure place you would expect a best-selling artist: Top 40 radio.

And she's not alone. A league of tween-leaning acts, including The Cheetah Girls and Aly and AJ, all of whom are current or former stars of the Disney Channel, are routinely mining gold, platinum and multi-platinum CD sales while being virtually locked out at Top 40. That includes songs from the chart-topping soundtrack to "High School Musical," which was the best-selling album in 2006 and has passed the 4 million mark.

"Disney has turned itself into something of a machine in terms of promoting these acts in a very integrated way in the marketplace," says Brian Lucas, Best Buy spokesman. "They have TV exposure, ads, (placement) in stores. It's almost like the lack of mainstream radio is the one area where the consumers aren't getting touched."

That's because mainstream radio, which targets a coveted 18-to-34 year-old demo, doesn't want to risk alienating its older listeners.

"Radio has a stigma about playing these acts, considering them teen and preteen in their appeal," says Guy Zapoleon, a radio consultant and former Top 40 programmer

Given the lack of response at radio, Disney's music labels often don't bother to pursue airplay with the saturation at TV via the Disney Channel and at tween-aimed radio through Radio Disney.

"The Disney game plan has been don't work the soundtrack singles (from "High School Musical" or "Hannah Montana"). Instead, wait until the artist is on Hollywood Records doing a solo record and then go to Top 40," says Sean Ross of Edison Media Group, which monitors the radio industry. Walt Disney Records is Disney's imprint for its children/tween-oriented material, while mainstream pop and rock acts are issued on its sister, Hollywood Records.

That plan worked for Hilary Duff -- to varying degrees. Her 2003 album "Metamorphosis" followed the soundtrack for "Lizzie McGuire," the Disney Channel show that catapulted Duff to fame. "Metamorphosis" came out while "Lizzie McGuire" was still on the air and has sold 3.7 million copies, the best-selling title by far of Duff's several solo albums. The set also spawned two Top 40 hits, "Come Clean" and "So Yesterday."

Ultimately, nature, time and genetics may help Duff in a way Disney, despite all its might, cannot. In a clear move to put her Lizzie McGuire past behind her, Duff is on the current covers of Us Weekly and Shape in a bikini. She is also on the cover of the August issue of Maxim, which breathlessly declares she has gone "from the queen of teen to breakout sex symbol."

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