Billboard 200: 12/04/10: Susan Boyle #1 (335k)

Album sales up 2% over the comparable period last year? Some positivity, at least. Less than 38m to go to reach 300m for the year.

Nice numbers for SuBo and JackEvan.

With 2010 digital song sales topping 1 billion this week and an overall % increase over last year, it would be a nice week for a rare Digital Songs Chart Soundscan leak ;)

The Beatles being added to iTunes obviously helped.

Nice sales. Susan is really going strong.

Digital tracks have finally caught up, nice. Let's keep them up there the rest of the year

Current albums again so Chris Tomlin's christmas album is no-show

Amazing for him: such a busy week and Two Top 20 albums!

Jackie Evancho would've been the youngest solo artist ever to hit no. 1 if it had beaten Boyle.

Billboard.biz:

Chart Moves: Susan Boyle, Jackie Evancho
November 25, 2010

By Keith Caulfield and Silvio Pietroluongo

The Billboard 200

-- Susan Boyle/Jackie Evancho: The top two rungs of the Billboard 200 chart are brought to you by Simon Cowell's Syco Music imprint and his "Got Talent" TV franchise. At No. 1, former "Britain's Got Talent" contestant Susan Boyle holds at No. 1 for a second week with her Syco/Columbia set "The Gift" selling 335,000 (up 5%). In the runner-up slot, 10-year old "America's Got Talent" runner-up -- and fellow Syco/Columbia artist -- Jackie Evancho comes in at No. 2 with her "O Holy Night" EP, selling 239,000.

With both albums from Sony Music, it's the first time a label group has controlled the top two slots since the tally dated Feb. 21, when the Fray's self-titled album debuted at No. 1 (Epic/Sony Music) while Bruce Springsteen's "Working on a Dream" (Columbia/Sony Music) fell one spot to No. 2. It's also the first time one imprint -- Syco and Columbia - have monopolized Nos. 1 and 2 since March 25, 2006, when Atlantic did so with Juvenile's "Reality Check" (UTP/Atlantic/AG) at No. 1 and James Blunt's "Back to Bedlam" (Custard/Atlantic/AG) at No. 2.

-- Lady Antebellum: All but one of 25 of albums that move up on the Billboard 200 this week are holiday sets -- a clear indication that it's the merriest time of the year. The highest-ranking upward-moving title on the list is Lady Antebellum's "A Merry Little Christmas" EP, exclusively available at Target. It skips up the list 15 spots to No. 24 with 33,000 (up by 18,000 -- the largest unit gain on the chart). The biggest positional climb this week belongs to Elvis Presley's "It's Christmas Time," moving 90 rungs to No. 93.

-- Marie Osmond: There are four albums on the list this week that take tumbles of at least 100 positions, and all of them debuted last week: Marie Osmond's "I Can Do This" (down 100 to No. 171), Twista's "The Perfect Storm" (down 102 to No. 144), Lil Boosie, Webbie, Lil Trill & Trill Fam's "All Or Nothing" (down 103 to No. 152) and the Floacist's "Floetic Soul" (down 103 to No. 198). It's not unusual to see acts with particularly devoted (but limited in size) fan bases collapse hard in their second week, as most of their core consumers purchase new albums upon release.

-- Elvis Presley: The King of Rock & Roll's Cirque du Soleil show album "Viva Elvis" slides down the list 85 spots to No. 133 in its second week (6,000; down 58%). Though the pairing is reminiscent of the Beatles' "Love" collaboration with Cirque in 2006, their sales couldn't be any more different. "Viva" has done 19,000 in its first two weeks while "Love" moved 418,000 in its premiere pair of frames.

-- Charlie Brown Christmas/Vince Guaraldi Trio: The soundtrack to the classic 1965 animated TV special jumps 22 rungs to No. 159 with 5,000 (up 39%). The program will air twice this season on ABC (Dec. 7 and 16), so further gains are probably in the (holiday) cards. The various editions of the set have sold 3 million since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.

SuBo's total is 653,000 or so- for year-end purposes, SoundScan does remember to add sales from Christian outlets to the final tallies, correct?

^Bruce sold ~79k between the two albums. If they had been combined, he would be Top 10.

New RIAA certs:

Now 35 Gold
Rick Ross Gold
Lady Antebellum, Lady Antebellum 2xp

www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3ic2e2b84001a6ce300b7112fdf5e83753

On the Billboard 200: SuBo's Still No. 1; Eight Albums Debut in Top 10
November 24, 2010


Editor: Keith Caulfield; Editorial Director: Silvio Pietroluongo; Contributor: Alex Vitoulis

Susan Boyle's "The Gift" easily fended off all challengers as it holds at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a second week, posting a second-week increase in sales with 335,000 (up 5%) sold according to Nielsen SoundScan ... In the No. 2 spot this week is recent "America's Got Talent" runner-up Jackie Evancho, debuting with her EP/DVD release "O Holy Night," shifting 239,000 ... Among the other acts starting in the top 10: Rihanna, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Josh Groban, Kid Rock, Nelly and the "Glee" cast with its Christmas album ... Meanwhile, digital track sales for 2010 reach the 1 billion mark.


FLASH POINTS

• Wow. Go SuBo!

• Susan Boyle's "The Gift" scores a rare second-week increase from a No. 1 debut as it sells 335,000 (up 5%), according to Nielsen SoundScan, and holds atop the Billboard 200. It bowed at No. 1 last week with 318,000.

• The last No. 1 debut to post a sales jump in its second week was Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0," which went from 283,000 to 291,000 (up 3%) in its sophomore frame on the chart dated April 17. Bieber had the Easter shopping holiday on his side in his second week, though his set was pushed down to No. 2 behind the No. 1 arrival of Usher's "Raymond V Raymond" (329,000)

• Perhaps because of "The Gift's" unique appeal in the marketplace, it was able to build momentum in its second week, unlike most albums, which usually tumble. "Gift's" target demographic of older consumers tend not to focus on an album's street date and buy music at a more leisurely pace -- thus helping it stay steady. Also, as it's a holiday-themed set, it reaps the benefit of consumers searching for seasonal music in the march towards Christmas.

• Former "Britain's Got Talent" contestant Boyle is joined by a kindred TV spirit in the top two his week, as 10-year-old "America's Got Talent" runner-up Jackie Evancho sees her "O Holy Night" bow with 239,000 at No. 2. The four song EP -- bolstered with a DVD of performances -- carries an economical list price of $8.

• Boyle and Evancho's albums are two of three holiday efforts in the top 10; the "Glee" cast's "Christmas Album" starts at No. 8 with 161,000. We haven't had this many holiday albums in the top 10 since the tally dated Jan. 2, 1993, when four sets populated the region.

• Evancho's "O Holy Night" and the "Glee" cast's "Christmas" set are among the eight new entries in the top 10, tying a record set on the Oct. 17, 2009 tally when Barbra Streisand's "Love Is the Answer" bowed at No. 1, followed by arrivals at Nos. 2-5 and 7-9.

• Also, the top nine albums this week all sold more than 100,000 each, the first time that's happened since the chart dated Jan. 9 (reflecting the sales week ending Dec. 27, 2009), when the top 16 all moved 100,000 copies.

• Diva Rihanna captures her fifth top 10 set with "Loud" coming in at No. 3 with 207,000 -- her best sales week yet. All five of her studio efforts have reached the upper tier. She previously hit the top 10 with "Music of the Sun" (No. 10, 2005), "A Girl Like Me" (No. 5, 2006), "Good Girl Gone Bad" (No. 2, 2007) and "Rated R" (No. 4, 2009).

• Josh Groban's "Illuminations" lights up at No. 4 with 191,000 start while Kid Rock's "Born Free" bows at No. 5 with 189,000. It's the sixth top 10 for both singers. While you couldn't find "Born" on iTunes, is was available through other digital retailers (like Amazon MP3), but only as a full album purchase. Downloads account for 23,000 of its overall 189,000-start.

• Rascal Flatts' Big Machine debut "Nothing Like This" enters at No. 6 with 165,000, marking the band's seventh top 10 album. Meanwhile, Keith Urban sees his latest release, "Get Closer," start at No. 7 with 162,000. It's his fourth top 10 and follows "Defying Gravity," which opened at No. 1 in 2009 with 172,000.

• The eighth and final top 10 debut this week belongs to Nelly, who starts at No. 10 with his "5.0" shifting 63,000. It's his sixth top 10.

• Aside from Boyle, the only holdover in the top 10 this week is Taylor Swift's "Speak Now," which descends seven slots to No. 9 in its fourth week with 146,000 (down 30%).

• Over on the Digital Songs chart, the "Glee" cast's take on Cee Lo Green's "Forget You," featuring actress Gwyneth Paltrow, arrives at No. 1 with 192,000. The cast thus replaces itself atop the list, as its rendition of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" was No. 1 last week with 214,000. This week, "Teenage" tumbles to No. 19 with 72,000 (down 66%). This is actually Paltrow's second No. 1 on a Billboard music chart, following "Cruisin'," a duet with Huey Lewis, which topped the Adult Contemporary radio chart in 2000.

• Green's original version of "Forget You" (aka "F*** You") feels the "Glee" love, as it rallies up 10 slots to a new peak of No. 2 with a one-week high of 191,000 downloads (up 94%).

• The cast of "Glee" also bows a second single in the top 10 this week, as its mash-up of "Singing in the Rain/Umbrella" opens at No. 7 with 140,000.

• Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Nov. 21) totaled 8.12 million units, up 29% compared to the sum last week (6.30 million) and up 2% compared to the comparable sales week of 2009 (7.99 million). Year to date album sales stand at 261.78 million, down 13% compared to the same total at this point last year (300.98 million).

• Digital track sales this past week totaled 22.47 million downloads, up 5% compared to last week (21.30 million) and up 19% stacked next to the comparable week of 2009 (18.95 million). Year to date track sales are at 1 billion, up less than 1% compared to the same total at this point last year (999.55 million).



MARKET WATCH

• Album units, current chart week: 8.12 million units
• Up 29% from last week's charts: 6.30 million units
• Up 2% from the comparable week in 2009: 7.99 million units
• This week last year on the Billboard 200 chart: John Mayer's "Battle Studies" started at No. 1 with 286,000 while Andrea Bocelli's "My Christmas" held at No. 2 (185,000; up 36%). Four more albums opened in the top 10, led by Norah Jones' "The Fall" at No. 3 with 180,000.


A LOOK AHEAD

• Among the albums released this week, due on next week's charts: Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," My Chemical Romance's "Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys," Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday," Ke$ha's "Cannibal," Ne-Yo's "Libra Scale," Jay-Z's "The Hits Collection Volume 1," Lloyd Banks' "H.F.M.2," Robyn's "Body Talk" and Dane Cook's "I Did My Best - Greatest Hits."

• Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2009 when: Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" debuted at No. 1 with 701,000, keeping Andrea Bocelli's "My Christmas" stuck at No. 2 for a third week (218,000; up 18%). Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment" was the tally's second-highest entry, coming in at No. 3 with 198,000.

^"1+1=2" I know. I was refering to a conversation between HolidayGuy and I last week.

This was not a disappointing number.

It's not a new studio album.

It's a bunch of old songs from the 70s.

^No one is working today.

The numbers are always leaked by someone in the music business. No one is working.

A more accurate statement is numbers aren't always leaked, we post whatever we can find each week