Billboard 200: 01/01/11: Taylor Swift #1, 259K

[HolidayGuy]

Some early tidbits, courtesy of Hip Hop DX and Idol Chatter.

Diddy ends up 14k higher on SoundScan. MJ and R. Kelly also end up slightly higher with final numbers.

3. Michael Jackson, Michael: 228,000
6. R. Kelly, Love Letter: 154,000
7. Diddy-Dirty Money, Last Train To Paris: 101,000
8. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: 97,000 (658,000 to date)
11. Rihanna, Loud: 84,000 (579,000)
19. Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party: 73,000 (+27%; 565,000 total)
20. T.I., No Mercy: 69,000 (229,000)
21. Eminem, Recovery: 69,000 (3.214 million)
22. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 66,000 (738,000)
24. Now That's What I Call Music! 36: 65,000 (+31%, 366,000)
28. Crystal Bowersox, Farmer's Daughter: 58,000

45. Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4: 36,000 (-11%; 213,000)
53. Big Time Rush, BTR: 30,000 (+33%; 244,000)
63. Carrie Underwood, Play On: 25,000 (+30%; 1.886 million)


92. Glee Cast, Glee: The Music, Vol. 1: 18,000 (+37%; 1.072 million)
110. Glee Cast, Glee: The Music, Vol. 2: 14,000 (+37%, 811,000)
114. The Essential Now That's What I Call Christmas: 13,000 (+8%, 368,000)
119. Lee DeWyze: 12,000 (+32%; 84,000)
123. Fantasia, Back to Me; 12,000 (+17%; 362,000)
130. Santana, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time: 11,000 (+29%, 219,000)

155. Now That's What I Call a Country Christmas: 8,000 (-17%, 175,000)
182. Lloyd Banks, H.F.M. 2 (The Hunger For More 2): 5,800 (69,000)
198. Sheek Louch, Donnie G: Don Gorilla: 5,400 (5,500)
199. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley, Christmas Duets: 6,000 (+12%; 437,000)

Other Idol:

Danny Gokey, My Best Days (2,000, +34%, 198,000)
Jason Castro, Who I Am (2,000, +36%, 9,000)
Mandisa, True Beauty (less than 1,000, +54%, 218,000)
Chris Sligh, The Anatomy of Broken (less than 1,000, +73%, 6,000)
Mandisa, It's Christmas (less than 1,000, -5%, 26,000)
Clay Aiken, Merry Christmas With Love (less than 1,000, +3%, 1.416 million)
Mandisa, Freedom (less than 1,000, +48%, 131,000)

[slw84]

Dec 22, 2010 10:34:02 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Some early tidbits, courtesy of Hip Hop DX and Idol Chatter.

Diddy ends up 14k higher on SoundScan. MJ and R. Kelly also end up slightly higher with final numbers.

3. Michael Jackson, Michael: 228,000
Good numbers
6. R. Kelly, Love Letter: 154,000
Good numbers...for him.
7. Diddy-Dirty Money, Last Train To Paris: 101,000 I guess that promo worked
8. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: 97,000 (658,000 to date)
Hoping for consistent numbers for the next two weeks.
11. Rihanna, Loud: 84,000 (579,000)
Solid
22. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 66,000 (738,000)
He needs to put out videos and new singles pronto.

[HolidayGuy]

Billboard.com

Swift Back at No. 1 on Billboard 200
by Keith Caulfield, L.A. | December 22, 2010 11:00 EST

The No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week was seemingly up for grabs a week ago, when industry prognosticators were predicting that it was a race between the then-current topper "The Gift" from Susan Boyle, former No. 1 "Speak Now" by Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson's new "Michael."

Well, Swift triumphs, as her "Speak" sells 259,000 (up 29%), according to Nielsen SoundScan, and returns to No. 1 for a third non-consecutive week. She beats out Boyle by 5,000 copies, as "Gift" falls one slot to No. 2 with 254,000 (up 5%). Swift's "Speak" total rises to 2.6 million, holding as 2010's third-best selling set. It stands behind only Eminem's "Recovery" (3.2 million) and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" (3 million). It's been six weeks since "Speak" was on top, marking the longest gap between No. 1 frames for an album since Alicia Keys' "As I Am" stepped aside for eight weeks between Dec. 1, 2007 and Jan. 26, 2008.

Michael Jackson's much buzzed-about "Michael" enters the Billboard 200 this week at No. 3 with 228,000 -- a start actually bigger than initially projected. It's Jackson's ninth solo album to reach the top 10, and it follows his No. 1 set from a year ago, "This Is It," which launched with 373,000.

One step below Jackson is young Jackie Evancho's "O Holy Night," rising one slot to No. 4 with 191,000 (up 28%), and "Glee's" Christmas album, falling two rungs to No 5 with 158,000 (down 18%).

R. Kelly's new "Love Letter" debuts at No. 6 with 154,000, giving the R&B kingpin his 13th top 10 set. A year ago, he arrived at No. 4 with "Untitled," shifting 114,000. Diddy-Dirty Money's "Last Train To Paris" rolls in at No. 7 with 101,000 -- a number rather larger than initial forecasts. Diddy was last on the tally with his "Press Play" set in 2006, when it started at No. 1 with 170,000.

Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday" holds on in the top 10 for a fourth week, as it slips two spots to No. 8 (97,000; though up 19%), Kid Rock's "Born Free" rallies up six positions to No. 9 (94,000; up 41% in the wake of sale advertising at major retailers last week) and the "Glee, the Music: Season Two: Volume 4" album descends two spots to No. 10 (87,000; up 17%).

Due to the competitive nature of the charts around the holiday shopping season, many new releases from significant names are somewhat lost in the shuffle this week. The next highest debut outside the top 10 comes from 2010 "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox at No. 28 with her "Farmer's Daughter" starting with 58,000. That sales figure beats the start of winner Lee DeWyze's "Live It Up" at few weeks ago, which entered higher (No. 19) but with a smaller total (39,000).

Other acts scrambling for debuts this week at lower rungs: Tank at No. 35 with "Now Or Never" (44,000), Ciara at No. 44 with "Basic Instinct" (37,000) and Kandi at No. 91 with "Kandi Koated" (18,000).

Over on the Digital Songs chart this week, Bruno Mars' "Grenade" moves 2-1, hitting the top of the list for the first time (212,000; up 14%), displacing Katy Perry's "Firework," which falls to No. 2 with 192,000 (down 5%). Lil Wayne's "6 Foot 7 Foot" (featuring Cory Gunz) bounds in at No. 3 in its first week, with 166,000. Aside from Wayne, the only other new title amongst the top 10 is Enrique Iglesias' "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)," which climbs three rungs to No. 9 with 109,000 (up 30%).

Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Dec. 19) totaled 12.50 million units, up 23% compared to the sum last week (10.20 million) and down 17% compared to the comparable sales week of 2009 (15.14 million). Year to date album sales stand at 303.94 million, down 13% compared to the same total at this point last year (348.99 million).

Digital track sales this past week totaled 21.18 million downloads, up 3% compared to last week (20.47 million) and up 6% stacked next to the comparable week of 2009 (19.90 million). Year to date track sales are at 1.086 billion, up 1% compared to the same total at this point last year (1.077 billion).

Among the albums released this week, due on next week's charts: Keri Hilson's "No Boys Allowed," Jamie Foxx's "Best Night of My Life," Keyshia Cole's "Calling All Hearts," Avant's "The Letter" and David Banner and 9th Wonder's "Death of a Pop Star."

Next week's Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2009 when: Susan Boyle lingered for a fifth week at No. 1 with "I Dreamed a Dream" (510,000; down 23%), ahead of a No. 2 debut from Mary J. Blige's "Stronger With Each Tear" (330,000). One more new entry graced the top 10, from Young Money at No. 9 with "We Are Young Money" (142,000).

[Rabbit]

Damn Ci!

[Deleted]

7. Diddy-Dirty Money, Last Train To Paris: 101,000
Wow. I know these numbers are usually not anything to boast over but this is an AMAZING result for DM. Total sales will probably be around 150k tho.


8. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday: 97,000 (658,000 to date)
11. Rihanna, Loud: 84,000 (579,000)
They are getting it in.


20. T.I., No Mercy: 69,000 (229,000)
This won't end well.


22. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 66,000 (738,000)
With AOTL impacting now, this will have no trouble going platinum which is all I ask.

[Cerbius]

Glad to see Taylor back at the top. I think she'll be holding onto that #1 position well into next year -- much like what happened with Fearless, though perhaps at a lesser degree.

[Deleted]

Ciara at No. 44 with "Basic Instinct" (37,000)

Ch.....how did EVERYONE get a significantly better result than projections except her? I would have thought those performances would have given her one of the biggest boosts. Gerwl boo.

[passionformusic]

Applause, miss Taylor! :) Plus Crystal sold much more than Lee. Real winner.

Interesting how will everybody hold up after the holidays.

[melody56]

CURRENT ALBUMS

1 SWIFT*TAYLOR SPEAK NOW 259,136 29 200,927 2,607,188
2 BOYLE*SUSAN THE GIFT 254,341 5 243,227 1,602,302
3 JACKSON*MICHAEL MICHAEL 227,673 999 515 228,219
4 EVANCHO*JACKIE O HOLY NIGHT 190,720 28 148,646 846,573
5 GLEE CAST MUSIC: XMAS 158,227 -18 193,421 750,381
6 KELLY*R. LOVE LETTER 153,873 999 393 154,281
7 DIDDY - DIRTY MONEY LAST TRAIN TO PARIS 100,786 999 102 100,890
8 MINAJ*NICKI PINK FRIDAY 97,447 19 81,870 658,439
9 KID ROCK BORN FREE 93,934 41 66,410 516,600
10 GLEE CAST GLEE: THE MUSIC, V4 86,842 17 74,489 289,658
11 RIHANNA LOUD 83,681 18 70,987 579,322
12 BIEBER*JUSTIN MY WORLDS ACOUSTIC 82,887 17 70,711 335,448
13 GROBAN*JOSH ILLUMINATIONS 79,532 5 75,492 522,802
14 BLACK EYED PEAS THE BEGINNING 76,623 23 62,288 257,944
15 PERRY*KATY TEENAGE DREAM 74,287 26 59,100 858,364
16 RASCAL FLATTS NOTHING LIKE THIS 74,084 9 67,767 446,924
17 CAREY*MARIAH MERRY CHRISTMAS II YOU 73,848 24 59,469 363,352
18 BIEBER*JUSTIN MY WORLD 2 73,079 36 53,855 2,219,734
19 ALDEAN*JASON MY KINDA PARTY 71,167 27 56,225 565,117
20 T.I. NO MERCY 69,388 -56 159,462 229,128
21 EMINEM RECOVERY 68,519 39 49,319 3,214,279
22 WEST*KANYE MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANT 66,128 -1 66,501 738,122
23 VARIOUS NOW 36 65,152 31 49,654 368,379
24 SUGARLAND INCREDIBLE MACHINE 63,473 25 50,698 684,746
25 LADY ANTEBELLUM NEED YOU NOW 61,624 33 46,486 2,995,136
26 URBAN*KEITH GET CLOSER 59,849 15 52,019 408,685
27 BOWERSOX*CRYSTAL FARMER'S DAUGHTER 57,804 999 51 57,865
28 MARS*BRUNO DOO - WOPS & HOOLIGANS 54,854 31 41,933 328,919
29 SELENA GOMEZ & THE SCENE YEAR WITHOUT RAIN 49,333 26 39,268 415,814
30 BON JOVI BON JOVI GREATEST HITS 47,943 33 35,918 294,900
31 SOUNDTRACK TRON LEGACY 47,516 -33 70,794 118,457
32 P!NK GREATEST HITS SO FAR 46,668 35 34,475 204,845
33 TANK NOW OR NEVER 43,554 999 112 43,669
34 CHESNEY*KENNY HEMINGWAY'S WHISKEY 43,163 34 32,115 546,385
35 MCGRAW*TIM NUMBER ONE HITS 43,098 21 35,689 119,242
36 LENNOX*ANNIE CHRISTMAS CORNUCOPIA 42,780 20 35,765 138,585
37 BURLESQUE SOUNDTRACK 42,630 1 42,417 193,670
38 MUMFORD & SONS SIGH NO MORE 42,116 30 32,449 533,703
39 BROWN*ZAC BAND YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE 38,609 30 29,639 533,431
40 LADY ANTEBELLUM MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS 36,677 37 26,858 223,109
41 CIARA BASIC INSTINCT 36,642 999 62 36,705
42 VARIOUS NOW CHRISTMAS 4 35,927 -11 40,448 212,706
43 WOW HITS WOW HITS 2011 34,348 22 28,179 67,932
44 LAMBERT*MIRANDA REVOLUTION 34,311 25 27,381 1,073,331
45 BAND PERRY*THE BAND PERRY 34,212 30 26,417 276,476
46 LIL WAYNE I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING 31,521 19 26,545 595,631
47 TOMLIN*CHRIS AND IF OUR GOD IS FOR US... 30,836 26 24,469 53,803
48 JOHN*ELTON & LEON RUSSEL UNION 30,614 100 15,336 251,305
49 JACKSON*ALAN 34 NUMBER ONES 29,949 4 28,747 116,375
50 BIG TIME RUSH BTR 29,627 33 22,220 244,479
51 KE$HA CANNIBAL 29,054 26 23,107 152,754
52 WILSON*CHARLIE JUST CHARLIE 29,046 -49 57,286 86,494
53 SWIFT*TAYLOR FEARLESS 26,657 9 24,416 6,174,282
54 RUCKER*DARIUS CHARLESTON, SC 1966 26,189 27 20,700 309,920
55 BUBLE*MICHAEL CRAZY LOVE 25,633 36 18,887 1,950,236
56 MCENTIRE*REBA ALL THE WOMEN I AM 25,273 22 20,731 177,515
57 LINKIN PARK THOUSAND SUNS 25,191 47 17,182 572,312
58 KINGS OF LEON COME AROUND SUNDOWN 25,147 30 19,354 444,088
59 UNDERWOOD*CARRIE PLAY ON 24,954 32 18,867 1,886,306
60 BROWN*ZAC BAND FOUNDATION 24,746 50 16,505 2,431,723
61 SOUNDTRACK HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER 24,042 -7 25,753 194,562
62 BOYLE*SUSAN I DREAMED A DREAM 23,999 24 19,358 3,928,712
63 KE$HA ANIMAL 23,410 40 16,747 1,094,561
64 VARIOUS SLEIGH RIDE 22,619 46 15,527 86,328
65 FLORENCE + THE MACHINE LUNGS 22,597 23 18,313 321,805
66 BLACK KEYS BROTHERS 22,426 49 15,094 431,963
67 SONGZ*TREY PASSION PAIN & PLEASURE 22,247 27 17,468 588,099
68 GLEE CAST GLEE: THE MUSIC,V3 21,944 35 16,286 574,829
69 BIEBER*JUSTIN MY WORLD 21,818 34 16,237 1,674,446
70 PINK MARTINI JOY TO THE WORLD 21,804 5 20,734 114,794
71 SPRINGSTEEN*BRUCE PROMISE 21,728 41 15,368 121,897
72 LADY GAGA FAME 21,504 34 16,094 3,936,719
73 VARIOUS NOW 35 21,272 31 16,268 449,684
74 STEWART*ROD FLY ME TO THE MOON: THE GREAT 21,100 9 19,447 255,026
75 NELLY 5 20,358 6 19,269 154,705
76 PAISLEY*BRAD HITS ALIVE 20,338 14 17,879 144,591
77 NE-YO LIBRA SCALE 19,523 -11 21,848 185,360
78 HINDER ALL AMERICAN NIGHTMARE 18,887 -45 34,646 53,640
79 JONES*NORAH FEATURING 18,536 12 16,533 116,264
80 TRAIN SAVE ME SAN FRANCISCO 18,455 44 12,816 593,865
81 KANDI KANDI KOATED 18,391 999 15 18,406
82 GLEE CAST GLEE: THE MUSIC V1 18,041 37 13,170 1,071,570
83 KID CUDI MAN ON THE MOON 02:00 THE LEGEND 18,014 19 15,201 287,199
84 DRAKE THANK ME LATER 17,947 25 14,319 1,228,710
85 KEITH*TOBY BULLETS IN THE GUN 17,337 27 13,625 236,097
86 THIRD DAY MOVE 17,231 40 12,281 56,665
87 KIDZ BOP KIDS KIDZ BOP 18 17,116 44 11,879 332,087
88 SULLIVAN*JAZMINE LOVE ME BACK 16,859 -12 19,266 91,856
89 MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE DANGER DAYS: THE TRUE LIVES OF 16,601 8 15,319 164,977
90 SHELTON*BLAKE LOADED: THE BEST OF BLAKE SHEL 16,368 14 14,350 97,031
91 GREEN*CEE LO LADY KILLER 15,353 -21 19,363 134,468
92 MAROON 5 HANDS ALL OVER 14,959 33 11,241 355,761
93 ADAMS*RYAN III/IV 14,953 999 225 15,180
94 KING*CAROLE & JAMES TAYLOR LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR 14,688 64 8,938 530,519
95 CURRINGTON*BILLY ENJOY YOURSELF 14,210 41 10,073 180,102
96 BUBLE*MICHAEL HOLLYWOOD THE DELUXE EP 13,811 39 9,937 101,435
97 DIAMOND*NEIL DREAMS 13,541 2 13,252 125,514
98 GLEE CAST GLEE: THE MUSIC, V2 13,513 37 9,835 811,098
99 DISTURBED ASYLUM 12,983 40 9,263 410,568
100 CELTIC THUNDER CHRISTMAS 12,573 -10 13,978 78,976
101 DEADMAU5 4X4=12 12,344 -54 26,679 39,199
102 ARCADE FIRE SUBURBS 12,191 51 8,053 419,297
103 DEWYZE*LEE LIVE IT UP 12,170 32 9,228 83,971
104 JOHNSON*JAMEY GUITAR SONG 11,664 46 8,002 222,729
105 FANTASIA BACK TO ME 11,658 17 9,939 362,342
106 AVENGED SEVENFOLD NIGHTMARE 11,642 40 8,332 415,957
107 SPRINGSTEEN*BRUCE PROMISE: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE 11,329 20 9,414 73,582
108 JAY-Z HITS COLLECTION 11,326 4 10,880 63,377
109 DAY TO REMEMBER WHAT SEPARATES ME FROM YOU 10,988 20 9,156 110,515
110 TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE ORIGINA SOUNDTRACK 10,858 -7 11,699 499,050
111 MICHELE*CHRISETTE LET FREEDOM REIGN 10,754 -24 14,146 67,030
112 SANTANA GUITAR HEAVEN: THE GREATEST GU 10,687 29 8,270 218,697
113 CLAPTON*ERIC CLAPTON 10,665 39 7,689 147,948
114 SKILLET AWAKE 10,488 29 8,117 444,918
115 USHER VERSUS 10,258 31 7,816 215,982
116 DUFFY ENDLESSLY 10,143 -45 18,326 28,579
117 CHURCH*ERIC CAROLINA 9,863 33 7,393 345,633
118 BENET*ERIC LOST IN TIME 9,826 -33 14,728 56,724
119 KEM INTIMACY 9,237 -6 9,822 279,943
120 TOBYMAC TONIGHT 9,220 30 7,100 161,905
121 USHER RAYMOND V RAYMOND 9,121 36 6,706 1,166,087
122 WAKA FLOCKA FLAME FLOCKAVELI 9,095 7 8,524 137,668
123 EL DEBARGE SECOND CHANCE 9,088 -18 11,076 40,934
124 ROSS*RICK TEFLON DON 9,061 13 7,994 516,411
125 SHAKIRA SALE EL SOL 8,850 14 7,738 132,390
126 FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH WAR IS THE ANSWER 8,759 24 7,039 397,767
127 BAREILLES*SARA KALEIDOSCOPE HEART 8,723 22 7,150 240,672
128 VARIOUS NOW COUNTRY V3 8,603 38 6,238 97,498
129 LADY GAGA FAME MONSTER (8 TRK) 8,583 33 6,466 1,378,250
130 GLEE CAST GLEE: THE MUSIC-JOURNEY TO REG 8,481 31 6,459 371,752
131 BROWN*ZAC BAND PASS THE JAR-ZAC BROWN BAND & 8,435 41 5,997 182,305
132 IGLESIAS*ENRIQUE EUPHORIA 8,378 33 6,279 208,190
133 LADY ANTEBELLUM LADY ANTEBELLUM 8,280 47 5,632 1,814,836
134 EL GRAN COMBO SALSA: UN HOMENAJE A EL GRAN C 8,160 19 6,855 22,565
135 NIEMANN*JERROD JUDGE JERROD & THE HUNG JURY 8,146 30 6,282 192,961
136 SOUNDTRACK TANGLED 8,016 7 7,494 36,756
137 LAMONTAGNE*RAY & THE PARIAH DO GOD WILLIN' & THE CREEK DON'T 7,982 46 5,484 212,737
138 ISLEY*RON MR. I 7,845 -25 10,530 40,731
139 WILSON PHILLIPS CHRISTMAS IN HARMONY 7,783 -14 9,070 38,934
140 SELENA GOMEZ & THE SCENE KISS AND TELL 7,765 37 5,673 723,055
141 DAUGHTRY LEAVE THIS TOWN 7,758 33 5,847 1,210,435
142 JOHNSON*JACK TO THE SEA 7,712 55 4,964 707,339
143 SOULJA BOY DEANDRE WAY 7,666 -4 8,017 29,043
144 STRAIT*GEORGE TWANG 7,623 46 5,212 652,241
145 SING OFF HARMONIES FOR THE HOLIDAYS 7,560 76 4,305 13,641
146 CAMP*JEREMY WE CRY OUT:THE WORSHIP PROJECT 7,511 61 4,668 33,534
147 PAISLEY*BRAD AMERICAN SATURDAY NIGHT 7,404 45 5,105 704,425
148 SHINEDOWN SOUND OF MADNESS 7,376 35 5,471 1,152,145
149 RAT PACK*THE CHRISTMAS WITH THE RAT PACK 7,305 -4 7,573 36,096
150 GLEE CAST ROCKY HORROR GLEE 7,136 19 6,017 126,741
151 VARIOUS NOW 34 7,117 37 5,211 466,182
152 CASTING CROWNS UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS 7,070 15 6,129 234,418
153 COLE*NATALIE WITH THE MORMON T MOST WONDEFUL TIME OF THE YEAR 6,943 13 6,122 26,439
154 MY DARKEST DAYS MY DARKEST DAYS 6,928 18 5,862 68,316
155 SHELTON*BLAKE ALL ABOUT TONIGHT 6,863 21 5,676 140,564
156 SMITH*MICHAEL W WONDER 6,678 40 4,759 23,920
157 KIDZ BOP KIDS KIDZ BOP CHRISTMAS PARTY 6,565 -7 7,074 35,388
158 PLANT*ROBERT BAND OF JOY 6,556 61 4,060 161,010
159 WEST*MATTHEW STORY OF YOUR LIFE, THE 6,473 51 4,274 17,658
160 LADY GAGA REMIX 6,450 41 4,560 151,557
161 CORBIN*EASTON EASTON CORBIN 6,436 23 5,222 291,960
162 B.O.B B.O.B PRESENTS: THE ADVENTURES 6,385 27 5,034 469,957
163 COUNTDOWN KIDS CA1 CHRISTMAS FAVORITES 6,354 -24 8,415 39,297
164 ADKINS*TRACE COWBOY'S BACK IN TOWN 6,318 22 5,188 174,424
165 VARIOUS HOME FOR CHRISTMAS 6,296 -18 7,649 25,611
166 COUNTDOWN KIDS CA1 FUN SONGS FOR KIDS 6,272 0 6,299 30,749
167 LAMBERT*ADAM ACOUSTIC LIVE! 6,252 -36 9,781 16,559
168 NEWSBOYS BORN AGAIN 6,243 66 3,770 45,758
169 DAMNED THINGS IRONICLAST 6,230 999 141 6,371
170 BROKEN BELLS BROKEN BELLS 6,227 56 3,999 291,361
171 ONEREPUBLIC WAKING UP 6,204 21 5,124 288,235
172 KIDZ BOP KIDS KIDZ BOP 17 6,198 50 4,124 284,015
173 BRYAN*LUKE DOIN' MY THING 6,161 30 4,750 489,482
174 TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCH. NIGHT CASTLE 6,088 2 5,985 446,629
175 LECRAE REHAB 6,076 54 3,933 59,858
176 CRUZ*TAIO ROKSTARR 6,067 26 4,822 170,045
177 GODSMACK ORACLE 6,012 34 4,483 418,101
178 BEATLES BEATLES IN STEREO 5,979 32 4,536 219,337
179 PLAIN WHITE T'S WONDERS OF THE YOUNG 5,929 -26 8,027 13,990
180 FAR EAST MOVEMENT FREE WIRED 5,894 22 4,834 72,873
181 BANKS*LLOYD H.F.M.2 (HUNGER FOR MORE 2) 5,799 -19 7,158 69,109
182 PARAMORE BRAND NEW EYES 5,793 39 4,158 648,564
183 MAYER*JOHN BATTLE STUDIES 5,714 49 3,844 1,100,188
184 FLYLEAF REMEMBER TO LIVE 5,695 -49 11,187 16,136
185 CASTRO*CRISTIAN VIVA EL PRINCIPE 5,655 3 5,497 18,083
186 LYNN*LORETTA AND FRIENDS COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER 5,636 14 4,956 42,790
187 LENNON*JOHN POWER TO THE PEOPLE 5,618 -3 5,778 70,038
188 GUY*BUDDY LIVING PROOF 5,577 62 3,446 37,839
189 AC/DC IRON MAN 2 5,557 32 4,205 458,072
190 CYRUS*MILEY CAN'T BE TAMED 5,531 25 4,410 292,424
191 BEDINGFIELD*NATASHA STRIP ME 5,483 -57 12,725 18,238
192 LAMBERT*ADAM FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT 5,474 25 4,364 775,034
193 LITTLE BIG TOWN REASON WHY, THE 5,449 29 4,225 142,347
194 NEON TREES HABITS 5,437 11 4,886 115,211
195 CANADIAN TENORS PERFECT GIFT 5,410 15 4,695 31,503
196 COSGROVE*MIRANDA SPARKS FLY 5,406 33 4,063 174,360
197 SHEEK LOUCH DONNIE G.: DON GORILLA 5,401 999 62 5,463
198 DYLAN*BOB WITMARK DEMOS: 1 5,399 46 3,697 66,599
199 LEGEND*JOHN WAKE UP! 5,397 31 4,123 197,845
200 ROYCE*P PRINCE ROYCE 5,281 24 4,244 78,288

[Adonis the DemiGod!]

Kanye would still have higher sales if he could keep is trap shut.

[areyoureadytojump]

HITS had Diddy at #10. SoundScan has him at #7.

Mariah's 24% increase is very good.

[Kishi KCM]

Shocked at how high Diddy made a debut. Go Fantasia, Taylor, Rihanna, Mariah, and Nicki!!

[Enigma.]

3 JACKSON*MICHAEL MICHAEL 227,673 999 515 228,219

Decent sales.

After 13 years I'm still amazed how Blood on the Dance Floor reached only #24. Huge shocker back then.

[HolidayGuy]

Considering the promo, and regardless of big sale pricing, some thought Mimi's album could go over 100K. But, not surprised by the results. Nice that it was a bit higher than HITS' numbers, though.

To-date totals for Subo and Jackie Evancho stand at roughly 1.684 million and 865,412, respectively.

[Deleted]

Nice to see Nicki, Rihanna, Taylor and Katy doing well! Looks like Mimi will miss out on gold this year, but surely by the end of next year she'll get it :)

Ouch at Ciara! Makes me wonder where Ms. Keri Baby will land

Nice to see Crystal outsell Lee! Both are gonna flop, but Crystal's album is actually pretty good, and not as "Cookie Cutter" as most AI albums. Is she only the 2nd AI runner up to outsell the winner(other than Clay?).

[HolidayGuy]

Island may have shipped at least 500K, so it's possible Mimi's album may get a gold cert soon.

[Deleted]

Dec 22, 2010 14:26:25 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Island may have shipped at least 500K, so it's possible Mimi's album may get a gold cert soon.

True. I always just say "going gold" but I really mean "actually selling Gold". It's the wrong way to say it, but it works.

[HolidayGuy]

new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/71727/week-ending-dec-19-2010-michael-wouldnt-have-liked-this/

Week Ending Dec. 19, 2010: Michael Wouldn't Have Liked This
Posted by Paul Grein in Chart Watch

Michael Jackson's MICHAEL enters The Billboard 200 at #3 behind Taylor Swift's Speak Now, which returns to #1 for a third week, and Susan Boyle's The Gift, which dips to #2 after four weeks on top. This is the first time that an album of new Jackson material hasn't debuted at #1 since Thriller opened at #11 in December 1982. More than just about any other artist, Jackson loved being #1. I think he'd be awfully disappointed to debut at #3.

Jackson debuted at #1 with his last four albums of new material: Bad, Dangerous, HIStory: Past Present And Future-Book I (which was half new, half old) and Invincible. Unless MICHAEL moves up to #1 in a subsequent week, this will be Jackson's first collection of new material to fall short of #1 since his 1979 smash Off The Wall, which peaked at #3.

MICHAEL sold 228,000 copies in its first week. Early reports called for the album to sell in the range of 400K in its first week, but those projections were revised downwards last week. I'm surprised that the album didn't do better because it was released at the peak of the Christmas sales season. And the warm single, "Hold My Hand" (featuring Akon), hits the right notes for this time of year.

Of course, it's highly unlikely that MICHAEL would have been released at all if Jackson hadn't died 18 months ago. Some Jackson pals, including will.i.am, have gone on record saying that Jackson, a perfectionist, wouldn't have wanted an album of leftovers to be made public. Other Jackson associates, including his former manager Frank DiLeo, have countered that Jackson loved nothing more than sharing his music with people. Fans who want to take Jackson's feelings on this point into account have to decide for themselves.

Jackson's reaction to this week's chart number wouldn't have been anything personal against Swift. Jackson had a lot in common with the country/pop performer. Both artists achieved stardom at early ages. Swift released her debut album when she was 16. Jackson was 11 when the Jackson 5 exploded.

Swift's current album has sold 2,607,000 copies in eight weeks. The album is off to an even faster start than Swift's 2008 blockbuster Fearless, which sold 2,202,000 copies in its first eight weeks. Speak Now is #3 for the year to date. This will be the third year in a row that Swift has had an album in the year-end top three. That's something that no other artist has accomplished in Nielsen SoundScan history (which dates to 1991).

Incidentally, this is the second time that Akon has backed Jackson on a Hot 100 hit. Akon was featured on a remake of "Wanna Be Startin' Something" from Thriller 25. Paul McCartney is the only other artist who had billing on two charted collaborations with Jackson ("The Girl Is Mine" and "Say Say Say"). Diana Ross ("Ease On Down The Road"), Stevie Wonder ("Get It") and Janet Jackson ("Scream") each had billing on one charted collabo with Jackson.

MICHAEL is Jackson's 15th album to make the top 10. The total combines nine solo albums with six albums he recorded with his brothers in the Jackson 5 and later the Jacksons. The group first cracked the top 10 in February 1970 with Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. This gives Jackson a nearly 41-year span of top 10 albums.

MICHAEL debuts at #4 in the U.K., behind Take That's Progress (which holds at #1 for the fifth week), Rihanna's Loud and Michael Buble's Crazy Love.

R. Kelly's Love Letter debuts at #6. It's the R&B veteran's 13th album to reach the top 10 (counting two collaborations with Jay-Z). That's the good news. Here's the bad: Love Letter debuted lower than any R. Kelly studio release since 12 Play, which bowed at #23 in November 1993.

Justin Bieber has two albums in this week's top 20. My Worlds Acoustic holds at #12. My World 2.0 rebounds from #21 to #18. Bieber is the only artist with two albums in this week's top 20 (or top 40, for that matter, unless you count the Glee cast as an artist.)

Bruno Mars' "Grenade" jumps to #1 on Hot Digital Songs. It sold 212,000 copies this week, bringing its 12-week total to 1,077,000. "Grenade" is Mars' third #1 hit of the year on the digital chart, following B.o.B's "Nothin' On You" (on which he was featured) and his own "Just The Way You Are." Mars is one of only four artists (and the only man) to land three #1 hits on Hot Digital Songs so far this year. He follows Katy Perry, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.

Here's the rest of the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs, per Nielsen SoundScan. Katy Perry's "Firework" dips from #1 to #2 (192K). Lil Wayne featuring Cory Gunz's "6'7"" debuts at #3 (166K). The Black Eyed Peas' "The Time (Dirty Bit)" dips from #3 to #4 (147K). Rihanna featuring Drake's "What's My Name?" dips from #4 to #5 (141K). Ke$ha's "We R Who We R" holds at #6 for the third week (134K). P!nk's "Raise Your Glass" drops from #5 to #7 (130K). Wiz Khalifa's "Black & Yellow" dips from #7 to #8 (122K). Enrique Iglesias featuring Ludacris' "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" jumps from #12 to #9 (109K). Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj's "Bottoms Up" dips from #9 to #10 (99K).

Pop Quiz: These are the last charts that will be published before Christmas. So how many Christmas songs would you say are listed on the top 200 Digital Songs chart? How many Christmas albums are listed on The Billboard 200? Take your best guesses. Answers below.

With just two weeks to go in the chart year, Eminem's Recovery remains #1 for the year to date. If you missed my year-end piece on the year's top albums, here's a link. If you missed my piece on the year's top songs, here's a link. Reminder: I'll update both of these pieces when the final tallies come in on Jan. 5.

I expect that Recovery will also win the Grammy for Album of the Year. This will be the second year in a row that the best-selling album of the year (per Nielsen SoundScan) will walk off with the Grammy as Album of the Year. Taylor Swift's Fearless achieved this double feat last year. My annual Grammy predictions piece went up Monday. If you missed it, here's a link.

John & Yoko's 1971 classic "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and the Beach Boys' 1963 classic "Little Saint Nick" both jumped into the top 30 this week on Nielsen SoundScan's list of the top-selling holiday songs in digital history. I wrote this up as a blog a few weeks ago. I just updated the list (again). All the tallies are as current as this week's charts. Here's a link.

Quiz Answers: 36 Christmas songs are listed on this week's Top Digital Songs chart. 44 Christmas albums are listed on The Billboard 200. (How'd you do?)

Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 albums.

1. Taylor Swift, Speak Now, 259,000. The album returns to #1 for a third week. This is its eighth week in the top 10. It's #1 on the country chart for the seventh week. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Back To December" jumps from #48 to #34." "Mine" jumps from #94 to #77.

2. Susan Boyle, The Gift, 254,000. The former #1 album dips to #2 after four weeks on top. This is its sixth week in the top five. I Dreamed A Dream spent its first 10 weeks in the top five.

3. Michael Jackson, MICHAEL, 228,000. This new entry is Jackson's 15th top 10 album (counting six albums with his brothers). Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Hold My Hand" (featuring Akon) jumps from #60 to #24. "Monster" (featuring 50 Cent) debuts at #193.

4. Jackie Evancho, O Holy Night, 191,000. The EP/DVD combo moves up from #5 to #4. This is its fifth week in the top five. The hit is up to #15 on the year-to-date chart.

5. Various Artists, Glee; The Music: The Christmas Album, 158,000. The album drops from #3 to #5. This is its fifth week in the top 10. It's the #1 soundtrack for the fifth week. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Last Christmas" drops from #35 to #65. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" drops from #27 to #68.

6. R. Kelly, Love Letter, 154,000. This new entry is Kelly's 13th album to reach the top 10. As you can see from the album cover, Love Letter is a salute to old-school R&B. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "When A Woman Loves" debuts at #151. "Love Letter" bows at #195.

7. Diddy Dirty Money, Last Train To Paris, 101,000. This new entry is Diddy's fifth top 10 album. But those other albums all reached #1 or #2. Four songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Comin' Home" (featuring Skylar Grey), which jumps from #17 to #12.

8. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday, 97,000. The album drops from #6 to #8. This is its fourth week in the top 10. Three songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Right Thru Me," which jumps from #49 to #46.

9. Kid Rock, Born Free, 94,000. The album rebounds from #15 to #9 in its fifth week. This is its second week in the top 10. This is the third album with this title to make the top 10. Pianist Roger Williams and singer Andy Williams (no relation) both scored with albums titled Born Free in 1967.

10. Various Artists, Glee: The Music, Vol. 4, 87,000. The album drops from #8 to #10. This is its third week in the top 10. Three songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by "Forget You" (featuring Gwyneth Paltrow), which drops from #65 to #85.

T.I.'s No Mercy drops from #4 to #21 in its second week. This is T.I.'s first album to slip out of the top 10 after just one week since Urban Legend six years ago. The rapper's last album, Paper Trail, logged eight weeks in the top 10. It wound up as the #8 best-selling album of 2008.

Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy drops from #10 to #33. This is the #1 soundtrack to a theatrically-released movie for the second straight week. It's also #1 on the Digital Albums chart. The album has sold 79K digital copies in two weeks, which is 66% of its total. The movie was #1 at the box-office over the weekend. It grossed nearly $44 million, which is more than the original 1982 movie Tron grossed in its entire run ($33 million).

Two other albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Josh Groban's Illuminations drops from #7 to #13. Rihanna's Loud drops from #9 to #11.

Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas drops from #11 to #20. It's #1 on the Catalog Albums chart for the third straight week.

Crystal Bowersox's Farmer's Daughter debuts at #28 with first-week sales of 58,000. This is the second year in a row that the debut album by the American Idol runner-up has sold more copies in its first week than the debut album by the winner. Lee DeWyze's Live It Up started with sales of 39,000 four weeks ago (though it debuted higher, at #19). Last year, Adam Lambert's For Your Entertainment (#3, 198K) surpassed Kris Allen's Kris Allen (#11, 80K).

Unless one or both of these albums later cracks the top 10, or one of the other contestants from Season 9 catches fire, this will be the first season of Idol in which no contestant lands a top 10 album. The numbers for the show's contestants are declining because the show, while still highly rated, doesn't generate nearly as much buzz it did at its peak. Glee, for one, is much buzzier.

Two R&B artists break their top 10 streaks this week. Tank's third album, Now Or Never, debuts at #35. His first two albums both made the top 10...Ciara's fourth album, Basic Instinct, bows at #44. Her first three albums all made the top three.

Song Scorecard: Three songs top the 1 million mark this week: "What's My Name" by Rihanna featuring Drake, Bruno Mars' "Grenade" and Maroon 5's "Misery." These songs took seven, 12 and 25 weeks, respectively, to reach this milestone...Paramore's 2007 hit "Misery Business" tops the 2 million mark in paid downloads. Eminem's "Airplanes," which features Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams, is up to 3,871,000.

Coming Attractions: Next week's top new albums will include Keyshia Cole's Calling All Hearts, Jamie Foxx's Best Night Of My Life and Keri Hilson's No Boys Allowed.

[Agent Yoncé]

This is very interesting. I wonder how's MJ's WW sales

[$uperb@tDuDe]

Dec 22, 2010 13:10:25 GMT -5 Adonis the DemiGod! said:

Kanye would still have higher sales if he could keep is trap shut.

Kanye's had a big mouth from the beginning though so I think it's a lack of a big radio hit like's he's had in all of his previous albums that's resulting in his sales not being higher.

[strikeleo]

Dec 22, 2010 14:39:52 GMT -5 $uperb@tDuDe said:

Dec 22, 2010 13:10:25 GMT -5 Adonis the DemiGod! said:

Kanye would still have higher sales if he could keep is trap shut.

Kanye's had a big mouth from the beginning though so I think it's a lack of a big radio hit like's he's had in all of his previous albums that's resulting in his sales not being higher.

I don't think that's the problem either. Graduation, which had stronger and he had a much better public perception at the time sold 2,166,000 copies, and he debuted with 957,000... If you think about it, he didn't sell that much considering what he debuted with. He has always been this way, he sells well first week and then has one sharp decline after the other.

[Enigma.]

Dec 22, 2010 14:30:48 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/71727/week-ending-dec-19-2010-michael-wouldnt-have-liked-this/

Week Ending Dec. 19, 2010: Michael Wouldn't Have Liked This
Posted by Paul Grein in Chart Watch

This is the first time that an album of new Jackson material hasn't debuted at #1 since Thriller opened at #11 in December 1982. More than just about any other artist, Jackson loved being #1. I think he'd be awfully disappointed to debut at #3.

Jackson debuted at #1 with his last four albums of new material: Bad, Dangerous, HIStory: Past Present And Future-Book I (which was half new, half old) and Invincible. Unless MICHAEL moves up to #1 in a subsequent week, this will be Jackson's first collection of new material to fall short of #1 since his 1979 smash Off The Wall, which peaked at #3.

Blood on the Dance Floor was half new material as well. If he counts History as new then he should count BOTDF too.

[Fat Ass Kelly Price]

Dec 22, 2010 14:47:06 GMT -5 strikeleo said:

Dec 22, 2010 14:39:52 GMT -5 $uperb@tDuDe said:

Kanye's had a big mouth from the beginning though so I think it's a lack of a big radio hit like's he's had in all of his previous albums that's resulting in his sales not being higher.

I don't think that's the problem either. Graduation, which had stronger and he had a much better public perception at the time sold 2,166,000 copies, and he debuted with 957,000... If you think about it, he didn't sell that much considering what he debuted with. He has always been this way, he sells well first week and then has one sharp decline after the other.

Not really. That was his first album to sell less than 3 million. It sold that well the first week because of his competition w/ 50, Stronger, and the fact that he's a strong first week seller. The album didn't sell more because the only hits were Good Life and Stronger, which were already getting airplay by the time of the album's release.

[musiqfan]

RIAA has Barbara and Madonna ahead of Mariah as top selling female artist(U S A).
Barbara Streisand(68) 71.5million
Madonna(52) 64million
Mariah Carey(40) 63million

With this Xmas album going gold for Mariah she would inch that much closer to Madonna. Considering Mariah's age in comparison to theirs I think its pretty impressive :)

[jgizzle89]

i realize that kanye is underperforming, but a 1% drop isn't bad at all.

[livelikedying111]

I have noticed that Rihanna's digital single sales aren't that high.
With her last album it was strange that Rude Boy had sold as few units as it did, as the album wasn't selling too well. Now, with What's My Name being a really addictive and massive song, also not selling as massively as one would expect. Only this time it kinda make sense, 'cuase her album is relatively selling well. what do you guys think?

[strikeleo]

Dec 22, 2010 14:55:00 GMT -5 Fat Ass Kelly Price said:

Dec 22, 2010 14:47:06 GMT -5 strikeleo said:

I don't think that's the problem either. Graduation, which had stronger and he had a much better public perception at the time sold 2,166,000 copies, and he debuted with 957,000... If you think about it, he didn't sell that much considering what he debuted with. He has always been this way, he sells well first week and then has one sharp decline after the other.

Not really. That was his first album to sell less than 3 million. It sold that well the first week because of his competition w/ 50, Stronger, and the fact that he's a strong first week seller. The album didn't sell more because the only hits were Good Life and Stronger, which were already getting airplay by the time of the album's release.

It was only his third album, so, yes, it was his first cd to sell less than 3 million copies, but if you think about it, none of the first two were that impressive either. Both sold near 3 million copies with like, a load of hits. I mean, the first one had All falls down, Slow Jamz and Jesus Walks... and the second one had... wait, should I even bother mentioning? Gold Digger, and that should be enough. 3 million in 2005, where we had Clarkson, Underwood, 50 Cent, Nickelback, Carey and a couple of other artists selling above 5 million, doesn't make him the best seller that some try to paint him as. And at that time, he had a nice image, and everything else.

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

Dec 22, 2010 14:18:04 GMT -5 HolidayGuy said:

Considering the promo, and regardless of big sale pricing, some thought Mimi's album could go over 100K. But, not surprised by the results. Nice that it was a bit higher than HITS' numbers, though.

lol. You never fail to slide one in.

[Fat Ass Kelly Price]

Dec 22, 2010 15:06:22 GMT -5 strikeleo said:

Dec 22, 2010 14:55:00 GMT -5 Fat Ass Kelly Price said:

Not really. That was his first album to sell less than 3 million. It sold that well the first week because of his competition w/ 50, Stronger, and the fact that he's a strong first week seller. The album didn't sell more because the only hits were Good Life and Stronger, which were already getting airplay by the time of the album's release.

It was only his third album, so, yes, it was his first cd to sell less than 3 million copies, but if you think about it, none of the first two were that impressive either. Both sold near 3 million copies with like, a load of hits. I mean, the first one had All falls down, Slow Jamz and Jesus Walks... and the second one had... wait, should I even bother mentioning? Gold Digger, and that should be enough. 3 million in 2005, where we had Clarkson, Underwood, 50 Cent, Nickelback, Carey and a couple of other artists selling above 5 million, doesn't make him the best seller that some try to paint him as. And at that time, he had a nice image, and everything else.

First album....he was a debut artist. 3 million is respectable.
Second album...his only real hit was Gold Digger. 3 million off of that is great.
Third album...already explained that.
Fourth album...1.7 million off the strength of Love Lockdown & Heartless alone.
Fifth album...738,000 off the strength of just his existence.

Compared to his contemporaries with each release and the magnitude/number of hits, Kanye is a seller. A unit pusher. I'd more readily lump him in with the Taylors & Eminems than the rest.

And also consider the rate of release.

First album....2004
Second album....2005
Third album....2007
Fourth album....2008
Fifth album....2010

[strikeleo]

Dec 22, 2010 15:11:19 GMT -5 Fat Ass Kelly Price said:

Dec 22, 2010 15:06:22 GMT -5 strikeleo said:

It was only his third album, so, yes, it was his first cd to sell less than 3 million copies, but if you think about it, none of the first two were that impressive either. Both sold near 3 million copies with like, a load of hits. I mean, the first one had All falls down, Slow Jamz and Jesus Walks... and the second one had... wait, should I even bother mentioning? Gold Digger, and that should be enough. 3 million in 2005, where we had Clarkson, Underwood, 50 Cent, Nickelback, Carey and a couple of other artists selling above 5 million, doesn't make him the best seller that some try to paint him as. And at that time, he had a nice image, and everything else.

First album....he was a debut artist. 3 million is respectable.
Second album...his only real hit was Gold Digger. 3 million off of that is great.
Third album...already explained that.
Fourth album...1.7 million off the strength of Love Lockdown & Heartless alone.
Fifth album...738,000 off the strength of just his existence.

Compared to his contemporaries with each release and the magnitude/number of hits, Kanye is a seller. A unit pusher. I'd more readily lump him in with the Taylors & Eminems than the rest.

I'm not saying he's a bad seller, or anything of that sort, What I'm saying is: He always had sharp declines. So I don't get why people expect that to change. Sure, he sells well (let's not compare him to Taylor and Eminem, though, because he's not near them) but ever since Graduation, he has been what I'd call a first week seller, which is neither bad nor good.