Common grabs his first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 as “Finding Forever” debuts with 155,000 … Korn claims its seventh consecutive top 10 studio release as its new “Untitled” bows at No. 2 … “Beautiful Girls” phenom Sean Kingston starts nicely at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 with his self-titled debut … The “Kidz Bop 12” album is the sixth in the Razor & Tie series to hit the top 10 … In Progress Reports: Carrie Underwood makes history on the Hot Country Songs chart, Pink continues her “I’m Not Dead” comeback, Nelly Furtado notches yet another radio hit, Nickelback keeps the singles coming and Foo Fighters claim their 20th Alternative/Modern Rock radio hit with their new single.
FLASH POINTS
• Common goes straight in at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with “Finding Forever,” selling 155,000. It’s the first chart-topper in the rapper’s 14-year chart career. His last album, 2005’s “Be,” debuted and peaked at No. 2 but with a bigger sale frame — 185,000. The artist’s Billboard 200 chart history dates back to 1994, when he was still known as Common Sense, with the debut of “Resurrection.” Common never reached the top 10 of the big chart until “Be” bowed in 2005. On Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, it’s a different story. He has been charting since his first release, “Can I Borrow a Dollar,” in 1993. He reached the R&B chart’s top 10 in 2000 with “Like Water for Chocolate” and hit No. 1 with “Be.” On the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, “Finding Forever” also bows at No. 1 … The album was sale-priced for less than $10 at Target, Best Buy, Circuit City and Kmart … The album’s current single, “The People,” seemingly already peaked at No. 56 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart earlier this month.
• Korn continues its solid chart streak as its new “Untitled” effort climbs in at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 with 123,000. It marks the band’s seventh consecutive studio album to peak in the top 10, dating back to the No. 3 debut of “Life Is Peachy” in 1996. Since that “Peachy” placing, they’ve hit the top 10 with the studio efforts “Follow the Leader” (No. 1), “Issues” (No. 1), “Untouchables” (No. 2), “Take a Look in the Mirror” (No. 9) and “See You on the Other Side” (No. 3). To top it off, the band has also hit No. 4 with “Greatest Hits Vol. I” and No. 9 with “MTV Unplugged” … So far, all seven of Korn’s previous studio sets have each sold more than 1 million in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its most recent, 2005’s “See You on the Other Side,” has shifted 1.2 million … The new album’s lead single, “Evolution,” peaked at No. 20 on the Alternative/Modern Rock radio chart June 30. It’s the 16th charting single for the act, going back to 1998’s “Got the Life.” Meanwhile, on the Mainstream Rock chart, “Evolution” climbs to No. 6 this week, and over on the Active Rock chart, it holds its bullet while slipping one notch to No. 5.
• Powered by his massive “Beautiful Girls” hit, Sean Kingston enters The Billboard 200 at No. 6 with his self-titled debut. The set sold 75,000 units. “Girls” shot to No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100 last week after the song was finally released to digital retailers. In the tune’s first week at digital retail, it moved 260,000 downloads. This week, it sells another 235,000. Two more songs from “Sean Kingston” were big in the digital world this week, too. “Me Love” moved 44,000 while “Take You There” did 4,000 … Kingston played the “Today” show July 31 while ABC has been using “Girls” in TV spots for “Desperate Housewives” … Would Kingston’s album sales had been bigger if the release of the digital song had been withheld until the bow of the album? Perhaps. To compare, another new artist this year, Mims, released his smash “This Is Why I’m Hot” a month before his album dropped. “Hot” did 135,000 in its first week of downloads while his album, “Music Is My Savior,” debuted at No. 4 with 76,000.
• “Kidz Bop 12,” the latest in the successful line of kid-friendly albums from Razor & Tie, debuts at No. 7 on The Billboard 200 and No. 2 on Top Kid Audio with 71,000. This is the sixth consecutive title in the main “Kidz Bop” series to debut in the top 10 of The Billboard 200. The run began with “Kidz Bop 7” back in 2005, when it debuted at No. 7. Overall, this is the 16th “Kidz Bop” title to chart on The Billboard 200. That tally includes two Christmas titles, a Halloween offering and a greatest-hits package … Other albums that start in the top 100 of The Billboard 200 this week include the Starting Line’s “Direction” (No. 30; 20,000); “American Idol” alumnus Mandisa’s debut, “True Beauty” (No. 43; 17,000 units); DevilDriver’s “Last Kind Words” (No. 48; 14,000); Keith Murray’s “Rap-Murr-Phobia” (No. 52; 13,000); Kia Shine’s “Due Season” (No. 84; 9,000); Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” (No. 94; 8,000); and Ella Fitzgerald’s “Love Letters From Ella” (No. 97; 8,000). This week marks the first time that the legendary Fitzgerald has appeared on The Billboard 200 since 1969’s “Ella” hit No. 196. “Love Letters” is also her highest-charting set since “Ella and Basie!” (with Count Basie) went to No. 69 in 1963.
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The Billboard 200 Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| *1 | New | COMMON Finding Forever (G.O.O.D. / Geffen / IGA) | 11 | 3 | PRINCE Planet Earth (NPG / Columbia / Sony Music) |
| *2 | New | KORN Untitled (Virgin ) | 12 | 9 | AMY WINEHOUSE Back To Black (Universal Republic / UMRG) |
| 3 | 1 | VARIOUS ARTISTS NOW 25 (Universal / EMI / Sony BMG / Zomba / UMRG) | 13 | 13 | TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift (Big Machine ) |
| 4 | 2 | SOUNDTRACK Hairspray (New Line ) | 14 | 11 | NICKELBACK All The Right Reasons (Roadrunner ) |
| 5 | 4 | MILEY CYRUS Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus (Walt Disney / Hollywood ) | 15 | 12 | BON JOVI Lost Highway (Mercury / Island / UMGN/IDJMG) |
| *6 | New | SEAN KINGSTON Sean Kingston (Beluga Heights / Koch / Epic / Sony Music) | 16 | 14 | RIHANNA Good Girl Gone Bad (SRP / Def Jam / IDJMG) |
| *7 | New | KIDZ BOP KIDS Kidz Bop 12 (Razor & Tie ) | 17 | 10 | PLAIN WHITE T’S Every Second Counts (Fearless / Hollywood) |
| 8 | 5 | T.I. T.I. Vs T.I.P. (Grand Hustle / Atlantic / AG) | 18 | 17 | MAROON 5 It Won’t Be Soon Before Long (A&M / Octone / IGA) |
| 9 | 6 | FERGIE The Dutchess (will.i.am / A&M / Interscope / IGA) | 19 | 19 | T-PAIN Epiphany (Konvict / Nappy Boy / Jive / Zomba) |
| *10 | 8 | LINKIN PARK Minutes To Midnight (Machine Shop / Warner Bros.) | *20 | 27 | MICHAEL BUBLE Call Me Irresponsible (143 / Reprise / Warner Bros.) |
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
MARKET WATCH
• Album units, current chart week: 8.27 million units
• UP 3.8% from last issue’s charts: 7.97 million units
• DOWN 9.6% from same week, 2006: 9.15 million units
• This week: The top three albums sell more than 100,000 copies.
• This week last year on The Billboard 200: the “Now 22” collection climbed back to No. 1, despite a 16% drop in sales. Nos. 2-4 hosted new entries from DMX, Kidz Bop Kids and Stone Sour. Additionally, five For Fighting bowed at No. 8 with “Two Lights” (52,000). The top three albums sold more than 100,000 units.
BORDERLINES
• The No. 1 album this week, Common’s “Finding Forever” (G.O.O.D./Geffen); sold 155,000.
• The No. 1 album for the same week of 2006, the “Now 22” compilation (Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group/EMI/Universal/Zomba/Sony Music), sold 4,000.
• Average total of the No. 1 album for the same week of the year during the past 10 years (1998-2007): 291,543.
PROGRESS REPORTS
• Carrie Underwood’s “So Small” makes a big splash this week as it debuts at No. 20 on the Hot Country Songs chart. That’s the highest debut ever for a female artist since the chart expanded to 50 positions in January 1964. “So Small” is the first single from Underwood’s as-yet-untitled album, which is due Oct. 23. The “American Idol” winner’s debut set, “Some Hearts,” spawned five Hot Country Songs hits — “Inside Your Heaven” (No. 52), “Jesus, Take the Wheel” (No. 1), “Before He Cheats” (No. 1), “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” (No. 2) and “Wasted” (No. 1) … Another radio-friendly lady, Nelly Furtado, debuts at No. 39 on the CHR/Top 40 radio airplay chart with “Do It.” It’s the fourth single to chart from her “Loose” album, following “Promiscuous” (No. 1), “Maneater” (No. 24) and “Say It Right” (No. 1). Her most recent radio offering, “All Good Things,” failed to reach the CHR/Top 40 chart, but it did hit No. 86 on The Billboard Hot 100 … In other CHR/Top 40 news, Pink scores her third top 20 hit from “I’m Not Dead” as “Who Knew” jumps 21-14. The single was first promoted to radio last year as the album’s second single, but was recently resurrected as the follow-up to the No. 1 hit “U + Ur Hand.”
• Nickelback becomes the first band in the 14-year history of the Nielsen BDS-based CHR/Top 40 radio airplay chart to send five singles from an album into the top 10, as “Rockstar” rises 11-10. The group’s “All the Right Reasons” album previously produced the top 10s “Photograph,” “Savin’ Me,” “Far Away” and “If Everyone Cared.” Prior to Nickelback, only Alanis Morissette, Usher and Kelly Clarkson managed five top 10s from one album. However, Janet Jackson reigns supreme — her “janet.” album spawned six top 10s in 1993 and 1994. Next week, another album looks likely to join this select group as Justin Timberlake races toward the top 10 for a fifth time with “LoveStoned” from “FutureSex/LoveSounds.” It rises to No. 11 this week.
• “The Pretender” brings Foo Fighters back to the Alternative/Modern Rock radio chart for the first time in more than a year, bursting in at No. 16. The song’s debut is the third-highest bow of the group’s 20 chart entries, trailing only the No. 12 entries for both their 1995 debut track, “This Is a Call,” and 2005’s “Best of You.” The Foo’s sixth studio album, “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” streets Sept. 25.
| Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| *1 | New | COMMON Finding Forever (G.O.O.D. / Geffen / IGA) | |||
| 2 | 2 | T.I. T.I. Vs T.I.P. (Grand Hustle / Atlantic / AG) | |||
| *3 | New | SEAN KINGSTON Sean Kingston (Beluga Heights / Koch / Epic / Sony Music) | |||
| 4 | 1 | PRINCE Planet Earth (NPG / Columbia / Sony Music) | |||
| 5 | 4 | T-PAIN Epiphany (Konvict / Nappy Boy / Jive / Zomba) | |||
| 6 | 3 | VARIOUS ARTISTS NOW 25 (Universal / EMI / Sony BMG / Zomba / UMRG) | |||
| *7 | New | KEITH MURRAY Rap-Murr-Phobia (The Fear Of Real Hip-Hop) (Def Squad / Koch) | |||
| 8 | 6 | NE-YO Because Of You (Def Jam / IDJMG) | |||
| 9 | 7 | FABOLOUS From Nothin’ To Somethin’ (Desert Storm / Def Jam / IDJMG) | |||
| 10 | 8 | R. KELLY Double Up (Jive / Zomba) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
| Top Country Albums Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| 1 | 1 | TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift (Big Machine ) | |||
| 2 | 2 | BRAD PAISLEY 5th Gear (Arista Nashville / SBN) | |||
| *3 | 6 | TIM MCGRAW Let It Go (Curb ) | |||
| 4 | 4 | CARRIE UNDERWOOD Some Hearts (Arista / Arista Nashville / RMG) | |||
| 5 | 5 | TOBY KEITH Big Dog Daddy (Show Dog Nashville ) | |||
| 6 | 3 | BILLY RAY CYRUS Home At Last (Walt Disney ) | |||
| 7 | 7 | BIG & RICH Between Raising Hell And Amazing Grace (Warner Bros. / WRN) | |||
| 8 | 8 | RASCAL FLATTS Me And My Gang (Lyric Street / Hollywood) | |||
| 9 | 10 | SUGARLAND Enjoy The Ride (Mercury / UMGN) | |||
| 10 | 9 | JASON ALDEAN Relentless (Broken Bow ) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
| Top Heatseekers Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| *1 | 4 | A FINE FRENZY One Cell In The Sea (Virgin ) | |||
| 2 | 1 | WITHIN TEMPTATION The Heart Of Everything (Roadrunner ) | |||
| *3 | New | FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH The Way Of The Fist (Firm ) | |||
| 4 | 2 | PETER BJORN AND JOHN Writer’s Block (AlmostGold ) | |||
| 6 | 5 | BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE The Poison (Trustkill ) | |||
| *7 | 8 | SICK PUPPIES Dressed Up As Life (RMR / Virgin) | |||
| 8 | 7 | EMERSON DRIVE Countrified (Montage / Midas) | |||
| 9 | 11 | LEELAND Sound Of Melodies (Essential ) | |||
| *10 | New | JOSH ROUSE Country Mouse City House (Bedroom Classics / Nettwerk) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
| Top Pop Catalog Albums Sales data provided and compiled from Nielsen SoundScan |
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| *1 | 2 | MICHAEL BUBLE It’s Time (143 / Reprise / Warner Bros.) | |||
| *2 | 3 | GUNS N’ ROSES Greatest Hits (Geffen / IGA) | |||
| 3 | 1 | TIM MCGRAW Greatest Hits (Curb ) | |||
| 4 | 4 | JOURNEY Journey’s Greatest Hits (Legacy / Columbia / Sony Music) | |||
| 5 | 5 | ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING Wicked (Decca Broadway / Universal Classics Group) | |||
| *6 | 9 | MICHAEL BUBLE Michael Buble (143 / Reprise / Warner Bros.) | |||
| *7 | 10 | AC/DC Back In Black (Legacy / Epic / Sony Music) | |||
| 8 | 6 | KELLY CLARKSON Breakaway (RCA / RMG) | |||
| 9 | 11 | PINK FLOYD Dark Side Of The Moon (Capitol ) | |||
| 10 | 7 | BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND Greatest Hits (Capitol ) | |||
| * indicates titles with greatest sales gains this week | |||||
A LOOK AHEAD
• Among the titles released this week, due on next week’s charts: Jonas Brothers’ “Jonas Brothers,” Kat DeLuna’s “9 Lives,” UGK’s “Underground Kingz,” Fuel’s “Angels and Devils,” Bruce Hornsby’s “Camp Meeting,” Plies’ “The Real Testament,” Drowning Pool’s “Full Circle,” a reissue of Drake Bell’s “Telegraph” and the “True Colors” compilation album.
• Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2006 when: Rick Ross’ “Port of Miami” led the chart, debuting with 187,000. Breaking Benjamin’s “Phobia” climbed in at No. 2 with 125,000 while the “Now 22” album slipped from No. 1 to No. 3 with 104,000. The chart greeted new entries at Nos. 3-5 with Cassie, Slayer and the soundtrack to “Step Up” starting in those slots, respectively. The top four albums sold more than 100,000 units.