USA
Billboard Report (Excerpt)
Lady Antebellum leads banner week for EMI
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
by Keith Caulfield, L.A. & Silvio Pietroluongo, N.Y.

Lady Antebellum's sophomore effort, "Need You Now," starts its chart run at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 481,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's the biggest debut sales week for any

album since Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" bowed atop the list with 701,000 in November, and the best for a country album since Taylor Swift's "Fearless" opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 592,000 copies in November 2008. Lady Antebellum's self-titled first album debuted and peaked at No. 4 with 43,000 in its opening week back in May 2008. This week, in the set's 94th week on the chart, it climbs one spot to No. 15 with 31,000 (up 32%). The eye-popping sum that Lady A's "Need You Now" racked up is also the biggest opening week for an album released in January since the Game's "The Documentary" bowed with 587,000 at No. 1 in 2005. Traditionally, January isn't packed with albums that earn blockbuster debut weeks, as most of the big guns come out in time for the busy November-December holiday shopping season. But for the Capitol Nashville set, all the stars have seemingly aligned. The new album's title track, which the trio performed on the Jan. 31 Grammy Awards, already spent five weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart and jumps from No. 37 to No. 30 on the Pop Songs tally this week. The trio also has another reason to celebrate, as it won its first Grammy Award during the show's pre-telecast ceremony, taking home the trophy for best country performance by a duo or group with vocals (for "I Run to You," from its first album). Lady A's arrival at No. 1 helps EMI Music claim four out of the top 10 titles on the Billboard 200 this week, the first time the company has done so in nearly 12 years. Lady A's Capitol Nashville effort is joined by Capitol's Corinne Bailey Rae and her second album, "The Sea" (a debut at No. 7 with 53,000); the Grammy / Capitol "Grammy Nominees 2010" compilation (down three slots to No. 8 in its second week with 45,000; down 7%); and Manhattan's Celtic Woman with "Songs From the Heart" (debuting at No. 9 with 42,000). The last time EMI had four albums in the top 10 was July 4, 1998, when Master P's "MP Da Last Don" (No. 3; No Limit/Priority), the soundtrack to "Hope Floats" (No. 4; Capitol), Garth Brooks' "The Limited Series" (No. 6; Capitol Nashville/Capitol) and the Smashing Pumpkins' "Adore" (No. 10; Virgin/Capitol) held court. Last week's No. 1, the "Hope for Haiti Now" charity compilation, drops to No. 2 with 143,000—down just 16% after its first full week of availability. Lady Gaga's "The Fame" holds at No. 3 with (68,000; up 10%), Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" drops two rungs to No. 4 (59,000; down 31%), and Barry Manilow's "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time" debuts at No. 5 (57,000). Michael Jackson's "This Is It" jumps 11 spots to No. 6 with 55,000 (up 136%) courtesy of the attention generated from the DVD release of the same-named film. At Nos. 7-9 are the aforementioned Rae, "Grammy Nominees" and Celtic Woman titles, respectively. Closing out the top 10, at No. 10, is the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." with 40,000 (up 14%). Expect significant jumps next week for last Sunday's (Jan. 31) Grammy Awards performers, including Gaga and the Peas, once a full week of sales impact is felt. (SoundScan's tracking week ends at the close of business on Sunday evening.) Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Jan. 31) totaled 6.50 million units, up 11% compared with the sum last week (5.8 million) and down .06% compared with the comparable sales week of 2009 (6.51 million).
After several of music's biggest stars showed their support for Haiti relief efforts, consumers are doing the same. Songs from the charity compilation "Hope for Haiti Now" scale the Billboard Hot 100, along with all Billboard sales and airplay charts, on Billboard.com. Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris' "Hallelujah," featuring Charlie Sexton, vaults 48-13 on the Hot 100 with Greatest Gainer/Digital honors, spurred by a 24-5 charge on the Digital Songs chart (151,000 downloads sold, up 136%). Three additional cuts from "Hope for Haiti Now" debut on the Hot 100: "Lean on Me" by Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock and Keith Urban, the Hot Shot Debut at No. 47; Taylor Swift's "Breathless" (No. 72); and Jennifer Hudson's cover of the Beatles' "Let It Be" (No. 98). In the chart's upper ranks, Ke$ha clocks a seventh week at No. 1 with "TiK ToK." The song leads Radio Songs/Hot 100 Airplay for a second week (130 million audience impressions) and rebounds for a sixth week atop Digital Songs (200,000 downloads). Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" returns for a seventh week in the runner-up spot on the Hot 100 (3-2), the song's highest rank to date. Rising 4-3, Young Money's "BedRock," featuring Lloyd, claims Greatest Gainer/Airplay accolades. The song climbs 6-3 on Radio Songs (101 million in audience, up 14%). The Black Eyed Peas zoom 11-4 on the Hot 100 with "Imma Be," marking their fourth top 10 from their former Billboard 200 No. 1 album, "The E.N.D." David Guetta's "Sexy Chick," featuring Akon, lifts 7-5, and Ludacris' "How Low" surges 12-6, each title rebounding to new peak positions. Iyaz's "Replay" dips 6-7, and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," the title cut to the Billboard 200's new leader, returns to the top 10 of the Hot 100 after 10 weeks with gains at retail (18-8, Digital Songs) and radio (19-14, Radio Songs). The song reached a highpoint of No. 5 on the Hot 100 in November. Rounding out the Hot 100's top 10, Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" edges 10-9. The track swaps places with Rihanna's "Hard," featuring Jeezy.  COMPLETE CHARTS

United Kingdom
Music Week Report (Excerpt)
Alicia Keys tops the UK album chart for the first time
Monday, February 8, 2010
by Alan Jones, London

A busy release slate and the approach of Valentines Day help album sales to jump 6.30% week-on-week to 2,034,416 an excellent 19% above same week 2009 sales of 1,713,255. Making the biggest

contribution, The Element Of Freedom tops the artist album chart at the eighth attempt, becoming the first UK number one album for Alicia Keys. Ironically, the album is her first not to reach number one in America, after a quartet of chart-toppers. Galvanised by the success of first two singles Empire State Of Mind (Part II) and Doesn't Mean Anything, The Element Of Freedom sold 35,337 copies last week, and is the 21st Top 75 album, 13th Top 10 album but first number one album in the UK for Sony CEO Clive Davis' J Records imprint since its 2000 inception. Dutch violinist Andre Rieu's Forever Vienna set continues to make sterling progress, moving 4-2 on sales of 33,709 copies. Although Sunny Side Up slips 1-3, Paolo Nutini still has cause to celebrate: the 31,607 copies it sold last week lift its overall tally to 1,019,208, making it the Paisley singer/songwriter's second straight million selling album from as many releases following 2006 debut These Streets, which has thus far sold 1,220,576 copies. Among 12 debuts on the Top 75 the biggest intake for eight weeks are albums by four acts who have at various times topped the chart, including Corinne Bailey Rae, who nabs top debut honours, with The Sea entering at number five (22,914 sales), three years to the month after her self-titled debut set arrived at number one on first-week sales of 108,181. Other former chart-toppers to occupy lower berths this week are: Peter Andre (Unconditional Love Songs, number nine, 18,331 sales), George Benson (Classic Love Songs, number 30, 7,107 sales) and Ocean Colour Scene (Saturday, number 35, 6,454 sales). Andre's album is a compilation including five new songs, and arrives just 20 weeks after his successful comeback album, Revelation, which reached number three and sold 258,181 copies. Meanwhile, two artists make their first ever appearance in the Top 75 album chart. Ke$ha's debut album Animal enters at number eight (18,723 sales), following the success of introductory single Tik Tok, which has spent 14 weeks in the Top 20, selling 422,287 copies to date; and Midlake's second album, The Courage Of Others, debuts at number 18 (10,803 sales), following the sleeper success of their 2006 debut The Trails Of Van Occupanther, which never got higher than number 162 but has sold more than 38,000 copies to date. Several tracks from Ke$ha's album debut on the Top 200 singles chart, most notably the 3OH!3 collaboration Blah Blah Blah, new at number 11 (27,161 sales). Elsewhere, there are album chart debuts for Hot Chip (One Life Stand, number 11, 14,613 sales), Lil Wayne (Rebirth, number 24, 8,552 sales), Marvin Gaye (The Greatest Love Songs Of, number 38, 5,790 sales), Nick Jonas & Administration (Who I Am, number 50, 4,220 sales) and Rob Zombie (Hellbilly Deluxe 2, number 65, 3,053 sales). While the rest of this week’s album entries have taken just six days to cement their chart debut, it has taken Journey's Greatest Hits 22 years. The 1988 compilation has sold more than 100,000 copies since it was first released without ever bothering the chart compilers but the success of Don't Stop Believin' which has been in the Top 10 for eight weeks and a new TV campaign prove the charm, as the album debuts at number 12 (13,578 sales).
Owl City's Fireflies continues its reign for a third straight week, with sales of 77,669 lifting its career tally to 295,994. On Tuesday, it was just 24 sales ahead of X Factor duo Jedward's debut single, Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) a recreated mash-up of Queen & David Bowie's Under Pressure and the rap hit based on it, Vanilla Ices Ice Ice Baby, number one hits in their own right in 1981 and 1990, respectively. Jedward 18 year old Dubliners John & Edward Grimes thus fall short, at least for the moment, of becoming the latest identical(ish) twins to top the charts. Hal & Herbie Kalin (The Kalin Twins) did it, so did Charlie & Craig Reid (The Proclaimers), not to mention Matt & Luke Goss (two thirds of Bros). Vanilla Ice himself joins Jedward on Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby), which debuts at number two on sales of 50,468 copies. Vanilla Ice's original recording of Ice Ice Baby sold more than 600,000 copies. Although critically panned, it is a recording that has prospered in the digital age, selling 104,912 copies in a little over five years since OCC started counting sales of the format, and spending 14 weeks in the Top 200. It climbs 129-113 this week on sales of 2,272 copies. Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) is not the only new entry to the chart this week to bear a writing credit for Freddie Mercury. The late Queen legend's Somebody To Love is one of two newly released songs from Glee Cast to make the Top 75, arriving at number 26 (11,772 sales), while Heart cover Alone debuts at number 47 (6,151 sales). All 14 Glee Cast songs issued as downloads to date are in the Top 200 this week, with the cover of Journey's Don't Stop Believin' continuing as the TV show's major hit, slipping 2-4 (43,285 sales). After plucking four Top 30 hits off her album One Of The Boys, Katy Perry is enjoying two concurrent Top 10 hits as featured guest on other acts songs. Starstrukk, on which she accompanies 3OH!3, has barely moved since its first charted, with a chart history to date of 5-5-6-3-4-4-4-7, and is now joined in the top tier by If We Ever Meet Again, her collaboration with Timbaland. Starstrukk sold 36,260 copies last week to lift its career tally to 344,143 but its success and the number 21 position posted by first single Don't Trust Me has not translated into sales for 3OH!3s album Want, which peaked at number 77 four weeks ago and now dips out of the Top 200. If We Ever Meet Again up 17-3 on sales of 47,494 - is similarly the second single from Timbalands current album, Shock Value II, following the Nelly Furtado collaboration Morning After Dark, which reached number six in December. It is rather more successful in attracting sales to its parent, which jumps 83-58 (3,463 sales) to eclipse the number 60 position in which the set debuted and initially peaked eight weeks ago. Singles sales increase 4.07% week-on-week to 3,029,919, 10.90% above same week 2009 sales of 2,732,059.  COMPLETE CHARTS