The Year In Charts 2007: An Early Peek

December 13, 2007, 6:00 PM ET

A Billboard staff report

Daughtry, Fergie and Akon are among the 2007 chart leaders in the 387 tallies that comprise Billboard's Year in Music & Touring issue, which will be on newsstands tomorrow (Dec. 14) and online at Billboard.com and Billboard.biz. The Police earned No. 1 on the year's top tours tally.

Daughtry, led by "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry, owns the top-selling album on The Billboard 200 during the chart year, which ran from December 2006 to November 2007.

Fergie's combined performance on the Billboard Hot 100 and The Billboard 200 make her the No. 1 female artist of 2007. Powered by the hit single "Big Girls Don't Cry," she is also the leading Pop 100 artist of 2007 and the top selling-artist on Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks.

The Top Pop Artist, which combines performance on the Billboard 200 and The Billboard Hot 100, is Akon. Carrie Underwood emerges as the No. 1 Country artist, a field determined by overall results on Top Country Albums and Hot Country Songs.

Beyonce also looms large with four No. 1s on Billboard's Year in Music charts. Her hit "Irreplaceable" leads the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot 100 Airplay tallies. She is also the year's No. 1 R&B/Hip-Hop Artist.

Here are more in-depth recaps of a selection of Billboard's 2007 Year in Music charts:

TOURING
Unexpected reunions by the Police and Genesis, rivaled by the equally unexpected dominance of pop king Justin Timberlake, were among live music's top performers of 2007.
Read more.

POP
Akon locks up Billboard's top pop artist honor with an album, "Konvicted," that spent its first 30 weeks lodged in the top 30 of The Billboard 200.
Read more.

R&B/HIP-HOP
Beyonce, Pretty Ricky, Robin Thicke and Jay-Z lead 2007's R&B//Hip-Hop charts.
Read more.

COUNTRY
Carrie Underwood reigns over the year-end Country Charts.
Read more.

LATIN
Thanks to strong first-week of their album, "Celestial," TV phenomenon RBD lead the Top Latin Albums and Top Latin Album Artists charts. Read more.

Keys Storms Chart With Mega-Selling 'As I Am'

Alicia Keys storms The Billboard 200 this week with "As I Am" (J), which debuts at No. 1 after selling 742,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's the best sales week for a solo female artist since Norah Jones' "Feels Like Home" shifted 1 million copies in 2004.

In a week where every top 10 album shifted more than 100,000 units, Josh Groban's "Noel" (143/Reprise) zooms 6-2 with a 93% increase to 223,000. Celine Dion's "Taking Chances" (Columbia), her first new pop album in four years, opens at No. 3 with 214,000. The multi-label, multi-artist "Now 26" collection is new at No. 4 with 208,000, the third lowest opening tally for the "Now" line.

Garth Brooks' "The Ultimate Hits" (Pearl) slips 3-5 (-42%, 204,000), while the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" (Eagles Recording Co.) drops 2-6 (-45%, 197,000). Led Zeppelin's two-disc retrospective "Mothership" (Swan Song/Atlantic) debuts at No. 7 after selling 136,000, 25% of which came digitally.

Last week's chart-topper, Jay-Z's "American Gangster" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) plummets 1-8 with a 70% decrease to 131,000, while Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride" (Arista Nashville) drops 5-9 despite a small 6% decrease to 113,000. Chris Brown's "Exclusive" (Jive) falls 4-10 in its second week, thanks to a 63% decline to 110,000.

Comedian Dane Cook's "Rough Around the Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden" (Comedy Central) debuts at No. 11 with 90,000. His last set, 2005's "Retaliation," made history as the highest debuting comedy album in the history of The Billboard 200 when it bowed at No. 4. That effort started with 86,000.

At No. 12, the Killers enter the chart with the rarities collection "Sawdust" (Island), which sold 82,000. George Strait's "22 More Hits" (MCA Nashville) is new at No. 13 with 80,000, while James Taylor's debut for Starbucks' Hear Music imprint, "One Man Band," arrives at No. 16 with 63,000.

Five other albums open inside the top 40 this week, led by Boyz II Men's "Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA" (Decca) at No. 27 with 42,000. Right behind are Trisha Yearwood's "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love" (Big Machine, No. 30, 33,000), Goo Goo Dolls' "Greatest Hits, Volume 1, The Singles" (Warner Bros., No. 33, 33,000), Seal's "System" (Warner Bros., No. 35, 30,000) and Duran Duran's "Red Carpet Massacre" (Epic, No. 36, 29,000).

Album sales are up 17.9% from last week's to 11.72 million, but down 6.2% from the same week last year.

Jay-Z Leapfrogs Eagles, Britney For No. 1 Debut

November 14, 2007, 11:10 AM ET

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

Jay-Z scores his 10th No. 1 album on The Billboard 200, as "American Gangster" (Def Jam) debuts on top this week after selling 425,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The rapper thus ties Elvis Presley in second place for the most No. 1 albums on the chart; only the Beatles have had more, with 19.

Since 1998, all eight of Jay-Z's solo studio albums have hit No. 1, in addition to his "Collision Course" project with Linkin Park and his "Unfinished Business" collaboration with R. Kelly.

After bowing at No. 1 last week, the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" (Eagles Recording Co.) slips to No. 2 with 359,000, a 49% sales decrease. Garth Brooks' "The Ultimate Hits" (Pearl) debuts at No. 3 after shifting 352,000 units. Brooks' last studio set, 2001's "Scarecrow," debuted at No. 1 with 466,000. His only releases since then have been Wal-Mart exclusives and were thus not eligible to appear on The Billboard 200.

Teenaged R&B heartthrob Chris Brown starts at No. 4 with his sophomore Jive album, "Exclusive," which sold 294,000. His self-titled 2005 debut opened at No. 2 with 154,000. "Exclusive" features Brown's recent Hot 100 chart-topper, "Kiss Kiss," featuring T-Pain.

Carrie Underwood's 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville set "Carnival Ride" falls 3-5 with 121,000 (-29%), while Josh Groban's holiday album, "Noel" (143/Reprise), ascends 8-6 with a 52% sales increase to 116,000.

Selling 87,000 copies, Britney Spears' "Blackout" (Jive) slips 2-7 with a 70% sales hit in its second week. At No. 8, Taylor Swift's self-titled Big Machine debut flies from No. 26 with a 156% sales increase (68,000) in its 55th week. The boost came with the album's DVD-enhanced reissue and her Horizon award win at the recent CMA Awards.

Angels & Airwaves' second Geffen album, "I-Empire," begins at No. 9 with 66,000. The band's first set, "We Don't Need to Whisper," bowed higher, at No. 4, with 127,000 in May 2006.

His first album since completing jail time and surviving a near-fatal car accident in 2006, Cassidy's Full Surface/J set "B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story" begins at No. 10 after shifting 63,000. His sophomore release, 2005's "I'm a Hustla," started at No. 5 with 93,000.

Other big debuts this week include Latin reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel's "Wisin Vs. Yandel: Los Extraterrestres" (Machete) at No. 14 with 53,000, country quartet Little Big Town's "Place to Land" (Equity Music Group) at No. 24 with 35,000, the Def Jam score/soundtrack to "American Gangster" at No. 36 with 21,000 and the Starbucks Entertainment holiday compilation "Stockings by the Fire" at No. 43 with 18,000.

Album sales are up 7.5% from last week at 9.95 million units and down 16.8% from the same week in 2006 (11.95 million).

Eagles Fly Past Britney To Debut At No. 1

With their first studio title in nearly 30 years, the Eagles land atop The Billboard 200 with "Long Road Out of Eden," which sold 711,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Eagles Recording Co. album, available exclusively in the U.S. through Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the band's Web site, scores the year's second-best first-week total, behind Kanye West's "Graduation" (960,000).

As reported last night, this marks the first time Billboard has allowed exclusive album titles that are only available through one retailer to appear on its charts.

Previously, titles that were not generally available at retail were not eligible to appear on The Billboard 200, but were entitled to chart on Billboard's Top Comprehensive Albums, which includes catalog titles and proprietary albums from retailers willing to report those sales.

Selling 290,000 copies, Britney Spears' "Blackout" (Jive) enters at No. 2. Her first album in four years is also her first studio effort to not top the chart: 2003's "In The Zone," 2001's "Britney," 2000's "Oops!... I Did It Again" and 1999's "... Baby One More Time" all started at No. 1. However, Spears becomes the only woman whose first five studio albums have debuted in the top two slots on the chart.

After starting at No. 1 last week, Carrie Underwood's 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville set "Carnival Ride" falls to No. 3 with 170,000, a sales decrease of 68%. Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled Warner Bros. set debuts at No. 4, moving 94,000. It marks the hard rock troupe's best sales and charting week, as 2005's "City of Evil," only reached No. 30 with 33,000.

Josh Turner earns his second top 10 album as "Everything Is Fine" (MCA Nashville) starts with 84,000 at No. 5. The album's lead single, "Firecracker," holds at No. 8 with a bullet on the Hot Country Songs chart this week. The country singer's last album, 2006's "Your Man," debuted at No. 2 on the big chart.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Raising Sand" (Rounder) falls 2-6 in its second week, taking a 28% sales hit to 81,000. The Backstreet Boys' "Unbreakable" (Jive) starts at No. 7, with only a few dozen sales short of Plant and Krauss' total at 81,000. The pop group's last album, "Never Gone," bowed at No. 3 with 291,000 in 2005.

Josh Groban's holiday album, "Noel" (143/Reprise), descends 5-8 with 76,000, a 16% sales boost. Andrea Bocelli's first greatest hits collection, "The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere" (Decca), begins at No. 9 with 68,000.

Rascal Flatts' Lyric Street album, "Still Feels Good," rounds out the top tier, slipping 8-10 with 53,000 (-7%).

Other big debuts this week include Puscifer's "V Is for Vagina" (Puscifer Entertainment) at No. 25 with 27,000, hip-hop duo Playaz Circle's "Supply & Demand" (Disturbing Tha Peace/Jive) at No. 27 with 26,000, Baby Bash's "Cyclone" (Arista) at No. 30 with 26,000 and R&B singer Will Downing's "After Tonight" (Peak/Concord) at No. 37 with 21,000.

Album sales are up 10.9% from last week at 9.25 million units and down 13.3% from the same week in 2006 (10.67 million).

The Billboard 200 #1 this Week

In a Billboard 200 first, three country debuts occupy the Nos. 1-3 slots on the chart, led by Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride." The 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville set sold 527,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, earning the artist her first No. 1.

The total is a much better sum than the 315,000 that greeted her No. 2 2005 debut "Some Hearts." It's also the best sales week for a female solo country artist since Shania Twain's "Greatest Hits" started with 530,000 in November 2004.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Raising Sand" (Rounder) opens at No. 2, selling 112,000. It's the highest charting album for both as solo artists and Krauss' first time in the top 10.

Country singer Gary Allan's MCA Nashville set "Living Hard" enters at No. 3 with 69,000. It's not his first trip into the top five this year, however: his "Greatest Hits" debuted at No. 5 in March. "Tough All Over," his album from 2005, also achieved a No. 3 entry.

#1 Again

In a slow week for album sales, Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" returns to the summit of The Billboard 200 despite a 42% sales decline. The Columbia effort moved 77,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, climbing 2-1. The album bowed at No. 1 three weeks ago with 335,000.

Album sales are down 4.9% from last week at 7.93 million units and 19.6% from the same week in 2006 (9.86 million units).

Damn whats happening with the Music Industry???

October 17, 2007 Top 10 Albums of U.S.

1. Kd Rock's "Rock N Roll Jesus" - 170,000 units sold
2. Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" - 130,000 units sold
3. Rascal Flatts' "Still Feels Good" - 96,000 units sold
4. LeAnn Rimes' "Family" - 74,000 units sold
5. matchbox twenty's "Exile on Mainstream" - 72,000 units sold
6. Kanye West's "Graduation" - 71,000 units sold
7. Reba McEntire's "Reba Duets" - 68,000 units sold
8. Sara Evans "Greatest Hits" - 66,000 units sold
9. Disney's "High School Musical 2" - 66,000 units sold
10. Josh Groban's "Noel" - 64,000 units sold

--Source: Billboard.com

Kanye Crushes 50

A new hope has arise for the suffering sales of the music industry. Kanye West went head to head with 50 Cent last week with the release of his album entitled Graduation that sold 957,000 units which is the biggest sales debut in 2 years, outselling the latest release from 50 Cent with the album Curtis that sold 691,000. Compared to his last album The Massacre (2005) which sold 1.14 units. With the battle of album sales it is clear that Kanye crushes 50 Cent.

50 Cent had claimed he would retire from making solo albums if West won the sales battle, but in an interview with Billboard, he maintains the race is still early and there is no concrete winner just yet.

Artist Check: UGK

It's been a while for UGK... At last the long wait is over!!! I'm so happy their back! Heres the story!

Rappers Pimp C and Bun B formed UGK (aka Underground Kingz) in Port Arthur, Texas, during the late '80s. A year later, the duo released their debut album, The Southern Way, distributed by a local record label.

After the moderate success of The Southern Way, the duo caught the attention of Jive Records and released Too Hard to Swallow, their first album on a major label, in 1992. Super Tight… arrived in stores two years later, followed by Ridin' Dirty in 1996, their first record to hit the R&B charts. In 2000, they made a high-profile appearance on Jay-Z's Big Pimpin. UGK's fourth album on Jive, Dirty Money, was released a year later and Side Hustles followed in 2002. The remix album, Jive Records Presents: UGK Chopped and Screwed, was issued in 2004.

In 2005, Bun B released his first solo full-length Trill. The album debuted at number six on the Hot 200 Billboard Charts and peaked at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Album Chart. Pimp C released his solo album Pimpalation in the summer of 2006. The record debuted at number three on the Top 200 and at number one on the Hip Hop and R&B Charts according to Billboard.

In August 2007, Bun B and Pimp C returned together with UGK’s seventh album, Underground Kingz . The double album features 32 new tracks, including the highly anticipated collaboration with OutKast titled "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You),” as well as collaborations with Lil Jon, Three 6 Mafia, T.I., Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, and many more.

Their new album Underground is currently no. 1 in the US Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and it is their first album to score a Hot Shot No. 1 debut selling 160,000 units on its first week.

After debuting at No. 1 last week, the "NOW 25" hits compilation remains atop The Billboard 200 after moving 149,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a 33% sales decrease from the week previous. The New Line soundtrack to "Hairspray" continues to zip up the chart, moving 4-2 with a 41% sales increase to 101,000.Prince scores his 13th top 10 with "Planet Earth" (Columbia), which arrives at No. 3 with 96,000. His last two efforts also reached the upper echelons of the chart, with last year's "3121" bowing at No. 1 with 183,000 and 2004's "Musicology" reaching No. 3 with 191,000. Miley Cyrus' Disney double-disc set "Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus" slips 2-4 with 92,000 (-18%), while T.I.'s "T.I. vs. T.I.P." (Grand Hustle/Atlantic) falls 3-5 with 64,000 (-31%). Fergie's solo debut, "The Dutchess," holds tight at No. 6 with 53,000, a 6% sales increase.Canadian pop/punk outfit Sum 41's latest Island album, "Underclass Hero," bows at No. 7 with 45,000. The group's last effort, 2004's "Chuck," started at No. 10, though with 66,000.Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight" (Machine Shop/Warner Bros.) slides 7-8 with 42,000 (-11%), while Amy Winehouse's Universal set "Back to Black" follows suit, descending 8-9 with 40,000 and an 11% hit. The top 10 is rounded out by Plain White T's' "Every Second Counts" (Fearless/Hollywood), which rockets 21-10 with 39,000 to achieve a new chart peak and best single-week sales total for the group. Its single "Hey There Delilah" has spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Helped by the success of his chart-topping daughter Miley, Billy Ray Cyrus is back in the top tier of the chart with "Home at Last" (New Door/UME) at No. 20. It's the first time the country singer has been in the top 20 since 1993's "It Won't Be the Last" peaked at No. 3. Other big debuts this week include "Sexy Lady" singer Yung Berg's "Almost Famous (The Sexy Lady EP)" (Yung Boss/Epic/Koch, No. 32, 20,000), Marc Anthony's "El Cantante" soundtrack (Sony, No. 33, 19,000), Vapor/Sanctuary Records duo Tegan & Sara's "The Con (No. 34, 19,000) and Christian artist Barlow Girl's "How Can We Be Silent" (Fervent, No. 40, 18,000).Sales this week are down 1.8% compared to last week's sum at 7.97 million units and down 12.7% compared to the same week last year. There have been 262.97 million album sales to date for the year, down 14.3% compared to last year's sum.

'NOW 25' Scores 12th No. 1 Album Of The Series

July 25, 2007, 10:55 AM ET
Katie Hasty, N.Y.

The "NOW! That's What I Call Music" hits compilation series adds another trophy to its collection of No. 1 albums on The Billboard 200 this week. The 25th installment debuts at the summit after moving 223,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, becoming the 12th No. 1 of the series.In fact, the last four in a row have claimed the top spot. In March, "NOW 24" started at No. 2 with 230,000 but moved to No. 1 the next week. The latest installment features hits from loyd, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, Fall Out Boy and Bow Wow, among others.Miley Cyrus' Disney double-disc set "Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus" climbs 3-2 this week despite a 12% sales decrease to 113,000 units. After topping the 200 for two weeks straight, T.I.' s "T.I. vs. T.I.P." (Grand Hustle/Atlantic) slips to No. 3 with 94,000, a 47% dip. After its parent movie opened at box offices last weekend, the New Line soundtrack to "Hairspray" flies up the chart 20-4, moving 72,000 with a 95% increase in sales. "Hairspray" is the fifth soundtrack to log time in the top 10 this year, following "Hannah Montana," "Hannah Montana 2," "Dreamgirls" and "Jump In!"With help from a high-visibility campaign on iTunes and MySpace, Colbie Caillat's debut album, "Coco" (Universal Republic), enters at No. 5 with 51,000. Her single "Bubbly" was available through iTunes' free single of the week program, while the digital store is selling the album for only $7.99.

Fergie's solo debut "Duchess" ascends 8-6 in its 44th week on the chart with 50,000, a flat sales change from last week. Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight" (Machine Shop/Warner Bros.) keeps the No. 7 spot warm for a second week with 47,000 (-13%) while Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" (Universal) moves 9-8 with 45,000 (-7%).In its 94th week on the chart, Nickelback's "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner) climbs back into the top tier 12-9 with 43,000, an uptick of 2%, aided by a reissue version of the album released July 10. Bon Jovi's Island set "Lost Highway" descends 6-10 with 42,000, a 24% decrease.Yellowcard's third Capitol album, "Paper Walls," debuts at No. 13 this week with 40,000; the band's last effort, "Lights and Sounds," bowed at No. 5 with 90,000 last year. Other big debuts this week include Rooney's sophomore set "Calling the World" (Geffen, No. 42, 15,000), the Rocket Summer's Island debut "Do You Feel" (No. 44, 15,000) and Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne Callabos' "Misery Loves Kompany" (Strange Company, No. 49, 13,000).Sales this week are down 2.2% compared to last week's sum at 8.11 million units and down 8.9% compared to the same week last year.