BILLBOARD MAGAZINE REPORTS:
Despite a 25% drop in sales, Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” returns to the top of The Billboard 200 this week. The Cash Money/Universal album moved 156,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has now sold 1.68 million in four weeks of release.
Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” (Capitol) — which crowned the chart for the last two weeks — drops down to No. 2, with 149,000 and a 40% decrease in sales. The Jonas Brothers-led soundtrack to Disney’s “Camp Rock” stays at No. 3 for a third week straight with 116,000 (-32%).
G-Unit’s sophomore set, “T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight)” (G-Unit/Interscope) debuts at No. 4 with 102,000. The crew’s 2003′s debut album, “Beg For Mercy,” started at No. 1 with 377,000.
John Mayer’s “Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles” debuts this week at No. 5 with 75,000. It’s the third live offering from the songwriter, on the heels of 2005′s “Try! Live in Concert” and 2003′s “Any Given Thursday.” The former debuted and peaked at No. 34 with 50,000, while “Thursday” debuted at No. 17 with 64,000.
The multi-label hits compilation “Now 28″ holds tight at No. 6 with 59,000 (-10%), as Kid Rock’s “Rock N Roll Jesus” (Top Dog/Atlantic) re-enters the top 10 12-7 with a 27% boost in sales to 45,000. Much of that album’s charge as of late has been powered by the single “All Summer Long,” which rises 18-13 on the Hot AC/Adult Top 40 chart, 53-44 on Hot Country Songs and 21-17 on the CHR/Top 40 chart.
Usher’s LaFace/Zomba set “Here I Stand” descends 7-8 with a 20% sales decrease to 41,000. Rihanna’s “Good Girl Gone Bad” (SRP/Def Jam) climbs a slot 10-9 with 40,000 (-14%). That album flip-flops with Disturbed’s Warner Bros. album “Indestructible,” which falls 9-10 with 37,000 (-25%).
Rapper Tech N9ne scores his highest charting album and best sales week ever as “Killer” (Strange Music/Fontana) debuts at No. 12 with 36,000. The Kansas City native has been charting since 2001; his previous high came with the No. 49 debut and peak of 2007′s “Misery Loves Kompany.”
Rock outfit Alkaline Trio’s “Agony & Irony” (Epic) bows right behind at No. 13 with only a couple dozen fewer sales at 36,000. This is also the Chicago group’s best sales and charting week ever.
Other debuts this week include My Chemical Romance’s live set “The Black Parade is Dead!” (Reprise, No. 22, 23,000), “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens’ “Identified” (Hollywood, No. 23, 22,000), Relient K’s “The Bird and the Bee Sides” (Gotee, No. 25, 20,000), Los Lonely Boys’ “Forgiven” (Epic, No. 26, 19,000) and Jim Jones & Byrd Gang’s “M.O.B.: The Album” (Asylum, No. 29, 17,000).
At 7.56 million units, sales this week are down 1.4% from last week’s sum and off 13.4% from the same week last year.
