Zac Brown Band bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with “You Get What You Give,” giving the country act its first chart-topping album. The set sold 153,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan . . . In the runner-up slot is the debuting “Hands All Over” from Maroon 5, with 142,000. Four more albums also enter the top 10 . . . On Digital Songs, Bruno Mars returns to the top with “Just the Way You Are” selling 188,000 while Far*East Movement rallies and the kids from “Glee” debut at No. 10 with “Empire State of Mind.”
FLASH POINTS
Zac Brown Band nets its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as “You Get What You Give” bows atop the list with 153,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The country act’s major-label debut, “The Foundation,” peaked at No. 9 in May. “Give” also grants the band its best sales week, previously earned when “Foundation” shifted 62,000 during Christmas 2009.
Maroon 5’s third studio set, “Hands All Over,” enters in the runner-up slot with 142,000. The band’s last effort, 2007’s “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long,” debuted at No. 1 with 429,000 in its first week. “Hands” is the group’s third top 10 set following “Won’t” and its premiere effort, 2003’s “Songs About Jane,” which reached No. 6.
Last week’s No. 1, Linkin Park’s “A Thousand Suns,” slides to No. 3 with 70,000 (down 71%) while last week’s No. 2-placer, Trey Songz’s “Passion, Pain & Pleasure,” drops to No. 7 with 66,000 (down 73%).
Opening at No. 4 this week is Selena Gomez & the Scene’s “A Year Without Rain,” starting with a little more than 66,000. That barely beats out the act’s previous best sales week, when its debut set, “Kiss and Tell,” opened at No. 9 last year with nearly 66,000.
Santana’s all-star rock collaborations album, “Guitar Heaven,” flies in at No. 5 with almost 66,000. The tribute to classic rock anthems boasts turns from a number of guest stars including Chris Daughtry and Chester Bennington.
Eminem’s “Recovery” hangs in the top 10 for a 14th straight week—its entire chart run—moving down three spots to No. 6, also with nearly 66,000 (down 26%).
The collaboration album from John Legend and the Roots, “Wake Up!,” starts at No. 8 with 63,000. It’s the fifth straight top 10 album for Legend (his entire output) and the sixth for the Roots. Meanwhile, country singer Billy Currington nets his first top 10 with his fourth effort, “Enjoy Yourself,” bowing at No. 9 with 45,000.
Rounding out the top 10 is the non-moving “My World 2.0” from Justin Bieber, which shifts 33,000 (down 9%).
Over on the Digital Songs chart, Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World” slides from No. 1 to No. 3 with 161,000 (down 35%). Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” returns to the penthouse with 188,000 (down 3%). Hot on Mars’ tail, Far*East Movement’s “Like a G6” jumps five spots to No. 2 with 180,000 (up 31%). The top debut on Digital Songs is the Glee Cast’s take on “Empire State of Mind,” which bows at No. 10 with 106,000.
Overall album sales in this past chart week (ending Sept. 26) totaled 5 million units, down 6% compared with the sum last week (5.4 million) and down 15% compared with the comparable sales week of 2009 (5.9 million). Year-to-date album sales stand at 215.8 million, down 13% compared with the same total at this point last year (248 million).
Digital track sales this past week totaled 19.2 million downloads, down 4% compared with last week (19.9 million) and down less than 1% stacked next to the comparable week of 2009 (19.3 million). Year-to-date track sales are at 840.9 million, down 1% compared with the same total at this point last year (846.9 million).
MARKET WATCH
Album units, current chart week: 5 million units
Down 6% from last week’s charts: 5.4 million units
Down 15% from the comparable week in 2009: 5.9 million units
This week: The top two albums each sell more than 100,000 copies.
This week last year on the Billboard 200: Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer” opened at No. 1 with 189,000 while the previous week’s chart-topper, Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint 3,” fell to No. 2 with 134,000 (down 55%).
A LOOK AHEAD
Among the albums released this week, due on next week’s charts: Kenny Chesney’s “Hemingway’s Whiskey,” Lil Wayne’s “I Am Not a Human Being,” Phil Collins’ “Going Back,” Eric Clapton’s “Clapton,” Neil Young’s “Le Noise” and Gucci Mane’s “The Appeal.”
Next week’s Billboard 200 competes with the same week in 2009 when: Barbra Streisand’s “Love Is the Answer” debuted at No. 1 with 180,000 while Paramore’s “Brand New Eyes” started at No. 2 with 175,000. The previous week’s No. 1, Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer,” fell to No. 10 with 58,000 (down 69%).