Top Sellers...
[From Billboard]
Eminem Ends Year On Top, But Album Sales Tumble
Eminem's "The Eminem Show" was the top-selling U.S. album of 2002 with sales of
7.61 million copies, according to year-end figures released by Nielsen SoundScan. The
soundtrack to the rapper's film "8 Mile" placed fifth on sales of 3.50 million
units. Still, total CD album sales were down 10.7% in 2002, marking the sharpest sales
decrease from the previous year in Nielsen SoundScan's 11-year tracking history.
Beyond "The Eminem Show" and "8 Mile," the top-10 selling albums of
last year were "Nellyville" (4.92 million), Avril Lavigne's "Let Go"
(4.12 million), Dixie Chicks' "Home" (3.7 million), Pink's
"Missundaztood" (3.14 million), Ashanti's self-titled release (3.09 million),
Alan Jackson's "Drive" (3.05 million), Shania Twain's "Up!" (2.91
million) and the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (2.74 million).
It was the second straight year the market declined, following steady growth since Nielsen
SoundScan first began tracking the U.S. market in 1991. 2001 Total album sales in 2002
were 681 million, compared with 762.8 million the previous year.
Country album sales posted the largest increase last year as sales rose 12.2% from 2001.
This increase was largely fueled by such crossover sensations as Dixie Chicks, Shania
Twain, Alan Jackson, and Faith Hill.
In addition to her success with "Up!" Twain is also the top-selling artist of
the SoundScan era. The top-10 selling albums of the past 11 years are Twain's "Come
on Over" (14.5 million), Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" (14
million), Metallica's self-titled release (13 million), Backstreet Boys'
"Millennium" (12 million), "The Bodyguard" soundtrack (11.7 million),
Santana's "Supernatural" (11.1 million), Creed's "Human Clay" (11.09
million), 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached" (11.02 million), Celine Dion's
"Falling Into You" (10.5 million) and Britney Spears' "... Baby One More
Time" (10.4 million).
NEWSFILE: 3 JANUARY 2003
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