Black Friday pushed album sales up last week. Sales rose 36% overall and 43% at mass merchants. Most encouraging to labels, last week's total was basically in a dead heat with the same week last year -- only 2,000 units lower.

Jay-Z debuted big on the album chart. Kingdom Come (Def Jam) sold 680,000 (6% digital), over double the total of Daughtry's self titled debut (RCA), which moved a very impressive 303,000 (6% digital)

The Beatles' Love (Capitol), a mashup produced by Sir George Martin and his son Giles, debuted at #4 with 271,000 sales (zero digital). Snoop Dogg's Blue Carpet Treatment (Geffen) moved 264,000 units (5% digital) and debuted at #5. The last debut in the Top Ten was another hip hop album, Tupac's Pac's Life (Interscope). It sold 159,000 (2% digital).

A couple sure-fire holiday hits also debuted high. U2's U218 Singles collection (Island) sold 134,000 (7% digital). Il Divo's Siempre (Columbia) sold 107,000 (1% digital).

Hits' Rumor Mill recapped some big, Black Friday-related increases and the retailers responsible for them. Justin Timberlake was up 134% due to a Best Buy promotion. Beyonce rose 155% through Best Buy and Circuit City. Tony Bennet was upped 194% because a special version was available at Target (and he had a special on NBC). Promotions at Best Buy, Circuit City and Target helped The Killers rise 77%. Nickelback, which has been on the chart over a year, rose 99% with the help of Circuit City.

It was a predictably good week for album sales. Only three albums in the Top 40 -- Akon, The Game and Josh Groban, all in their second week of release -- saw sales drops. All other titles in the Top 40 had a sizeable sales increase or debuted this week.

Second-week fades: Fat Joe tanked 66%, +44 fell 64%, The Game dropped 63%, Tenacious D faded 58%, Neil Young and Crazy Horse fell 48%, Damien Rice faded 46%, and Akon and Staind both sank 42%,

The Beggars Group & Matador Records is seeking a Paralegal