The Game turned in a big first week with his album Doctor's Advocate (Geffen). It sold 358,000 (4% digital) and debuted at #1. Akon's Konvicted (SRC/Universal Motown) debuted at #2 with sales of 284,000 (5% digital).

When Your Heart Stops Beating (Interscope) by blink-182 offshoot +44 landed at #10 in its first week after selling 66,000 (18% digital).

Fat Joe's Me Myself & I (Terror Squad/Imperial) debuted at #14 and sold 60,000 (2% digital). That's a great sign for Caroline Distribution, for which the album is the first important release of the Bill Hein era and the first test of its urban development unit.

Meager debut of the week: Staind's The Singles 1996-2006 (Atlantic) sold 26,000 and debuted at #41. Far below Staind was the debut by supergroup Army of Anyone, which sold just shy of 20,000 units of its debut (The Firm). The album was released not by a major label but by a label created by the band's management company, The Firm. The difference between a more artist-friendly contract and a typical major label deal was probably tens of thousands of units just last week alone -- but their breakeven point is certainly lower.

Format mix of the week: in its first week, Joanna Newsom's Ys (Drag City) sold 56% CD, 36% digital and 4% LP.

Second-week fades: Dave Matthews Band nosedived 70%, Foo Fighters stumbled 65%, Tech N9Ne fell 62%, Sugarland dropped 61%, Jim Jones sank 60%, Bowling For Soup dropped 54%, Josh Groban fell 44%, Now 23 slid 42% and Ricky Martin faded 41%.

Album sales were up 4% over last week and are down 5% for the year. Digital tracks were down 2% and are up 68% over last year.

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