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HITS Daily Double
In a depressing sign of the times, with already a third of the year gone, only three albums have reached the million mark in Jones, Daughtry (1.2m) and Akon (1m).

THIRD DOWN, TWO TO GO

Columbia, UMG Remain in the the Lead as Blue Note, Capitol Show Life
It was all about keeping up with Jones in the first four months of 2007. Norah Jones, that is.

Thanks to the low-key diva’s Not Too Late album, which has sold 1.3 million since its release in February with a year-high 417k in first-week sales, as well as the best-selling Celtic Woman, EMI showed an impressive 1 percentage point upward move (9.4-10.4%) from the same time last year, spurred by legendary label head Bruce Lundvall’s Blue Note, which is up 1.7 points in marketshare from .8 to 2.5% in 2006.

And while hardy perennials Columbia Records (4.8-6.6%) and the Universal Music Group (31.6-30.9%) remain atop their respective categories of new releases and total, there are a number of other winners among the ranks. For a full chart, go here.

Jason Flom’s newly reconfigured Capitol Music Group is up 1.3 at 5.1% over last year’s combined total of Capitol and Virgin Records, thanks to the year’s top newcomer, Grammy-nominated Corinne Bailey Rae, whose #7 album has moved 657k since the first of the year, along with Joss Stone’s Introducing...

Steve Barnett’s Columbia Records Group has parlayed hit albums like the Dreamgirls soundtrack, 2007 Nominees, John Mayer, Beyonce and Dixie Chicks to move up almost 1.8 points (4.8-6.6%) from a year ago. Now, it’s up to newly hired Grammy winner Rick Rubin to keep the momentum going.

Others up for the quarter include Interscope (5.5-5.9%), riding the success of Robin Thicke’s #6 album, and the Zomba Label Group (2.5-3.0%), with the #5 album, Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds.

On the music group side, only EMI showed positive movement, with everyone else down. Sony BMG (#2 Daughtry, #5 Timberlake, #8 Carrie Underwood) and UMG (#3 Akon, #4 Fall Out Boy and #6 Thicke) each boasted three in the Top 10, with EMI (#1 Jones, #7 Bailey Rae) and WMG (#9 Tim McGraw and #10 Nickelback) sporting two apiece.

In a depressing sign of the times, with already a third of the year gone, only three albums have reached the million mark in Jones, Daughtry (1.2m) and Akon (1m).