BEYONCE CELEBRATES B’DAY WITH #1 DEBUT

Columbia Records sports its second straight chart-topper in two weeks as Beyonce celebrates her B’day with a #1 debut, scoring 557k+ on the heels of a pair of hits singles in “Déjà vu” and “Ring the Alarm.”

Newly arrived chief Rob Stringer’s Sony Music also scores the #2 and #3 albums of the week in Epic's Audioslave, whose Revelations bows with 150k sold, and Columbia icon Bob Dylan’s critically praised Modern Times, last week’s chart-topper, which scores another 120k or so to finish Top Three.

Sanctuary Music Group’s metal warhorses Iron Maiden are the other Top 10 debut at #10, with 55k sold for A Matter of Life and Death, while the ascendant Universal Republic’s Hinder crash the leader board at #9.

Holdovers include Bad Boy/Atlantic’s Danity Kane (#4), Walt Disney Records’ Cheetah Girls 2 soundtrack (#5), RCA’s Christina Aguilera (#6), Epic’s Jessica Simpson (#7) and Roadrunner/IDJ’s Nickelback (#8).

Sony Music has, in all, four of the Top 10. Adding in Aguilera, the combined Sony BMG sports five in the Top 10.

Maverick/WB’s Wreckers (#43), Interscope’s All-American Rejects (#45), Virgin’s 30 Seconds to Mars (#48) and Interscope’s AFI (#50) all return to the Top 50.

Top gainer of the week is Fueled by Ramen’s Panic! at the Disco, who move #20-14 with a 17% gain, thanks in large part to their performance and win for Video of the Year at MTV’s VMAs.

Show Dog Nashville/Universal’s Broken Bridges soundtrack, featuring Toby Keith, was up next, rising #38-33 with an 11% gain, the same as Hinder.

Next week, Jive/ZLG superstar Justin Timberlake is expected to sell in the 700k region as Q4 is off and running two weeks early. Also on tap: a new one from John Mayer (Columbia), Universal Motown’s The Mars Volta, Geffen’s Papa Roach, Island’s Lionel Richie and IDJ’s N.O.R.E.