Album sales testing new lows in summer doldrums

Rapper Fabolous arrives for the premiere of the film ''Notorious'' in New York January 7, 2009.

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Mixed blessings for rapper Fabolous, more bad news for the music industry.

The New York rapper topped the latest Billboard 200 album chart after selling a less-than-fabulous 99,000 copies of his new release "Loso's Way" during the week ended August 2. His previous release, 2007's "From Nothin' to Somethin,'" debuted at No. 2 with 159,000 copies.

More ominously, the latest sales period marked just the second July week when not one current album sold at least 100,000 copies since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.

This last happened in 2006, when Johnny Cash's "American V: A Hundred Highways" was released July 4 and sold 88,000 copies, also enough to debut at No. 1.

The dreary sales story may continue next week. On August 4, the biggest new album release was country group Sugarland's Wal-Mart-exclusive CD/DVD combo pack "Live on the Inside." The 10-track CD is paired with a 16-song concert DVD. The album boasts the duo's covers of Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire," Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" and the B-52s' "Love Shack."

That set was pretty much the week's only big release. Of course, that depends on what one considers to be big. Other August 4 releases include the "Kidz Bop 16" set, K'Jon's "I Get Around" and country combo Gloriana's self-titled debut.

What does this mean for next week's chart? Sugarland will likely notch its second No. 1 album (thanks partially to a lack of competition), possibly selling 100,000 copies. It will also likely be the only set to move close to that number on the Billboard 200.

But if Sugarland sells less than that figure, it will be the first time during an August week that none of the current albums sold at least 100,000 copies during the Nielsen SoundScan era.

The August 4 release schedule was devoid of superstar pop releases. But this isn't a new trend.

On August 5, 2008, the biggest new releases were Lloyd's "Lessons in Love" and Heidi Newfield's "What Am I Waiting For." While both debuted the following week in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, Lloyd barely sold more than 51,000 and Newfield sold 34,000.

But the "Mamma Mia!" soundtrack was still selling strongly, rising to No. 1 for its first chart-topping week (131,000; down a relatively small 5%), while Miley Cyrus' "Breakout" dropped one slot to No. 2 (102,000; a decline of 37%).

Since 2004, the first full week of August has been absent of new blockbuster albums. The highest-charting titles released in this period have either been hip-hop or rock sets from UGK, Plies, Rick Ross, Breaking Benjamin, Slayer, Staind, Shyne and Mobb Deep. That's not to say those albums didn't sell well. Many of them did; they just didn't produce jaw-dropping numbers.

Two years ago, UGK's "Underground Kingz" bowed at No. 1 with 160,000 copies sold. And in 2006, Ross' "Port of Miami" set sail atop the tally with 187,000.

(Editing by DGoodman at Reuters)