August 20, 2008

By By Katie Hasty, N.Y.

As expected, the Jonas Brothers score their first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 this week with "A Little Bit Longer." The Hollywood effort bows with 525,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, the third biggest sales frame this year behind Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" (1,006,000) and Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" (721,000).

The trio also scores the rare feat of having two albums simultaneously in the upper-most echelon of the chart, as their self-titled sophomore set rises 11-10 with 31,000 (-4%) in its 54th chart week. It's the first time a group has scored two concurrent top 10 albums since 'N Sync on the chart dated Jan. 2, 1999, with "Home for Christmas" at No. 10 and "'N Sync" at No. 2.

But that's not all. The soundtrack to the Disney film "Camp Rock," which stars -- you guessed it -- the Jonas Brothers, stays put at No. 8 for a second week with 50,000 (+6%).

This week, Nos. 1-7 have all spent time in the penthouse on the big chart, a first since Billboard began publishing its all-encompassing pop albums chart in 1963. Last week's chart-topper, the Decca soundtrack to "Mamma Mia!," slides to No. 2 with 110,000 (-16%), as Kid Rock's "Rock N Roll Jesus" (Atlantic) experiences a 12% sales surge to 101,000, climbing 4-3. Another Hollywood effort, Miley Cyrus' "Breakout," slips 2-4 with a 17% sales decline to 85,000.

Selling 67,000 (-27%), Sugarland's Mercury Nashville album "Love on the Inside" falls 3-5. Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" (Cash Money/Universal) descends 5-6 with 62,000, and "Viva La Vida" follows suit, moving 50,000 on a 10% decline and slipping 6-7. Rihanna's SRP/Def Jam set "Good Girl Gone Bad" keeps the No. 9 spot warm for a second week after a 3% decline to 42,000.

Only three other albums debut inside the top 50 on The Billboard 200 this week. Daddy Yankee's soundtrack to "Talento de Barrio" (Machete) moves 26,000 to land at No. 13. Yung Berg's debut Epic set "Look What You Made Me" starts at No. 20 with 19,000.

At No. 22 with 19,000, New Kids On The Block return with "Greatest Hits." The Columbia set doesn't contain any of the recently reunited group's new material; its reunion album, "The Block" arrives Sept. 2 via Interscope.

At 7.33 million units, sales this week are up 2.5% from last week's sum but down 13.4% from the same week last year.

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