McCartney Debuts Strong, But Doesn't Top The Charts

NEW YORK, NY (June 13, 2007) -- In a week loaded with new releases, T-Pain makes a surprise move to debut at # 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, beating out Rihanna and the legendary Paul McCartney for the top spot.

Bolstered by the hit single, "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')," T-Pain's second album, "Epiphany," landed at # 1 with 171,126 copies sold.

R&B sensation Rihanna showed off her darker, rockin' side to viewers of last week's MTV Movie Awards, and the energetic performance obviously struck a nerve: "Good Girl Gone Bad" follows close behind T-Pain with 162,488 copies sold. Rihanna's smash hit "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z) retains the top spot on the Hot Downloaded Singles chart.

Paul McCartney, whom many predicted to take # 1 this week, ends up at # 3 with his latest album, "Memory Almost Full." The tally of 160,541copies sold is still impressive for the former Beatle, as he outsold his last release, the Grammy-nominated "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard", by almost 70,000 units -- bucking the downward trend in album sales.

This is McCartney's first release on the Starbucks Hear Music Label, and it is his third highest chart debut since Soundscan began tracking sales in 1991. (The two higher tallies were "Back in the U.S. Live 2002" with 224,000 and 2001's "Wingspan Hits and History" which sold 221,000.)

R. Kelly and Maroon 5 each took tumbles this week, landing at #'s 4 and 5, respectively.

Country duo Big & Rich debut at # 6 with their latest, "Between Raising Hell And Amazing." While higher than the 7th place position their last album climbed to, the 6th position doesn't quite signal a career best for them. Their 2004 debut, "Horse of a Different Color," peaked at # 6.

Linkin Park falls four spots to # 7 this week with "Minutes to Midnight."

Marilyn Manson returns to the Billboard chart at # 8 with the debut of his latest, "Eat Me, Drink Me," while Daddy Yankee earns his first top 10 album with "El Cartel: The Big Boss at # 9 -- which also reigns over the Top Latin Albums chart this week.

British chanteuse Amy Winehouse rounds out the Top 10 with "Back To Black." The album features the buzz-worthy single, "Rehab," which climbed a whopping 23 spots to land at # 7 this week on the Hot Downloaded Singles chart.

Next week sees new releases from Bon Jovi, The White Stripes, Mandy Moore and Brad Paisley.

Below are Billboard's Top 10 Album and Top 10 Downloaded Singles charts for the week.

TOP 10 Albums

ARTIST- TITLE -UNITS SOLD

1. T-PAIN - Epiphany - 171,126
2. RIHANNA - Good Girl Gone Bad - 162,488
3. PAUL MCCARTNEY - Memory Almost Full - 160,541
4. R. KELLY - Double Up - 120,516
5. MAROON 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long - 112,131
6. BIG & RICH - Between Raising Hell And Amazing - 102,927
7. LINKIN PARK - Minutes To Midnight - 95,573
8. MARILYN MANSON - Eat Me, Drink Me - 87,531
9. DADDY YANKEE - El Cartel: The Big Boss - 81,768
10. AMY WINEHOUSE - Back To Black - 66,591

TOP 10 Downloaded Singles

1. RIHANNA feat. JAY-Z - Umbrella - 220,830
2. SHOP BOYZ - Party Like A Rockstar - 172,868
3. FERGIE - Big Girls Don't Cry - 138,261
4. PLAIN WHITE T'S - Hey There Delilah - 103,891
5. MAROON 5 - Makes Me Wonder - 96,180
6. T-PAIN FEATURING YUNG JOC - Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin') - 90,649
7. AMY WINEHOUSE - Rehab - 78,394
8. AVRIL LAVIGNE - Girlfriend - 77,247
9. LIL MAMA - Lip Gloss - 73,517
10.FALL OUT BOY - Thnks Fr Th Mmrs - 63,369