Napster, Shmapster: 'N Sync Rules Record Y2K

Despite industry types grousing over the proliferation of the song-swapping software, Napster didn't exactly dent CD sales--Y2K was the biggest sales year ever for the music biz.

According to SoundScan, the New York-based company that's been keeping tabs on music sales figures since 1991, overall sales were up 4 percent over 1999's previous record (785.1 million units sold from 754.8 million).

Last year's hottest album turned out to be 'N Sync's No Strings Attached, which sold 9.9 million copies.

No Strings also set a record for first-week sales, moving a whopping 2.4 million copies its debut week on sale. In fact, paced by 'N Sync's disc, there were six albums that broke the 1 million sales figure in their opening week. To put that in perspective, before this year there were only two in SoundScan's 10-year history: Garth Brooks' Double Live and the Backstreet Boys' Millennium, the top-selling disc of 1999 and previous first-week record holder.

Here's how the SoundScan top 10 of 2000 lined up: 'N Sync's No Strings Attached, 9.9 million Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP, 7.92 million Britney Spears' Oops!...I Did It Again, 7.89 million Creed's Human Clay, 6.6 million Santana's Supernatural, 5.9 million The Beatles' 1, 5.068 million Nelly's Country Grammer, 5.067 million Backstreet Boys' Black & Blue, 4.3 million Dr. Dre's Dr. Dre 2001, 4 million Destiny's Child's Writing's on the Wall, 3.8 million

Eight of the top 10 albums received nominations for the 43rd Grammys, which were announced Wednesday. Of the best-sellers, the Beatles' was the quickest mover. It sold more than 5 million copies in about a month--an incredible rate for a group that split up more than 30 years ago.

According the the SoundScan bean counters, 88 albums sold more than 1 million copies in 2000, and 202 sold 500,000 or more. More than 13 million albums were purchased online.

In terms of music companies, Universal led the charge, accounting for 28 percent of the Y2K market, followed by BMG (19.4 percent), Sony (15.4 percent), Warner (13.5 percent) and EMI (8.7 percent).

It was a banner year all around for the music industry. The concert circuit took in a record $1.7 billion in ticket sales for 2000, up 14 percent from last year according to industry trade Pollstar. Private dancer Tina Turner showed off those famous legs in a farewell tour that was simply the best--to the tune of $80.2 million, putting her in first place. The boys of 'N Sync came in second with $76.4 million.

Despite the record numbers for album and concert sales, many industry observers believe the bubble could burst in the near future, similar to the recent stock market downturn. "All the growth was concentrated in the top [acts]," Michael Nathanson, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, tells the New York Times. "It's a worrying sign for the music industry."

Meanwhile, SoundScan's year-end report also included a rundown of the top-selling albums since 1991: Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, 13.7 million Shania Twain's Come on Over, 13.6 million Metallica's Metallica, 12.4 million Backstreet Boys' Millennium, 11.7 million The Bodyguard soundtrack, 11.6 million Santana's Supernatural, 10.6 million Celine Dion's Falling Into You, 10.3 million Britney Spears' ... Baby One More Time, 9.98 million 'N Sync's No Strings Attached, 9.93 million Titanic soundtrack, 9.89 million