MARKETSHARE AND SHARE ALIKE

Four months into the year, the label-marketshare race is looking like a runaway, with Lyor Cohen’s Island Def Jam way out in front, seizing 9.3% of the market, thanks to huge records from Ludacris, Nickelback, Ashanti, Ja Rule and O Brother. IDJ has a 1.6% lead over its nearest rival, Interscope Geffen A&M, but IGA’s release schedule, including albums from Eminem, Limp Bizkit, U2 and Dr. Dre, will boost its numbers. However, if IDJ gets Shania Twain, as insiders are saying, it could tip things in their favor.

It’s a heated battle just below, as Epic, Columbia and Warner Bros. are separated by half a percentage point.

But wait, there’s more: The #10 RCA Label Group has the year’s best-selling album in Alan Jackson’s Drive, as well as this week’s #1 album, Kenny Chesney’s No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem. Country is back. Yee-haw.

In the Big Five realm, Universal Music Group continues to rule the roost, nailing down 28% and besting BMG by almost a full 10%. At 16.6%, Warner Music Group continues to gain marketshare, as does Sony at 15.9%, but EMI is down slightly from the last time we dug out our abacuses and calculated these here numbers.

Stay tuned—there are almost 250 days left in the year.

Top 10 Labels
1. IDJ 9.3
2. IGA 7.7
3. Epic 7.1
4. Columbia 6.9
5. Warner Bros. 6.6
6. Arista 4.2
7. Atlantic 3.8
8. Universal 3.7
9. Virgin 3.0
10. RCA Label Group 2.8

Label Groups
UMG 28.0
BMG 18.1
WMG 16.6
SONY 15.9
EMI 9.2