THREE INTO FOUR DOES GO

Success seems to follow Doug Morris around.

Although he only began his Sony Music Entertainment job in July, the label group continues to rule the total marketshare tally, with a 29.8, fully 2.8 percentage points over last year at this time, when Rolf Schmidt-Holtz was in charge.

On top of that, Rob Stringer and Steve Barnett’s Columbia Records, even without Epic included in its total, soars to 9.0 in current releases, a full three percentage points better than last year, and a 50% increase. Credit Adele’s 21, the year’s biggest album to date, with more than 3.7 million sold in the U.S. alone, for the surge, along with Beyonce’s 4, the year’s seventh best-selling title.

Peter Edge’s RCA Label Group is second in new releases at 7.7, +.2 percentage points over the same period in 2010, with Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E. the 10th best-seller of the year, leading the way.

Lucian Grainge’s UMG is essentially even at #2 in overall marketshare, a mere .6 percentage points off from last year, with Monte and Avery Lipman’s Universal Records Group (7.1, +.5), led by #3 Lil Wayne’s Cash Money album, Tha Carter IV, and Jimmy Iovine’s IGA next (7.0, -1.4), its biggest hit #2 Lady Gaga.

Steve Bartels’ Island Def Jam is in a virtual tie for #5 with 5.8, up .1 percentage points from 2010, led by Jay Z & Kanye West’s Roc-a-Fella/Roc Nation collab at #6. Lyor Cohen’s WMG remains in third place with 14.7, down from 15.9 a year ago, its #1 seller Bruno Mars’ New Elektra album at #9, with Atlantic (#5, 5.8, -.8) and Warner Bros. (#7, 4.6, -1.4) in the Top 10.

Citigroup’s EMI pulls up the rear at 9.2, down 1.2 percentage points from last year, with Greg Thompson’s Capitol (3.1, up .1) boasting Katy Perry as its best-seller at #8. Two indies are represented in the year’s Top 10 album sellers with the Daniel Glass-led Glassnote Records’ Mumford & Sons (#4) and Broken Bow’s Jason Aldean (#5).

For the complete grid, go here.