LUCKY SEVEN

Twenty-four albums have sold more than 1 million copies this year if you round off the figures, but the big winners are the seven that have topped the 2-million mark.

The midyear leaders, according to SoundScan:

1. The Spice Girls’ “Spice,” 2.7 million copies. The remarkable thing about this light British pop confection is that it sold all these records--plus two Top 10 singles--without a formal tour. The quintet is currently in London filming a movie that is expected to premiere in the U.S. in January.

“I’m very happy that they’re doing as well as they’re doing,” says Goman, “because I’ve been screaming at these record companies that we need teen idols--people like the Spice Girls and Hanson. If we don’t get going on that, we’re going to lose the biz.”

2. Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You,” 2.4 million. This is on top of the 6.1 million copies of the album sold last year.

3. “Space Jam” soundtrack, 2.3 million. The key here was a series of hit singles, including Monica’s “For You I Will” and R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.”

4. No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom,” 2.3 million. When you realize this album had already sold nearly 4.5 million copies in 1996, you can see why Interscope and Trauma are fighting over the band, lightweight as it is.

5. The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Life After Death,” 2.3 million. The year’s hottest two-disc package.

6. Jewel’s “Pieces of You,” 2 million. With the album still in the national Top 20, plenty of commercial life remains in this record.

7. The Wallflowers’ “Bringing Down the Horse,” 2 million. Another album with lots more shelf life--and several more potential hit singles--left in it.

The rest of the Top 10: LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue,” 1.7 million; Toni Braxton’s “Secrets,” 1.5 million, and Rimes’ “Unchained Melody: The Early Years,” 1.5 million. Erykah Badu’s “Baduizm,” which is No. 11, is the only other album at the 1.5 million level so far.