‘N Sync Indeed Retains Its Selling Power

Millions of parents didn’t need SoundScan this week to know ‘N Sync’s new “Celebrity” was the best-selling album in the country.

If parents weren’t buying the disc for their own kids, they probably saw packs of youngsters flooding stores and malls to buy their own copies.

Despite continuing industry whispering about a drop-off in the teen and preteen buying boom that made stars of ‘N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, the ‘N Sync album sold 1.88 million copies during its first week in the stores.

The figure was well short of the first week record of 2.42 million set by ‘N Sync’s previous album, “No Strings Attached,” in March 2000, but it was enough to edge past the former runner up--Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP,” which sold 1.76 million copies during its first week in May 2000.

“For all the talk that the boy band thing is over, that’s pretty amazing,” says Tower Records Southwest territory director Bob Feterl.

But he wonders if that first-week rush may be a bit deceptive.

“I think this one’s going to drop off more than the last one did,” Feterl added. “On that album there was more buildup, the single was stronger, it had more publicity. So even though their tour just went through town, it seems like all the factors that were there last time aren’t there this time.”

“No Strings Attached” sold 811,000 copies in its second week of release, a drop of two-thirds from the record first-week sales. If “Celebrity” does the same, it would see a second-week figure around 630,000, which is close to first-week estimates for the latest installment of the powerhouse “Now That’s What I Call Music” hits compilation series. The collection went on sale Tuesday and hits the charts next Wednesday.

Alicia Keys’ debut album, “Songs in A Minor” continued its strong sales spurt last week by selling 203,000 copies, enough for second place on the chart.

The rest of the spots in the Top 10 were claimed, in order, by D12, Staind, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family, Linkin Park, Jagged Edge and Violator.

The nation’s best-selling single: Mariah Carey’s “Loverboy.”