Eminem’s out in front of the pack

There were lots of congratulations to pass around Wednesday when the new national pop album chart figures were announced -- the chief recipients being Eminem (and his group D12), Diana Krall, Loretta Lynn and Prince.

D12, the Detroit rap outfit, claimed the top spot on the chart after its second album, the aptly titled “D12 World,” sold 545,000 copies in its first week in stores.

That’s an impressive increase over 372,000 first-week sales of the group’s 2001 debut, “Devil’s Night.” The new single, “The Band,” is one of the hottest songs in the country on radio.

With his three solo albums, plus the “8 Mile” soundtrack and the two D12 albums, Eminem has generated more than 5 million first-week sales since 1999.

Krall’s “The Girl in the Other Room” album sold 145,000 copies in its first week in stores, earning her the No. 4 spot on this week’s chart. That’s the highest chart position of the jazz singer’s career.

Lynn, who made her first record more than 40 years ago, also achieved her highest pop chart ranking when her acclaimed Jack White-produced “Van Lear Rose” finished No. 24, selling 37,000 copies in its first week.

That’s the highest the Country Music Hall of Fame singer has been on the pop charts, though different methodology was used for determining chart position in the ‘60s and ‘70s, when she had her biggest country sellers. “Van Lear Rose” is also No. 2 on the country charts. That’s her highest country placement in 27 years.

Prince, meanwhile, deserves special congratulations for his marketing skills. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member is giving copies of his new “Musicology” album to everyone who attends his current tour, maintaining that the album cost is included in the ticket price.

Nielsen SoundScan, which monitors U.S. record sales, has agreed to include those albums as part of his album sales -- a decision that is being widely debated in the music industry.

“Musicology” remained at No. 3 for the second consecutive week after selling 172,000 copies last week. The CDs distributed at six shows Prince played last week, if all were counted by Nielsen SoundScan, would constitute nearly half of that total.