Game Sales Break 350k

Who needs Dr. Dre and 50 Cent anyway?ertainly not The Game, whose soph effort, Doctor’s Advocate, for new label Geffen, tops the HITS chart this week with almost 380k in sales, which was still more than 200k less than his first album.

That was enough to beat back the challenge for Senegal-turned-New Jersey rapper Akon, who rides two smash singles with Eminem and Snoop Dogg to a #2 debut with more than 286k in sales for his Konvicted album on SRC/Universal Motown.

Epic’s daffy duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass’ Tenacious D crashed the party at #7 with their soundtrack to the film The Pick of Destiny, while Interscope blink-182 spin-off +44 settled in at #8 for their debut, When Your Heart Stops Beating.

Holdovers include last week’s chart-topping Sony Label Group entry Now 23 (#3), 143/Reprise’s Josh Groban (#4), Capitol Nashville’s Keith Urban (#5), Disney’s Hannah Montana soundtrack (#6), Mercury Nashville’s Sugarland (#8) and Universal Republic’s rock artist development story of the year, Hinder (#10).

Chart newcomers this week include Terror Squad’s Fat Joe (#12), Vector/WB Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice (#22), Arista/RMG’s Kenny G (#37), Columbia’s James Taylor Christmas collection (#39), Flip/Atlantic’s Staind singles compilation (#41), Lava/Atl. G’s holiday perennial Trans-Siberian Orchestra (#46), WB’s Larry the Cable Guy Yule disc (#47) and Firm Music alt-rock supergroup Army of Anyone (#50).

Arista/RMG’s Sarah McLachlan album of seasonal faves, Wintersong, shows the week’s biggest increase, moving #33-17 on a 68% rise. Other double-digit gainers include Columbia’s Beyonce (#19-11, +17%), Sony Label Group’s Now Christmas Vol. 3 (#39-26, +43%), Reprise’s J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton (#27, +11%), RCA/RMG’s Christina Aguilera (#44-36, +21%) and Disney’s High School Musical (#48-43, +24%).

Next week’s releases are topped by Def Jam’s eagerly anticipated Jay-Z album, already flying out of stores, along with Apple/Capitol’s Beatles “Love” reinvention, Geffen’s Snoop Dogg, Amaru/ Interscope’s 2Pac, Columbia’s Il Divo and Interscope’s U2 singles hits CD featuring the new track recorded with Green Day.