Britney Spears Debuts #1 on European Albums Chart and Debuts #1 on U.S. Digital Albums Chart

This week, Jive Records recording artist Britney Spears sets a new record with her critically-acclaimed album, Blackout. Bowing at #2 this week on the U.S. albums chart, Spears has become "the only woman whose first five studio albums have debuted in the top two slots on the chart," according to Billboard magazine. Britney Spears also sold more digital albums than any female artist ever in a first week of release and Blackout has remained in the #1 position on the iTunes Store Digital Albums chart every day since its release.

Additionally, the album has been well-received internationally: Blackout debuts at #1 on European Top 100 Albums chart, as well as Canada and Ireland; #2 in the UK, France and Japan's Imports Chart; and enters the Top 10 in Australia, Switzerland, Korea, Greece, Austria, Italy, Denmark, New Zealand, Belgium and Germany. The album's success comes as her current single, "Gimme More," claims the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart, and holds the #2 position on the European Hot 100 Singles chart.

In addition to the impressive chart debut which attests to the continued support of her music fans, Britney Spears' album has been embraced by critics worldwide: The Associated Press raves, "Blackout her first studio album in four years, is not only a very good album, it's her best work ever - a triumph, with not a bad song to be found on the 12 tracks;" People magazine exclaims, " ... there is plenty of hot music for dancing one's troubles away on Britney Spears's new album;" The Guardian simply states, "Britney's new album is fantastic."

Jive Records is currently gearing up to promote her second single, "Piece Of Me" produced by the Swedish duo Bloodshy & Avant, the hit-makers behind Spears' previous Grammy-winning smash hit, "Toxic."

Britney Spears is one of the top-selling artists of the last decade and to date; she has sold in excess of 83 million units worldwide. With multi- platinum album sales that include ... Baby One More Time (1999), Oops!...I Did It Again (2000), Britney (2001), and In The Zone (2003), seven #1 worldwide singles and four consecutive #1 albums, Spears is part of a rarified group of top-selling female artists in the SoundScan era that include multi-platinum superstars Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Shania Twain.

The Zomba Label Group consists of record labels Jive, LaFace, Volcano, Verity, GospoCentric and Fo Yo Soul. These labels represent a varied group of artists including Justin Timberlake, R. Kelly, Usher, Tool, Ciara, Chris Brown, Pink, Britney Spears, OutKast, Kirk Franklin, Three Days Grace, 311, Nick Lachey, T-Pain, Byron Cage, Bullet For My Valentine, Buddy Guy, Living Things, Anthony Hamilton, Donnie McClurkin, John P. Kee, Fred Hammond, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Kelly Price, J. Moss and Backstreet Boys.

SOURCE: Jive Records

CONTACT: Wendy Washington, +1-212-833-6886,
Wendy.washington@sonybmg.com, or Carlos Vega, +1-212-833-6480,
Carlos.Vega@sonybmg.com, both of Zomba Label Group for Jive Records

Web site: http://www.jiverecords.com/