TEA

ANYONE FOR TEA? Singles matter some weeks more than others, and that’s particularly the case during and immediately after Christmas. While Columbia ruled the frontline business during the last sales week (see 1/8 item), IGA, with a pair of Top 5 singles (see Top 10 Tracks below) and nine of the Top 30, on top of four of the 12 top-selling albums, amassed sufficient firepower to top the overall/TEA sector during the same period. Republic and RCA’s combo plates were heaping as well, enabling both to edge ahead of Columbia. Now, don’t get nervous, but expect the numbers for the three weeks leading up to the Grammys on 1/26 to be far more modest as we slog through the traditional January cold wave. (1/9p)