Charge of the Youth Brigade

Eminem may have generated the most controversy in 2000, but one of the outspoken Detroit rapper’s favorite targets, glossy teen group ‘N Sync, won the war of the pop dollars.

By grossing an estimated $212.9 million in combined U.S. album sales and North American concert ticket receipts, the boy band tops a teen-dominated field in Calendar’s fourth annual Ultimate Top 10.

Another teen sensation, Britney Spears, finished second in the ranking with a whopping $162.7 million. Eminem was third with $128.1 million.

Echoing last year’s findings, the lesson of the Ultimate Top 10 is that it helps these days to either be older than 50 (Tina Turner, Santana) or appeal to 14-year-olds.

Eminem may belittle teen darlings such as ‘N Sync and Spears as lightweight, and critics may speak of them as passing fancies, but the youth brigade is also represented on the money list by the Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera. And Eminem and touring partners Limp Bizkit also count young teens in their fan bases.

The young acts are also showing surprising staying power. This is the third straight year ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys have earned spots on the Ultimate Top 10, and the second straight year for Spears.

“The thing that sets these [young] acts apart on stage from New Kids on the Block and other earlier teen attractions is the production values,” says Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, a concert industry trade publication.

“The visual element of the shows is much greater. . . . I don’t know what the shelf life of these groups is, but it’s already clear that the new Backstreet Boys [tour] is going to be one of the monsters of the next year. So there’s no letup in sight for them.”

Mike Shalett, chief operating officer of SoundScan, which monitors U.S. record sales, also underscored the success of the teen pop acts. ‘N Sync, Spears and the Backstreet Boys accounted for more than $400 million in album sales alone.

But the biggest surprise on the album front, Shalett noted, was another group that many adults initially dismissed as a novelty. Retailers have sold an estimated $60 million worth of the Beatles’ latest hits compilation, “1,” in just six weeks. That’s enough to make it the seventh biggest selling album of the year.

The 2000 Ultimate Top 10 figures are drawn from Pollstar’s list of the year’s 200 top-grossing tours and SoundScan’s ranking of the year’s 200 best selling albums.

1. ‘N Sync, $212.9 million: ‘N Sync came within $4 million of pulling off a rare double victory in album and tour receipts. The group’s “No Strings Attached” album sold 9.8 million copies this year, which was 2 million ahead of the runner-up, Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP.” An earlier ‘N Sync album, 1998’s “ ‘N Sync,” sold 700,000 more copies this year. That means fans spent an estimated $136.5 million on ‘N Sync albums (based on an average of $13 per album) this year.

The outfit’s North American tour grossed $76.4 million, according to Pollstar, but that was second to Tina Turner’s $80.2 million. The ‘N Sync shows were actually seen by more people than Turner’s (1.6 million to 1.3 million), but Turner’s higher ticket prices (an average of $64 versus $46) gave her a higher gross.

By any measure, it was a remarkable year for ‘N Sync--the first time an act has passed the $200-million barrier since Calendar began assembling the Ultimate Top 10. The past winners were the Backstreet Boys ($187 million in 1999), Garth Brooks ($181 million in 1998) and the Rolling Stones ($100 million in 1997). ‘N Sync’s position on last year’s list: No. 5.

2. Britney Spears, $162.7 million: The teen siren tallied $113 million in 1999, almost all of it from album sales. This time she combined strong album sales (9.4 million copies) with impressive ticket sales ($40.5 million in 81 shows). Last year: No. 3.

3. Eminem, $128.1 million: With his mix of humor and outrage, Eminem generated most of his money from album sales in making his Ultimate Top 10 debut. Together, “The Marshall Mathers LP” and 1999’s “The Slim Shady LP” sold an estimated 9 million copies. He was also the co-star with Dr. Dre of the Up in Smoke tour, so give him credit for half of the tour’s $24.4 million receipts. Last year: did not appear.

4. Creed, $123.7 million: With its straightforward rock sound and sometimes inspirational themes, Creed has been building a steady fan base over the last three years, and it paid off handsomely in 2000. Sales for the Florida group’s 1999 album, “Human Clay,” and its 1998 collection, “My Own Prison,” totaled 7.5 million this year, and the band grossed $26.2 million more by drawing more than 900,000 fans with 79 shows. Last year: did not appear.

5. The Backstreet Boys, $115.5 million: In some ways, it seemed like a quiet year for the other boy band. The group’s new album, “Black & Blue,” was widely predicted to be the best seller of the holiday season, but the Beatles’ “1” knocked it out of first place on the charts. Still, the album has sold 4.1 million copies in five weeks, and two earlier packages sold another 2.8 million during the year. Limited touring contributed another $25.8 million. With a blockbuster tour slated for next year, the group is a cinch to return to the list in 2001. Last year: No. 1.

6. Dixie Chicks, $105.8 million: Country music’s only representative sold 4.5 million albums and grossed $47.3 million in concert receipts. That has put the female trio on the list for the second straight year and makes it only the third country act to crack the $100-million mark in the last four years. The others are Brooks and Shania Twain, who registered $119 million last year. Last year: No. 8.

7. Santana, $101.5 million: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame veteran continued to enjoy the success of the Grammy-winning “Supernatural” album. That 1999 collection sold another 5.8 million units this year and Santana’s active touring grossed another $26.1 million. Last year: No. 9.

8. Limp Bizkit, $84.5 million: Fred Durst and his hard-core rock mates are on the list for the second straight year--and their gross sales this year were almost identical to last year’s $85 million. The band sold 5.3 million albums and pulled in $15.6 million in tour receipts. Last year: No. 6.

9. Tina Turner, $80.2 million: Turner’s tour this year was billed as a farewell trek, but the box-office punch was so strong that you wonder how long the singing and dancing wonder will be able to resist the call for a return. Last year: did not appear.

10. Christina Aguilera, $69.4 million: The competition was intense for this final spot, with the Dave Matthews Band, Faith Hill, KISS, Dr. Dre, Metallica and the Beatles all within striking distance. Aguilera’s Christmas album, “My Kind of Christmas,” put her over the top. The collection sold about 650,000 copies, which with the 3.7 million in sales for her 1999 “Christina Aguilera” and $13.5 million in tour receipts helped her withstand the challenges. Last year: did not appear.

Because of the fickleness of pop fans, it’s noteworthy that six of the Top 10 were repeats from last year. But here’s a sobering note: None of the acts from the 1997 ranking--including those flashy teen faves the Spice Girls--made it back this year.