DATAFILE SALES - 03.11.07.

Market conditions continue to be tough but last week brought a double- digit rise in album and singles sales.

Combined album sales climbed 11.8% to reach 2,175,767. Their highest level for three weeks, it nevertheless leaves them far behind same week sales of 2,696,025 in 2006 and 2,832,250 in 2005. The last time sales were lower than this in the comparable week (week 43) of the year was way back in 1998, when just 1,922,363 albums were sold.

Although the arrival of The Hoosiers' debut album - number one on sales of 55,185 - helped the artist album sector to a 6.9% improvement week- on-week to 1,670,932, the compilations sector was the star performer, with sales increasing 32.1% week-on-week to 504,835.

Much of the credit for that must go to the new number one compilation, Radio One's Live Lounge Volume 2, which outsold even The Hoosiers, attracting 64,320 purchases. It is the second number one compilation in a row for a Radio One franchise, replacing three week chart champ Radio One - Established 1967. The first Live Lounge album debuted at number one last October on sales of 31,267 and ultimately spent seven weeks at number one, attracting sales of 835,314 to date.

New releases from Leona Lewis, Take That and McFly gave the singles sector a major boost last week, with sales up 27% to 1,899,979 - by far the highest tally of 2007. They were last higher - at 1,979,547 - in Christmas week last year. In that week, of course, Lewis' debut single accounted for ...