Countdown to the Countdowns: The Stats

On Monday, the official Alienhits countdowns will begin! 2011 was an odd year. Chock full of singles to get excited about (seriously, my top 20 songs is as strong as I ever remember it being), the year was underwhelming in the albums department. I blame it on the album as we know it becoming more and more of a dying format. That's incredibly sad, yes, but there were still some definite standouts.
For now, take a look at the stats and let the guessing begin! See you Monday.

This year's albums:

Groups - 50% (down from last year)
Solo Artists - 50% (up from last year)

Debut Albums - 35% (up)
Second Albums - 10% (way down)
Fourth Album (or higher!) - 30% (down)

Male Singers - 50% (down)
Female Singers - 40% (up)
Male & Female Singers - 10% (up)

American Acts - 15% (down)
UK Acts - 40% (up)
Swedish Acts - 25% (down)
Australian Acts - 10% (same)
Danish Acts - 5% (up)
Finnish Acts - 5% (up)

Albums that saw a U.S. release - 20% (way down)
Albums with any substantial success in the U.S. - 15% (up!)

Released in the 1st Quarter (including Dec. '10) - 15% (up)
Released in the 2nd Quarter - 15% (way down)
Released in the 3rd Quarter - 20% (down)
Released in the 4th Quarter - 45% (up)