Eminem's album was released early to combat piracy

Encore is now a chart-topper on both sides of the Atlantic following its debut at number one in the UK.

The fourth album from the rap star was on sale for two days before it outsold all of its rivals.

Its US debut was one of the biggest of the year so far, shifting 700,000 copies. US albums are usually sold for six days ahead of the chart.

The album was released early in an effort to combat both physical and online piracy.

Early release

The Oscar-winning musician's sales in the UK reached 122,500 copies, a week after lead track Just Lose It topped the singles chart.

His last album The Eminem Show from 2002 managed to top the charts in the US after just one day of official sales.

But it is quite commonplace for rap albums to hit the streets a day or two before the official release.

The opening sales of Encore have been exceeded this year only by Usher's Confessions with 1.1 million copies, Feels Like Home by Norah Jones (1 million copies) and country star Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying (766,000 copies).

Eminem's album includes the track Mosh, which is a tirade against US President Bush and the presence of US troops in Iraq.