It’s the fourth quarter…do you know where your superstars are? After a desultory nine months, the record industry is gearing up for three months that annually make or break their year.

Music biz biggies like Eminem, Shaggy, Bon Jovi, India.Arie, Shania Twain, Jennifer Lopez, Nas, Pearl Jam, Santana, Christina Aguilera, Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule, Justin Timberlake, Nick Carter, TLC, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Faith Hill, Staind, Matchbox Twenty, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Snoop Dogg will all be representing with Q4 releases.

Universal Music Group: Doug Morris’ kings of marketshare have another jam-packed fourth quarter on tap, with hip-hop bad boy Eminem leading the way. The 10/29 release of the Shady/Interscope/UMG Soundtracks album to his biopic 8 Mile should give him the two largest-selling albums of the year. Meanwhile, MCA reggae star Shaggy follows up his 6.5 million-selling Hotshot with the new Lucky Day. The other big story is Mercury Nashville country diva Shania Twain, who is back after her 14.4 million-strong ’97 album Come On Over with a reported double-CD of country and pop mixes, slated for release 11/12. Other UMG artists with albums due in the quarter include Bon Jovi (10/8), LL Cool J (10/15), Andrea Bocelli (11/5), Jay-Z (11/5) featuring a first single with current squeeze Beyonce Knowles, Saliva (11/12), Ja Rule (11/19), Now 11 (11/19), Three Doors Down (11/19), DMX (11/26), Tim McGraw (11/26), Sum 41 (11/26) and the Monarc/Island/IDJ debut from Mariah Carey (12/10).

Sony: Rap albums from Columbia’s Nas (11/26), Epic star Ginuwine (11/19) and Loud/Columbia’s Xzibit top the list of major releases from Thomas D. Mottola and company. Nas follows up his 1.7 million-selling Stillmatic, Ginuwine returns after his album The Life sold 1.4 million and Xzibit tries to better the 1.3 million total of his 2000 effort, Restless. In addition, Jennifer Lopez (11/12) and 3LW (10/22) have new efforts on tap, while Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland comes with her solo debut (10/22). On the rock front, the label group is in full grunge gear for the latest from Audioslave, Chris Cornell fronting Rage Against the Machine, whose new album hits 11/5, and hardy perennials Pearl Jam, whose first new album in two years bows 11/16. Crazy Town comes with the sophmore successor to their 1.6 million-selling debut. Cult faves Good Charlotte (10/1) and new signing Tori Amos (10/29) also arrive with new Epic releases.

BMG: Rolf Schmidt-Holtz has Jive labelmates and boy-band grads Justin Timberlake (11/5) and Nick Carter (10/29) going head-to-head in their solo bows, while Christina Aguilera unveils her new, bad-girl image with Stripped, the RCA sequel to her 8 million-selling ’99 debut (10/29). The big story is Santana’s Shaman, which arrives 10/22, the Arista follow-up to his Grammy-winning, 11 million-selling Supernatural. The label also has high hopes for the latest from multi-platinum TLC (11/12), which features contributions from the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, as well as new efforts from multi-platinum divas Toni Braxton (11/19) and Whitney Houston (11/26). RCA looks for a piece of the rock with the Foo Fighters (10/22), a Dave Matthews Band live album (11/5) and David Gray’s sequel to his surprise, 1.8 million best-seller White Ladder (11/5). J Records rolls out an album of standards from newly signed Rod Stewart (10/22), as well as records from Deborah Cox (11/5), Monica (11/12), O-Town (11/12), Next (11/26), label newcomer Tyrese (11/26) and Busta Rhymes (12/10).

Warner Music Group: The Roger Ames-led entity sees the return of Warner Bros. Country superstar Faith Hill with Cry, the follow-up to her ’99 crossover smash Breathe, which has sold 6 million OTC to date, on 10/15. Flip/Elektra rockers Staind (11/12), Atlantic Top 40 mainstays Matchbox Twenty (11/19) and Maverick’s Deftones (11/19) also have eagerly anticipated releases on tap. Classic rockers Tom Petty (10/8), Tracy Chapman (10/15) and Phil Collins (11/12) step up with new albums as well. Other notable releases include Elektra’s Missy Elliott (11/12), Sixpence None the Richer (10/29), Bjork (11/5) and Desert Storm’s Fabolous (12/3). Wildstar/Atlantic’s Craig David returns with his sophomore album (11/19) after the platinum-plus bow, Born to Do It.

EMI: It’s all about the legends for Alain Levy’s Brit music conglom, as they come with the Rolling Stones’ double-CD set, Forty Licks (10/1), and the simultaneous release of a Paul McCartney live album and DVD from this year’s critically acclaimed tour (11/26). Also on tap, the final label album from Priority rap icon Snoop Dogg (11/26) and One Man, a new album from Blackground R&B group Tank, featuring top-notch producers Irv Gotti and Rodney Jerkins (10/29).