Adele’s 21 has underlined its status as one of the most successful albums this century after selling its 10-millionth copy this week.

 

The album, by far and away 2011’s top seller worldwide, has taken little more than seven months since release to break the 10 million mark and looks likely to reach 13 million sales by the end of the year.

 

At a time when even the biggest albums globally struggle to sell more than 5 million copies in a calendar year, the XL album’s performance has been remarkable. And the story does not end there with 21 on course to reach 3 million UK sales this week in record-breaking time.

 

“It’s just phenomenal,” said her manager Jonathan Dickins. “We knew we had a good record and privately we had some targets, but you can’t legislate for this.”

 

“We’ve taken the whole thing very much one step at a time, but no one could have anticipated this,” added XL Recordings managing director Ben Beardsworth, who noted the album was this week enjoying one of its best weeks in a number of territories, including the US where 21’s sales were expected to rise week-on-week by around 70% following Adele’s MTV VMAs performance of Someone Like You.

 

The scale and speed of 21’s success can be put into context when lined up alongside the biggest global sellers of recent years. Eminem’s Interscope album Recovery was recognised by the IFPI as 2010’s top worldwide album having sold 5.7 million copies by year’s end and Syco artist Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream led 2009’s listings after selling around 6.0 million copies (it achieved that despite having only been released in mid-November that year).

 

Not since Blue Note/EMI’s Norah Jones debut Come Away With Me, which was 2003’s top global seller, has there been a release to dwarf the kind of numbers 21 has been doing.

 

Adele’s rapid march to 10 million has been achieved because her album became a substantial hit in almost every major music territory.

 

It has been number one in 19 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany and the US, where it is the year-to-date’s top album by some distance, it sold its three-millionth copy there last month, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

 

It is also the first album by a British artist to reach this landmark in the States since Boyle’s debut two years ago.

 

Unless something extraordinary happens during the last four months of 2011, 21’s success will also mean the top-selling artist album globally will be by a British artist for the fourth time in five years following Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black (2007), Coldplay’s Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (2008) and Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream (2009).

 

Meanwhile, in the UK 21’s sales reached 2.98 million units last week, according to the Official Charts Company, and are set to hit 3 million by the end of the week.

 

Sales this week were strengthened by Adele’s appearance on Jonathan Ross’s new ITV1 chat show where she performed Turning Tables. However, she had to pull out of the first two dates of her UK tour last Sunday and Monday because of illness.

 

Given the album firmly remains a Top 10 fixture in the UK, US and other key markets, there are likely to be plenty more sales to come before the year is up.

 

“The joy of an album coming out in January is we’ve had the whole year so far of great sales and we’ve still got our first Christmas to come,” said Beardsworth.

 

“I imagine even for a record that has sold at this volume there are going to be some great sales at Christmas.”

 

 

 

Source: MW

There are just no words I can say anymore.

 

This record really is holding the industry together

"Not since Blue Note/EMI’s Norah Jones debut Come Away With Me, which was 2003’s top global seller, has there been a release to dwarf the kind of numbers 21 has been doing."

 

Did MW forget Usher? Confessions sold 10 million in the US alone, so the worldwide tally must be somewhere near 15 million.

07/09/2011 - Adele breaks Official Charts history with 3 million album sales

 

The Official Charts Company can confirm that Adele has today broken Official Charts history, becoming the first artist in music history to hit 3 million sales of an album in one calendar year.

 

The album, 21, which was released 24 January 2011 achieved phenomenal success this year, not least being recognised in last night's Mercury Music Prize. Despite being pipped to the post yesterday for the prestigious accolade by fellow British singer/songwriter PJ Harvey, Adele can instead today celebrate being the youngest female to hit the 3 million sales mark with an album, and doing so in one calendar year, a music industry first.

 

21, Adele’s second studio album has now also become the third best selling album by a British female artist, surpassed only by Leona Lewis's 2007 debut release, Spirit, which shifted 3.03m copies, and Amy Winehouse's Back To Black (3.29m), which last month overtook James Blunt’s Back To Bedlam to become the highest selling album of the 21st century.

 

Adele, who was in attendance at the 2011 Mercury Music Prize yesterday evening at London's Grosvenor House, told how she was "gutted" not to be able to perform due to a chest infection. However, with a nominated album that has today arrived at the 3 million sales milestone amid an outstanding run in the Official Albums Chart, the singer has plenty of reason to be happy.

 

By this Sunday, 21 will have spent an impressive 33 weeks in the Top Five of the Official Albums Chart, racking up an average sale of almost 91,000 copies per week across the period. On sale for a total of 227 days so far, that is equivalent to over 13,000 albums sold per day.

 

Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company says: "Three million albums in a year is a simply extraordinary achievement by Adele, who is now occupying an unparalleled position in the history of British music. In reaching such an elevated landmark so quickly, 21 has eclipsed any other album previously released in the UK - superceding even the likes of Sgt Pepper, Thriller, Dark Side Of The Moon, Brothers In Arms. There is no questioning now that Adele has joined the ranks of British music legends."

 

Source: Official Charts Company.

 

http://www.theofficialcharts.com/chart-n....on-album-sales/

"Not since Blue Note/EMI’s Norah Jones debut Come Away With Me, which was 2003’s top global seller, has there been a release to dwarf the kind of numbers 21 has been doing."

 

Did MW forget Usher? Confessions sold 10 million in the US alone, so the worldwide tally must be somewhere near 15 million.

 

I think they mean huge sales (over 10 mil) in a calendar year time frame.

"Not since Blue Note/EMI’s Norah Jones debut Come Away With Me, which was 2003’s top global seller, has there been a release to dwarf the kind of numbers 21 has been doing."

 

Did MW forget Usher? Confessions sold 10 million in the US alone, so the worldwide tally must be somewhere near 15 million.

Usher sold 11,867,000 in the year (2004).

http://www.mediatraffic.de/albums-2004.htm

 

Why are we expecting MW to report correctly? There are always loads of errors :lol:

 

Completely run out of words to describe Adele's success. 21'll definitely be in the top 5 of all time for the UK, possibly even the top 3 and the way she's still selling after 7 months maybe she could end up challenging Queen. It could also get pretty high in the all-time top sellers worldwide since its massive success isn't just limited to the UK.

Edited September 7, 201113 yr by Bré

Its just so incredible, such an achievement. Even if you take away all the sales, its just such a beautiful album. :wub: 21 will without a doubt soon be the biggest selling album of the 21st Century, and wouldnt be surprised at all if it becomes the biggest selling album of all time in the UK in the long run.

The OCC tell me that they realise, (now), that they made a mistake in the Press Release.

 

'21' is not the UK's 3rd Best Selling Album, by a UK Female. It is 4th.

They forgot about 'No Angel', by Dido, which is currently on 3,063,000 UK Sales.

 

However, they expect Adele's Album to move into 2nd place, in the next Week, or so.

Overtaking 'No Angel', & 'Spirit'. That will just leave 'Back To Black' ahead of it.

Edited September 7, 201113 yr by zeus555

What are Adeles total album sales this year world wide (21 + 19) ?, anyone know?.

 

Yeah it'll overtake Back To Black this year too i'm sure., with big sales months coming up. :D To think an album can become the biggest album of the 21st Century in one year alone is just insanely incredible.

Edited September 7, 201113 yr by Karma

Absolutely incredible success - well deserved!

What are Adeles total album sales this year world wide (21 + 19) ?, anyone know?.

After this week, they'll be on around 4,000,000! Absolutely phenomenal success! :D

After this week, they'll be on around 4,000,000! Absolutely phenomenal success! :D

 

How can they be 4,000,000 when '21' alone is on 10,000,000 :kink:

After this week, they'll be on around 4,000,000! Absolutely phenomenal success! :D

I said world wide :)

4 million in the UK alone is actually mind boggling though. Previous best ever year for total albums was the year Michael Jackson died, 2.4 Million.(although some stats show James blunt with a single album just above MJ's total).

Whatever, Adele has those records now, I think it will be a long time till any other album achieves her sales so quickly.

I wonder what first week sales will be for her next album?.

Edited September 7, 201113 yr by Olympus

Well, she's on at least 11 million. Probably around 12.5. And that's just albums!

I think Adele's first week sales for her next album will be MASSIVE. But I also think her next album won't sell as much overall. No disrespect to Adele, just that it's pretty much impossible to replicate this success! Her next album will still be a huge hit though, no doubt.

This is greedy I know but I really hope 21 reaches 20 million. It surely won't, but I love that number and I will always find an album that sold 20 million far more interesting than one that sold 18 million, for example.

Edited September 7, 201113 yr by Umi

Well, she's on at least 11 million. Probably around 12.5. And that's just albums!

Good call, they are somewhere in the middle, nearer to 12.5 than 11 ) :).

I actually went and added up all the weeks totals for this year from the Global album chart sitesite..lol.

19 has sold 1,795,000 albums world wide.

So her total albums sales are 11,795,000 !!

 

 

I think Adele's first week sales for her next album will be MASSIVE. But I also think her next album won't sell as much overall. No disrespect to Adele, just that it's pretty much impossible to replicate this success! Her next album will still be a huge hit though, no doubt.

I agree...

You have given me an idea for a thread :)