2012 album sales are down, but Adele’s ‘21’ remains hot
LOS ANGELES – Taylor Swift’s “Red” has been an undisputed blockbuster since it was released in October. The album hasn’t left the top 10 and it has been in the No. 1 spot for much of its run. There’s only one reason why Swift’s “Red” isn’t the biggest pop album of 2012: It had to contend with the biggest pop album of 2011.
Adele’s “21,” released in the U.S. in February 2011 by XL/ Columbia, is the top-selling album of the year for the second year running. Adele’s Grammy-winning set sold 4.41 million copies in 2012, according to Nielsen SoundScan stats released by industry trade Billboard. The album in 2011 sold 5.82 million copies, giving it a to-date number well over 10 million.
Yet the good news for Adele isn’t shared by the industry as a whole. Perhaps reflective of a year in which no artist matched Adele’s runaway success, album sales for 2012 were down about 4 percent compared with those of 2011. CD sales took a large dip, down 13 percent, as the digital sector once again offered signs of growth.
Story Archived
Please sign in with your Comment Member ID and password.
Having trouble?
If you have any technical difficulties, either with your username and password or with the payment options, please contact us by e-mail at archivedesk@shawmedia.com











