Adele's 25 sells 2.3M in 3 days; poised to set new sales records
British singer expected to sell 2.9 million albums in U.S. alone by week's end
Adele appears on track to set new sales records with 25, the British singer's much-anticipated follow-up to her blockbuster album 21.
Music fans have been eagerly snapping up the award-winning British singer's new album, whether through downloads or physical albums from bricks-and-mortar shops, since its release Friday.
In its first three days of release, Adele's 25 already sold at least 2.3 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. As of Monday night, industry forecasters were suggesting the album could finish the week with 2.9 million sold.
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Apple's iTunes sold more than 900,000 copies on Friday, according to music industry publication Billboard.
Meanwhile, retailers such as Target, which is selling an exclusive version of the album featuring bonus tracks, and Barnes & Noble have noted that the album's opening-day sales made company history.
The current one-week record is held by 1990s-era boy band 'N Sync, which sold 2.42 million copies of No Strings Attached in 2000. That album is the only one to sell more than two million copies in the U.S. in a single week since 1991, when Nielsen Music first began tracking point-of-sale music purchases.
It's a similar story across the Atlantic, where the Official Charts Company reported that 25 sold more than half a million copies in its first three days of release and stands to become fastest selling UK album ever.
No to immediate streaming
Releasing music via streaming services is the most common way for new music to debut today. However, following the lead of Taylor Swift, British songstress Adele decided to snub streaming platforms – at least initially – by not making her album immediately available on services such as Spotify or Apple Music.
Now, the speculation is swirling around just how high 25 will reach.
Nielsen Music, which tracks record sales Friday through Thursday, will report its latest weekly figures on Nov. 26. Billboard is slated to report sales numbers for 25's first week on Nov. 29.
Adele has been making headlines for several weeks, at first teasing out 25's release with a prime TV spot, online missives, music video debut, special appearances and interviews. This past weekend, the campaign continued with several high-profile performances, including in a BBC TV special and an appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
In March, an Official Charts Company report named Adele's last album, 2011's 21, the best-selling artist album of the millennium. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.