With 24 million copies sold worldwide as of this month, Adele‘s ‘21‘ stands as the best selling album of the past decade- surpassing records previously held by Michael Jackson‘s ‘Thriller’ and Usher‘s 2004 mega seller ‘Confessions‘.
Now, it has emerged that the singer’s record label XL Recordings reaped major financial rewards as a result of the LP’s success. Rewards, to the tune of $41 million.
Details below…
Following its January 2011 launch, the project boosted XL’s turnover from £21.4 million to £111.7 million. This, lifting pre tax profits from £4.1 million to a sweet £41.7 million.
Unveiled by the Sunday Times Business supplement this week, the company’s impressive financial year is unlikely to be matched this year, with sales of the project cooling in recent months.
Let’s hope this serves as a valuable lessons to rival labels, investing capital in music just as generic as the characters spewing them.
For, as the continued commercial successes of Coldplay, Drake and Beyonce attests to, consumers will purchase albums if convinced the project is worth more than two or so singles used to endorse it.
In short, the sooner labels begin to push acts of substance from all genres, the greater their chances of pulling in numbers akin to ‘21′ will be.
Until then,major congratulations to Team Adele and any performer striving to deliver quality products in a cheapened market.
![Extended Trailer: Prime Video's 'Cruel Intentions' Series [Starring Savannah Lee Smith, Sarah Catherine Hook, & Zac Burgess]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cruel-intentions-prime-trailer-tv-adaptation-thatgrapejuice-2024-464x260.jpg "Extended Trailer: Prime Video's 'Cruel Intentions' Series [Starring Savannah Lee Smith, Sarah Catherine Hook, & Zac Burgess].")
if rihanna got paid 53M how many Dem JAM/Roc nation got with a 360 contract ?! …#haters
how much*
Poor Riri. Even if she was to sell like Adele she’d only see a third of the money.
360 is a b**** isn’t.
lol and how much do you have you broke pressed b**** bahaha .
Hmmmm…Lana Del Rey>>>>>>>>>>>
As much as I love Lana and “Born To Die” I have to disagree and so does the majority.
Numbers don’t lie.
i just think Lana is the better artist
shut up! thats not true!
I’m so glad this album has experienced the success it did!!! And it’s still flourishing!! Amazing, phenomenal album! This is how music sells when you’re the songwriter channeling you’re own emotions into a project.
I do fear that the 3rd album and future projects may not experience the same success, and that’s okay because Adele has built a name for herself and a discography that she doesn’t need to repeat the same success from here on out.
Now, Sam…
There’s no need for that Rihanna birthday cake video. Rihanna and Adele are two different artists, you pressed f***.
Rihanna stays slaying mainstream music.
Slaydele slays again.
When will these lesser girls get with the program and up their talent game. Some of them can’t sing, some of them can’t dance and the ones that can do both can’t promote their music for s***.
Slaydele slays all of your faves and doesn’t need to put out albums every year to succeed. She’s like Beyonce, a classic act with lasting appeal.
F*** the flops!
b**** stop living vicariously through me with your wack ass user names, i see have a stalker, cute.
Adele deserves it
How ironic.
The overweight girl who doesn’t fit the media’s standard of women beats all the skinny supermodels prancing as singers.
Rihanna= Slutty flop.
Beyonce = Talented flop.
Lady Gaga = Glorified Madonna fan.
DUN KNOW ABOUT ADELE, HER REIGN WONT LET UP, IT GIVES ME SUCH JOY BECAUSE SHE GREW UP 20 MINS FROM WHERE I LIVE NOW, SHE IS A RIGHT CHAV TO SO GHETTO, ATTENTION ALL AMERICANS SHE IS ENGLANDS VERSION OF YOUR RED NECKS LOOOL, ADELE DO THE GHETTO PROUD
‘Ello chap, would you like some tea and crumpetts?
Yeah sort of, search In EASTENDERS into youtube and watch a few clips thats our ghetto and you will notice adele speaks just like them
Top 10 Rnb Queens
1.Brandy
2.Monica
3.Keyshia Cole
4.Mariah Carey
5.Ciara
6.Keri Hilson
7.Beyonce
8.Kelly Rowland
9.Rihanna
10. Ashanti
I hope this isn’t in any order!
C*** brandy sold 45m records so she ain’t #1 Monica 35m eeerrrrk sucks keysha 12m f*** Marian sold 250m #1 ciara sold 21m bye keri Hilton sold 5m s*** beyonce sold 200m Kelly Roland 86m R**** f*** she never rnb but sold 70m Ashanti 21 m lol flop ass Marian #1 beyonce #2
…. but beyonce flopped when she left the ‘generic’ side. compared to sales of her other albums, 4 didnt move any solid numbers.
Beyonce has sold 200+ m records world wide rihanna sold 70 m and adelle sold 50m adelle s not on beyonce selling level beyonce been on for 15 years adelle only 3 years
I love how Adele still sells without even trying, I’m sure she’s just sipping some tea in London, this proves that 21 is a quality album (even though I like 19 better)! Go Adele!
PS: Damn Sam loves to shade Rihanna! Everyone knows she’s not a good performer except the Navy who enjoys it.
Damn Adele! I know flop arist like Keri helson & Ciara, kreayshawn, Rita Ora, all wish they can have success in there careers like that.
Ciara is HARDLY A FLOP F***
She did 8M off 2 albums alone! In R&B/Crunk music!
WHO ELSE?!
Adele is white & sings soul she is attempting to re-live Amy winehouse legendary career & will never do so!
KEEP THE FACTS STR8, UGLY!
*For as the continued successes of coldplay,drake and beyonce attest to,consumers will purchase albums if convinced the project is worth more than two or so singles used to endorse it*
Last i checked “21” outsold “4” a cool 10times worldwide.You might not believe it being confined to Rihanna to Beyonce musically but it’s true…4 actually flopped both in singles and album sales.Coldplay too underperfomed compared to their last outing & as for Drake,we all know how YMCMB operates..CONGRATULATIONS ADELE
I’m jealous:( but Adele really is talented tho she deserves it I got her album 19 I thought that one was her best work. Rita will be having this success when her album hits U.S. stores near you;)
Im f****** dieeeeeeing…..!!!!!!!
kiiiiii :D:D:D
the only units rita will be moving… is units to Roc Nations Garbage heep… No one will be buyin glet alone throwing it away
Roc nations poorest investment: Rita Ora!
if rita hasnt sold past 50k in the uk where she has 3 #1 singles all in the space of mere months…..
she is gonna pull adele album sales in the u.s where all her singles have so far floped?
you are a f****** joke !
teww easy!
my fave slays your fave sitting on a chair eating a burger. no need to jump up and down half naked for attention
you MAD?
congrats to the mutha of them all other b****** , she got their wigs in one hand and a glass of whine in the other while sitting in her iconic chair singing “rolling in the deep” 😆
i just love her !! i can’t believe the one who sang “chasing pavements” became this big artist of 2012 ! i’m still shocked.
she really deserve everything that is beautiful and i hope she get better after she give birth ! and good for her label for supporting such an incredible voice and believing in her despite her being the opposite to what the media love and support !!
FAT OVERRATED B****
Yes she is
DEAD
FEEL FREE TO DOWNLOAD BRANDY’S “TWO ELEVEN” ALBUM FREE HERE: (DELUXE EDITION) *ITUNES VERSION* http://www.jamxclusive.net/blog/brandy-two-eleven-deluxe-version-itunes-plus-aac-m4a-itunes-lp/
LMAO!
I listened 21, but I only bought a hand full of songs that interested me; (Someone Like You,SFTR, Don’t You Remember, RITD,Turning Table & Rumor Has it). Adele is a good song-writer and a decent vocalist, but I just don’t believe the numbers 21 supposedly sold.
IT WASNT THAT GOOD!!! PPL MAKE IT MORE THAN IT IS B/C SHE’S FAT!!!
Alot of Adeles success has to do with “right place, right time”, same as lady gaga back in 2009.
Adele stood out because of her lack of image, gimmicks, publicity stunts and excuses.
Hmmm perhaps she need to tell Beyonce that, since they
are on the same label.
why are you bringing rihanna into a discussion about adele? you just can’t keep rih’s name off your fingertips, always got a find a way to font about her, even if the subject at hand has absolutely NOTHING to do with her!
The Label is buying her album at this point. They are trying to overcome “Thriller”, let’s be honest, i do agree that “21” is not the generic crap music of our days but is not something groundbreaking or trendsetter, if you ask me, Amy’s “Back to Black” deserve more success than “21”, they are trying to make her bigger than she really is, it happen with all artist, for example, MJ’s “Thriller” sold like 65 million ww but the label exaggerated the numbers, while there is no discussion that this album is the best-selling album ww, there is no way that “Thriller” sold 110 million ww, the two biggest market are the US and the UK, in the US the album sold 29 or 30 million, in the UK the album sold like 3.7 million copies, so in the rest of the world, an album does not sell much. The world population as of today, it is estimated to number 7.046 billion, how the hell more than 100 million of people buy that album from 1982 to 1984, remember that before MJ dies, his album sales were listed as 296,390,000 for studio albums, it’s 331,170,000 if you include all of the compilation albums that were released, then he dies and suddenly he has sold 750 million ww, once again, there is no way, no even including the sales of the Jacksons, does no reach the 750 million sold, not to mention that MJ discography is very short, i’m a big fan of MJ but i’m not here for the “hype” and they are doing the same with Adele.
shut up idiot
Thriller has sold a lot of copies after 1982-1984! That´s the reason. But yeah it´s probably exaggerated, just like everything else
I do believe “21” has sold this much. It has been a phenomenon whether you like it or not. It´s one of those albums that end appealing to everybody and in every country. A Shania´s “Come on over” or one of the huge albums from the true greats. You have to accept it. i agree it doesn´t deserve to be that big but I´m not even mad. It is a result of the mediocre last 10 years in music we just had. People are used to listen to crap so Adele seems epic
And yeah , USA and UK are the biggest markets when it comes to a normal album. But when it becomes such an event, rest of the world really counts cos it reaches every country. It can sell more than double thanks to that rest of the world. It happens with “21”, with “Thriller” and with “The Bodyguard” for example
And don´t worry cos Adele is not even near matching the biggest seller by a female, so she sure is not goint to outsell Thriller
JOHNVIDAL.
No way he sold 750 million records ww no even after his dead.
YESSSSSS, I THINK YOU ARE CORRECT about her label and many ppl in the music world buying her music so that she can surpass Michael Jackson’s CD sells!
YESSSSSS, “Back To Black” is truly a classic and very much deserves much more respect. But again, those that control the industry have neverliked her free spirit and “bad girl” ways so they are more than happy to push her and her legacy aside to issue in Adele.
WAIT A MINUTE PUMP YOUR BRAKES on the MJ conspiracy crap! MJ’s discoraphy is short? Compared to whom? MJ has been in th egame since he was 8. He went solo when he was 22. He died at 50. MJ’s discography is quite full thank you very much. And let me add, it is more than plausible that MJ sold 750 million WW. The man had BILLIONS OF ADORING FANS WORLDWIDE.
Sam where you seem to fall short is explaining how much of that money is actually
given to Adele, artists make pennies on albums sold…so your attempt at mocking
other labels only ignites the argument that these labels rip off their artists, so if
correct, what you are saying is that more labels should exploit “talented” acts in
hopes of garnering such sales akin to the likes if “21” …
BRAVO……WELL SAID!! 🙂
@TEAMBREEZY,,,I love reading you because it’s clear that u r smart and well bread, good read.
This album is brilliant. It deserves to sale so much. She is very humble and down to earth.
True
adele deserves all of this success! i can’ count how many times i cried to her album! her voice touches my soul! really!!! i’m glad i have the album!!! that s raw talent right here! i wish my girl amy was still here too! i love big soulful voices!!
Damn those lips!!!! yummy
F*** stop comparing this fat twat to MJ THRILLER WHICH SOLD 150m records world wide plus MJ HAS SOLD 1 billion records which no1 will ever break
Fat is where it’s at and thin is in.
http://thatgrapejuice.net/2012/01/thedream-15-million-rihannas-umbrella/
This was a single song, dang that is some big bucks, just saying.
I am really happy for Adele. I was really surprised that “21” is getting more attention than “19” considering “19” was better. Nonetheless, Adele is a talented artist, write and a great singer. Although I personally prefer Amy over Adele, they are both talented and wish Adele much luck in the future.
*am *writer
So true MC…
I personally didnt like “21”…it was far too depressing and boring for me but she is really talented.
I’ll take talent over gimmicks anyday.
Congrats Adele.
YEAH…..NO……STOP IT!
Adele is an ANOMALY let’s stop acting as if her record sells are the new rule. Her appearence onto the scene came at just the right time for her to have the success we have seen – similar to the rise of Nicki Minaj! The stars were alined for both acts to make an impact on the music world love them or loath them!
As for your assertion that artists aren’t making quality product, that’s complete bullsh**! Some produce generic noise but some actually put thought and hard work into what they produce. The music industry is run llike a gang lead by murderous thugs! They dictate who achieves and who does not. Achievement has little to do with quality product just look at the likes of Justin Babble, Trailer Swift, .and so on. Media Darlin’s will acheive no matter what they produce.
With that said, congratulations to Adele. I enjoy some of her music. I really like the James Bond Theme Skyfall! 🙂
@MOB,,,, WELL STATED,,
And @SAM while you are mentioning Drake, please also add a line about YMCMB’s CEO’s purchasing many, many, many copies of their arists works….LOL
🙂
Not true! That’s only Lil Wayne records
Drake & Nicki albums aren’t bought! If they were, Nicki would be 5x plat by now!!
Good for Adele those who work hard deserves their pay back.