New day…new milestone set by Adele’s album “21.”
The set enters a 22nd week atop the Billboard 200, selling 297,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which means it is now the longest-running No. 1 since Prince & the Revolution’s “Purple Rain” soundtrack scored 24 weeks at No. 1 in 1984 and 1985.
This is also the ninth consecutive week for 21 at No. 1 — the most in-a-row frames at No. 1 since the “Titanic” soundtrack racked 14 straight in 1998.
“21” — released slightly more than a year ago in the United States — has now sold 7.7 million in the States. Of that figure, 1.8 million were sold in 2012.
Adele has a second album in the top 10 this week, as her first set, 19, descends 4-7 with 39,000 (down 56%).
Meanwhile, the late Whitney Houston’s Whitney: The Greatest Hits holds at No. 2 with 174,000 (down less than 1%).
As physical stock of Houston’s albums are finally reaching retail outlets, some of her older catalog sets rise on the list. “The Bodyguard” soundtrack, for one, rallies 38-6 (47,000; up 176%) while her “Whitney Houston” album motors 37-9 (30,000; up 72%). Since her death on Feb. 11, the bulk of her album sales have come from digital downloads, as most retailers didn’t have physical copies of her albums on hand.
Source: EurWeb
