Adele’s ’21’

For the first time in seven years, the U.S. music market has marked positive growth. Somewhat ironically, the acceleration in America can be attributed to British songstress Adele and her recent release ’21’. The first six months of 2011 showed a seemingly simple one percent increase, however the number is a drastic improvement compared to the same period last year, which yielded an 11 percent decrease from the prior year. In addition to the Grammy winning soul singer’s two and a half million sales, Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ made a less severe impact of one and a half million album moves, thanks in part to a 99 cent digital edition on Amazon. The critically acclaimed artist has already embarked on a North American tour but had to adjourn her final nine concerts due to throat troubles. By David Woodson