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Adele, Gaga, Mumford Are Year’s Best Sellers

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Adele, Lady Gaga, Mumford and Sons, Katy Perry, and Cee Lo have the best-selling albums and singles of 2011, according to Nielsen SoundScan’s mid-year report. Overall, the sales tally shows a bright spot for the bleak record industry: For the first time since 2004, sales of albums are on the rise. 155,460,000 records were sold so far this year, up one percent from a year ago.

In the albums department, Adele’s 21 came in at No. 1, moving 2,517,000 copies since its release on January 19. Lady Gaga – whose Born This Way had the highest first-week sales of the year – came in at No. 2, moving 1,540,000 units. In a surprising twist, British roots rockers Mumford and Sons reign as the highest-selling group record: Their Sigh No More has sold 982,000. They are also the biggest band to have an album distributed independently. The rest of the Top 10 winners include familiar faces: Jason Aldean, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry.

On the singles front, Katy Perry scored two tracks in the Top 10. Her Kanye West-assisted track “E.T.” – which sold 4,120,000 copies – came in at No. 1, while “Firework” snuck it at No. 10, with 2,283,000 copies sold. Adele also fared well on the singles chart: the lead 21 tune “Rolling in the Deep” notched the No. 2 spot with 4,089,000 units. Overall, digital sales continue to be healthy: 660,800,000 tracks have been sold so far this year, up 11% from 2010.

Check out the Top 10 list of biggest selling albums and singles below.

Top 10 Albums
1. Adele, 21, 2,517,000 copies sold
2. Lady Gaga, Born This Way, 1,540,000
3. Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More, 982,000
4. Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party, 763,000
5. Bruno Mars, Doo Wops & Hooligans, 686,000
6. Justin Bieber, Never Say Never: The Remixes EP, 676,000
7. Chris Brown, F.A.M.E., 646,000
8. Various Artists, NOW 37, 637,000
9. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday, 609,000
10. Katy Perry, Teenage Dream, 600,000

Top 10 Singles
1. Katy Perry, “E.T. (Featuring Kanye West),” 4,120,000 copies sold
2. Adele, “Rolling in the Deep,” 4,089,000
3. Cee Lo, “Fuck You (Forget You),” 3,229,000
4. Lady Gaga, “Born This Way,” 3,029,000
5. Rihanna, “S&M,” 2,734,000
6. Jennifer Lopez “On the Floor (Featuring Pitbull),” 2,669,000
7. The Black Eyed Peas, “Just Can’t Get Enough,” 2,462,0008. Chris Brown, “Look at Me Now (Featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes),” 2,442,000
9. Bruno Mars, “Grenade,” 2,355,000
10. Katy Perry, “Firework,” 2,283,000