Adele 25: New album on course to sell a million copies on its first day

A streaming ban on the singer's latest release has prompted the unusual sight of fans queuing up in record stores

Industry insiders predict 25 will sell 3.5m copies worldwide in its first seven days on sale (Getty Images)

Adele prompted the unusual 2015 sight of fans queuing up in record stores to buy a CD after withholding her long-awaited third album 25 from streaming services.

Released at midnight on Friday, the album upon which the entire music industry is said to have vested its hopes, was on course to sell an estimated one million copies worldwide on its first day of release and is poised for a record-breaking opening week. Industry insiders predict 25 will sell 3.5m copies worldwide in its first seven days on sale.

Fans declared themselves delighted with 25’s familiar mix of powerhouse vocals conveying soulful tales of heartbreak.

But some expressed disappointment that they could not listen to the 11-track album for free, after Adele’s record company declined to make it available for streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.

Streaming is the industry’s fastest-growing revenue stream but like Taylor Swift before her, Adele is seeking to maximise full-price sales of one the few albums that will drive an audience of millions to download and physical record stores.

The 27 year-old Londoner may present a vulnerable persona on record but in business terms she is anything but. Her management demanded the removal of “lyric videos” of 25’s tracks posted on YouTube within hours of the album’s release.

The US retail giant Target was supplied with a limited edition CD of 25, containing three tracks unavailable elsewhere, causing some branches to sell out as fans queued up to buy multiple copies.

Now! on the rise

Retailers have cleared the shelves for the album expected to keep cash tills ringing over Christmas – the 92nd hit-packed edition of Now That’s What I Call Music!

Sam Smith and Justin Bieber feature on the latest edition of the 100m-selling compilation series which has quietly helped deliver a 4% boost to UK recorded music revenues this year.

Now! 90, released in March, sold 264,000 copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling album of the year so far. Adele, now set to claim that honour, has declined to licence her chart-topping single Hello to the potential rival.

Tesco said it was introducing additional “bespoke racking” in stores to accommodate Now! 92 alongside Adele. With a new Coldplay album to follow, the record industry hopes that the CD market could even return to growth in 2015. However One Direction, normally a seasonal “banker”, are expected to record their lowest opening week sales yet for their album, Made In The A.M.

Few expect 25 to match the 30 million sales of its 2011 predecessor, 21. The albums market has contracted by around 30% since then with streaming yet to plug the revenues gap.

But 25 sent casual purchasers back to the remaining physical stores and may even have introduced a new generation to the delights of ownership. “Well @Adele ‘s album isn’t on Spotify. I’m gonna have to go buy the first piece of music I have ever purchased,” tweeted one fan, Janine Hogan.

One million copies of 25 have been shipped to UK retailers, including HMV and Tesco, with more set to arrive in warehouses in the weeks ahead of Christmas. Ian Topping, CEO of HMV, said: “We've seen a great start with the release of the Adele album this morning. Sales have far exceeded expectations and based on our morning trading it's our fastest selling album for many years.

“Feedback from stores is also very encouraging with a lot of excitement from customers resulting in a real buzz in store, the like of which we haven't seen for some time. It really feels like the Christmas season has now started very strongly.”

Her US label, Columbia has delivered 3.6m copies to North American stores. The album topped the iTunes download charts in more than 100 countries (just Honduras, Paraguay and Kazakhstan stood immune from Adele’s charms) and is expected to sell 900,000 digital copies in its first week.

In addition, Amazon delivered an estimated 100,000 pre-ordered CDs on Friday. The album will be given an additional sales boost by a BBC1 Adele special presented by Graham Norton, broadcast on Friday and a number of high-profile US television appearances.

Adele is expected to allow 25 to join her back catalogue on streaming services next year. A Spotify spokesman said: “We love and respect Adele, as do her 24 million fans on Spotify. We hope that she will give those fans the opportunity to enjoy 25 on Spotify alongside 19 and 21 very soon.”

25 concludes Adele’s contract with the independent XL/Beggars Group label. She is expected to sign a $50m deal direct with Sony/Columbia. Her lawyer Paul Spraggon told a Music Business Worldwide event in London: “She can now effectively rewrite the record deal for anybody else.”