Adele accelerates XL profits

The phenomenal global success of Adele's '21' saw the turnover of Beggars Group's XL Recordings, the singer's label, boom from £21.4 million in 2010 to £111.7 million in 2011, according to company accounts recently filed with Companies House. Profits were up tenfold, from £4.1 million in 2010 to £41.7 million in 2011

Adele's 21 joins the mega-sellers

Adele'a 21 has joined the ranks of the best selling UK album's ever, leapfrogging Michael Jackson's Bad, Queen's Greatest Hits II and Pink Floyd's iconic Dark Side of the Moon to now sit at No 7 in the all time greats with 4,412,000 sales - just 12,000 short of 6th placed residents Dire Straits with Brothers in Arms. Top of the pile remains Queen's Greatest Hits I (5,864 million) followed by The Beatles' Sgt Pepper (5.045 million) at Number 2, Abba Gold (4.992 million) at No 3, Oasis with What's the Story Morning Glory at No 4(4.52 million) and fifth placed Thriller also by Michael Jackson (4.272 million) according to the UK's Official Chart Company.

And in more good news for the British music industry (maybe), X-factor popsters One Direction have become the first UK boy band to top the US charts with their debut album after selling 175,000 copies of Up All Night. The band are currently touring the uS and a TV show is being planned.