https://www.youtube.com/w...emWRToNYJY

This week, British soul/pop singer Adele has one more thing to celebrate, as if she needed anything else. Her last album, 21, has now been sitting on the charts (specifically the Billboard 200, which measures the 200 best-selling albums in the country) for four years straight. By now, it’s somewhat of a surprise that anybody who is willing to purchase the album doesn’t already have it, but week after week, thousands of Americans get their hands on a copy. This week, 7,000 people (or, equivalent—the chart now mixes pure sales and cumulative streams) helped pad her lead on others.
Impressively, of the 208 weeks it’s been on the tally, only 24 of them have been outside the top 100. In fact, this week it sits at number 89. While that might not sound terribly high, it’s amazing to see it still selling better than some recent albums by big stars. It currently sits above Trey Songz’s summertime number one album Trigga, Coldplay’s latest Ghost Stories, rap mogul T.I.’s Paperwork, and even electronic dance music hitmaker David Guetta’s Listen, which was only released this past fall—and that’s just to name a few recent examples.

Adele (image courtesy of the artist’s Vevo page)

The popularity of the three number one singles launched from 21— —helped keep the album campaign alive and kicking. Also in her corner were millions of older listeners, the type of people who woudl rather purchase an album than listen to it online.
So far, the album has moved over 11 million copies, surpassing even the wildest of expectations. The album was certified diamond (ten times platinum, or for sales of at least ten million) less than two years after being released, an unheard of feat in a day and age when everybody is either streaming their favorite singles on YouTube or downloading the album illegally. The 24 weeks that the record spent at number one, enough to tie her for sixth in the race to most weeks in the top spot.
The year after 21 was released, it helped the singer clean up at the Grammys, taking home six awards that night, tying her with Beyoncé for the most wins in one night by a woman. She would also go on to win another award the following year for one of the later singles, bringing the album’s total wins (and nominations) to seven.
Public interest in the singer doesn’t seem to be waning at all, so it’s likely that 21 will be sticking around on the charts for some time to come. Will we still be buying it four years from now? With this album, it seems anything is possible.

http://www.forbes.com/sit...-charts/2/