Adele's '21' Bump Getting Bigger: Now Aiming for 650-680,000 Sales Week

Adele's "21" is shaping up to have an even bigger week than first thought.

Presently, the set is now projected to sell somewhere in the range of 650,000 to 680,000 by week's end on Sunday, Feb. 19, according to industry sources. That's up from the half-million-plus forecast that Billboard reported on Thursday morning (Feb. 16).

Next week, "21" will mark its one-year anniversary on the chart -- a list where it's never left the top 10 in a single week. It will also notch its 21st week at No. 1 and surpass the 7 million U.S. sales threshold. Currently, its sales stand at 6.62 million.

Finally, if "21" sells more than 650,000 this week, it will be the best week for any album since Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter IV" debuted with 964,000 at No. 1 on the chart dated Sept. 17, 2011. It will also be "21's" biggest sales week, period. Its highest frame came over the Christmas holiday, when it shifted 399,000.

On Nielsen SoundScan's Building chart (below), Adele is -- no surprise -- at No. 1 while the "2012 Grammy Nominees" compilation is at No. 2. The Building tally is a precursor to the final Billboard 200 ranking -- reflecting the first four days (Monday through Thursday) of SoundScan's tracking week (ending Sunday, Feb. 19) as reported by six major merchants.

The "Now 41" compilation is in the third place position, Paul McCartney's "Kisses on the Bottom" is found at No. 4 and Van Halen's "A Different Kind of Truth" is No. 5. Coldplay's "Mylo Xyloto" is No. 6, Bruno Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" is No. 7 and Lady Antbellum's "Own the Night" is at No. 8. The Civil Wars' "Barton Hollow" could find itself jumping into the top 10 for the first time next week, as it stands at No. 8 on the Building chart. The duo had a short performance on the Grammy Awards -- as a prelude to introducing Taylor Swift to the stage -- and it is clearly resonating with consumers.

Rounding out the Building tally's top 10 is the Fray's "Scars & Stories."

One note about SoundScan's Building chart -- it does not include catalog (older) albums, so Adele's "19" is absent from the list. However, Billboard expects that "19" will feature in the top five of the Billboard 200 chart next week. (The Billboard 200 includes both current and catalog titles.)

The new Billboard 200 chart's top 10 will be revealed on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Nielsen SoundScan Building Chart
Rank	LW BB 200	Artist	Title
1	1	Adele	"21"
2	8	Various Artists	"2012 Grammy Nominees"
3	3	Various Artists	"Now 41"
4	5	Paul McCartney	"Kisses on the Bottom"
5	2	Van Halen	"A Different Kind of Truth"
6	14	Coldplay	"Mylo Xyloto"
7	30	Bruno Mars	"Doo-Wops & Hooligans"
8	17	Lady Antebellum	"Own the Night"
9	41	The Civil Wars	"Barton Hollow"
10	4	The Fray	"Scars & Stories"
The Building Chart reflects the first four days (Monday through Thursday) of SoundScan's tracking week (which ends Sunday) as reported by six major merchants: iTunes, Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, Starbucks, Target and Anderson Merchandisers. Billboard estimates that they make up about 85% of all U.S. album sales.