Adele tops global charts for second year straight - Taylor Swift and One Direction follow

Taylor who? For the second year in a row, Adele's Grammy-winning album "21" has topped the global charts, leaving artists like Swift and One Direction in the dust.

"21," which was released in early 2011, has sold 8.3 million copies globally in 2012. That means the Oscar-winning singer beat Swift, who came in second place on the chart, by nearly three million copies. Ranking third and fourth is One Direction, whose records "Up All Night" and "Take Me Home" sold 4.5 million and 4.4 million respectively.

Carly Rae Jepsen can also call 2012 a win, as "Call Me Maybe" was the year's best-selling single, clocking in 12.5 million purchases worldwide. Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" trailed behind with 11.8 million units sold.

This year marked the first time the music industry has grown since 1999. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry says overall revenues were up 0.3 percent, or roughly $16.5 billion. In addition, digital revenues reportedly grew by 9 percent, making up for 34 percent of the total music revenue.