Adele, Lady Gaga, and Mumford & Sons have the highest-selling albums of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which released mid-year sales figures Wednesday.

The three artists also have the top three digital albums from January through July 3, the period the new data covers.

But the highlight of the report is that album sales are up for the first time since 2004. It's a small, 3.6 percent increase over the same period last year, but it's a bump nonetheless for an industry desperately looking for good news wherever it can find 'em. 

Adele's "21" has sold 2.5 units; Gaga's "Born this Way" sold 1.5 and Mumford & Sons' "Sigh No More" has moved 982,000 unites.

Meanwhile, digital album sales are up 19 percent and "are on pace to set a new sales record at the end of the year."

In the singles chart, Katy Perry, who has the tenth highest selling album so far this year, has the highest selling song, "E.T." her creepy duet with Kanye West. Adele has the No. 2 song, "Rolling in the Deep," and Cee Lo has No. 3, "Forget You."