For those of you interested, i discovered this table on a website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_music_artists) listing the best selling acts globally. Bearing in mind that these figures are based on ALBUM & SINGLES sales, and also that the figures are from varying sources, mainly record companies - There is NO global sales tracking system.

Record companies usually prepare this data when they are prommoting the act so some of it will be outdated, some inflated, some possibly underestimated.

The Beatles - 1,000,000,000 UK
Elvis Presley - 500,000,000 US
ABBA - 350,000,000 Sweden
Led Zeppelin - 320,000,000 UK
Alla Pugacheva - 260,000,000 Russia
Julio Iglesias - 250,000,000 Spain
Cliff Richard - 250,000,000 UK
Nana Mouskouri - 250,000,000 Greece
Madonna - 250,000,000 US/UK
Mariah Carey - 230,000,000 US
Céline Dion - 210,000,000 Canada
Elton John - 210,000,000 UK
Garth Brooks - 210,000,000 US
The Rolling Stones - 210,000,000 UK
Pink Floyd - 210,000,000 UK
Michael Jackson - 210,000,000 US
Leonard Cohen -210,000,000 Canada
Whitney Houston - 183,000,000 US
Metallica - 170,000,000 US
U2 - 150,000,000 Ireland
Mireille Mathieu - 150,000,000 France
AC/DC - 140,000,000 Australia/UK
David Bowie - 136,000,000 UK
E. Humperdinck - 130,000,000 UK/US
Neil Diamond - 120,000,000 US
Modern Talking - 120,000,000 Germany
The Bee Gees - 110,000,000 UK/Australia
Bon Jovi - 110,000,000 US
R.E.M - 110,000,000 US
Kenny Rogers - 105,000,000 US
Black Sabbath - 100,000,000 UK
Ricky Nelson - 100,000,000 US
Status Quo - 100,000,000 UK
Luciano Pavarotti - 100,000,000 Italy
Brenda Lee - 100,000,000 US
A. R. Rahman - 100,000,000 India
Janet Jackson - 100,000,000 US
Barry White - 100,000,000 US
Deep Purple - 100,000,000 UK
Lionel Richie - 100,000,000 US
Dolly Parton - 100,000,000 US
Donna Summer - 100,000,000 US
Queen - 100,000,000 UK
The Jackson 5 - 100,000,000 US
Vicky Leandros - 100,000,000 Greece
Rod Stewart - 100,000,000 UK
Aerosmith - 100,000,000 US
Billy Joel - 100,000,000 US


Obviously the accuracy of it is debatable, but they seem to be relitavely accurate in terms of breaking down these sales for each artist making me think they're a reasonable guide. Some interesting inclusions on there (REM, Donna Summer etc), and some who didnt make it (Prince???).

Lionel Richie - 100,000,000 US I commercial Lionel, even some try to pretend they don't.

Michael Jackson - 210,000,000 US
+
The Jackson 5 - 100,000,000 US

310,000,000 US....Jacksonomics

I'm sure amit can squeeze a couple of more million in there somewhere We are the world numbers

now give me world figures and it's like 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

lilgish said:

Plus Janets 100,000,000, indirectly Katherine and Joseph have sold a hell of a lotta records.....

CrozzaUK said:

Keep counting

lilgish said:

lilgish said:

I'm not pretending.


Commodore Lionel...



...different story.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

PRINCE???

theAudience said:

From the standpoint of the Org Funkologist , the Commodore Lionel had more Funk.

GoldenGlove said:

He is not that big

1. it's sad but true

2. he should be bigger than MJ

3. Why must you qoute me in every thread? huh?

hypno said:

Maybe not, but i sure thought he would outsell Alla Pugacheva

in the interview on nbc today show last yr matt Laur said prince has sold more then 100 million records

so i guess he has already sold more then 100 mil

asg said: