here is the latest list of the biggest selling album artists in americian history....figures are in millions..these are all the acts who have been certified to have sold at least 30 million ...interesting to see how far behind the beatles that michael jackson is ??....over 100 million albums !!...mind you ..no one is within 50 million of them apart from surprise good ol boy garth brooks ?...country music really sells in the us, doesnt it...amazing....good to see how popular one of my favs is...billy joel on almost 80 million....always been underrated as a songwriter for me...and he has outsold elton john...?....interesting....rock music does well in america has the figures show...prince on almost 40 million....he should go up as the years go by i think.....can anyone tell me who alan jackson is..?....thats the one name here who has passed me by.......

.

.

BEATLES, THE 177
BROOKS, GARTH 128
PRESLEY, ELVIS 121.5
LED ZEPPELIN 111.5
EAGLES 100
JOEL, BILLY 79.5
PINK FLOYD 74.5
STREISAND, BARBRA 71.5
AC/DC 71
JOHN, ELTON 70
JACKSON, MICHAEL 69.5
STRAIT, GEORGE 68.5
AEROSMITH 66.5
ROLLING STONES, THE 66
SPRINGSTEEN, BRUCE 64
MADONNA 64
CAREY, MARIAH 63
METALLICA 60
VAN HALEN 56.5
HOUSTON, WHITNEY 55
U2 51.5
ROGERS, KENNY 51
DION, CELINE 50
DIAMOND, NEIL 48.5
FLEETWOOD MAC 48.5
KENNY G 48
TWAIN, SHANIA 48
JOURNEY 47
ALABAMA 46
SANTANA 43.5
GUNS 'N ROSES 43.5
JACKSON, ALAN 43
CLAPTON, ERIC 42.5
MC ENTIRE, REBA 41
SEGER, BOB AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND 41
PRINCE 39.5
CHICAGO 38.5
SIMON & GARFUNKEL 38.5
FOREIGNER 37.5
2 PAC 37.5
STEWART, ROD 37
BACKSTREET BOYS 37
DYLAN, BOB 37
MC GRAW, TIM 35.5
DEF LEPPARD 35
NELSON, WILLIE 35
BON JOVI 34.5
COLLINS, PHIL 33.5
TAYLOR, JAMES 33
KELLY, R. 33
DENVER, JOHN 32.5
DOORS, THE 32.5
QUEEN 32.5
SPEARS, BRITNEY 32
MATTHEWS, DAVE BAND 32
PEARL JAM 31.5
BOSTON 31
DIXIE CHICKS 30.5
RONSTADT, LINDA 30

.

.

http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTopArt

[Edited 9/10/10 5:03am]

[Edited 9/10/10 5:07am]

This list looks outdated. M. Jackson's sales figures were at 69m before he died. Sold a few mill in the US since his death for sure.

Good that the Beatles seem to be unsurpassable.

scatwoman said:

This list looks outdated. M. Jackson's sales figures were at 69m before he died. Sold a few mill in the US since his death for sure.

Good that the Beatles seem to be unsurpassable.

it might not include sales since his mjs death but i remember checking this list a couple of years ago and prince was on 36 million and now he is on 39 million so it has been updated at some point recently...remember this list might not change that much now because albums aint selling anywhere as much as they used to.....

[Edited 9/10/10 5:18am]

verry interersting. but who the fuck is gorge strait?

Why start a thread on album sales? All it does it bring out the MJ lovers who rant about MJ's sales being more than stated. They are so predictable.

thedoorkeeper said:

Why start a thread on album sales? All it does it bring out the MJ lovers who rant about MJ's sales being more than stated. They are so predictable.

I'm simply pointing out that the figure given for MJ was at 69.5m before he died. So it's a list that's at least a little outdated.

Jeeez.

thedoorkeeper said:

Why start a thread on album sales? All it does it bring out the MJ lovers who rant about MJ's sales being more than stated. They are so predictable.

....exactly.... ....oh...by the way....kenny g on 48 million albums sold ...good god...

The U.S. has really bad taste in music.

George Strait + Alan Jackson = Country music artists

and ringo was the americans favourite beatle, which mean that ringo is the most popular musician in the world ever, more than elvis. and he wasn't even the best drummer in the beatles

funkyslsistah said:

George Strait + Alan Jackson = Country music artists

with looooong careers, I'm surprised some people haven't heard of them

It SOOO trips me out that Metallica has sold that many records. I first heard Whiplash at an old school skateboarding contest in downtown Portland in 1983. Had no idea what the hell that racket was, but I knew that I liked it. Later that night I asked an older neighbor girl (Julie - damn she was fine!) if she knew about a song that went "danananananana - WHIPLASH!"? She was like, "Oh yeah, that's Metallica". I thought it was a stupid name, but I've been a huge fan ever since. Been a Metallica fan as long as I've been a Prince fan. So weird that they became so huge.

Also, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd will always be near the top because a segment of each new generation will buy their music all over again.

Do you know if this list is taking digital album sales into account yet?

using the list as a rough guide, i've seen people who've sold well over 650 million records from that list alone

and i've shook hands with people who have sold over 250 million records. meeting the guy who's sold more records than anyone else has helped bump up the figures a bit, the hand that wrote the most heard songs of all time

it's interesting that the beatles, stones, zep and floyd are listed, but not the who, but journey and foreigner are there and they both sold loads more than queen

Cinnie said:

funkyslsistah said:

George Strait + Alan Jackson = Country music artists

with looooong careers, I'm surprised some people haven't heard of them

I don´t think anyone cares about country music outside of America. You hardly ever to never hear it over here.

Well i think this list also should be a hint at how important the "world" is and not just the USA

Two examples:

Bon Jovi has sold over 160 million albums worldwide (34 million in the USA) not bad for a band from jersey to sell 130 million in other markets

Queen has sold close to 250 million about a tenth of that is in the USA and to be honest, almost all of QUeens millions in the USA are from Best of collections.

I love discussions about charts and figures. I think it's interesting to track consumer habits, whether it be for a short while or for a long run. There is someone out there who did the sales and charts of musical acts who have all sold over 30 million records and the careful breakdown he has done for each country is remarkable. His sales estimates have been proven to be pretty close, so much so, that he's proven how many artists are terribly under-certified.

Michael Jackson, though, isn't a #1 seller in any particular place, but because he sells pretty well in numerous markets across the globe, his sales put him up there w/Elvis and The Beatles's worldwide sales. Also, he's not too far behind them either especially after the 31 million in sales he obtained from his death to the beginning of this year. Those kind of numbers in this day and age are unbelievable.

Though, I did learn something really interesting. Some of those certifications, you have quoted, especially for a few of those acts, were added in the 90s when the RIAA decided to include bonus shipments and freebies from record clubs from 1993-1995, remember Columbia House, where you paid a certain fee and you got a whole bunch of CDs? One album, in particular, that was affected by this was The Eagles Greatest Hits vol. 1, which overtook Thriller as the best selling album in the US back in the 90s. There are no records stating that the album or some others, including AC/DC's Back in Black, actually sold anywhere near that many copies. Due to the RIAA changing their rules though, all of those albums shot up in certifications which is reflected in those numbers you posted. Naturally, all albums affected were on the Columbia label. Columbia Music House has ceased all operations though & Thriller has finally matched the Eagles albums in certs and is on it's way to surpassing it.

Here's a pretty accurate list of confirmed worldwide sales (last updates in parentheses):

1 - Beatles = 346500000 (12/2007)***
2 - Michael Jackson = 205500000 (09/2008)*
3 - Pink Floyd = 193700000 (02/2008)
4 - Elvis Presley = 187,000,000**
5 - Madonna = 185300000 (01/2008)
6 - Elton John = 177200000 (01/2008)
7 - Queen = 170100000 (09/2008)
8 - Rolling Stones = 169,100,000
9 - U2 = 166400000 (02/2008)
10 - Led Zeppelin = 165500000 (01/2008)
11 - Celine Dion = 163000000 (12/2007)
12 - Eagles = 147800000 (12/2007)
13 - Mariah Carey = 145900000 (12/2007)
14 - Rod Stewart = 140100000 (03/2008)
15 - Barbra Streisand = 139800000 (02/2008)
16 - Whitney Houston = 134200000 (12/2007)
17 - Garth Brooks = 131900000 (02/2008)
18 - Bruce Springsteen = 130900000 (02/2008)
19 - Eric Clapton = 129000000 (02/2008)
20 - AC / DC = 128700000 (11/2007)
21 - Billy Joel = 124500000 (12/2007)
22 - Bee Gees = 122100000 (12/2007)
23 - Phil Collins = 122000000 (12/2007)
24 - Bob Dylan = 119800000 (12/2007)
25 - Fleetwood Mac = 118100000 (12/2007)

35 - Prince = 99,900,000 (02/2008)

* = Figures have since changed since 6/25/09

** = Figures were updated to be 200+

***= Figures do not reflect box sets that were released in 2009, but overall, I don't think that they were big sellers overall.

Since there is no RIAA worldwide, thank god, many people have taken the time to do it themselves. It's daunting, confusing and there's a lot of misinformation out there, the main culprit being wikipedia, but I highly respect these people for doing so. It's no easy task, especially when people's fan/standom start to cloud and affect judgments.

Worldwide the 2009 Beatles box sets should add another few million to their already ridiculous total. That's figuring box set sales multiplied by the number of discs it contains, not several million box sets. The stereo set has been certified triple platinum in the us by the RIAA, but there's 13 discs in it. So there's really only been like, what? 230,000 ACTUAL box sets sold. It also sold really well in Canada. Didn't find good numbers for the rest of the world. The mono box was supposedly much more limited, so it shouldn't significantly change their total.

AC/DC's Back In Black has sold MASSIVELY all over the world. Neither Columbia Record House nor the RIAA have anything to do with that total. It's a phenomenon. Keeps selling more copies every year. Just like Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.

Michael Jackson will never, under any circumstances, sell more albums than the Beatles. Never. And the 141,000,000 unit difference in their sales does not put him anywhere near close them. That difference is bigger than the total sales listed for every artist on the list below Mariah Carey.

Unholyalliance said:

Cerebus said:

Worldwide the 2009 Beatles box sets should add another few million to their already ridiculous total. That's figuring box set sales multiplied by the number of discs it contains, not several million box sets. The stereo set has been certified triple platinum in the us by the RIAA, but there's 13 discs in it. So there's really only been like, what? 230,000 ACTUAL box sets sold. It also sold really well in Canada. Didn't find good numbers for the rest of the world. The mono box was supposedly much more limited, so it shouldn't significantly change their total.

RIAA certifications are for shipments rather than real actual sales that Soundscan tracks. The figures I posted were for confirmed sales, not confirmed shipments (prior to the release of the box set).

Cerebus said:

AC/DC's Back In Black has sold MASSIVELY all over the world. Neither Columbia Record House nor the RIAA have anything to do with that total. It's a phenomenon. Keeps selling more copies every year. Just like Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.

I also know that AC/DC sold massively, but, in America, there was a mysterious jump in their shipment certifications between 1993-1995 that didn't match sales at the time. This is also the same case with The Eagles GH vol. 1. It's also no secret that AC/DC is with Columbia records which owned Columbia Music House. There is proof of this. I also didn't mention anything about Dark Side of the Moon. You can't even quote me on that.

Cerebus said:

Michael Jackson will never, under any circumstances, sell more albums than the Beatles. Never.

Are you from the future?

nd33 said:
Did Abba suddenly cease to exist? Can this lust be trusted?

I didn't post their figures, because I only posted the top 20, plus Prince's. I didn't want to quote the entire list. It was long.

[Edited 9/10/10 21:42pm]

Garth Brooks?!

bboy87 said:

Garth Brooks?!

Key words for his sales: Wal Mart

Where is the source for this...I was thought that MJ and The Eagles had the best selling album in American History: 29X Platinum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_in_the_United_States#20.E2.80.9330.C3.97_platinum

Girl4both said:

Where is the source for this...I was thought that MJ and The Eagles had the best selling album in American History: 29X Platinum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_in_the_United_States#20.E2.80.9330.C3.97_platinum

they do...these lists are ALL albums sales from the usa

Unholyalliance said:

I love discussions about charts and figures. I think it's interesting to track consumer habits, whether it be for a short while or for a long run. There is someone out there who did the sales and charts of musical acts who have all sold over 30 million records and the careful breakdown he has done for each country is remarkable. His sales estimates have been proven to be pretty close, so much so, that he's proven how many artists are terribly under-certified.

Michael Jackson, though, isn't a #1 seller in any particular place, but because he sells pretty well in numerous markets across the globe, his sales put him up there w/Elvis and The Beatles's worldwide sales. Also, he's not too far behind them either especially after the 31 million in sales he obtained from his death to the beginning of this year. Those kind of numbers in this day and age are unbelievable.

Though, I did learn something really interesting. Some of those certifications, you have quoted, especially for a few of those acts, were added in the 90s when the RIAA decided to include bonus shipments and freebies from record clubs from 1993-1995, remember Columbia House, where you paid a certain fee and you got a whole bunch of CDs? One album, in particular, that was affected by this was The Eagles Greatest Hits vol. 1, which overtook Thriller as the best selling album in the US back in the 90s. There are no records stating that the album or some others, including AC/DC's Back in Black, actually sold anywhere near that many copies. Due to the RIAA changing their rules though, all of those albums shot up in certifications which is reflected in those numbers you posted. Naturally, all albums affected were on the Columbia label. Columbia Music House has ceased all operations though & Thriller has finally matched the Eagles albums in certs and is on it's way to surpassing it.

Here's a pretty accurate list of confirmed worldwide sales (last updates in parentheses):

1 - Beatles = 346500000 (12/2007)***
2 - Michael Jackson = 205500000 (09/2008)*
3 - Pink Floyd = 193700000 (02/2008)
4 - Elvis Presley = 187,000,000**
5 - Madonna = 185300000 (01/2008)
6 - Elton John = 177200000 (01/2008)
7 - Queen = 170100000 (09/2008)
8 - Rolling Stones = 169,100,000
9 - U2 = 166400000 (02/2008)
10 - Led Zeppelin = 165500000 (01/2008)
11 - Celine Dion = 163000000 (12/2007)
12 - Eagles = 147800000 (12/2007)
13 - Mariah Carey = 145900000 (12/2007)
14 - Rod Stewart = 140100000 (03/2008)
15 - Barbra Streisand = 139800000 (02/2008)
16 - Whitney Houston = 134200000 (12/2007)
17 - Garth Brooks = 131900000 (02/2008)
18 - Bruce Springsteen = 130900000 (02/2008)
19 - Eric Clapton = 129000000 (02/2008)
20 - AC / DC = 128700000 (11/2007)
21 - Billy Joel = 124500000 (12/2007)
22 - Bee Gees = 122100000 (12/2007)
23 - Phil Collins = 122000000 (12/2007)
24 - Bob Dylan = 119800000 (12/2007)
25 - Fleetwood Mac = 118100000 (12/2007)

35 - Prince = 99,900,000 (02/2008)

* = Figures have since changed since 6/25/09

** = Figures were updated to be 200+

***= Figures do not reflect box sets that were released in 2009, but overall, I don't think that they were big sellers overall.

Since there is no RIAA worldwide, thank god, many people have taken the time to do it themselves. It's daunting, confusing and there's a lot of misinformation out there, the main culprit being wikipedia, but I highly respect these people for doing so. It's no easy task, especially when people's fan/standom start to cloud and affect judgments.

i take it these are album sales only ?...

blackbob said:

Unholyalliance said:

I love discussions about charts and figures. I think it's interesting to track consumer habits, whether it be for a short while or for a long run. There is someone out there who did the sales and charts of musical acts who have all sold over 30 million records and the careful breakdown he has done for each country is remarkable. His sales estimates have been proven to be pretty close, so much so, that he's proven how many artists are terribly under-certified.

Michael Jackson, though, isn't a #1 seller in any particular place, but because he sells pretty well in numerous markets across the globe, his sales put him up there w/Elvis and The Beatles's worldwide sales. Also, he's not too far behind them either especially after the 31 million in sales he obtained from his death to the beginning of this year. Those kind of numbers in this day and age are unbelievable.

Though, I did learn something really interesting. Some of those certifications, you have quoted, especially for a few of those acts, were added in the 90s when the RIAA decided to include bonus shipments and freebies from record clubs from 1993-1995, remember Columbia House, where you paid a certain fee and you got a whole bunch of CDs? One album, in particular, that was affected by this was The Eagles Greatest Hits vol. 1, which overtook Thriller as the best selling album in the US back in the 90s. There are no records stating that the album or some others, including AC/DC's Back in Black, actually sold anywhere near that many copies. Due to the RIAA changing their rules though, all of those albums shot up in certifications which is reflected in those numbers you posted. Naturally, all albums affected were on the Columbia label. Columbia Music House has ceased all operations though & Thriller has finally matched the Eagles albums in certs and is on it's way to surpassing it.

Here's a pretty accurate list of confirmed worldwide sales (last updates in parentheses):

1 - Beatles = 346500000 (12/2007)***
2 - Michael Jackson = 205500000 (09/2008)*
3 - Pink Floyd = 193700000 (02/2008)
4 - Elvis Presley = 187,000,000**
5 - Madonna = 185300000 (01/2008)
6 - Elton John = 177200000 (01/2008)
7 - Queen = 170100000 (09/2008)
8 - Rolling Stones = 169,100,000
9 - U2 = 166400000 (02/2008)
10 - Led Zeppelin = 165500000 (01/2008)
11 - Celine Dion = 163000000 (12/2007)
12 - Eagles = 147800000 (12/2007)
13 - Mariah Carey = 145900000 (12/2007)
14 - Rod Stewart = 140100000 (03/2008)
15 - Barbra Streisand = 139800000 (02/2008)
16 - Whitney Houston = 134200000 (12/2007)
17 - Garth Brooks = 131900000 (02/2008)
18 - Bruce Springsteen = 130900000 (02/2008)
19 - Eric Clapton = 129000000 (02/2008)
20 - AC / DC = 128700000 (11/2007)
21 - Billy Joel = 124500000 (12/2007)
22 - Bee Gees = 122100000 (12/2007)
23 - Phil Collins = 122000000 (12/2007)
24 - Bob Dylan = 119800000 (12/2007)
25 - Fleetwood Mac = 118100000 (12/2007)

35 - Prince = 99,900,000 (02/2008)

* = Figures have since changed since 6/25/09

** = Figures were updated to be 200+

***= Figures do not reflect box sets that were released in 2009, but overall, I don't think that they were big sellers overall.

Since there is no RIAA worldwide, thank god, many people have taken the time to do it themselves. It's daunting, confusing and there's a lot of misinformation out there, the main culprit being wikipedia, but I highly respect these people for doing so. It's no easy task, especially when people's fan/standom start to cloud and affect judgments.

i take it these are album sales only ?...

Wow....I would have never thought that Eric Clapton sold close to 130 million records worldwide...impressive.

thought that as well...dont think clapton has sold that many?...cant think of any of his albums apart from his unplugged album selling that well... ....and what happened to bon jovi ?...cant stand them myself but lastdecember said they has sold 160 million worldwide ?

Unholyalliance said:

I love discussions about charts and figures. I think it's interesting to track consumer habits, whether it be for a short while or for a long run. There is someone out there who did the sales and charts of musical acts who have all sold over 30 million records and the careful breakdown he has done for each country is remarkable. His sales estimates have been proven to be pretty close, so much so, that he's proven how many artists are terribly under-certified.

Michael Jackson, though, isn't a #1 seller in any particular place, but because he sells pretty well in numerous markets across the globe, his sales put him up there w/Elvis and The Beatles's worldwide sales. Also, he's not too far behind them either especially after the 31 million in sales he obtained from his death to the beginning of this year. Those kind of numbers in this day and age are unbelievable.

Though, I did learn something really interesting. Some of those certifications, you have quoted, especially for a few of those acts, were added in the 90s when the RIAA decided to include bonus shipments and freebies from record clubs from 1993-1995, remember Columbia House, where you paid a certain fee and you got a whole bunch of CDs? One album, in particular, that was affected by this was The Eagles Greatest Hits vol. 1, which overtook Thriller as the best selling album in the US back in the 90s. There are no records stating that the album or some others, including AC/DC's Back in Black, actually sold anywhere near that many copies. Due to the RIAA changing their rules though, all of those albums shot up in certifications which is reflected in those numbers you posted. Naturally, all albums affected were on the Columbia label. Columbia Music House has ceased all operations though & Thriller has finally matched the Eagles albums in certs and is on it's way to surpassing it.

Here's a pretty accurate list of confirmed worldwide sales (last updates in parentheses):

1 - Beatles = 346500000 (12/2007)***
2 - Michael Jackson = 205500000 (09/2008)*
3 - Pink Floyd = 193700000 (02/2008)
4 - Elvis Presley = 187,000,000**
5 - Madonna = 185300000 (01/2008)
6 - Elton John = 177200000 (01/2008)
7 - Queen = 170100000 (09/2008)
8 - Rolling Stones = 169,100,000
9 - U2 = 166400000 (02/2008)
10 - Led Zeppelin = 165500000 (01/2008)
11 - Celine Dion = 163000000 (12/2007)
12 - Eagles = 147800000 (12/2007)
13 - Mariah Carey = 145900000 (12/2007)
14 - Rod Stewart = 140100000 (03/2008)
15 - Barbra Streisand = 139800000 (02/2008)
16 - Whitney Houston = 134200000 (12/2007)
17 - Garth Brooks = 131900000 (02/2008)
18 - Bruce Springsteen = 130900000 (02/2008)
19 - Eric Clapton = 129000000 (02/2008)
20 - AC / DC = 128700000 (11/2007)
21 - Billy Joel = 124500000 (12/2007)
22 - Bee Gees = 122100000 (12/2007)
23 - Phil Collins = 122000000 (12/2007)
24 - Bob Dylan = 119800000 (12/2007)
25 - Fleetwood Mac = 118100000 (12/2007)

35 - Prince = 99,900,000 (02/2008)

* = Figures have since changed since 6/25/09

** = Figures were updated to be 200+

***= Figures do not reflect box sets that were released in 2009, but overall, I don't think that they were big sellers overall.

Since there is no RIAA worldwide, thank god, many people have taken the time to do it themselves. It's daunting, confusing and there's a lot of misinformation out there, the main culprit being wikipedia, but I highly respect these people for doing so. It's no easy task, especially when people's fan/standom start to cloud and affect judgments.

could you tell me where you got this info ?

blackbob said:

thought that as well...dont think clapton has sold that many?...cant think of any of his albums apart from his unplugged album selling that well... ....and what happened to bon jovi ?...cant stand them myself but lastdecember said they has sold 160 million worldwide ?

well the Queen figure is off also, its over 200 million, Jovi is a little over 130million, they past 100million when the box set came out 6 years hence the title, 100million fans cant be wrong, so have no clue why they are omitted, since then with box set sales, live record, have a nice day and the current album have combined worldwide to about 32 million, so many sources have different numbers.