Daniel Sanchez 24
So, what are the best-selling albums and artists of all time?
Last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 ranked as the top-selling album in history. The album has sold the equivalent of 38 million copies in the US.
Now, the RIAA has updated its list. While not much has changed, we’ve included the Top Artist (Albums) certified Gold and Platinum in the US as well.
Take a look.
The Top 100 Albums in the US.
1. Eagles – Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (38 million).
2. Michael Jackson – Thriller (33 million).
3. Eagles – Hotel California (26 million).
4. AC/DC – Back in Black (25 million).
5. The Beatles – The Beatles (24 million).
6. Billy Joel – Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II (23 million).
7. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV (23 million).
8. Pink Floyd – The Wall (23 million).
9. Garth Brooks – Double Live (21 million).
10. Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View (21 million).
11. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (20 million).
12. Shania Twain – Come On Over (20 million).
13. Garth Brooks – No Fences (18 million).
14. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction (18 million).
15. Whitney Houston – The Bodyguard [Soundtrack] (18 million).
16. Boston – Boston (17 million).
17. Elton John – Greatest Hits (17 million).
18. The Beatles – The Beatles 1967 – 1970 (17 million).
19. Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill (16 million).
20. Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever (16 million).
21. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (16 million).
22. Metallica – Metallica (16 million).
23. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Legend (15 million).
24. Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. (15 million).
25. Journey – Greatest Hits (15 million).
26. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (15 million).
27. Santana – Supernatural (15 million).
28. The Beatles – The Beatles 1962 – 1966 (15 million).
29. Adele – 21 (14 million).
30. Backstreet Boys – Backstreet Boys (14 million).
31. Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time (14 million).
32. Garth Brooks – Ropin’ The Wind (14 million).
33. Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell (14 million).
34. Simon & Garfunkel – Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits (14 million).
35. Steve Miller Band – Greatest Hits 1974 – 1978 (14 million).
36. Backstreet Boys – Millennium (13 million).
37. Bruce Springsteen – Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Live 1975 – ’85 (13 million).
38. Carole King – Tapestry (13 million).
39. Pearl Jam – Ten (13 million).
40. Prince & The Revolution – Purple Rain [Soundtrack] (13 million).
41. Dixie Chicks – Wide Open Spaces (13 million).
42. Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston (13 million).
43. Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet (12 million).
44. Boyz II Men – II (12 million).
45. Celine Dion – Falling Into You (12 million).
46. Def Leppard – Hysteria (12 million).
47. Jewel – Pieces of You (12 million).
48. Kenny G – Breathless (12 million).
49. Kenny Rogers – Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits (12 million).
50. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II (12 million).
51. Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory (12 million).
52. Matchbox Twenty – Yourself Or Someone Like You (12 million).
53. Phil Collins – No Jacket Required (12 million).
54. Shania Twain – The Woman In Me (12 million).
55. Forrest Gump [Soundtrack] (12 million).
56. The Beatles – Abbey Road (12 million).
57. The Rolling Stones – Hot Rocks (12 million).
58. TLC – Crazysexycool (12 million).
59. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Greatest Hits (12 million).
60. Adele – 25 (11 million).
61. Aerosmith – Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits (11 million).
62. Creed – Human Clay (11 million).
63. Eagles – Eagles Greatest Hits Volume II (11 million).
64. James Taylor – James Taylor’s Greatest Hits (11 million).
65. Kid Rock – Devil Without A Cause (11 million).
66. Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy (11 million).
67.‘N Sync – No Strings Attached (11 million).
68. Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death (11 million).
69. Outkast – Speakerboxx / The Love Below (11 million).
70. Shania Twain – Up! (11 million).
71. Dirty Dancing [Soundtrack] (11 million).
72. Titanic [Soundtrack] (11 million).
73. The Beatles – 1 (11 million).
74. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (11 million).
75. Dixie Chicks – Fly (11 million).
76. 2 Pac – Greatest Hits (10 million).
77. 2 Pac – All Eyez On Me (10 million).
78. Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill (10 million).
79. Billy Joel – The Stranger (10 million).
80. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Greatest Hits (10 million).
81. Britney Spears – Oops!…I Did It Again (10 million).
82. Celine Dion – Let’s Talk About Love (10 million)
83. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle: 20 Greatest Hits (10 million).
84. Def Leppard – Pyromania (10 million).
85. Doobie Brothers – Best Of The Doobies (10 million).
86. Elvis Presley – Elvis’ Christmas Album (10 million).
87. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (10 million).
88. Eminem – The Eminem Show (10 million).
89. Eric Clapton – Unplugged (10 million).
90. Garth Brooks – The Ultimate Hits (10 million).
91. Garth Brooks – Sevens (10 million).
92. Garth Brooks – The Chase (10 million).
93. Garth Brooks – Garth Brooks (10 million).
94. Garth Brooks – In Pieces (10 million).
95. Garth Brooks – The Hits (10 million).
96. George Michael – Faith (10 million).
97. Green Day – Dookie (10 million).
98. Hammer – Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em (10 million).
99. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (10 million).
100. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (10 million).
The Top 100 Artists, according to RIAA’s Certified Gold & Platinum Sales.
1. The Beatles – 183 million certified units.
2. Garth Brooks – 157 million certified units.
3. Elvis Presley – 146.5 million certified units.
4. Eagles – 120 million certified units.
5. Led Zeppelin – 111.5 million certified units.
6. Michael Jackson – 85 million certified units.
7. Billy Joel – 84.5 million certified units.
8. Elton John – 79 million certified units.
9. AC/DC – 75 million certified units.
10. Pink Floyd – 75 million certified units.
11. George Strait – 69 million certified units.
12. Barbra Streisand – 68.5 million certified units.
13. Mariah Carey – 68.5 million certified units.
14. Aerosmith – 66.5 million certified units.
15. The Rolling Stones – 66.5 million certified units.
16. Bruce Springsteen – 65.5 million certified units.
17. Madonna – 64.5 million certified units.
18. Metallica – 63 million certified units.
19. Whitney Houston – 60 million certified units.
20. Van Halen – 56.5 million certified units.
21. Fleetwood Mac – 54.5 million certified units.
22. U2 – 52 million certified units.
23. Celine Dion – 51 million certified units.
24. Neil Diamond – 49.5 million certified units.
25. Journey – 48 million certified units.
26. Kenny G – 48 million certified units.
27. Shania Twain – 48 million certified units.
28. Kenny Rogers – 47.5 million certified units.
29. Alabama – 46.5 million certified units.
30. Eminem – 46.5 million certified units.
31. Taylor Swift – 46 million certified units.
32. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – 44.5 million certified units.
33. Guns N’ Roses – 44.5 million certified units.
34. Alan Jackson – 43.5 million certified units.
35. Santana – 43.5 million certified units.
36. Queen – 43 million certified units.
37. Reba McEntire – 41 million certified units.
38. Eric Clapton – 40 million certified units.
39. Chicago – 38.5 million certified units.
40. Simon & Garfunkel – 38.5 million certified units.
41. Foreigner – 38 million certified units.
42. Rod Stewart – 38 million certified units.
43. Tim McGraw – 37.5 million certified units.
44. Backstreet Boys – 37 million certified units.
45. 2 Pac – 36.5 million certified units.
46. Bob Dylan – 36 million certified units.
47. Def Leppard – 35.5 million certified units.
48. Bon Jovi – 34.5 million certified units.
49. Britney Spears – 34.5 million certified units.
50. Dave Matthews Band – 34.5 million certified units.
51. John Denver – 33.5 million certified units.
52. Phil Collins – 33.5 million certified units.
53. James Taylor – 33 million certified units.
54. Dixie Chicks – 33 million certified units.
55. The Doors – 33 million certified units.
56. R. Kelly – 32 million certified units.
57. Pearl Jam – 31.5 million certified units.
58. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – 31.5 million certified units.
59. Willie Nelson – 31.5 million certified units.
60. Boston – 31 million certified units.
61. Kenny Chesney – 30.5 million certified units.
62. Linda Ronstadt – 30 million certified units.
63. Ozzy Osbourne – 29.25 million certified units.
64. Linkin Park – 28.5 million certified units.
65. Lynyrd Skynyrd – 28.5 million certified units.
66. Adele – 28 million certified units.
67. Bee Gees – 28 million certified units.
68. Creedence Clearwater Revival – 28 million certified units.
69. Mannheim Steamroller – 28 million certified units.
70. Michael Bolton – 28 million certified units.
71. ‘N Sync – 28 million certified units.
72. Nirvana – 28 million certified units.
73. Barry Manilow – 27.5 million certified units.
74. Brooks & Dunn – 27.5 million certified units.
75. Jay-Z – 27.5 million certified units.
76. John Mellencamp – 27.5 million certified units.
77. Boyz II Men – 27 million certified units.
78. Frank Sinatra – 27 million certified units.
79. Enya – 26.5 million certified units.
80. Janet Jackson – 26 million certified units.
81. Rush – 26 million certified units.
82. Drake – 25.5 million certified units.
83. Faith Hill – 25.5 million certified units.
84. Luther Vandross – 25.5 million certified units.
85. Steve Miller Band – 25.5 million certified units.
86. Creed – 25 million certified units.
87. Hootie & The Blowfish – 25 million certified units.
88. Motley Crue – 25 million certified units.
89. Red Hot Chili Peppers – 25 million certified units.
90. Toby Keith – 25 million certified units.
91. ZZ Top – 25 million certified units.
92. R.E.O. Speedwagon – 24.5 million certified units.
93. The Carpenters – 24.5 million certified units.
94. Green Day – 24 million certified units.
95. Kanye West – 24 million certified units.
96. Nickelback – 24 million certified units.
97. Vince Gill – 24 million certified units.
98. Earth, Wind, & Fire – 23.5 million certified units.
99. Johnny Cash – 23.5 million certified units.
100. Kid Rock – 23.5 million certified units.
Featured image by Rachel Kramer (CC by 2.0).
FAQs
Who is the #1 selling artist of 2021 so far? ›
K-pop superstars BTS have been named Global Recording Artist of the Year for a second year in a row. The annual top 10 list of the world's bestselling artists is compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the music recording industry worldwide.
Who is the best selling artist of all time updated? ›| Artist | Country | Period active |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | United States | 1964–2009 |
| Elton John | United Kingdom | 1962–present |
| Queen | United Kingdom | 1971–present |
| Madonna | United States | 1979–present |
- The Beatles — 183 million units.
- Garth Brooks — 157 million units. ...
- Elvis Presley — 146.5 million units. ...
- Eagles — 120 million units. ...
- Led Zeppelin — 112.5 million units. ...
- Michael Jackson — 89 million units. ...
- Billy Joel — 85 million units. ...
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.