Albums Ranking – Raw sales – Studio albums
This list is about studio albums only. Compilations, lives and box sets are not considered here. The figures given here are units sold.
Please keep in mind that some artists are missing, because their analysis has not been done yet. The complete list is available here. All figures reflect the value as collected at the time of the artist’s respective articles.
1. 1982 – Michael Jackson – Thriller – 65,800,000
2. 1973 – Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon – 43,300,000
3. 1992 – Whitney Houston – The Bodyguard – 41,100,000
4. 1978 – Various Artists – Grease – 38,100,000
5. 1971 – Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV – 36,800,000
6. 1980 – AC/DC – Back in Black – 35,810,000
7. 1977 – Fleetwood Mac – Rumours – 35,500,000
8. 1977 – Bee Gees & Various Artists – Saturday Night Fever – 34,800,000
9. 1987 – Michael Jackson – Bad – 33,600,000
10. 1995 – Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill – 33,570,000
11. 1997 – Shania Twain – Come On Over – 33,500,000
12. 1979 – Pink Floyd – The Wall – 31,300,000
13. 1985 – Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms – 30,850,000
14. 1991 – Metallica – Metallica – 30,790,000
15. 1987 – Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction – 30,770,000
16. 2011 – Adele – 21 – 30,140,000
17. 1976 – Eagles – Hotel California – 30,050,000
18. 1987 – Dirty Dancing – Dirty Dancing – 29,970,000
19. 1997 – Céline Dion – Let’s Talk About Love – 29,800,000
20. 1991 – Michael Jackson – Dangerous – 29,550,000
21. 1984 – Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. – 29,300,000
22. 1997 – James Horner – Titanic – 28,510,000
23. 1996 – Céline Dion – Falling Into You – 28,100,000
24. 1991 – Nirvana – Nevermind – 27,750,000
25. 1977 – Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell – 27,410,000
26. 1987 – U2 – The Joshua Tree – 26,800,000
27. 1969 – The Beatles – Abbey Road – 26,700,000
28. 1993 – Mariah Carey – Music Box – 26,100,000
29. 1999 – Santana – Supernatural – 25,990,000
30. 1967 – The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – 24,800,000
31. 2002 – Norah Jones – Come Away With Me – 23,900,000
32. 1999 – Backstreet Boys – Millennium – 23,800,000
33. 1999 – Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time – 23,735,000
34. 1986 – Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet – 23,600,000
35. 1985 – Phil Collins – No Jacket Required – 23,310,000
36. 2000 – Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP – 23,290,000
37. 1984 – Prince and the Revolutions – Purple Rain – 23,030,000
38. 2002 – Eminem – The Eminem Show – 22,950,000
39. 1986 – Madonna – True Blue – 22,550,000
40. 1988 – Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman – 22,470,000
41. 1976 – Boston – Boston – 22,430,000
42. 1975 – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here – 22,300,000
43. 1969 – Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II – 21,900,000
43. 1985 – Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston – 21,900,000
43. 1996 – Spice Girls – Spice – 21,900,000
46. 1984 – Madonna – Like A Virgin – 21,250,000
47. 1989 – Phil Collins – …But Seriously – 20,810,000
48. 2000 – Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory – 20,800,000
49. 2015 – Adele – 25 – 20,410,000
50. 1995 – Mariah Carey – Daydream – 19,900,000
51. 1987 – Whitney Houston – Whitney – 19,800,000
52. 1994 – Green Day – Dookie – 19,750,000
53. 1970 – Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water – 19,580,000
54. 1979 – Michael Jackson – Off the Wall – 19,425,000
55. 1968 – The Beatles – The Beatles (White Album) – 19,000,000
56. 2000 – Britney Spears – Oops!… I Did It Again – 18,935,000
57. 1987 – George Michael – Faith – 18,850,000
58. 1991 – Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion II – 18,800,000
59. 1995 – Michael Jackson – HIStory: Past, Present and Future – 18,625,000
60. 1991 – Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I – 18,010,000
61. 1995 – No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom – 17,870,000
62. 1994 – The Cranberries – No Need to Argue – 17,840,000
63. 1973 – Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy – 17,700,000
64. 1995 – Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – 17,660,000
65. 1991 – U2 – Achtung Baby – 17,500,000
66. 1979 – Supertramp – Breakfast in America – 16,760,000
67. 2003 – Evanescence – Fallen – 16,730,000
68. 1990 – Garth Brooks – No Fences – 16,640,000
69. 1993 – Céline Dion – The Colour Of My Love – 16,600,000
70. 1999 – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication – 16,270,000
71. 2002 – Avril Lavigne – Let Go – 16,220,000
72. 1998 – Madonna – Ray Of Light – 16,000,000
72. 1995 – Shania Twain – The Woman in Me – 16,000,000
74. 2006 – Amy Winehouse – Back To Black – 15,940,000
75. 1994 – TLC – CrazySexyCool – 15,900,000
76. 1988 – Metallica – …And Justice For All – 15,840,000
77. 1969 – Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin I – 15,800,000
78. 2008 – Lady Gaga – The Fame / The Fame Monster – 15,745,000
79. 1981 – Phil Collins – Face Value – 15,640,000
80. 1983 – Various Artists – Flashdance – 15,590,000
81. 1978 – Van Halen – Van Halen – 15,575,000
82. 2004 – Usher – Confessions – 15,500,000
83. 1984 – Van Halen – 1984 – 15,440,000
84. 2000 – NSYNC – No Strings Attached – 15,300,000
84. 1977 – Billy Joel – The Stranger – 15,300,000
86. 2004 – Green Day – American Idiot – 15,250,000
87. 1979 – AC/DC – Highway to Hell – 15,150,000
88. 1983 – The Police – Synchronicity – 15,050,000
89. 1986 – Paul Simon – Graceland – 14,570,000
90. 1999 – Dido – No Angel – 14,460,000
91. 2000 – Enya – A Day Without Rain – 14,430,000
91. 1991 – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik – 14,430,000
93. 1965 – The Beatles – Rubber Soul – 14,400,000
94. 1989 – Madonna – Like A Prayer – 14,275,000
95. 1990 – Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey – 14,050,000
96. 1984 – Wham! – Make It Big – 14,000,000
97. 1986 – Metallica – Master Of Puppets – 13,980,000
98. 1997 – Spice Girls – Spiceworld – 13,950,000
99. 1988 – Bon Jovi – New Jersey – 13,900,000
100. 2002 – Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head – 13,840,000
I’m hoping you guys can add Luis Miguel to this list. He’s a legacy artist with over 4.5 billion streams on Spotify which is insane.
Shakira is the latest superstar singer-songwriter to sell her copyright-publishment catalogue. Shakira sold 100% of her rights to Hipgnosis Songs Fund limited. The sales comprises 145 songs including global smashes like “Whenever, whenever”, “Hips dont lie”. Being a songwriter is an accomplishment that i consider equal to and perhaps even greater than being singer and an artist. Calvin Harris sold all his songwiting and publishment rights for 90 million dollar. About 400 artists has sold their songs to private investment group. Half dozen or so companies who are buing up to catalogues of successful artists (songwriters). The artist gets a… Read more »
This means that BTS has sold 50M of albums worldwide???? 50M album units worldwide?
Please do blackpink
Please calculate Ricky Martin’s sales
‘Greatest Hits’ Tops 2020 Catalogue Chart In USAMore good news for Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits’! The 1981 compilation album was the biggest selling catalogue album in the US for 2020, outselling Fleetwood Mac, Bob Marley and The Beatles!
Streaming services currently make some songwriters rich. Most recently Neil Young sold 50 % of his songwritings and publishment rights for $150 m. Stevie Nicks sold her rights for $100 million to Private Wave investment firm like Young. Catalogue prizes have risen maybe 3‐5 times in recent years. “It’s no secret that the art of songwriting is fundamental key to the all great music”, said Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge. It’s rare today, that one person do everything, songs, publishment, singing, produce.. It’s usual that4 or 5 person make songwriting and many people is doing another parts of music. It… Read more »
The four big pictures should be The Beatles, Elvis, Jakson, and Queen.
UPDATE MARIAH CAREY PLEASE