For years, many of you have been waiting patiently for every new Commensure Sales to Popularity Concept (CSPC) article, pieces of work portraying in detail the success of an artist.
Today, with introduce the biggest revolution since the start of this concept.
In fact, the streaming component of CSPC totals will now be updated automatically as soon as you want it!
The best selling artists ever
If you are not familiar with this concept, it consists in retrieving sales figures from every format and weighting them on par with album sales.
In doing so, we grant that comparisons between artists from different periods make sense, unlike lists based on raw records totals.
The method also secures that the same formula is applied to all artists, avoiding issues related to the varying conversion rate used for streaming in different markets as well as by most labels on their communications.
All figures for sales have been detailed on each artist article, available through the link under their name.
The column ‘Other LPs’ includes long formats made of already released material like greatest hits compilations, box sets, live records, bootlegs, and music videos.
Digital singles include both downloads and ringtones.
The automatic update of streams
Data related to streams uses multiple audio and video platforms to convert into EAS (Equivalent Album Sales). The formula is defined as below.
Equivalent Albums Sales (EAS) = ( Spotify * 310/207 + Genie * 3.05*2 + AWA * 100/5.5 ) / 1500 + ( Xiami * 125/6.5 + YouTube ) / 11750
Platforms Genie, AWA, and Xiami reflect artists’ popularity in South Korea, Japan and China, respectively.
Once we apply the formula to the results of an artist, we are able to define a conversion rate between Spotify numbers to comprehensive streaming EAS.
We then apply this rate to last updated streams from Spotify as searched by our users with our tool.
For example, if an artist had 3 billion streams on Spotify and 5 million EAS from streams when last studied while he is up to 6 billion streams now, the process will add him 5 million EAS on top of his previous total.
If something happens to significantly change the ratio, like a local artist getting a big global smash, we will update it inside our database.
Regular users of our streaming search tool know it doesn’t retrieve features that do not appear inside an artist page.
In backend, we do have a version of the tool that does look for what we use to call orphan songs.
The script looks at the former streaming EAS from the article, the calculated EAs based on the last user search (without orphans) and the calculated EAS based on the last backend search (with orphans) and uses the highest figure on below table.
We will make sure to frequently look for the largest artists in terms of orphan songs like Rihanna, Drake and Justin Bieber.
A last specificity are artists with side discographies that are accounted for into their CSPC article because of their huge contribution on them.
Selena Gomez & The Scene, Beyoncé as part of The Carters, Rod Stewart & The Faces, the Jackson 5 with the Jacksons, etc.
We also accounted for these cases by looking at the relative strength of the side discography so that the calculation remains comprehensive.
If you happen a number going down, it would be either because we revised the artist ratio downward or because Spotify made a song unavailable. In this later case, we will fix the situation manually as soon as we notice it.
For further details, feel free to use the comment section.
If you would like to support us and can afford it, you may reach our contribution page. If you have more time than money and are interested in participating in the content creation, please reach us through comments, Twitter or email, we will be reaching you back!
Top CSPC – the all-time artists chart
To allow you to see the tremendous impact of this mass update, which adds for over 300 million sales over all artists, we temporarily display head to head the former CSPC total along with the updated one.
The below table presents the best selling artists of all-time using the below ratios.
- Studio Album: sales of the original album
- Other LPs: sales of compilations generated thanks to the album
- Physical Singles: sales of physical singles from the album (added to CSPC total with a ratio 3/10 for 2-tracks, 5/10 for EPs and Maxis)
- Digital Singles: sales of digital singles from the album (ratio 1,5/10 for CSPC total)
- Streaming: equivalent album sales of all the album tracks (ratio 1/1500 for Audio stream and 1/11750 for Video stream)
The * mark after streaming numbers means the value contains orphan songs.
Naturally, older artists have very few features, so the absence of them can be irrelevant.
The Beatles for example have simply no orphan song at all on Spotify, meaning that all their songs are available on their artist page as they recording no featuring nor songs for various artists releases.
| # | PIC | Artist | Total CSPC | Studio Albums Sales | Other LPs Sales | Physical Singles Sales | Digital Singles Sales | Sales Update | Streams EAS (Update) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Beatles | 414,565,000 | 160,650,000 | 203,392,000 | 116,080,000 | 35,230,000 | 03/01/17 | 10,415,000* (02/28/21) |
| 2 |  | Michael Jackson | 329,598,000 | 182,600,000 | 101,997,000 | 79,350,000 | 79,930,000 | 09/27/17 | 9,206,000* (02/28/21) |
| 3 |  | Elvis Presley | 316,207,000 | 53,150,000 | 212,309,000 | 135,210,000 | 37,470,000 | 09/01/18 | 4,566,000* (02/28/21) |
| 4 |  | Queen | 267,964,000 | 90,230,000 | 139,348,000 | 49,960,000 | 59,650,000 | 01/25/20 | 14,447,000* (02/28/21) |
| 5 |  | Madonna | 243,602,000 | 146,450,000 | 64,420,000 | 75,210,000 | 42,100,000 | 08/13/17 | 3,854,000* (02/28/21) |
| 6 |  | The Rolling Stones | 240,167,000 | 113,800,000 | 92,495,000 | 72,770,000 | 46,200,000 | 12/03/16 | 5,110,000* (02/28/21) |
| 7 |  | Pink Floyd | 233,369,000 | 169,600,000 | 52,025,000 | 8,800,000 | 23,360,000 | 06/18/17 | 5,600,000* (02/28/21) |
| 8 |  | Led Zeppelin | 203,742,000 | 141,500,000 | 51,200,000 | 6,350,000 | 32,030,000 | 08/08/16 | 4,333,000* (02/28/21) |
| 9 |  | Elton John | 199,989,000 | 88,630,000 | 82,400,000 | 65,340,000 | 26,250,000 | 02/05/18 | 5,419,000* (02/28/21) |
| 10 |  | U2 | 197,674,000 | 127,100,000 | 53,051,000 | 22,550,000 | 40,500,000 | 08/31/16 | 4,683,000* (02/28/21) |
| 11 |  | Céline Dion | 195,810,000 | 136,200,000 | 40,424,000 | 39,290,000 | 26,660,000 | 09/23/16 | 3,400,000* (03/03/21) |
| 12 |  | AC/DC | 195,307,000 | 132,470,000 | 49,349,000 | 7,200,000 | 33,450,000 | 02/20/18 | 6,310,000* (02/28/21) |
| 13 |  | Rod Stewart & Faces | 188,743,000 | 100,150,000 | 66,819,000 | 55,220,000 | 17,420,000 | 11/23/19 | 2,586,000* (02/26/21) |
| 14 |  | Eminem | 186,289,000 | 97,920,000 | 25,487,000 | 14,380,000 | 197,610,000 | 07/31/19 | 28,928,000* (03/03/21) |
| 15 |  | Eagles | 173,219,000 | 65,425,000 | 96,732,000 | 16,630,000 | 20,440,000 | 12/20/17 | 3,008,000* (02/28/21) |
| 16 |  | Mariah Carey | 171,641,000 | 116,100,000 | 31,228,000 | 36,890,000 | 50,130,000 | 04/28/17 | 5,727,000* (02/28/21) |
| 17 |  | Metallica | 159,454,000 | 121,260,000 | 20,164,000 | 15,480,000 | 40,770,000 | 02/13/19 | 7,270,000* (02/25/21) |
| 18 |  | ABBA | 159,166,000 | 45,300,000 | 91,491,000 | 54,400,000 | 17,870,000 | 11/02/16 | 3,375,000* (02/28/21) |
| 19 |  | Bruce Springsteen | 159,127,000 | 103,400,000 | 42,176,000 | 21,010,000 | 25,420,000 | 07/07/17 | 3,436,000* (02/26/21) |
| 20 |  | Bee Gees | 158,951,000 | 75,525,000 | 56,477,000 | 72,790,000 | 17,230,000 | 04/09/17 | 2,527,000* (02/27/21) |
| 21 |  | Whitney Houston | 154,728,000 | 113,600,000 | 17,175,000 | 49,520,000 | 34,250,000 | 05/04/17 | 3,958,000* (02/28/21) |
| 22 |  | Barbra Streisand | 152,953,000 | 91,370,000 | 49,714,000 | 35,250,000 | 3,680,000 | 03/16/18 | 741,000* (02/28/21) |
| 23 |  | Phil Collins | 149,269,000 | 93,780,000 | 39,905,000 | 29,910,000 | 22,690,000 | 04/11/18 | 3,208,000* (02/28/21) |
| 24 |  | Billy Joel | 148,685,000 | 91,400,000 | 40,235,000 | 36,900,000 | 21,000,000 | 10/19/16 | 2,830,000* (02/26/21) |
| 25 |  | Fleetwood Mac | 148,292,000 | 84,550,000 | 46,392,000 | 26,060,000 | 32,030,000 | 10/08/16 | 4,728,000* (02/28/21) |
| 26 |  | Bon Jovi | 147,213,000 | 89,450,000 | 39,176,000 | 27,980,000 | 38,450,000 | 11/16/16 | 4,425,000* (02/28/21) |
| 27 |  | Santana | 144,512,000 | 89,465,000 | 46,265,000 | 15,380,000 | 16,560,000 | 08/04/20 | 1,762,000* (02/12/21) |
| 28 |  | Garth Brooks | 144,338,000 | 81,605,000 | 62,341,000 | 950,000 | 90,000 | 01/05/19 | 92,000* (02/21/21) |
| 29 |  | Bob Dylan | 143,828,000 | 83,350,000 | 47,870,000 | 17,680,000 | 30,410,000 | 10/23/16 | 2,743,000* (02/27/21) |
| 30 |  | Bob Marley | 138,763,000 | 43,075,000 | 81,593,000 | 9,980,000 | 33,690,000 | 11/21/17 | 6,047,000* (02/28/21) |
| 31 |  | Prince | 132,893,000 | 86,580,000 | 27,141,000 | 42,910,000 | 29,590,000 | 10/04/18 | 1,861,000* (02/28/21) |
| 32 |  | Aerosmith | 131,694,000 | 71,710,000 | 48,158,000 | 15,500,000 | 25,550,000 | 06/01/18 | 3,343,000* (02/27/21) |
| 33 |  | David Bowie | 128,499,000 | 71,500,000 | 36,023,000 | 44,200,000 | 19,830,000 | 01/11/17 | 4,740,000* (02/28/21) |
| 34 |  | Simon & Garfunkel | 125,077,000 | 37,820,000 | 75,732,000 | 23,830,000 | 14,350,000 | 05/11/18 | 2,224,000* (02/28/21) |
| 35 |  | Guns N' Roses | 121,155,000 | 86,360,000 | 20,134,000 | 11,900,000 | 37,210,000 | 03/01/18 | 5,509,000* (02/28/21) |
| 36 |  | The Doors | 115,661,000 | 51,980,000 | 55,480,000 | 13,860,000 | 11,100,000 | 03/03/19 | 2,378,000* (02/17/21) |
| 37 |  | Paul McCartney | 110,911,000 | 61,670,000 | 27,441,000 | 57,970,000 | 11,250,000 | 12/13/18 | 2,721,000* (02/28/21) |
| 38 |  | Dire Straits | 110,038,000 | 71,730,000 | 31,635,000 | 8,380,000 | 10,900,000 | 03/23/18 | 2,524,000* (02/28/21) |
| 39 |  | George Michael & Wham! | 107,372,000 | 60,200,000 | 26,150,000 | 49,880,000 | 16,770,000 | 05/07/17 | 3,543,000* (02/28/21) |
| 40 |  | Britney Spears | 103,967,000 | 68,595,000 | 11,460,000 | 18,600,000 | 83,030,000 | 04/28/19 | 5,878,000* (02/28/21) |
| 41 |  | Van Halen | 102,494,000 | 79,620,000 | 14,065,000 | 10,450,000 | 16,810,000 | 12/14/20 | 3,148,000* (02/09/21) |
| 42 |  | Coldplay | 99,074,000 | 59,560,000 | 5,979,000 | 2,050,000 | 93,680,000 | 11/30/19 | 18,863,000* (02/28/21) |
| 43 |  | Rihanna | 98,544,000 | 33,100,000 | 500,000 | 3,560,000 | 251,150,000 | 07/03/19 | 26,205,000* (03/03/21) |
| 44 |  | The Police | 97,780,000 | 46,370,000 | 40,183,000 | 23,810,000 | 11,300,000 | 06/06/20 | 2,377,000* (02/20/21) |
| 45 |  | Taylor Swift | 97,215,000 | 48,220,000 | 3,768,000 | 260,000 | 158,560,000 | 10/23/20 | 21,361,000* (03/03/21) |
| 46 |  | Backstreet Boys | 96,754,000 | 58,900,000 | 25,685,000 | 18,010,000 | 22,550,000 | 02/09/17 | 3,383,000* (02/28/21) |
| 47 |  | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 95,556,000 | 61,870,000 | 16,881,000 | 4,800,000 | 44,400,000 | 03/29/18 | 8,706,000* (02/28/21) |
| 48 |  | Nirvana | 92,584,000 | 45,000,000 | 37,650,000 | 4,190,000 | 23,250,000 | 07/09/17 | 5,189,000* (02/28/21) |
| 49 |  | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 91,111,000 | 33,135,000 | 45,489,000 | 22,570,000 | 14,600,000 | 01/31/19 | 3,527,000* (02/28/21) |
| 50 |  | Adele | 89,866,000 | 59,110,000 | 3,855,000 | 530,000 | 100,240,000 | 06/02/19 | 11,706,000* (03/03/21) |
| 51 |  | Drake | 89,162,000 | 14,775,000 | 0 | 0 | 137,310,000 | 08/28/17 | 53,791,000* (03/03/21) |
| 52 |  | Enya | 87,827,000 | 65,480,000 | 17,069,000 | 5,250,000 | 9,610,000 | 02/25/18 | 2,260,000* (02/28/21) |
| 53 |  | Bryan Adams | 87,511,000 | 42,260,000 | 30,518,000 | 32,090,000 | 17,250,000 | 03/23/19 | 2,519,000* (02/26/21) |
| 54 |  | Green Day | 85,929,000 | 58,250,000 | 13,567,000 | 3,050,000 | 44,600,000 | 03/11/17 | 6,508,000* (02/28/21) |
| 55 |  | Linkin Park | 85,850,000 | 48,350,000 | 14,500,000 | 3,210,000 | 73,710,000 | 06/04/17 | 10,981,000* (02/28/21) |
| 56 |  | Beyonce | 82,211,000 | 33,430,000 | 4,431,000 | 4,070,000 | 166,890,000 | 05/02/18 | 18,096,000* (03/04/21) |
| 57 |  | Shania Twain | 81,539,000 | 63,200,000 | 11,259,000 | 13,130,000 | 10,700,000 | 12/05/16 | 1,536,000* (02/25/21) |
| 58 |  | Journey | 81,012,000 | 40,250,000 | 31,623,000 | 8,090,000 | 29,770,000 | 09/13/19 | 2,248,000* (02/25/21) |
| 59 |  | Sting | 79,618,000 | 52,360,000 | 17,720,000 | 16,010,000 | 14,160,000 | 06/14/20 | 2,349,000* (02/26/21) |
| 60 |  | Black Sabbath | 78,297,000 | 46,280,000 | 27,467,000 | 3,300,000 | 11,280,000 | 03/08/20 | 1,828,000* (02/10/21) |
| 61 |  | Janet Jackson | 77,808,000 | 50,500,000 | 12,175,000 | 40,640,000 | 13,350,000 | 04/17/17 | 940,000* (02/28/21) |
| 62 |  | Justin Bieber | 76,676,000 | 19,810,000 | 7,120,000 | 540,000 | 110,890,000 | 08/04/19 | 32,950,000* (03/03/21) |
| 63 |  | Robbie Williams | 76,117,000 | 46,500,000 | 21,770,000 | 11,960,000 | 13,860,000 | 12/15/19 | 2,163,000* (02/28/21) |
| 64 |  | Johnny Hallyday | 75,788,000 | 26,740,000 | 35,156,000 | 43,740,000 | 1,430,000 | 01/01/18 | 557,000* (01/30/21) |
| 65 |  | Sade | 75,033,000 | 51,560,000 | 18,565,000 | 6,270,000 | 11,140,000 | 07/01/20 | 1,355,000* (02/28/21) |
| 66 |  | John Lennon | 73,478,000 | 31,420,000 | 30,759,000 | 26,780,000 | 12,160,000 | 10/16/18 | 1,441,000* (02/28/21) |
| 67 |  | Cher | 73,217,000 | 34,825,000 | 21,889,000 | 46,220,000 | 9,630,000 | 08/30/17 | 1,193,000* (02/28/21) |
| 68 |  | Supertramp | 71,640,000 | 48,540,000 | 17,999,000 | 10,070,000 | 6,830,000 | 08/13/19 | 1,055,000* (02/26/21) |
| 69 |  | Maroon 5 | 70,571,000 | 26,050,000 | 2,138,000 | 1,600,000 | 149,190,000 | 12/02/19 | 19,485,000* (03/03/21) |
| 70 |  | Ed Sheeran | 69,564,000 | 21,970,000 | 466,000 | 130,000 | 79,640,000 | 10/27/19 | 35,139,000* (03/03/21) |
| 71 |  | Lady Gaga | 69,115,000 | 31,215,000 | 4,790,000 | 1,570,000 | 128,860,000 | 12/18/20 | 13,308,000* (03/03/21) |
| 72 |  | P!nk | 67,728,000 | 37,025,000 | 8,906,000 | 7,270,000 | 81,150,000 | 10/15/17 | 7,443,000* (02/28/21) |
| 73 |  | Michael Buble | 65,637,000 | 47,800,000 | 6,344,000 | 770,000 | 35,400,000 | 12/11/16 | 5,952,000* (02/19/21) |
| 74 |  | BTS | 64,444,000 | 21,850,000 | 7,960,000 | 3,220,000 | 30,880,000 | 09/04/20 | 29,033,000* (03/03/21) |
| 75 |  | Usher | 64,152,000 | 36,160,000 | 2,201,000 | 12,040,000 | 93,610,000 | 09/04/17 | 8,137,000* (02/28/21) |
| 76 |  | Shakira | 63,227,000 | 34,780,000 | 6,620,000 | 8,460,000 | 56,350,000 | 06/21/18 | 10,838,000* (02/28/21) |
| 77 |  | Meat Loaf | 62,225,000 | 48,300,000 | 9,565,000 | 10,850,000 | 3,900,000 | 06/16/18 | 521,000* (02/28/21) |
| 78 |  | Oasis | 61,291,000 | 41,050,000 | 10,046,000 | 11,420,000 | 18,800,000 | 12/06/17 | 3,950,000* (03/03/21) |
| 79 |  | Ayumi Hamasaki | 61,289,000 | 21,810,000 | 19,339,000 | 25,980,000 | 46,480,000 | 09/27/19 | 619,000* (03/03/21) |
| 80 |  | Bruno Mars | 59,618,000 | 17,375,000 | 40,000 | 250,000 | 149,580,000 | 06/27/19 | 19,692,000* (02/28/21) |
| 81 |  | Jackson 5 & The Jacksons | 58,766,000 | 26,400,000 | 19,027,000 | 31,160,000 | 13,720,000 | 09/26/17 | 1,933,000* (02/28/21) |
| 82 |  | Alanis Morissette | 57,535,000 | 47,065,000 | 6,951,000 | 3,340,000 | 9,080,000 | 06/05/18 | 1,155,000* (02/26/21) |
| 83 |  | Black Eyed Peas | 56,381,000 | 33,350,000 | 251,000 | 6,590,000 | 103,960,000 | 08/03/17 | 5,209,000* (02/28/21) |
| 84 |  | Enrique Iglesias | 55,595,000 | 33,900,000 | 5,300,000 | 8,900,000 | 50,110,000 | 09/27/16 | 6,208,000* (02/27/21) |
| 85 |  | Nickelback | 55,495,000 | 40,500,000 | 1,824,000 | 3,020,000 | 57,280,000 | 06/28/17 | 3,673,000* (02/28/21) |
| 86 |  | Christina Aguilera | 54,144,000 | 30,400,000 | 4,375,000 | 12,740,000 | 69,950,000 | 03/18/17 | 5,054,000* (02/28/21) |
| 87 |  | Ozzy Osbourne | 51,990,000 | 39,370,000 | 7,483,000 | 3,760,000 | 15,180,000 | 03/12/20 | 1,707,000* (02/13/21) |
| 88 |  | Paul Simon | 51,890,000 | 34,390,000 | 11,598,000 | 12,820,000 | 3,740,000 | 05/10/18 | 1,496,000* (02/17/21) |
| 89 |  | One Direction | 51,859,000 | 23,900,000 | 6,350,000 | 120,000 | 57,000,000 | 05/14/17 | 13,022,000* (02/28/21) |
| 90 |  | Norah Jones | 51,581,000 | 43,550,000 | 2,825,000 | 300,000 | 18,600,000 | 11/04/16 | 2,426,000* (02/28/21) |
| 91 |  | Tracy Chapman | 51,553,000 | 43,760,000 | 3,519,000 | 3,480,000 | 12,490,000 | 06/25/19 | 1,355,000* (02/26/21) |
| 92 |  | Justin Timberlake | 50,803,000 | 23,490,000 | 1,480,000 | 5,330,000 | 102,090,000 | 02/09/18 | 8,920,000* (02/28/21) |
| 93 |  | Katy Perry | 50,390,000 | 15,880,000 | 300,000 | 870,000 | 135,430,000 | 06/16/19 | 13,635,000* (03/03/21) |
| 94 |  | Boston | 50,128,000 | 41,330,000 | 4,803,000 | 5,640,000 | 9,540,000 | 06/01/19 | 873,000* (02/10/21) |
| 95 |  | Alicia Keys | 50,121,000 | 32,960,000 | 2,524,000 | 3,690,000 | 57,750,000 | 11/19/16 | 4,867,000* (02/28/21) |
| 96 |  | Spice Girls | 49,376,000 | 37,050,000 | 4,349,000 | 20,020,000 | 5,200,000 | 03/23/17 | 1,191,000* (02/28/21) |
| 97 |  | Destiny's Child | 47,721,000 | 33,010,000 | 5,800,000 | 11,120,000 | 22,320,000 | 05/02/18 | 2,228,000* (02/28/21) |
| 98 |  | Miley Cyrus | 47,113,000 | 23,050,000 | 2,365,000 | 250,000 | 70,530,000 | 12/06/20 | 11,043,000* (02/27/21) |
| 99 |  | Cranberries | 45,727,000 | 37,650,000 | 3,710,000 | 4,120,000 | 8,210,000 | 01/25/18 | 1,900,000* (02/28/21) |
| 100 |  | Avril Lavigne | 45,105,000 | 32,290,000 | 1,206,000 | 3,510,000 | 46,160,000 | 02/10/18 | 3,264,000* (02/28/21) |
| 101 |  | NSYNC | 44,859,000 | 37,930,000 | 2,669,000 | 6,980,000 | 5,110,000 | 02/09/18 | 1,400,000* (02/28/21) |
| 102 |  | Mannheim Steamroller | 44,145,000 | 33,305,000 | 10,344,000 | 40,000 | 2,410,000 | 12/24/20 | 114,000* (01/30/21) |
| 103 |  | Ariana Grande | 44,102,000 | 5,225,000 | 499,000 | 50,000 | 50,360,000 | 10/16/19 | 30,806,000* (03/03/21) |
| 104 |  | Jennifer Lopez | 44,011,000 | 26,120,000 | 4,811,000 | 10,760,000 | 36,810,000 | 06/24/18 | 4,331,000* (02/28/21) |
| 105 |  | Foo Fighters | 42,054,000 | 26,750,000 | 6,207,000 | 1,430,000 | 26,610,000 | 10/10/17 | 4,677,000* (02/28/21) |
| 106 |  | The Weeknd | 41,620,000 | 5,235,000 | 3,035,000 | 80,000 | 44,270,000 | 09/10/20 | 22,112,000* (03/03/21) |
| 107 |  | TLC | 40,767,000 | 32,195,000 | 1,920,000 | 13,120,000 | 8,350,000 | 04/07/19 | 1,463,000* (02/28/21) |
| 108 |  | Take That | 39,034,000 | 19,930,000 | 14,016,000 | 9,210,000 | 10,240,000 | 12/15/19 | 754,000* (02/17/21) |
| 109 |  | Kelly Clarkson | 36,672,000 | 21,600,000 | 1,460,000 | 2,200,000 | 62,010,000 | 05/23/18 | 3,649,000* (02/28/21) |
| 110 |  | Kylie Minogue | 36,581,000 | 20,320,000 | 7,103,000 | 19,720,000 | 12,150,000 | 04/16/18 | 1,418,000* (02/18/21) |
| 111 |  | No Doubt | 35,232,000 | 25,730,000 | 6,058,000 | 4,910,000 | 6,080,000 | 03/29/20 | 1,060,000* (02/28/21) |
| 112 |  | Imagine Dragons | 32,801,000 | 7,960,000 | 371,000 | 30,000 | 45,410,000 | 09/19/18 | 17,648,000* (03/03/21) |
| 113 |  | Amy Winehouse | 32,616,000 | 23,180,000 | 2,411,000 | 580,000 | 21,660,000 | 07/19/19 | 3,602,000* (02/28/21) |
| 114 |  | Kendrick Lamar | 31,560,000 | 5,725,000 | 50,000 | 0 | 32,650,000 | 04/12/19 | 20,887,000* (02/28/21) |
| 115 |  | Dido | 30,862,000 | 26,630,000 | 420,000 | 5,320,000 | 6,210,000 | 02/18/19 | 1,284,000* (02/28/21) |
| 116 |  | Post Malone | 30,700,000 | 1,720,000 | 10,000 | 40,000 | 14,640,000 | 11/26/20 | 26,761,000* (03/03/21) |
| 117 |  | Evanescence | 30,666,000 | 22,440,000 | 2,755,000 | 2,170,000 | 18,390,000 | 06/30/19 | 2,062,000* (02/21/21) |
| 118 |  | Carrie Underwood | 29,392,000 | 18,050,000 | 839,000 | 500,000 | 54,410,000 | 09/09/18 | 2,192,000* (02/28/21) |
| 119 |  | James Blunt | 28,437,000 | 20,440,000 | 1,020,000 | 2,130,000 | 23,090,000 | 02/05/19 | 2,873,000* (02/28/21) |
| 120 |  | Sam Smith | 27,082,000 | 6,525,000 | 25,000 | 100,000 | 32,700,000 | 10/11/17 | 15,597,000* (02/28/21) |
| 121 |  | Selena Gomez | 26,833,000 | 5,490,000 | 215,000 | 40,000 | 35,710,000 | 11/28/17 | 15,759,000* (03/03/21) |
| 122 |  | Björk | 25,939,000 | 19,730,000 | 4,372,000 | 2,620,000 | 3,460,000 | 12/23/18 | 532,000* (02/26/21) |
| 123 |  | Gorillaz | 24,182,000 | 14,830,000 | 1,240,000 | 2,110,000 | 19,000,000 | 05/08/17 | 4,629,000* (02/28/21) |
| 124 |  | Shawn Mendes | 22,456,000 | 2,630,000 | 120,000 | 40,000 | 20,330,000 | 10/08/19 | 16,645,000* (03/03/21) |
| 125 |  | Renaud | 22,184,000 | 13,230,000 | 7,667,000 | 2,660,000 | 690,000 | 11/01/17 | 385,000* (01/30/21) |
| 126 |  | Macklemore | 21,558,000 | 3,225,000 | 45,000 | 80,000 | 39,270,000 | 11/07/17 | 12,374,000* (02/16/21) |
| 127 |  | Lana Del Rey | 21,468,000 | 7,950,000 | 565,000 | 210,000 | 20,200,000 | 08/24/17 | 9,860,000* (02/28/21) |
| 128 |  | Arctic Monkeys | 20,606,000 | 10,340,000 | 302,000 | 560,000 | 12,870,000 | 05/14/18 | 7,866,000* (02/28/21) |
| 129 |  | Billie Eilish | 20,488,000 | 2,270,000 | 2,000 | 10,000 | 5,920,000 | 07/04/20 | 17,306,000* (03/04/21) |
| 130 |  | Demi Lovato | 20,408,000 | 4,480,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 35,890,000 | 10/09/18 | 10,494,000* (02/28/21) |
| 131 |  | Avicii | 20,148,000 | 2,200,000 | 170,000 | 250,000 | 36,700,000 | 04/25/18 | 12,198,000* (02/25/21) |
| 132 |  | Gwen Stefani | 19,817,000 | 12,060,000 | 154,000 | 3,130,000 | 29,040,000 | 04/12/20 | 2,308,000* (02/28/21) |
| 133 |  | Aaliyah | 18,113,000 | 12,200,000 | 3,174,000 | 6,350,000 | 3,050,000 | 02/14/17 | 375,000* (02/28/21) |
| 134 |  | Dua Lipa | 17,017,000 | 945,000 | 6,000 | 20,000 | 7,020,000 | 01/05/21 | 15,007,000* (02/28/21) |
| 135 |  | Fergie | 13,859,000 | 6,450,000 | 25,000 | 750,000 | 36,900,000 | 07/12/17 | 1,624,000* (02/28/21) |
| 136 |  | Will.i.am | 12,275,000 | 950,000 | 0 | 750,000 | 53,300,000 | 07/20/17 | 3,106,000* (02/17/21) |
| 137 |  | Little Mix | 12,080,000 | 3,670,000 | 0 | 130,000 | 12,020,000 | 02/02/20 | 6,568,000* (02/28/21) |
| 138 |  | Lorde | 11,298,000 | 3,300,000 | 100,000 | 0 | 19,250,000 | 06/22/17 | 5,011,000* (02/28/21) |
Sam Smith is selling quite well with just two albums and even going neck & neck to Post Malone
@AI
why is Taylor Swifts pure album sales listed as 46M here but on her page 47M?
The 46m figure is for studio albums only while the one on her page includes her two live albums and Beautiful Eyes as well
As much as I admire the Beatles, they’re not the bestselling artist worldwide. I say so because Africa is not included in this counting process. The Beatles do not have a strong market in Africa (all 54 countries), so do other greats like Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones. Michael Jackson of course has the biggest fan base of any international artist in Africa. Madonna, Phil Collins, Prince, Paul Simon, etc do have a great fan base there as well. Had Africa (with a large population) been included, the Beatles will roll down. Michael and the others I mentioned will… Read more »
Sales in Africa are included in the global totals. They just weren’t that big there with the exception of South Africa. Another thing to keep in mind is that most countries there haven’t been that interested in foreign acts as local artists dominate the scene.
so no one’s going to talk about the fact that Eminem, about the fact that he has sold so much without doing pop music that most of people listens to 🤔
And he’s the only one that did it writing every wod
Yes, his continuing popularity and success is amazing, no doubt about it but let’s not kid ourselves, rap is probably more listened to than pop music these days and has been for a while now. On top of that, acts such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and AC/DC have also managed to steer clear of the pop genre and achieve fantastic success, in fact, I’d say Eminem is far more “pop” than any of those acts, who seldom released singles, done videos etc.
By which criteria would you say “rap is more listened than pop”… you dont have anything to back up your statement sir, but I have one. There is not a single rap album in the top 50 best selling albums of all time… I dont know what was your intention by saying that but if it is “discrediting Eminem”, then please dont, respectfully.
Way to go taking things out of context! He’s talking about what’s more popular today so album sales decades ago are totally irrelevant. If you want backup look no further than Nielsen’s latest YE report revealing rap has 33,9% of the US steaming market while pop has 13,5%.
The criteria of looking at relatively contemporary, streaming consumption statistics, by genre. There is no correlation between the best selling albums of all time and what currently is the most streamed genre and besides that, there are actually two rap albums amongst the Top 50 best selling of all time, they are 36. 2000 – Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP – 23,290,000 38. 2002 – Eminem – The Eminem Show – 22,950,000 My intention is to paint an honest, unbiased and agenda free picture of things. The OP tried to make out that Eminem is at some kind of disadvantage because he is a Hip Hop artist/Rapper and not… Read more »
Ok so madonna has sold +240M equivalent albums and she still hasnt had the death boost. She isnt even that far from Michael Jackson I thought the gap would be bigger, especially in album sales, she will obviously surpass him and become the biggest solo artist in history. the queen of pop did that.
then you woke up
Did I lie though? That’s a 85M units gap, it’s not that much. She can easily become the biggest solo artist. Maybe she won’t surpass him in pure sales because sales are dead now but in album units for sure
85 million albums is a feat most artists can’t achieve in their whole lifetimes.
michael jackson sold a lot after his death, I actually think he sold around 60 million units or probably more in only 10 years. Madonna is bigger than him, 85M isnt even that much.
Can you please end the circus? Madonna has been left behind and even with her death she will not even catch up Queen (all their original members are older than Madonna). She is the 2nd youngest of all the top 10. Worry about Pink Floyd and the Stones that could catch her, not about unreallistic things.
She won’t even surpass Queen. In fact, she’s the one who’ll be surpassed by Rolling Stones. Then she’ll have a 10 million equivalent albums boost at best when she dies
rolling stones might surpass her now but when she dies, if michael jackson did around 60 million units in the first 10 years since his death, she will easily do more than 80 millions. so..
Serious question: do you really think she’ll sell that many albums when she dies? The boost really only lasts for that first year, maybe two and Michael also keeps selling albums. I think Madonna will ultimately be like Prince, a big splash at first but interest will wane eventually. Most deceased artists don’t chart the way he does, especially after so many years.
She also released more material than he did. His albums always sold better than hers during their prime years.
Honestly, I don’t think she’ll be able to sell that many pure records because sales are really dying. I mean at a certain point I was really sure she would’ve been able to sell AT LEAST 2/3 of what Michael sold or probably as much as him but over 10 years later…knowing how much sales (downloads and especially album sales) have decreased she’ll be lucky if she sells half or 1/3 I guess (but then again she has a bigger discography, more albums, singles who knows). But the positive thing is that she’ll have streaming by her side, so I’m… Read more »
I think whilst Michael was obviously the bigger seller, Madonna’s career had longevity and she is still doing relatively well for a legacy artist to this day. Selling is just below 20 mil with your debut album, then releasing three 20 mil + up to 40 mill in a 6 year period is arguably more impressive then releasing a massive album and letting it gain more and more catalogue sales, whilst customers wait for almost 5 years for you next album which sold almost half as much in physical units
That’s what I mean thanks
Eh? I wouldn’t class her as doing well, considering at one point she was one of the two biggest music artist on the planet, her streams are weak in comparison to many, many other legacy artists, her more recent albums haven’t exactly sold well, streamed well or charted for long and her back catalogue has hardly been flying off the shelves for years now. If anything, the fact she is still around and releasing stuff, seems to be having a negative affect on her popularity not a positive one. I’m not disparaging her early career, it was as impressive as… Read more »
You think Madonna is going to pass MJ’s total? What? His streaming numbers are better than hers by far. If you use the tools here you will see MJ’s overall streaming EAS is 8.1 M units while Madonna is at 3.3 M units (and she has been releasing music in the streaming era which makes this even worse). MJ’s daily Spotify stream count is around 3.8 M while Madonnas is around 2 M. Michael’s lead is constantly increasing yet you are “positive” Madonna will pass him and become the biggest solo artist? Because she releases one album every four years… Read more »
I never said she will surpass him now but with the sales boost (or streams) she’ll have when she passes that’s for sure. Also MJ hasn’t released as much as she has so it’ll be easier.
The difference between the two artists is currently 86 MILLION EAS. And the gap is getting bigger everyday. Of course Madonna’s death will give her a boost but you are crazy to think she will surpass him. Be realistic here. I’m not trying to put Madonna down (I actually listen to her music more frequently than MJ to be honest) but her catalogue just doesn’t have as much lasting appeal as his which is evident by the streaming numbers on both Spotify and YouTube.
Michael Jackson only has more streams because he’s dead. Btw Madonna actually gained almost 1M units in a day I guess, yesterday she was around 243M and now over 244M units so… Also she has a bigger catalog, more albums and singles released so it’ll be even easier. So yes I do think she will surpass him, it will take a lot but I’m positive and I’m sure she’ll one day become the biggest solo artist ever based on album equivalent units. I don’t understand what’s so unrealistic about this honestly
You are just fantasizing at this point. Not to mention making assumptions that are baseless. Honestly you come across as a 13 year old who can’t see the big picture due to personal bias. So I won’t be continuing this conversation with you.
Utter rubbish, Madonna is a spent force. When she dies there will be some rise in sales , but not what your predicting.
So was Michael Jackson in the 2000s yet he sold a lot after he passed. Madonna’s death will def make more noise. Wait and you’ll see. Also he’s overrated no surprise. He’s a man so..
Can you please stop posting all this biased, deluded and untrue Madonna nonsense. You are yet another in a long list of Madonna fans, who cannot see the wood for the trees, when it comes to everything about her.
I got a quick question, do you think madonna will ever be able to catch up or surpass Queen in album equivalents? I personally used to think she’d easily surpass them with the sales/streams boost shell have after her death but Queen just don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon and the gap keeps getting bigger so I dont know.. what do you think?
I mean I even thought she could reach 300 million units thanks to album sales but sales are dying so idk
Madonna has 61 years, the youngest member of Queen, Deacon, has 69 almost 70. Queen will have dying members this decade, and that means boosting for them also, not as much as Madonna if she dies, but we will have a sad boost this decade, and if not this decade, the next one sure.
well yeah you’re right, plus again the gap is getting bigger at every update despite the fact madonna’s released a new album not so long ago. Queen gained more units from january than she did in the last 3 years.. I guess her numbers will stay pretty much the same until well.. that day. Interesting I never thought Queen would ever surpass her..I even thought she could one day catch up with elvis presley as well but I doubt it now.
The gap will just keep on growing.
Of course she will the gap isnt even that big. Also Queen are over, nobody will rememeber them in 10 years or more. They only increased because of that movie, a madonna movie/biography would be even bigger
You can never say for sure really but from what I’ve seen is Queen going to stay big for quite some time. Madonna’s catalog isn’t really holding up on streams. Queen was way ahead in this format long before the movie.
Yeah but Madonna is still alive so I’m sure she will surpass them and even Elvis and MJ one day
Madonna’s youtube views and spotify streams are fine considering she’s an old pop artist. No, not spectacular but not bad either. She does much better than Celine and she gets the same spotify streams as Mariah, the big exception being during Christmas time. Of course, Michael Jackson was and continues to be more popular than her but among pop stars, that’s pretty exceptional. Pop stars, unlike rock stars, usually always fade out. Michael Jackson is remembered for albums whereas most pop stars are always remembered for singles, even when their albums sell a lot.
Are you serious or just kidding me? queen are globally massive and in ten years will be even bigger, where Madonna might have a slight uplift if they did a movie about her, it wont be as big as Queens movie. When she dies, well let see if they hold a tribute concert in her name watched globally by over a billion people. I dont think so….
Madonna’s music and name are bigger. Of course the movie will bigger too. Trust me, by the time Madonna movie will be released, queen will be already forgotten.
Sweet, innocent child…
🤭
I’m a Madonna fan and it’s so weird how people are denying Queen is more popular. Simple reality indicates that Queen is MUCH more popular than any other legacy artist, Madonna included. That’s just a fact and anybody who wants to deny that is just pulling crap out of their asses.
Fair play Nick, an honest opinion about how it is from a Madonna fan.
Nice to see that.
Thanks Tony. Don’t get me wrong, I actually think Madonna’s music is doing good on spotify and youtube (not amazing, but good). But it’s nothing compared to Queen or MJ. And I wouldn’t expect it any other way. If Madonna is once in in a lifetime, MJ is once in 5 lifetimes. He is a gigantic outlier, he is possibly the only legacy pop star whose entire albums do well (instead of just singles). Madonna’s singles do fine but her album tracks? No way.
How come Iron Maiden aren’t on the list? Their album sales alone have got to be around the 50+ million mark? ,thanks
They haven’t been studied yet..
Can y’all do an article on Michael Jackson’s sales worldwide after his death? Billboard reported his US sales last year but not in the rest of the world. That would be really interesting, I’m here for it
🙂
i’m confused how is this calculated that put MJ behind the beatles?
It’s a method called CSPC : “If you are not familiar with this concept, it consists in retrieving sales figures from every format and weighting them on par with album sales. In doing so, we grant that comparisons between artists from different periods make sense, unlike lists based on raw records totals.” So technically Michael is the second most successful artist of all time and the most successful solo artist. Now if you choose to just put singles/albums all together. Michael’s sold 445M records making him the best selling solo artist of all time (second after the beatles) but artists… Read more »
You know what she meant how can they compare a SOLO artist to a BAND of more than six and still MICHAEL is the BEST and DESERVING and its ridiculous they had put Michael after the Beatles and it should be CORRECTED.
First of all, the Beatles were 4, not 6.
Second, the Beatles had only 10 years for doing everything, and 7 if we count their first release. Michael Jackson had 35 years.
Well the point is that the Beatles are the top selling artists and there is no other option, good day 💅🏻.
First of all Well I literally even don’t know the Beatles but I googled them and now I am counting all artist not only famous ones or seniors in band which are more than 6 and Secondly your how much years they had line does not make any sense and Thirdly I am from Pakistan and you know other countries don’t know so much about other country’s celebs but Michael Jackson is the only artist which is known all over the world in every country and loved more by other countries than America.
You really can’t process that the Beatles are the best selling artists? Like just deal with it just because MJ is your favorite artist doesn’t mean he is number 1. This is just as dumb as me saying that Queen is the best selling artist just because they are my favs. Understand, the Beatles are and will always be the best selling artists. By FACTUAL evidence.
I think it’s refreshing to see that both Beatles and MJ are also a product of their time. Globilization was much more widespread in the 80s and 90s than in the 60s, so western stars were possibly not that well-known outside the West in the 60s. Imagine how big the Beatles could have been? Or Elvis?
You “literally even don’t know the Beatles”?
Never understood the need of some people to show their ignorance to the rest of the world.
The whole point of this website is to compare sales of MUSIC, not solo artists. Get a life.
It’s easier to just call it EAS, “Equivalent Album Sales”, because that is the term commonly used on the internet.
Basically all types of sales (singles, compilations, music videos, downloads, etc) and all types of streaming (video and audio) are converted into album sales so we can properly compare the success of different music artists.
You are right there is no comparison of Michael Jackson to the Beatles that’s like comparing a LEGEND Michael Jackson to the ILLUMINATI JERKS the beatles 😑 ,,,,, Only People with brain will understand.
at this point you have to be trolling
I thought that to begin with but the more he writes, the more it looks like mental health issues!
Hey I want to say “The Beatles” don’t deserve no1 position Michael Jackson is way better than them and Michael Jackson deserve no1 position The Beatles is a band of 6 or more and Michael Jackson is a solo artist and he is still challenging for them so Michael Jackson is deserving please fix that other than that its good.
lol
The beatles sold more and that’s a fact. That’s why they’re number 1. Doenst mean Michael’s music aint as good as theirs.
Michael’s sales are still impressive. He’s the biggest solo artist in history
The Beatles is a band of 6 or more, but Michael Jackson is a person of 10 or less.
the beatles is who?
The biggest artists in history, deal with it.
I don’t know either 😂. I just saw them here and then I had googled them and then I came to know its band of 6 or more I guess, And they are comparing them to a solo artist MICHAEL JACKSON. But still MJ deserves no1 position even as a solo artist comparing to a band, Its just ridiculous they had put MJ after The Beatles😓
Not to be offensive but are you ok in the brain. Firstly, the beatles are 4 people. Secondly, this is list of highest selling artists and if the beatles sold more than michael jackson they are above michael jackson in the list. Thirdly, in a list of highest selling artists it doens’t matter whether it’s a band, woman or man- it’s a musical artist, so to separate them would be pointless. Finally, how tf have you not heard of the beatles? they are literally the most successful artists ever as they are not only the highest selling but have the… Read more »
I am completely ok with my brain that’s why I am supporting a legend MJ but when did you lost your brain because you are supporting jerks beatles? How tf you are asking that how can I not know about the Beatles? Did you ever told me about them? No! So my answer is because they are not famous and talented enough to be known all over the world in every country like Michael, And now i came to know that the Beatles collaborated with Michael I had listened the songs of Michael with them but literally a minute before… Read more »
There is definitely sometjong wrong with ur brain. Not everybody knows Michael Jackson. I have 4 nephews and nieces, none of them knew who he was. They dont know the Beatles either to be honest. But it doesnt change the fact that Michael Jackson and The Beatles were both amazingly popular at one point. U not knowing who The Beatles are, is irrelevant to the all time selling list. Fact is The Beatles sold more albums and records than MJ. You can be all bitter and come up with ridiculous comments, it still wont change the fact that The Beatles… Read more »
Because you don’t know the beatles they’re jerks? Okay. Also, I love MJ as much as anybody and own all his albums (except invincible), but I know the difference between my favourite and best selling. Plus I never said the Beatles solo careers were as high as MJ’s, but at least two of them have still sold well over 50 million. I’m not even down playing Michael’s career his success was insane as he only released 6 albums as an adult and he is buy far the most famous entertainer of the 20th century, however that doesn’t not affect the… Read more »
Can I have some of what you are smoking 😂