Top artists over a period

It’s almost impossible to spend a day without hearing music. We hear music at the shop, on the radio, on TV ads, through a movie’s soundtrack, when we go to parties, to a pub, etc. and of course, when we play it directly. With that, songs and artists end up being deeply connected to a period of our life.

That’s why music is so generational, and why we are so attached to the ones that we loved during our teenage years.

The table below reflects the value of all the music released by an artist during a period that you can select. The figures are given in EAS (equivalent album sales).

By value, we mean the commercial value, with sales powered by the recorded material. There are plenty of lists online dealing with the greatest records of a period or another. Here, we don’t try to rank the artistical value of artists. We care only about the factual elements!

If you are interested in the technical details of the data, head to the bottom of the page as the Q&A section may address your questions.

How to exploit the data

By period

There are many ways to exploit the table below.

The first one relies on your personal experience. As music is so related to the generation you belong to, try filtering years when you were 12 to 18, and then 18 to 25. This will be an instant throwback, reading the names of the ones that felt so immensely popular back during those beloved periods of our lives.

Another way to see things relates to your favorite artist. Are you a fan of the Beatles? If yes, just filter 1963 to 1970. ABBA? Try 1973 to 1981. Nirvana? Check 1989 to 1994. Taylor Swift? Filter 2006 to 2023. With this view, you can get a better representation of how popular your favorite artist really is, and how it competes with others artists of the same generation.

Then, of course, we can filter the data on a fixed period, reflecting a decade (as we did in this post), half-decades, quarters of century, etc.

By gender

On top of the period filter, you can also focus on a single gender. Which female artists dominated the 90s? Which boy band were still there in the 00s?

The data can answer these questions and many more!

Top artists (EAS) over a period of time – Results

#	Pic	Artist	EAS
89		2Pac	16,847,000
7		Adele	113,105,000
53		Amy Winehouse	36,095,000
50		Arctic Monkeys	37,114,000
24		Ariana Grande	64,343,000
42		Ayumi Hamasaki	44,074,000
13		Bad Bunny	89,046,000
12		Beyonce	96,858,000
39		Billie Eilish	46,020,000
71		Blackpink	26,648,000
18		Britney Spears	79,592,000
19		Bruno Mars	75,660,000
4		BTS	121,864,000
86		Cardi B	18,646,000
101		Carly Rae Jepsen	13,094,000
76		Charlie Puth	25,000,000
6		Coldplay	115,429,000
91		AC/DC	15,865,000
36		Alicia Keys	52,829,000
78		Avicii	22,792,000
38		Avril Lavigne	48,845,000
82		Backstreet Boys	20,557,000
26		Black Eyed Peas	61,671,000
65		Bon Jovi	29,422,000
84		Bruce Springsteen	19,739,000
62		Carrie Underwood	30,576,000
74		Celine Dion	25,727,000
49		Christina Aguilera	37,246,000
59		Enrique Iglesias	32,421,000
68		Enya	27,847,000
93		Fergie	15,309,000
72		Foo Fighters	26,563,000
46		Green Day	41,031,000
45		Imagine Dragons	41,432,000
107		Janet Jackson	12,016,000
34		Justin Timberlake	53,060,000
47		Kelly Clarkson	39,993,000
83		Kylie Minogue	20,543,000
11		Linkin Park	99,151,000
97		Lorde	14,825,000
98		Macklemore	14,672,000
41		Madonna	44,413,000
21		Michael Bublé	69,746,000
87		Michael Jackson	18,542,000
30		Nickelback	57,258,000
33		Norah Jones	53,683,000
70		NSYNC	27,433,000
105		Oasis	12,510,000
23		One Direction	66,827,000
56		Red Hot Chili Peppers	34,841,000
95		Shania Twain	15,138,000
44		U2	41,878,000
31		Usher	55,508,000
106		Will.i.am	12,124,000
77		Demi Lovato	24,449,000
103		Depeche Mode	12,642,000
67		Destiny's Child	28,300,000
90		Dido	16,002,000
80		Doja Cat	22,116,000
3		Drake	156,471,000
48		Dua Lipa	39,335,000
8		Ed Sheeran	110,666,000
2		Eminem	198,984,000
94		Eric Clapton	15,160,000
57		Evanescence	33,146,000
104		Garth Brooks	12,522,000
51		Gorillaz	36,490,000
81		Gwen Stefani	21,579,000
79		Harry Styles	22,136,000
64		James Blunt	30,313,000
20		Jay-Z	73,990,000
54		Jennifer Lopez	35,393,000
60		Juice Wrld	31,240,000
9		Justin Bieber	109,712,000
10		Kanye West	109,032,000
27		Katy Perry	61,115,000
37		Kendrick Lamar	49,447,000
16		Lady Gaga	83,617,000
40		Lana Del Rey	45,661,000
92		Lewis Capaldi	15,489,000
99		Lil Nas X	14,286,000
75		Lin-Manuel Miranda	25,185,000
96		Little Mix	14,868,000
61		Mariah Carey	30,851,000
15		Maroon 5	85,012,000
85		Meghan Trainor	19,720,000
88		Metallica	17,501,000
35		Miley Cyrus	52,965,000
69		Morgan Wallen	27,517,000
29		Nicki Minaj	57,361,000
110		No Doubt	10,076,000
73		Olivia Rodrigo	26,440,000
109		Paul McCartney	10,085,000
17		Pink	79,882,000
25		Post Malone	63,218,000
5		Rihanna	119,888,000
32		Robbie Williams	55,403,000
63		Rod Stewart & Faces	30,414,000
102		Sade	12,890,000
43		Sam Smith	43,510,000
108		Santana	10,994,000
55		Selena Gomez	35,095,000
22		Shakira	67,951,000
52		Shawn Mendes	36,123,000
58		System of a Down	32,651,000
66		SZA	28,365,000
100		Take That	14,177,000
1		Taylor Swift	216,075,000
14		The Weeknd	88,665,000
28		Travis Scott	57,531,000

Record breaking eras

Below are record holders for the biggest sales generated in a N-years rolling period.

• 1 year: 119 million, Michael Jackson, 1982
• 2 years: 120 million, Michael Jackson, 1982-1983
• 3 years: 179 million, the Beatles, 1963-1965
• 4 years: 223 million, the Beatles, 1964-1967
• 5 years: 284 million, the Beatles, 1963-1967
• 6 years: 331 million, the Beatles, 1964-1969
• 7 years: 392 million, the Beatles, 1963-1969
• 8 years: 420 million, the Beatles, 1963-1970

As nobody else ever sold over 400 million equivalent album sales, no matter how many years we look for over a rolling period, the Beatles‘ 8 years spell from 1963 to 1970 will remain unmatched.

Among solo artists, big hitters obviously involve Michael Jackson, who generated 183 million sales over a 6-years span from 1982 to 1987.

The 6-years span is an interesting view as, due to generations, it tends to be how long hey-days of artists last. Below are the owners of the most successful 6-years spans, with 25 of them topping 100 million:

1. 331 million, the Beatles, 1964-1969
2. 183 million, Michael Jackson, 1982-1987
3. 182 million, Elvis Presley, 1956-1961
4. 163 million, Led Zeppelin, 1966-1971
5. 155 million, Queen, 1975-1980
6. 149 million, the Eagles, 1971-1976
7. 143 million, Celine Dion, 1993-1998
8. 136 million, ABBA, 1975-1980
9. 134 million, AC/DC, 1975-1980
10. 134 million, Eminem, 1999-2004
11. 124 million, Elton John, 1970-1975
12. 123 million, Mariah Carey, 1990-1995
13. 122 million, the Beach Boys, 1962-1967
14. 117 million, Guns N’ Roses, 1986-1991
15. 115 million, Madonna, 1984-1989
16. 114 million, the Doors, 1967-1972
17. 113 million, the Rolling Stones, 1964-1969
18. 110 million, Pink Floyd, 1970-1975
19. 108 million, Garth Brooks, 1988-1993
20. 106 million, U2, 1983-1988
21. 105 million, BTS, 2015-2020
22. 103 million, Bob Marley, 1973-1978
23. 101 million, Jimi Hendrix, 1966-1971
24. 101 million, the Bee Gees, 1974-1979
25. 100 million, the Police, 1978-1983

Fun fact: the only artist to generate over 100 million in sales from two completely distinct 6-years spans is Michael Jackson. He did it in 1979-1984 (154 million) and then again in 1986-1991 (110 million).

Top artists (EAS) over a period of time – Q&A

I can’t find my artist, why?

Some artists are missing because their analysis has not been done yet. The complete list is available here.

Want to see your favorite artist covered?
Vote for them in our requests leaderboard!

My artist’s total EAS is different here from the Top artists (EAS) list. Why?

Minor songs’ metadata like year or feature status can be wrong, which leads to slight differences with the overall top selling artists list. In this case, the latter has the valid information.

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