Top Selling Artists (U.S. sales figures)

This is an interesting list from the RIAA that provides the "total album sales" in the in U.S. per artist.

1. The Beatles - 177 million
2. Elvis Presley - 134.5 million
3. Garth Brooks - 128 million
4. Led Zeppelin - 111.5 million
5. Eagles - 100 million
6. Billy Joel - 81.5 million
7. Pink Floyd - 74.5 million
8. Elton John - 72 million
9. Barbara Streisand - 71.5 million
10. AC/DC - 71.5 million
11. Michael Jackson - 70.5 million
12. George Strait - 68.5 million
13. Aerosmith - 66.5 million
14. The Rolling Stones - 66 million
15. Bruce Springsteen - 64.5 million
16. Madonna - 64 million
17. Mariah Carey - 63.5 million
18. Metallica - 60 million
19. Van Halen - 56.5 million
20. Whitney Houston - 55 million

You can see more of the list on their website: http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists

Wow!!! I'm no fan, but Garth Brooks is 3rd? His career started in the early 90s, correct? Interesting.

Garth Brooks surprises me too. I knew he sold a ton but above The Rolling Stones and Springsteen? The Eagles also surprised me - I'd assume Hotel California is one of the biggest sellers of all time then. And I'd never have guessed George Strait sold more than Madonna did. Pretty cool that some many different types of music are represented on there.

The Eagles biggest seller is "Greatest Hits 1971-1975".

interesting list. I am not surprised at the top 2 but the Eagles being up that high is an eye opener. I wonder what their sales would be like without the greatest hits?

exact33 wrote:

interesting list. I am not surprised at the top 2 but the Eagles being up that high is an eye opener. I wonder what their sales would be like without the greatest hits?

Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 1 = 29 million copies sold
Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 2 = 11 million copies sold

And aren't those numbers just tallied since the advent of Soundscan in the early 90s? Or are those pre-Soundscan numbers as well?

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

And aren't those numbers just tallied since the advent of Soundscan in the early 90s? Or are those pre-Soundscan numbers as well?

The RIAA uses a variety of sources to gather their numbers, including all the pre-Soundscan information.

S.D. wrote:

The Eagles biggest seller is "Greatest Hits 1971-1975".

It's as far as i know still the No. 1 album in the USA followed by Jacksons Thriller. I think since Jacksons death they have the same amount of Platinum.

I would love to see such a list about Europe. It would be completely different (Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin would be up there but also Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep and a lot of crap of course)

Garth Brooks is really a USA-only guy. He is basically unknown here in Europe and the only time i ever read his name was in a Wrestling Magazin (the editor is a huge country fan) back in 1999 about him having a hit-album and his past of trying to become a wrestler.

S.D. wrote:

The RIAA uses a variety of sources to gather their numbers, including all the pre-Soundscan information.

Yet as far as i know, the record labels still have to pay RIAA to check all those sales. That's why for example Spaghetti Incident is still rated as 1x Platinum from early 1994. While the news of that Eagles Best of being the Nr. 1 Album in the USA made the headlines in the late 90's even here in Germany, they haven't checked those sale numbers and when they did it was suddenly the best-selling album.

Here is a UK list of bestselling albums (not artists)

The top 10 biggest-selling albums in the UK are:

1 - Greatest Hits - Queen - 5,864,000 copies sold.

2 - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles - 5,045,000

3 - Gold: Greatest Hits - ABBA - 4,992,000

4 - (What's The Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis - 4,520,000

5 - Thriller - Michael Jackson - 4,272,000

6 - Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits - 4,154,000

7 - 21 - Adele - 4,142,000

8 - The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd - 4,116,000

9 - Bad - Michael Jackson - 3,960,000

10 - Greatest Hits II - Queen - 3,888,000

I own 7 of those UK albums

It's interesting how smurfing popular Adele is
(and i don't like Abba and Oasis, so you can figure out the 7 albums)

Just for some curious reactions, i post the Top 10 of Germany:
1. Mensch - Herbert Groenemeyer
2. ...but seriously - Phil Collins
3. 4630 Bochum - Herbert Groenemeyer
4. Gold: Greatest Hits - ABBA
5. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
6. We Can't Dance - Genesis
7. Over the Hump - The Kelly Family
8. Greatest Hits II - Queen
9. Best of - Andrea Berg
10. 1962 - 1966 - The Beatles (The Red Album Best-of)
and as 10 stretches to 15, because they apparently all sold the same:
10. Bocelli - Andrea Bocelli
10. Bad - Michael Jackson
10. Dangerous - Michael Jackson
10. Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
10. Abenteuerland - PUR
10. Alles - Wolfgang Petry

I own 6 of those albums
Germans have a horrible taste in music and you all can be glad that those german bands never were released in your country

And yet Germany has such killer thrash. I'm surprised David Hasselhoff isn't on there. Isn't he supposed to be really big there? Love the randomness of Tracy Chapman being at number five.

Quote :

Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 1 = 29 million copies sold
Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 2 = 11 million copies sold

Didn't even think about their greatest hits. I think every yard sale I've ever gone to had those for sale. And using that as a measure I'm surprised Steve Miller isn't also on that list.

Garth was a cultural phenomena and hit at exactly the right time. Took the show of hair metal, flames, big drums etc. and took them to those turning 30 and sort of settling down.

11 of the 20 are and were important bands/artists in the development and success of rock and metal music. Granted these figures stem from the golden age of the music industry, it's still a testament to what good music is.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Garth was a cultural phenomena and hit at exactly the right time. Took the show of hair metal, flames, big drums etc. and took them to those turning 30 and sort of settling down.

Good point. I never saw the facination in that chubby hick, but he did put on quite a stage show. He played something like 7 soldout shows in a row here in Philly back at the height of his popularity. He brought the 80's rock theatrics to the country audience. Which may help explain why other country acts like Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney can now fill stadiums.

I took the wife to Toby Keith and except for the fiddle and some twanginess it was an arena rock show.

Dark Horseman wrote:

I took the wife to Toby Keith and except for the fiddle and some twanginess it was an arena rock show.

Kenny Chesney sells out the football stadium here, somewhere around 70,000 seats. I couldn't name one song, but the guy's obviously doing something right.

Hard to understand Sabbath isn't on that list.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Hard to understand Sabbath isn't on that list.

If you look at the complete list on the website you'll find them, I think they've sold 15 million total.

That's what i've found but you'd think they'd have more sales in the states. Anyone I know that really likes metal has bought a BS album.

S.D. wrote:

This is an interesting list from the RIAA that provides the "total album sales" in the in U.S. per artist.

1. The Beatles - 177 million
2. Elvis Presley - 134.5 million
3. Garth Brooks - 128 million
4. Led Zeppelin - 111.5 million
5. Eagles - 100 million
6. Billy Joel - 81.5 million
7. Pink Floyd - 74.5 million
8. Elton John - 72 million
9. Barbara Streisand - 71.5 million
10. AC/DC - 71.5 million
11. Michael Jackson - 70.5 million
12. George Strait - 68.5 million
13. Aerosmith - 66.5 million
14. The Rolling Stones - 66 million
15. Bruce Springsteen - 64.5 million
16. Madonna - 64 million
17. Mariah Carey - 63.5 million
18. Metallica - 60 million
19. Van Halen - 56.5 million
20. Whitney Houston - 55 million

You can see more of the list on their website: http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists

George Strait at #12? Wow. Unexpected.

If you compare the sales of Ford F-150 pickups to George Strait and Garth Brooks album sales I'm sure there is a correlation.

George Strait is another one that baffles me. I couldn't name a single song, but he sells-out whenever he comes to town.

It's always weird to see all the "cowboys" show up the night of the show. Big hats & belt buckles, pointy boots. I have to remind myself "I'm still in Philadelphia, right?"

MetalGuy71 wrote:

George Strait is another one that baffles me. I couldn't name a single song, but he sells-out whenever he comes to town.

It's always weird to see all the "cowboys" show up the night of the show. Big hats & belt buckles, pointy boots. I have to remind myself "I'm still in Philadelphia, right?"

Not even...wait...I was thinking George Thorogood for some reason. Hence my confusion. Haha. George Strait, however, is a country legend. Not surprised he does well.

Country fans are rabid, dude.

Eyesore wrote:

S.D. wrote:

This is an interesting list from the RIAA that provides the "total album sales" in the in U.S. per artist.

1. The Beatles - 177 million
2. Elvis Presley - 134.5 million
3. Garth Brooks - 128 million
4. Led Zeppelin - 111.5 million
5. Eagles - 100 million
6. Billy Joel - 81.5 million
7. Pink Floyd - 74.5 million
8. Elton John - 72 million
9. Barbara Streisand - 71.5 million
10. AC/DC - 71.5 million
11. Michael Jackson - 70.5 million
12. George Strait - 68.5 million
13. Aerosmith - 66.5 million
14. The Rolling Stones - 66 million
15. Bruce Springsteen - 64.5 million
16. Madonna - 64 million
17. Mariah Carey - 63.5 million
18. Metallica - 60 million
19. Van Halen - 56.5 million
20. Whitney Houston - 55 million

You can see more of the list on their website: http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists

George Strait at #12? Wow. Unexpected.

George Strait is the only artist I hadn't heard of, but then again, I know next to nothing when it comes to country music (even a guy that has sold nearly 70 million records, haha). I had to look him up to see who he was. I would have thought the Rolling Stones would have had 100 million+ sales in the US, so that surprised me.