Best Selling Album Artists of the SoundScan Era

[goldtooth]

The biggest selling album of all time is R&B. That must count for something.

[Guest aramis]

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_wat...he-bar-code-era

Chart Watch Extra: The Top 15 Album Acts Of The Bar-Code Era

There were charts before 1991, of course. Billboard first ran an album chart in March 1945. It became a regular weekly feature 11 years later. But precise sales figures weren't authenticated and made public until Nielsen/SoundScan brought the business into the modern bar-code-reading age (for better and for worse).

3. Mariah Carey, 51,370,000. Carey is the top-ranking female artist on the list. The pop/R&B star is also the only artist in the top 15 with an R&B base. Carey has five albums in the top 200, topped by 1995's Daydream at #47. Carey first charted in June 1990 with her eponymous debut album. In addition to her album achievements, Carey has two songs-"Touch My Body" and "We Belong Together"-on Nielsen/SoundScan's running list of the top 200 songs with the most paid downloads.

Thank god for this chart!!!

Now I can safely conclude that Mariah Carey is not the world's top selling female artist of all time simply because 1991 was not the year that albums started to sell. Moreover, this is just U.S. sales.... not worldwide!

No wonder the Backstreet Boys, Kenny G and Tim McGraw are on!

Edited September 27, 2008 by aramis

[goldtooth]

Thank god for this chart!!!

Now I can safely conclude that Mariah Carey is not the world's top selling female artist of all time simply because 1991 was not the year that albums started to sell. Moreover, this is just U.S. sales.... not worldwide!

Mariah Carey certainly isn't the world's biggest selling female artist, but this list doesn't necessarily disprove or affirm that.

[Alexz]

Mariah has sold a lot of records in Japan, China, Australia and Europe.

[Aristodemos]

Anyway that list is fake , Whitney is not in, and Madonna should be in Mariah Carey's place or behind Celine.

[Alexz]

Errr, fake? How so?

[Aristodemos]

Errr, fake? How so?

Can you explain me why Whitney is not in the list ?

if we count the sale past 91 then :

USA sale :

Bodyguard = 17 millions

My love is your love = 5 millions

Preacher's Wife = 2 millions

waiting to exhale = 3 millions

Total : 27 millions

Worldwide sale :

Bodyguard = 37 millions.

Waiting to exhale = 7 millions

preacher's wife = 6 millions

My love is your love = 12 millions

Total : 62 millions

She should be definitly in the list. (close to shania Twain if they counted worldwide sale or in the bottom of the list if they only counted USA sale)

The only reason she could not be in the list , if its they didnt count the "soundtracks" as record's sale.

Since its past 91 , About Madonna i might be wrong , but still surprised to see her behind so many singers.

[mtzlplk]

The biggest selling album of all time is R&B. That must count for something.

u mean Thriller for worldwide...

[promise to try]

u mean Thriller for worldwide...

I guess, but the biggest part of its sales were pre soundscan

[goldtooth]

Can you explain me why Whitney is not in the list ?

if we count the sale past 91 then :

USA sale :

Bodyguard = 17 millions

My love is your love = 5 millions

Preacher's Wife = 2 millions

waiting to exhale = 3 millions

Total : 27 millions

Worldwide sale :

Bodyguard = 37 millions.

Waiting to exhale = 7 millions

preacher's wife = 6 millions

My love is your love = 12 millions

Total : 62 millions

She should be definitly in the list. (close to shania Twain if they counted worldwide sale or in the bottom of the list if they only counted USA sale)

The only reason she could not be in the list , if its they didnt count the "soundtracks" as record's sale.

Since its past 91 , About Madonna i might be wrong , but still surprised to see her behind so many singers.

Oh brotha!

[HolidayGuy]

First of all, SoundScan wouldn't count The Bodyguard for Whitney- TBG counts for chart history and RIAA purposes, though. Waiting to Exhale has never counted for Whitney uin any way, shape or form.

Even counting TBG in Whitney's 1991-present SS tally, her sales number is 21.5 million+, so she wouldn't be close to the top 20, let along the top 50.

Madge's tally- if Evita were included- is around 27 million (25 million+ without it). She was near the top 30, at last check.

[MaddysMuff]

But to be fair, the ONLY reason people bought TBG was because of Whitney. As for WTE, it had a few other non-Whitney radio hits that caused people to purchase it.

Really, it SHOULD be counted as a part of her sales.

[promise to try]

But to be fair, the ONLY reason people bought TBG was because of Whitney. As for WTE, it had a few other non-Whitney radio hits that caused people to purchase it.

Really, it SHOULD be counted as a part of her sales.

I agree,especially in he bodyguard´s case.And of course, Evita should be counted as a madonna album

[MaddysMuff]

Absolutely. Do you see the masses going out to purchase Evita sans Madonna? People wouldn't have given a shit.

The fact "You Must Love Me" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" were ACTUAL US hits.. is nearly unfathomable these days. It's a M album, full force.

[Child Inferno]

I can't understand why Evita is rejected. I know we think Madonna as a show woman but it's her best role. Sensitive and artistic. I bought the CD and the single and I love them.

[Guest aramis]

Mariah Carey certainly isn't the world's biggest selling female artist, but this list doesn't necessarily disprove or affirm that.

Madonna sales 1983-1990 (before the Soundscan era) worldwide/US:-

1983 Madonna the Album 9,500,000/ 5 x platinum US (estimation)

1884 Like A Virgin 21,000,000/10x platinum (diamond)

1886 True Blue 22,500,000/7x platinum

1987 Who s That Girl 5,000,000/ 1x platinum

1987 You Can Dance 5,000,000/1x platinum

1989 Like a Prayer 14,000,000/4x platinum

1990 I'm Breathless ... 6,500,000/2x platinum

1990 The Immaculate Collection 26,500,000/10 x platinum (diamond)

http://www.worldwidealbums.net/

[goldtooth]

Madonna sales 1983-1990 (before the Soundscan era) worldwide/US:-

1983 Madonna the Album 9,500,000/ 5 x platinum US (estimation)

1884 Like A Virgin 21,000,000/10x platinum (diamond)

1886 True Blue 22,500,000/7x platinum

1987 Who s That Girl 5,000,000/ 1x platinum

1987 You Can Dance 5,000,000/1x platinum

1989 Like a Prayer 14,000,000/4x platinum

1990 I'm Breathless ... 6,500,000/2x platinum

1990 The Immaculate Collection 26,500,000/10 x platinum (diamond)

http://www.worldwidealbums.net/

Which kind of proves nothing in a U.S. soundscan thread.

Just try and stay on topic.

[thebigham]

^Yes, please!

This about 1991 to now.

[Guest Danny86]

I guess this can be posted here.

Chart Watch Extra: The Top 20 Album Sellers Of The 2000s

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_wat...s-of-the-2000s/

Eminem, who was born 2-1/2 years after the Beatles broke up, is the only artist who has sold more albums in this decade than the fabled foursome. Eminem's new album Relapse sold 608,000 copies this week, lengthening his lead as the artist who has sold the most albums in the 2000s. The rap superstar has sold 31,127,000 albums since the first week of January 2000. In second place: The Beatles, who have sold 27,591,000 albums in the same period. (That's not bad for a group that broke up in 1970.) The Beatles have done better in this decade relative to the competition than they did in the ‘90s, when they were the #5 album-selling act.

Only four of the top 20 album sellers of the 1990s also rank among the top 20 album sellers so far in the 2000s. The Fab Four is joined by Metallica, Alan Jackson and Celine Dion. Nielsen/SoundScan, which has tracked sales for Billboard since 1991, doesn't carry a list of the top album sellers of the 2000s on its site. But the information is all there, if you know where to look (and can do simple subtraction).

Garth Brooks and Mariah Carey, the top two album sellers of the 1990s, don't rank among the top 20 album sellers so far in the 2000s. Other ‘90s titans have slipped even more dramatically in this decade. Michael Bolton, who sold more than 20 million albums in the ‘90s, has sold just 1,809,000 albums since January 2000. Vince Gill, who sold more than 15.5 million albums in the ‘90s, has sold 2,825,000 albums in this decade. Yanni, R.E.M., Boyz II Men, Alanis Morissette, Billy Joel and Van Halen have each sold less than 5 million albums in this decade, also a far cry from their ‘90s tallies.

Seven of the top 20 album-selling acts so far in the 2000s are country, six are rock, four are pop and three are rap. This represents a big gain for rap (none of the top 20 acts of the 1990s were rap). Five of the top 20 acts first hit The Billboard 200 in this decade. Four others had charted in the 1990s, but didn't rank among Nielsen/SoundScan's top 200 artists of that decade. Thus, 9 of the top 20 artists so far in the 2000s registered in a big way only in this decade.

Here are the 20 acts that have sold the most albums since the first week of January 2000. The number immediately after the artist's name is the total number of albums that the artist has sold in this decade. I also identify when the artist first cracked The Billboard 200, and the title of their best-selling album since January 2000.

1. Eminem, 31,127,000. First charted: 1999. Eminem, 36, is the top male artist and the top rap artist so far in this decade. His 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP is his best-seller. It has sold 10,178,000 copies.

2. The Beatles, 27,591,000. First charted: 1964. The Beatles have sold more albums in the 2000s than any other group, rock act or foreign act. Their 2000 compilation 1 is their best-seller. It has sold 11,402,000 copies. The Beatles were the #5 album-selling act of the 1990s.

3. Tim McGraw, 24,295,000. First charted: 1994. McGraw, 42, is the #1 country artist so far in the 2000s, nosing out Toby Keith. McGraw was the #38 album-selling act of the ‘90s. His 2000 compilation Greatest Hits is his best-selling album of the decade. It has sold 5,995,000 copies.

4. Toby Keith, 24,189,000. First charted: 1993. Keith, 47, is the #2 country artist of this decade. His 2003 album Shock'n Y'All is his best-seller. It has sold 4,420,000 copies.

5. Britney Spears, 22,937,000. First charted: 1999. Spears, 27, is the youngest artist on this list, edging out Josh Groban by one year. She is also #1 female artist in this decade. Her 2000 album, Oops!...I Did It Again, is her best-seller of the decade. It has sold 9,183,000 copies. Spears was the #108 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

6. Kenny Chesney, 21,396,000. First charted: 1996. Chesney, 41, is the #3 country artist of this decade. His best-selling album is 2004's When The Sun Goes Down, which has sold 4,111,000 copies.

7. Nelly, 21,206,000. First charted: 2000. Nelly, 34, is the #1 new artist to emerge in this decade, edging out Linkin Park. He's also the #1 African American artist, edging out Jay-Z, and the #2 rap artist. Nelly's 2000 debut, Country Grammar, is his best-selling album. It has sold 8,454,000 copies.

8. Linkin Park, 21,125,000. First charted: 2000. Linkin Park is the #2 rock group of the decade, behind the Beatles. It's also the #2 new artist. The band's 2000 debut album, Hybrid Theory, is its best-seller. It has sold 9,600,000 copies.

9. Creed, 20,398,000. First charted: 1997. Creed is the #3 rock group of the decade. 1999's Human Clay is the band's best-selling album. It has sold 9,480,000 copies since January 2000. Creed was the #167 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

10. Jay-Z, 19,379,000. First charted: 1996. Jay-Z, 39, is the #3 rap artist of the decade. 2003's The Black Album is his best-selling album of this decade. It has sold 3,338,000 copies. Jay-Z was the #152 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

11. Nickelback, 19,158,000. First charted: 2000. The Canadian group is the #2 foreign act of this decade (after the Beatles). Nickelback is also the #3 new artist and the #4 rock group. 2005's All The Right Reasons is its best-seller, with sales of 7,159,000 copies.

12. Josh Groban, 19,115,000. First charted: 2001. Groban, 28, is the #1 pop male artist of this decade. He's the #4 new artist. The pop/classical star's 2003 album Closer is his best-seller, with sales of 5,746,000 copies.

13. Rascal Flatts, 18,831,000. First charted: 2000. The trio is the #1 country group of this decade, nosing out Dixie Chicks. It's also the #5 new act. 2004's Feels Like Today is the act's best-selling album. It has sold 5,134,000 copies.

14. Metallica, 18,490,000. First charted: 1984. Metallica is the #1 hard rock act of the decade (unless you count the genre-bending Linkin Park). The band's 1991 blockbuster Metallica is the band's best-selling album of this decade. It has sold 3,691,000 copies since January 2000. Metallica was the #3 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

15. Alan Jackson, 18,479,000. First charted: 1990. Jackson, 50, is the oldest solo artist on this list, edging out Toby Keith. 2002's Drive is his best-selling album of this decade. It has sold 3,508,000 copies. Jackson was the #17 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

16. *NSYNC, 18,402,000. First charted: 1998. The boy band is the #1 pop group of this decade (assuming you classify the Beatles as rock). *NSYNC's 2000 album No Strings Attached is its best-seller, with sales of 11,111,000 copies. The quintet was the #80 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

17. Dixie Chicks, 18,293,000. First charted: 1998. The female trio is the #2 country group so far in this decade. 2002's Home is the act's best-selling album of this decade. It has sold 5,997,000 copies. Dixie Chicks was the #105 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

18. Johnny Cash, 17,860,000. First charted: 1958. The country legend, who died in 2003 at age 71, is the most surprising name on the list. He made it on the strength of an enormous catalog and a renewed focus on him after his death. His 1999 compliation 16 Greatest Hits is his best-seller of the decade. It has sold 2,846,000 copies since January 2000.

19. Kid Rock, 17,606,000. First charted: 1999. Kid Rock, 38, is the #1 male rock artist of this decade. Kid's 2001 album Cocky is his best-seller of the decade. It has sold 5,045,000 copies.

20. Celine Dion, 17,579,000. First charted: 1991. The Canadian diva, 41, is the #2 pop female artist of this decade, behind Britney Spears. Dion's 1999 greatest hits album, All The Way...A Decade Of Song, is her best-seller in the decade. It has sold 4,971,000 copies since January 2000. Dion was the #4 album-selling act of the ‘90s.

The Fine Print: Artists who emerged very early in the decade stood a much better chance of making this list than artists who emerged later on. Sales peaked around 2000, and have been dropping since about 2004. So it's hard for even the hottest acts of recent years to compete with the stunning sales totals from the turn of the last decade.

Also, when I refer to the best-selling artists of the ‘90s, I'm referring to the period from May 25, 1991, when Nielsen/SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard, through the last week of 1999.

[promise to try]

thank you!!

[loomer]

Very surprised Nelly outsold Jay-Z. Thought he was only briefly big circa 2001

[promise to try]

I´m more surprised becuase kanye is not even there...

[doctorjosh]

Madonna must have sold about 8 million albums in the US since January 2000, right?

[HolidayGuy]

I estimate M's total at around 10.5m-11m. Albums released from 2000-on sold around 7.74 million. Figure TIC did 1.8m or so in that time. Then, all of the other titles probably around 1m. So, yeah, 10.5m-11m in the 2000's.

I still think Grein's 5/25/91 date is off (as SS supposedly started tracking sales 1/1/91- 5/25/91 is the issue date that Billboard began using SS for the BB 200).

And for the upteempth time, Waiting to Exhale would not count as a Whitney Houston album. Whitney does get credit for The Bodyguard (rightfully), but when adding up SS sales, whoever compiles the lists don't do that (same with Evita and Madonna- but, of course it counts toward her total). TBG scanned 11.7 million units- taking that into account, Whitney's sales total in the SS era totals roughly 24 million. Madonna's SS-era sales (including Evita) total roughly 28 million.

[doctorjosh]

Thanks, HG. 10.5-11 million into her 3rd decade of her career is pretty good. I'd like to see Mimi try to achieve that next decade.

What would be really interesting to see is biggest sellers worldwide decade by decade. Madonna would certainly be featuring quite prominently in all 3 decades!

[Guest Danny86]

I'd like to see Mimi try to achieve that next decade.

Mariah or not, quite an irrelevant thing to say, considering how album sales are dropping. Mariah would have to release like 8-10 studio albums in the next decade to reach that!

[loomer]

Does anyone have the complete breakdown of Beatles soundscan sales?

That would be fascinating to see. Everyone knows 1 did well, and 11 million plus is certainly amazing, but that doesn't explain where the other 40 million plus came from. They didn't really have anything new out apart from the Anthology albums and that Live At The BBC thing, nothing major till 1 came out, it was all those old CDs.

They must have sold like 2 million of each studio album or something to a new generation of fans. Insane sales. No wonder they weren't in a rush to do remasters - I'm sure those will be one thing that will do well this year, though they waited till album sales had almost died.

[HolidayGuy]

Beatles' sales continue to astonish. I mean, Madge has merged art and commerce better than any other female in history, but next to those pesky Beatles, her accomplishments in that department don't quite compare.

[Guest Danny86]

loomer, I found this info, from Basil @ UKMIX.org, I've put the SS numbers in bold:

Key

year of release

year of latest certification

title

riaa shipment

soundscan figure where available with date - figures courtesy of Hanboo with some updates by John2000 and Dane

weeks on catalogue chart 1982-2005

Part One - USA Albums

UK titles (CD only)

1987 1997 Please Please Me - 1,000,000 - 882,000 jan 2007 - 1 week

1987 1997 With the Beatles - 500,000 - 651,000 jan 2007

1987 2001 Beatles For Sale - 1,000,000 - 673,000 jan 2007

USA only titles (not on CD)

1965 1997 Early Beatles - 1,000,000 - 19,000 jan 2007

1964 1991 Meet the Beatles - 5,000,000 - 50,000 jan 2007

1964 1997 Second Album - 2,000,000 - 20,000 jan 2007

1964 1997 Something New - 2,000,000 - 11,000 jan 2007

1965 1997 Beatles '65 - 3,000,000 - 24,000 jan 2007

1965 1997 Beatles VI - 1,000,000 - 10,000 jan 2007

1966 1997 Yesterday and Today - 2,000,000 - 26,000 jan 2007

1970 1991 Hey Jude - 3,000,000 - 68,000 jan 2007

Soundtrack Related

1964 2000 A Hard Day's Night - 4,000,000 - 1,188,000 dec 2007 - 2 weeks

1965 1997 Help - 3,000,000 - 1,251,000 dec 2007 - 8 weeks

1967 2000 Magical Mystery Tour - 6,000,000 - 1,565,000 dec 2007 - 20 weeks

1969 1991 Yellow Submarine - 1,000,000 - 469,000 jan 2007

1970 2000 Let It Be - 4,000,000 - 1,182,000 dec 2007 - 3 weeks

1999 1999 Yellow Submarine Songtrack - 500,000 - 756,000 jan 2007

2003 2003 Let It Be - Naked - 1,000,000 - 1,147,000 jan 2007

UK/US titles

1965 1997 Rubber Soul - 6,000,000 - 2,365,000 nov 2008 - 34 weeks

1966 2000 Revolver - 5,000,000 - 1,889,000 dec 2007 - 25 weeks

1967 1997 Sgt Pepper - 11,000,000 - 3,825,000 jan 2008 - 187 weeks

1968 2001 The Beatles - 9,500,000 - 3,212,000 nov 2008 - 98 weeks

1969 2001 Abbey Road - 12,000,000 - 4,008,000 nov 2008 - 195 weeks

Primary Compilations

1973 2001 1962-1966 - 7,500,000 - 2,214,000 jan 2007 - 63 weeks

1973 2001 1967-1970 - 8,000,000 - 2,568,000 jan 2007 - 88 weeks

2000 2005 One - 10,000,000 - 11,305,000 nov 2008 - 179 weeks

CD Era Compilations

1988 1997 Past Masters Vol 1 - 1,000,000 - 826,000 jan 2007 - 1 week

1988 1997 Past Masters Vol 2 - 1,000,000 - 1,164,000 jan 2007 - 2 weeks

1988 2001 Studio Box (15 CD's) - 67,000

1994 1995 At the Beeb - 2,000,000 - 1,518,000 jan 2007

1995 1996 Anthology 1 - 4,000,000 - 3,666,000 jan 2007

1996 1998 Anthology 2 - 2,000,000 - 1,739,000 jan 2007

1996 1997 Anthology 3 - 1,500,000 - 1,363,000 jan 2007

2004 2004 Capitol Box Vol 1 - 250,000 - 230,000 jan 2007

2006 2006 Capitol Box Vol 2 - 125,000 - 78,000 jan 2007

2006 2006 Love - 1,000,000 - 1,844,000 nov 2008

Non CD Compilations/Exploitation

1964 1964 Beatles Story - 500,000 - 3,000 jan 2007

1976 1976 Rock n Roll Music - 1,000,000 - 216,000 jan 2007

1980 1997 Rock n Roll Music Vol 1 - 1,000,000

1980 1997 Rock n Roll Music Vol 2 - 1,000,000

1977 1977 At the Hollywood Bowl - 1,000,000 - 11,000 jan 2007

1977 2000 Love Songs - 1,500,000 - 94,000 jan 2007

1980 1997 Rarities - 500,000 - 10,000 jan 2007

1982 1982 Reel Music - 500,000 - 16,000 jan 2007

1982 1997 20 Greatest Hits - 2,000,000 - 821,000 jan 2007

All of the above are the official Capitol/Apple Albums.

Many more albums were released in the US on other labels.

Herkenrath reports that a 1964 court case forced Vee-Jay to release their sales figures.

Introducing the Beatles was a cut-down version of their UK debut. It sold 1,346,226 by the end of 1964. The other Vee-Jay albums sold 465,557 in total.

Total riaa shipment for The Beatles is 130,850,000. They are the only artists to ship more than 100m albums.

Soundscan began more than 20 years after the band broke-up, but their total of 51.3m (june 2006) is way ahead of any other band.

The following 4 titles

A Hard Day's Night

Help

Rubber Soul

Revolver

shared the same titles in the UK and US, but their contents were very different until the CD re-issues.

[Guest nothingfails0603]

it's phenomenal how The Beatles will have been broken up 40 years come next year yet they continue to sell more than 99% of current artists. A true testament that great music will always win out in the end.