What Is The Alltime Top Selling Music
Posted by Derek Robson on Monday, June 28, 2010 Under: General Music
Who do you think the top selling artist is? Which albums do you think are the top sellers? Well, how about the top selling songs? If you were to make a list of the top sellers of all time, what would they be?
I was thinking about that this last weekend and I made lists of who I thought would be on top. Then I did some research on the Internet to verify the true facts. Boy, was I surprised!
It is difficult these days, to find the true facts as so many media reporters, including record labels are making claims to the titles, but I eventually found a source of the sales records around the world. These facts are based on sales of records, tapes, CDs, DVDs, videos, downloads and so on. Obviously it does not include pirated copies or free downloads, but returns from all the sales outlets reveal the following information.
Top selling artists of all time:
1) The Beatles - 237.6 million
2) Elvis Presley - 189.2 million
3) Michael Jackson - 149.6 million
4) Queen - 85.8 million
5) ABBA - 52.3 million
6) Madonna - 252 million
7) Elton John - 250 million
8) Mariah Carey - 211 million
9) Rolling Stones - 206 million
10) Celine Dion - 205 million
11) Pink Floyd 202 million
12) AC DC - 200.4 million
13) Bee Gees - 200.3 million
14) Led Zeppelin - 200.2 million
15) Julio Iglesias - 199 million
16) Nana Mouskouri - 198 million
17) Tina Turner - 180 million
18) Whitney Houston - 170 million
19) Frank Sinatra - 150 million
20) U2 - 149 million
Top selling singles of all time:
1) Elton John - Candle in the wind - 37 million
2) Bing Crosby - White Christmas - 31 million
3) Bing Crosby - Silent night - 30 million
4) Bill Haley & The Comets - Rock around the clock - 25 million
5) USA For Africa - We are the world - 21 million
6) Zager And Evans - In the year 2525 - 20.5 million
7) The Ink Spots - If I didn't care - 19 million
8) Baccara - Yes Sir, I can boogie - 18 million
9) The Scorpions - Wind of change - 14 million
10) The Beatles - I wanna hold your hand - 13 million
11) Village People - YMCA - 12.5 million
12) Whitney Houston - I will always love you - 12 million
13) Kyu Sakamoto -Sukiyaki - 11.6 million
14) George McCrae - Rock your baby - 11.2 million
15) Los Del Rio - Macarena - 11 million
16) Carl Douglas - Kung fu fighting - 10.8 million
17) Cher - Believe - 10.6 million
18) Procul Harum - Whiter shade of pale - 10.3 million
19) Terry Jacks - Seasons in the sun - 10.2 million
20) The Monkees - I'm a believer - 10 million
Top selling albums of all time:
1) Michael Jackson - Thriller - 110 million
2) AC DC - Back in black - 49 million
3) Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon - 49 million
4) Whitney Houston - The bodyguard - 45 million
5) Meatloaf - Bat out of hell - 43 million
6) The Eagles - Greatest hits 1971 - 1975 - 42 million
7) Soundtrack - Dirty dancing - 41.3 million
8) Backstreet Boys - Millennium - 40.7 million
9) Bee Gees - Saturday night fever - 40.2 million
10) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - 40 million
11) Shania Twain - Come on over - 39 million
12) Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin iv - 37 million
13) Alanis Morissette - Jagged little pill - 33 million
14) The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's lonely hearts club band - 32.3 million
15) Celine Dion - Falling into you - 32.1 million
16) Mariah Carey - Music box - 32 million
17) Michael Jackson - Dangerous - 31.9 million
18) The Beatles - One - 31.6 million
19) Celine Dion - Lets talk about love - 31 million
20) Bee Gees - Spirits having flown - 29.9 million
Yes, I know! I don't agree either, but these are the official sales figures. My lists were completely different and I have been collecting, studying, dee-jaying and listening since 1964! Some of these, I never ranked and some, like Kyu Sakamota, I had never heard of. Others like Zager and Evans, I have heard of, but never expected to be so high on the charts.Mind you, I suppose other countries might very well have completely different tastes in music to us. As for dear old Bing, I would never rate him way up here with the others, let alone twice!
On closing, I would like to drop another bombshell. I have appreciated all sorts of music over the years and have some favourite bands, especially from the sixties and seventies, including some heavies, but if I must accept that MJ is the king of pop, then we must admit that the Beatles are the best band ever! Oh, and Mariah does not seem to be the best selling female artist, as is so often claimed!
I was thinking about that this last weekend and I made lists of who I thought would be on top. Then I did some research on the Internet to verify the true facts. Boy, was I surprised!
It is difficult these days, to find the true facts as so many media reporters, including record labels are making claims to the titles, but I eventually found a source of the sales records around the world. These facts are based on sales of records, tapes, CDs, DVDs, videos, downloads and so on. Obviously it does not include pirated copies or free downloads, but returns from all the sales outlets reveal the following information.
Top selling artists of all time:
1) The Beatles - 237.6 million
2) Elvis Presley - 189.2 million
3) Michael Jackson - 149.6 million
4) Queen - 85.8 million
5) ABBA - 52.3 million
6) Madonna - 252 million
7) Elton John - 250 million
8) Mariah Carey - 211 million
9) Rolling Stones - 206 million
10) Celine Dion - 205 million
11) Pink Floyd 202 million
12) AC DC - 200.4 million
13) Bee Gees - 200.3 million
14) Led Zeppelin - 200.2 million
15) Julio Iglesias - 199 million
16) Nana Mouskouri - 198 million
17) Tina Turner - 180 million
18) Whitney Houston - 170 million
19) Frank Sinatra - 150 million
20) U2 - 149 million
Top selling singles of all time:
1) Elton John - Candle in the wind - 37 million
2) Bing Crosby - White Christmas - 31 million
3) Bing Crosby - Silent night - 30 million
4) Bill Haley & The Comets - Rock around the clock - 25 million
5) USA For Africa - We are the world - 21 million
6) Zager And Evans - In the year 2525 - 20.5 million
7) The Ink Spots - If I didn't care - 19 million
8) Baccara - Yes Sir, I can boogie - 18 million
9) The Scorpions - Wind of change - 14 million
10) The Beatles - I wanna hold your hand - 13 million
11) Village People - YMCA - 12.5 million
12) Whitney Houston - I will always love you - 12 million
13) Kyu Sakamoto -Sukiyaki - 11.6 million
14) George McCrae - Rock your baby - 11.2 million
15) Los Del Rio - Macarena - 11 million
16) Carl Douglas - Kung fu fighting - 10.8 million
17) Cher - Believe - 10.6 million
18) Procul Harum - Whiter shade of pale - 10.3 million
19) Terry Jacks - Seasons in the sun - 10.2 million
20) The Monkees - I'm a believer - 10 million
Top selling albums of all time:
1) Michael Jackson - Thriller - 110 million
2) AC DC - Back in black - 49 million
3) Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon - 49 million
4) Whitney Houston - The bodyguard - 45 million
5) Meatloaf - Bat out of hell - 43 million
6) The Eagles - Greatest hits 1971 - 1975 - 42 million
7) Soundtrack - Dirty dancing - 41.3 million
8) Backstreet Boys - Millennium - 40.7 million
9) Bee Gees - Saturday night fever - 40.2 million
10) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - 40 million
11) Shania Twain - Come on over - 39 million
12) Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin iv - 37 million
13) Alanis Morissette - Jagged little pill - 33 million
14) The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's lonely hearts club band - 32.3 million
15) Celine Dion - Falling into you - 32.1 million
16) Mariah Carey - Music box - 32 million
17) Michael Jackson - Dangerous - 31.9 million
18) The Beatles - One - 31.6 million
19) Celine Dion - Lets talk about love - 31 million
20) Bee Gees - Spirits having flown - 29.9 million
Yes, I know! I don't agree either, but these are the official sales figures. My lists were completely different and I have been collecting, studying, dee-jaying and listening since 1964! Some of these, I never ranked and some, like Kyu Sakamota, I had never heard of. Others like Zager and Evans, I have heard of, but never expected to be so high on the charts.Mind you, I suppose other countries might very well have completely different tastes in music to us. As for dear old Bing, I would never rate him way up here with the others, let alone twice!
On closing, I would like to drop another bombshell. I have appreciated all sorts of music over the years and have some favourite bands, especially from the sixties and seventies, including some heavies, but if I must accept that MJ is the king of pop, then we must admit that the Beatles are the best band ever! Oh, and Mariah does not seem to be the best selling female artist, as is so often claimed!
In : General Music
Tags: best songs best artists best albums top music lists
