MORE TOP SELLING MUSIC ARTISTS
Added on: 1st May 2015
U2 – 105 MILLION
U2 started as a small, rebellious music act from Ireland and
literally conquered the world, mainly thanks to their charismatic
front man Bono. During the course of their epic career they
have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in
2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their
first year of eligibility. Additionally, their U2 360° Tour set the incredible
record for the highest-grossing concert tour with $736 million
in ticket sales, and for the highest-attended tour with over
7.2 million tickets sold.
QUEEN – 105+ MILLION
With eighteen number one albums and eighteen number one singles
in the US, UK, and European charts combined and classic hits
such as “We Will Rock You,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and
“We Are the Champions,” Queen’s place in music history is secure.
Furthermore, their Greatest Hits (1981) album is the biggest-selling
album in UK history with 6 million and their estimated total sales vary
from 150 to 300 million, so we will stick with the accurate number of
over 105 million certified copies sold.
AC/DC – 110 MILLION
It is estimated that AC/DC has sold more than 200 million albums
worldwide, including 71.5 million in the United States alone, while their
epic album Back in Black has sold an estimated 40 million units
worldwide with 22 million of them in the US. Their certified sales stand
at 110 million worldwide, but it’s 100 percent certain that they
have sold more than that.
WHITNEY HOUSTON – 112 MILLION
Whitney broke several records during her short but legendary prime:
She is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot
100 hits; her 1985 debut album, Whitney Houston, became the
best-selling debut by a woman at the time, and her famous remake
of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” became the best-selling
single by a woman in music history, while The Bodyguard is one of the
highest-selling soundtracks to date. With certified sales of over
112 million and countless awards and honours under her belt,
Whitney Houston’s greatest legacy will always be her incredible voice.
EMINEM – 115 MILLION
Eminem is the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time and the best-selling
artist of the 2000s with total official album sales reaching 45 million
in the United States alone. His worldwide album and single sales
(including digital) stand at more than 155 million, but they counted only
the physical sales as they did with the rest of the artists on this list.
PINK FLOYD – 115+ MILLION
According to their record company the legendary band has sold more
than 250 million records worldwide, including 74.5 million
certified units in the United States. Despite their undeniable commercial
success however, Pink Floyd’s claim to fame and musical legacy can
be attributed to their unique use of philosophical lyrics, sonic
experimentation, and elaborate live shows, which had a huge impact on
many great groups and solo artists that followed.
CELINE DION –125 MILLION
Celine Dion is the only female artist to have two singles to sell more
than a million copies in the UK and her 1995 album D’eux is the best-selling
French-language album of all time to date. Not bad for a girl who
started her music career because of a cheesy Eurovision Song Contest.
In 2004, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award at the
World Music Awards for becoming the best-selling female artist of all time,
an award that was highly disputed for its accuracy. Nonetheless,
Dion undoubtedly remains one of the best-selling female artists of all time
with certified sales of over 125 million copies while her record company
makes claims of over 200 million albums sold worldwide.
MARIAH CAREY – 130 MILLION
Let’s take a deep breath and start with Mariah’s commercial achievements:
her duet with Boyz II Men, “One Sweet Day,” spent a record sixteen
weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest-running
number one song in US chart history; she was the best-selling recording
artist of the 1990s; she has eighteen number one singles in the US, which
makes her the female artist with the most number one singles in history,
and to top it all off, she has a five-octave vocal range and her signature
use of the whistle register made her famous worldwide.
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