Top-selling artists of all time worldwide | Statista (2024)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units. All the artists who made the top twenty list are internationally renowned for their contributions to music and range from British pop-icon Elton John to American rock legends like Metallica.

What do the top-selling artists have in common?

The artists in the top twenty ranking for worldwide certified sales all made their mark in music in their own unique way. However, what is notable is that many of the artists in the list achieved fame and success several decades ago and were fortunate enough to have a lasting impact. Most of the musicians in the list were born in the United States or the United Kingdom and began their musical career in the 1960s or 1970s.

The music of the 1960s is often considered revolutionary, with politically-minded music from the likes of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez achieving huge popularity and psychedelic rock becoming one of the musical hallmarks of the era. British psychedelic/progressive rock band Pink Floyd as well as rock groups The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin all formed in London in the 1960s, as well as The Beatles who began their career in Liverpool at the beginning of the decade.

Which artists are still active today?

As of 2022, only a few of the artists who made the list remain active. American band the Eagles have toured regularly throughout their long career.

Sadly though, several of the world’s top-selling musicians have now passed, including Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. Certain groups are still musically active but few have retained their original line-up. Australian rock and roll band AC/DC have undergone multiple line-up changes over the years, the most recent being the replacement of vocalist Brian Johnson with Guns n’ Roses singer Axl Rose.

Top-selling artists of all time worldwide | Statista (2024)

FAQs

Top-selling artists of all time worldwide | Statista? ›

Singles Success

Elvis Presley has a whopping 149 songs that have appeared on Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart. 114 reached the top 40, and 18 songs went to number-one, totaling 80 weeks at the top of the charts. The King of Rock and Roll boasts 54 singles certified by the RIAA with 50 million in sales.

Who is the number 1 artists of all time? ›

Top 10 artists of all time (1958–2021)
  • The Beatles.
  • Madonna.
  • Elton John.
  • Elvis Presley.
  • Mariah Carey.
  • Stevie Wonder.
  • Janet Jackson.
  • Michael Jackson.

Who has sold more than 30 million albums? ›

30–39 million copies
ArtistAlbumGenre
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin IVHard rock, heavy metal, folk rock
Michael JacksonBadPop, rhythm and blues, funk and rock
Alanis MorissetteJagged Little PillAlternative rock
Various artistsDirty DancingPop, rock, R&B
5 more rows

What male singer sold 50 million records? ›

Singles Success

Elvis Presley has a whopping 149 songs that have appeared on Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart. 114 reached the top 40, and 18 songs went to number-one, totaling 80 weeks at the top of the charts. The King of Rock and Roll boasts 54 singles certified by the RIAA with 50 million in sales.

Who was the all time best-selling artist of the 1990's based on worldwide sales? ›

Mariah Carey made her debut in 1990 and it was hit after hit after hit from there. With a total of seven studio albums released during the decade, she's sold tens of millions of records worldwide. The decade also saw Carey release one of the best-selling singles of all time in “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

Who is the biggest selling artist of all time? ›

Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022

Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.

Who is No 1 artist of the decade? ›

2010s. Drake accepted the trophy during the ceremony of the 2021 Billboard Music Awards held on May 23, 2021.

Which artist has sold 1 billion records? ›

Over the course of Elvis' life, he achieved some of the highest accolades in music and film. It is estimated that more than one billion Elvis records have been sold worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history.

Has any album sold $100 million? ›

Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Phil Collins are the only musicians to have sold over 100 million albums as a solo artist and member of a group. I remember Phil Collins.

What is the most sold song of all time? ›

According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.

Who is the most popular singer in the world? ›

Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, and no one else even comes close. The 33-year-old Canadian singer's success has seen him set two new Guinness World Records titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify – 111.4 million (as of 20 March 2023)

Who is considered the best band of all time? ›

Top 10 Best Bands of All Time (2023 Update)
RankBandCertified Sales
1The Beatles290.4 Million
2The Rolling Stones102.7 Million
3Pink Floyd123.8 Million
4Led Zeppelin142.4 Million
6 more rows
Apr 13, 2023

What artist has the most number one hits? ›

The Beatles have the most No. 1 hits of all time: 20. Though unclear for how long, the Beatles still reign supreme as the artist with the most No.

Who is the best selling male artist of the decade? ›

Eminem sold 13.862 million albums over the past decade, third overall behind Adele (23.924 million) and Taylor Swift (22.972 million). Rounding out the top 5 were Justin Bieber (12.098 million) and Drake (10.526 million). Eminem also ranked No.

Who has released the most albums? ›

Amazingly, though, Elvis has been more prolific from beyond the grave. There have been 87 compilations since his death, although that's nothing compared to the 130 albums released by Follow That Dream (a record label exclusively releasing rare Elvis recordings).

Who sold the most albums in each decade? ›

Most successful artists by decade (as of May 2021)
  • The Beatles – 376,924,000.
  • Elvis Presley – 131,658,000.
  • The Rolling Stones – 110,801,000.
  • Simon & Garfunkel – 89,796,000.
  • Bob Dylan – 72,934,000.
  • The Doors – 72,455,000.
  • Led Zeppelin – 57,592,000.
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival – 52,246,000.
Apr 8, 2020

What artist has the most top 10 hits ever? ›

An elite 12 artists have achieved top 10 placements on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in four or more decades, led by Andy Williams and Michael Jackson, with top 10 ranks in five decades each.

Who has the most number 1 albums? ›

Most No. 1 albums
  • As a musician, Paul McCartney has the most No. 1 albums, with 27. This includes 19 albums from his work with The Beatles, three solo albums and five albums as a part of his 1970s group Wings. ...
  • Barbra Streisand is the only artist to have No. 1 albums in six different decades.

Who has the number 1 best selling albums of all time? ›

Top 10 Best-Selling Albums of All Time (2023 Update)
RankArtistAlbum
1Michael JacksonThriller
2EaglesTheir Greatest Hits (1971-1975)
3Shania TwainCome On Over
4Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin IV
6 more rows
Apr 4, 2023

Has any artist had all top 10 songs? ›

Taylor Swift has once again made music history by claiming every single top 10 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart at once. No other artist has ever held all 10 spots at the same time, according to Billboard.

Who is the only artist with top 40 in every decade? ›

Bob Dylan is the first artist to have a top 40 album on the US charts in every decade since the 1960s.

Who is the only singer to have a Billboard #1 hit in 4 decades? ›

Mariah Carey Confirmed As The First Artist To Top The Billboard Hot 100 Chart Across Four Decades.

Who is the biggest selling solo artist? ›

Elvis Presley, recognised as the best-selling solo music artist of all time by Guinness World Records, sold over 400.

Who is the most famous artist alive? ›

Gerhard Richter is at the very top of our list—the most famous living painter today. Born in 1932 in Dresden, Germany, Richter currently lives and works in Cologne, Germany.

Who has the most streams of all time? ›

Canadian rapper Drake is the most-streamed artist in Spotify's history. American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is the most-streamed female artist in Spotify's history.

Has any album sold $1 million first week? ›

"The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album" by Whitney Houston and various artists. "The Bodyguard" soundtrack — co-executive produced by Clive Davis and Whitney Houston, who starred in the film — became the first album verified by Nielsen to move more than 1 million units in the US in a single week.

What was the 1st album to sell 1 million copies? ›

The first CD to sell a million copies world-wide was Dire Straits' Brother in Arms in 1986. It subsequently topped a million sales in Europe alone, including over 250,000 in Britain.

What is the most streamed album of all time? ›

Spotify Most Streamed Albums of All Time. Billie Eilish - WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

What is the #1 most played song? ›

1. 'Blinding Lights' by The Weeknd (3.59 billion streams)

What is the No 1 song of all time? ›

1 Billboard Hot 100 Song of All Time | Billboard News. The Weeknd's “Blinding Lights” is the new No. 1 song on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time Hot 100 Chart. It's replacing Chubby Checker's “The Twist”.

What song has been #1 the longest? ›

"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond. "The Box" charted at No.

What singer has a Guinness World Record? ›

'I am humbled every time I receive a new Guinness World Record title,' Parton said. What a way to make a livin'! Country singer Dolly Parton was awarded three more Guinness World Records for her musical achievements, the organization announced Wednesday.

Who is the biggest pop star of all time? ›

Michael Jackson

As the King of Pop, it makes sense to begin the list with Michael Jackson. The legendary singer achieved fame at a young age through his musical family and their group the Jackson 5.

Who is the most viewed artist in the world? ›

It's official: The Weeknd is statistically the most popular artist in the world according to Guinness World Records.

Who has the most fans in a band? ›

What band has the most fans?
  • Linkin Park - 62.1 million.
  • The Beatles - 41.6 million.
  • Coldplay - 39.4 million.
  • Metallica - 37.3 million.
  • Green Day - 31.3 million.
  • Guns N' Roses - 30.4 million.
  • AC/DC - 30.1 million.
  • Pink Floyd - 29.1 million.

Which band has the most albums? ›

As of May 19, 2023, The Beatles have the highest total certified albums and Drake has the highest total certified digital singles.

Who sold more records the Beatles or the Beach Boys? ›

Beach Boys Surpass the Beatles for Billboard 200 Record – The Hollywood Reporter.

What singer has seven #1 hits? ›

Music historians cite Whitney's record-setting achievements: the only artist to have seven consecutive number one Billboard Hot 100 hits ("Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," "Greatest Love of All," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "So Emotional" and "Where Do ...

Who has the most songs released? ›

Most recorded artist in music history - Asha Bhosle

In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records had older sister Mangeshkar (now 87) down as recording the most songs in history - a staggering 25,000.

Who is the best rock and roll band ever? ›

The 10 best rock bands ever
  1. The Beatles. The Beatles are unquestionably the best and most important band in rock history, as well as the most compelling story. ...
  2. The Rolling Stones. ...
  3. U2. ...
  4. The Grateful Dead. ...
  5. Velvet Underground. ...
  6. Led Zeppelin. ...
  7. Ramones. ...
  8. Pink Floyd.
Mar 30, 2004

Who is the highest grossing male artist? ›

Michael Jackson is the first musician to earn over $100 million in a year (1989), and has become the top-earning male soloist a record seven times.

Who has the best selling album of the century? ›

Adele's 21 is the best selling album of the 21st century to date, with sales of over 31 million copies worldwide.

What was the biggest selling album of all time? ›

Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) by the Eagles is the best-selling album of all time in the U.S.

Who has the most albums sold by artist? ›

250 million or more records
ArtistCountryClaimed sales
Elvis PresleyUnited States500 million
Michael JacksonUnited States400 million
Elton JohnUnited Kingdom300 million 250 million
QueenUnited Kingdom300 million 250 million
5 more rows

Who has 7 number 1 albums? ›

The most Number 1s on the Official Albums Chart
ARTISTTOTAL NUMBER 1 ALBUMS
23CLIFF RICHARD7
24ELTON JOHN7
25BARBRA STREISAND7*
26GEORGE MICHAEL7
53 more rows

Who has had a number 1 album in every decade? ›

IANS. Singer Madonna has hit a record-breaking milestone after scooping a top 10 album every decade since the release of her self-titled debut release in 1983.

Which song was the most downloaded? ›

"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele holds the record for the most digitally downloaded song in a calendar year.

Who sold more than 50 million albums? ›

Check out the 50 best-selling music artists of all time in the US by album sales:
  1. The Beatles — 183 million units.
  2. Garth Brooks — 157 million units. ...
  3. Elvis Presley — 146.5 million units. ...
  4. Eagles — 120 million units. ...
  5. Led Zeppelin — 112.5 million units. ...
  6. Michael Jackson — 89 million units. ...
  7. Billy Joel — 85 million units. ...
Jan 15, 2023

Who is the number 1 number 1 singer? ›

01 – Arijit Singh

Arijit Singh is renowned as the “King of Playback Singing” and is well-known for his “love ballads.” He has received numerous awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer, the IIFA Award for Best Male Playback, the Mirchi Music Awards, and many more.

Who has the most #1 records by a solo artist? ›

Mariah Carey (USA) has topped the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 19 different occasions.

Who is the greatest entertainer of all time? ›

Top 10 Greatest Entertainers of All Time
  • #8: Bernadette Peters. ...
  • #7: Lucille Ball. ...
  • #6: Whitney Houston. ...
  • #5: Madonna. ...
  • #4: Beyoncé ...
  • #3: Prince. ...
  • #2: Elvis Presley. “Groundbreaking” and “legendary” are just a couple words that come to mind when describing the King. ...
  • #1: Michael Jackson. Who's bad?

What is the biggest song of all time? ›

According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.

Who is ranked the greatest singer of all time? ›

Aretha Franklin

Who has sold the most albums as a single artist? ›

250 million or more records
ArtistCountryGenre
Michael JacksonUnited StatesPop / rock / dance / soul / R&B
Elton JohnUnited KingdomPop / rock
QueenUnited KingdomRock
MadonnaUnited StatesPop / dance / electronica
5 more rows

What is the fastest selling solo album of all time? ›

25 by Adele is the fastest-selling album of all time in the US with 3,378,000 copies sold in its first seven days.

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