The Best Selling Music Artists of All-Time

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Throughout the history of popular music, legendary musicians, bands, and artists have struck a chord with millions of fans around the world. From the groundbreaking swoon and charm of Elvis Presley and The Beatles in the 1950s and 1960s to the pop stylings of Katy Perry and Rihanna in the present day, the following artists have sold millions of records and singles, garnered a vast number of awards, and performed to billions of adoring fans throughout their careers. Below is a list of the top 20 best selling music artists of all-time in order of total certified sales. Total certified sales are based on certified units of albums, singles (including digital downloads), and videos sold in all available markets and sourced from available online databases of local music industry associations.

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20. Katy Perry – 98.8 million

As a teenager, Katy Perry explored a career in gospel music with the release of her 2001 Christian rock-tinged album, Katy Hudson. Perry shifted gears after moving to Los Angeles and signed a deal with Capitol Records in 2007. After a successful second album, One of the Boys (which featured the single “I Kissed a Girl”), Perry’s third album, Teenage Dream, helped make Perry a pop superstar with five number-one Billboard Hot 100 songs. Her latest album, Prism, was released in 2013.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Show

19. Taylor Swift – 99.0 million

At the age of 14, Taylor Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career in country music. Released in 2006, Swift’s self-titled debut album established the young singer-songwriter as a country music superstar. Since then, Swift has taken a more pop-oriented approach and plans to release her fifth album, 1989, next month. Swift has won seven Grammy Awards, 15 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 11 CMA Awards, and has been honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Billy Joel In Concert At Shea Stadium

18. Billy Joel – 99.0 million

Singer-songwriter Billy Joel is one of the most accomplished artists in the history of popular American music. Joel has achieved 33 Top 40 hits between the 1970s and 1990s. Throughout his illustrious 49-year career, the “Piano Man” singer has released 13 studio albums and has been awarded multiple honorary doctorates, six Grammy Awards, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1999, a Kennedy Center Honor in 2013, and will soon be the sixth recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

U2 and Jay-Z Perform In Melbourne

17. U2 – 101.5 million

Formed in 1976, Irish rock and roll band U2 still consists of its original founding four members: Bono (vocals), The Edge (guitar and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion). Originally a post-punk band, U2 has since gone on to incorporate influences from a number of different music genres. U2 has released 13 studio albums–including the recent free release of Songs of Innocence to all iTunes users–and has won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other rock band.

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16. Queen – 103.3 million

Best known for hits including “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen–originally consisting of Freddie Mercury (vocals and piano), Brian May (guitar), John Deacon (bass), and Roger Taylor (drums)–were one of the biggest stadium rock acts in the world in the early 1980s. Formed in London in 1970, Queen have released a total of 18 number-one albums and 18 number-one singles and plan to release a new album, Queen Forever, featuring vocals from the late Mercury.

AC/DC "Black Ice" Tour Opener on October 28, 2008 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

15. AC/DC – 109.2 million

An Australian hard rock band formed in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, AC/DC is one of the most influential bands in the history of rock music. With the acquisition of lead singer Brian Johnson shortly after the untimely death of Bon Scott in 1980, AC/DC forged ahead and released Back in Black that same year, an album that became the band’s best-selling record to date. AC/DC has released 14 studio albums worldwide and are currently in the process of recording their next record.

Whitney Houston Performs In Milan

14. Whitney Houston – 111.2 million

In 2009, Guinness World Records cited American singer Whitney Houston as the most awarded female artist of all-time. Before her death in 2012, Houston had released six studio albums, one holiday album, and three movie soundtracks–all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold certifications–and is the only artist to chart seven consecutive number-one Billboard Hot 100 hits. As of 2010, the “I Will Always Love You” singer has won a total of 415 career awards, including six Grammy Awards.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards - Show

13. Eminem – 112.6 million

Marshall Mathers III–better known by his stage name Eminem–is the best-selling hip-hop artist in the history of popular music. The Detroit rapper, record producer, and songwriter has achieved 10 number-one albums on the Billboard 200, recently became the second best selling male solo artist of the Nielsen Soundscan era, and has won 13 Grammy Awards over the course of his career. Eminem released his debut album Infinite in 1996 and rose to mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP. 

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12. Celine Dion – 121.9 million

Quebec-born singer Celine Dion achieved worldwide fame during the 1990s after releasing a number of highly successful English-speaking and French-speaking albums. Renowned for her powerful vocals, Dion has won five Grammy Awards and is the second best-selling female artist in the U.S. during the Nielsen Soundscan era, with her albums Falling Into You and Let’s Talk About Love both certified Diamond. Dion is currently on hiatus from her Las Vegas Celine residency show.

Rihanna Plays London Leg Of Her 777 Tour

11. Rihanna – 122.1 million

Rihanna is Barbadian singer who signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings on the spot in 2005 after auditioning for then-president and CEO Jay-Z. Her debut album, Music of the Sun, and its follow-up, A Girl Like Me, both peaked in the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, while her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, and its chart-topping single “Umbrella” made Rihanna an international pop star. Rihanna has since released four more albums and has won seven Grammy Awards over the course of her career.

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10. Eagles – 127.3 million

The Eagles are a classic American rock band with five number-one singles, six Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, and six number-one albums. One of the most successful music acts of the 1970s, the Eagles were formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by founding members Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner. The Eagles are the highest selling American band of all-time and are currently in the midst of their History of the Eagles world tour, which spans the band’s entire catalogue.

2013 BET Awards - Show

9. Mariah Carey – 128.8 million

American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey rose to prominence after releasing her self-titled debut studio album in 1990. The album went multiplatinum and spawned four number-one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Carey released a number of highly successful albums and currently holds the record for the most number-one U.S. singles by a solo artist (18). Carey has won five Grammy Awards and 19 World Music Awards over the course of her 26-year career.

Live 8 London - Stage

8. Pink Floyd – 114.3 million

Formed in London in 1965 by founding members Syd Barrett (later replaced by David Gilmour), Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason, Pink Floyd are one of the most influential bands in the history of popular music. Famous for its progressive and psychedelic sound, elaborate live shows, and concept albums including 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon–which remained on the charts for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988–and 1979’s The Wall, Pink Floyd gained both critical and commercial success.

35th Kennedy Center Honors - Gala Dinner

7. Led Zeppelin – 138.3 million

The legendary Led Zeppelin, formed in London in 1968 by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, is the second best selling rock band of all-time with each of their nine studio albums making the Billboard Top 10–and six of them reaching number-one. Led Zeppelin is known widely for popular tracks including “Stairway to Heaven” and was one of the biggest bands of the 1970s. The band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2012.

The 43rd Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards - Show

6. Garth Brooks – 141.8 million

American country singer-songwriter Garth Brooks is the best selling country music artist of all-time. One of the first major crossover country stars, Brooks–the best-selling U.S. artist in the Nielsen Soundscan Era–incorporated a number of rock elements into both his studio recordings and live performances. Six of Brooks’ albums have achieved Diamond status in the United States and broke records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s. A new album and world tour is in the works.

Yamaha's 125th Anniversary Dealer Concert

5. Elton John – 161.1 million

Sir Elton John is an English singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, and record producer who has had more than 50 Billboard Top 40 singles, seven consecutive number-one U.S. albums, and the best selling single of all-time with 1997’s “Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind.” Over the course of John’s 50-year career, he has received six Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and a 2004 Kennedy Center Honor.

Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show

4. Madonna – 165.8 million

Famously known for pushing the boundaries of just about everything, including mainstream popular music, Madonna has successfully reinvented both her music and image throughout her 35-year career. Following the release of her 1983 self-titled debut album, Madonna released a series of commercially successful studio albums and has won seven Grammy Awards, 39 Billboard Music Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and currently holds the record for the best-selling female recording artist of all-time.

Michael Jackson Announces Plans For Summer Residency At The O2 Arena

3. Michael Jackson – 173.7 million

The undisputed “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson was a global figure in popular culture for over four decades before his death in 2009 at the age of 50. Jackson debuted on the professional music scene with his brothers in the Jackson 5 in 1964 and began his solo career in 1971. His landmark 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all-time and includes tracks such as “Thriller,” “Beat It,” and “Billie Jean” while his other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), and Dangerous (1991), also rank among the world’s best-selling. Jackson is also the most awarded artist in the history of popular music.

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2. Elvis Presley – 207.8 million

Elvis Presley, the undisputed “King of Rock and Roll,” is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. In 1954, Presley recorded one of the most groundbreaking recordings in the history of popular music, “That’s All Right,” at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and helped launch a new musical movement known as rock and roll. Over the span of his 24-year career–which also included numerous film roles–Presley released 107 U.S. singles and 74 albums and won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award before his death in 1977 at the age of 42.

George Harrison Said to Be Seriously Ill

1. The Beatles – 264.2 million

Known as the “Fab Four,” The Beatles are widely regarded as the greatest and most influential act of the modern era. Formed in Liverpool, England in 1960, The Beatles–consisting of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr–gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their 1962 hit single “Love Me Do” climbed the charts. The band became international superstars in the midst of “Beatlemania” and the British Invasion in the United States. From 1965 until the band’s break-up in 1970, The Beatles created some of their finest material including Revolver (1966), the legendary Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), and Abbey Road (1969). The Beatles are the best-selling band in history and have won nine Grammy Awards and a 2014 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Written by Derrick Krom

Derrick is a recent graduate of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia where he received a B.A. in English and Communication Studies. Throughout his life, Derrick has traveled the country and even got to study abroad in London, England for four amazing months. He's a guitar player, avid music fan and lover of literature, film, and all things entertainment.