Musicians nowadays make their money through a range of different channels from live shows to merchandise. Record sales aren’t as big a revenue source as they used to be, however they do still matter – they are a strong indicator of how dedicated an artist’s fanbase is and still account for a large percentage of an artist’s income.
Just who is the best-selling artist of all time? This is almost impossible to accurately measure, as a lot of old sales data was never recorded or was difficult to authenticate. However, using figures of claimed sales, it’s possible to get a pretty good idea as to which artists are selling the most. It’s worth noting that these sales include physical sales, downloads and a percentage of streams (technically not ‘sales’, but the RIAA still takes them into account).
20. Drake
Claimed sales: 170 million
Toronto singer/rapper, Drake, takes the 20th spot with 170 million claimed sales. He’s the most streamed male artist on Spotify – but not the best-selling hip hop artist of all time, nor the best-selling Canadian artist.
19.The Rolling Stones
Claimed sales: 200 million
British rock band The Rolling Stones have amassed 200 million claimed sales over their 7 decade career. Sticky Fingers is their highest selling album with an estimated 22 million copies sold worldwide.
18. Celine Dion
Claimed sales: 200 million
Celine Dion is the best-selling Canadian artist of all time. Much of her revenue comes from her single ‘My Heart Will Go On’ – the second best-selling single by a female artist.
17. The Eagles
Claimed sales: 200 million
American rock band the Eagles take the 17th spot. Hotel California remains one of the best selling albums of all time, having gone 26x Platinum in the US.
16. AC/DC
Claimed sales: 200 million
Hard rock band AC/DC are the highest selling musical act to come out of Australia. Their highest selling album is Back in Black, which is believed to have sold 50 million copies worldwide.
15. Ed Sheeran
Claimed sales: 200 million
Ed Sheeran is the 15th best-selling artist of all time, despite only releasing his first single in 2011. ‘Shape of You’ is his biggest single – having sold 6.29 million units.
14. Beyonce
Claimed sales: 200 million
The 14th best selling artist is US R&B singer Beyonce. Her single ‘Crazy In Love’ featuring Jay Z is her biggest song and has sold 9.78 million copies worldwide.
13. Taylor Swift
Claimed sales: 200 million
Taylor Swift is one of the wealthiest musicians in the world and is the most streamed artist on Spotify. She is the 13th best-selling artist of all time.
12. Whitney Houston
Claimed sales: 220 million
One of many iconic musicians discovered by Clive Davis, Whitney Houston is recognized as one of the most influential pop singers of all time and her single ‘I Will Always Love You’ is the best-selling single by any female artist. She ranks at number 12.
11. Mariah Carey
Claimed sales: 220 million
US R&B singer Mariah Carey also has 220 million claimed record sales. ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ is the third best selling single by a female artist having amassed 16 million sales.
10. Eminem
Claimed sales: 220 million
The best-selling rapper of all time is Eminem. His hit album The Marshall Mathers LP has sold 25 million copies worldwide.
9. Pink Floyd
Claimed sales: 250 million
British rock band Pink Floyd claim the 9th spot with 250 million claimed sales. Their iconic album The Dark Side of The Moon is believed to have sold 45 million copies worldwide.
8. Rihanna
Claimed sales: 250 million
Rihanna has achieved a staggering 250 million sales since her debut in 2005. She is the second highest-selling female artist and the best selling artist to not come from the US or the UK (she is from Barbados).
7. Led Zeppelin
Claimed sales: 300 million
UK rock band Led Zeppelin are the 7th best-selling musical act of all time. Their album Led Zeppelin IV is believed to have sold around 37 million copies worldwide.
6. Madonna
Claimed sales: 300 million
The best-selling female artist of all time is Madonna. The ‘Queen of pop’ has scored 12 Billboard number ones throughout her career – each one selling millions of copies.
5. Queen
Claimed sales: 300 million
Queen is the 5th best-selling musical act of all time. The UK rock band previously fronted by Freddie Mercury have released a number of best-selling albums and their single ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is believed to have sold 17 million copies worldwide.
4. Elton John
Claimed sales: 300 million
At number 4 is British pop/rock singer Elton John. His single ‘Candle In The Wind’ is the second highest selling single of all time after Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’.
3. Elvis Presley
Claimed sales: 500 million
The King of Rock and Roll is believed to have sold over 500 million records worldwide. He is the third best-selling artist of all time. ‘It’s Now Or Never’ is his best-selling single – selling 25 million copies worldwide.
2. Michael Jackson
Claimed sales: 500 million
Michael Jackson is the second best-selling musical artist of all time. His famous 80s album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time boasting a whopping 70 million reported sales. Bad and Dangerous also rank highly.
1. The Beatles
Claimed sales: 600 million
Unsurprisingly, The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time. Their albums remain incredibly inspiring and popular to this day – Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club and compilation album 1 have each sold over 30 million copies worldwide. They also have the most Billboard number one singles of any musical artist. Not bad for a band that was only together for 10 years!