U2 in the Top 19 of best selling artists of all time

[ponkine]

Hola amigos

I was reading the news in a Chilean forum and I found this list:

It's about the 150 best selling artists of all time, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)

U2 is in the 19th place. Of course, The Beatles are the number 1 and other legendary bands as Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen or AC/DC are above U2. But U2 are ranked (IMO very very high on that list, avobe legendary artists as Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Depeche Mode, The Police, Frank Sinatra, etc. You'll find a lot of crap on that list (see places 55, 65, 66, 83, 128, 139, 141 or 142 for example ) but also you'll find the best Rock bands ever on that list

Here is, Enjoy:

1.The Beatles 400,000,000 UK 60s (1962-1970) Rock/Pop Guinness/EMI
2.Michael Jackson 350,000,000 US 70s-00s (1979-) Pop/R&B MJ Stats
3.Elvis Presley 300,000,000 US 50s-70s (1956-1977) Country/Rock
4.Madonna 16 275,000,000 US 80s-00s (1984-) Pop WBR
5.Nana Mouskouri 250,000,000 Greece 60s-00s (1959-) Pop
6.Cliff Richard 250,000,000 UK 50s-00s (1959-1969,1977-1979,1986-1999) Rock/Pop
7.The Rolling Stones ~250,000,000 UK 60s-00s (1964-1981) Rock 60.5 million in the US
8. Mariah Carey 230,000,000 US 90s-00s (1990-) Pop/R&B
9. Elton John ~220,000,000 UK 70s-00s (1972-1976,1989-1991,1997-) Pop
10.Celine Dion 220,000,000 Canada 80s-00s (1990-) Pop Music/Pop Discography
11. Pink Floyd ~210,000,000 UK 60s-00s (1970-1983,1994-1995) Prog Rock 73 Mil US
12. Led Zeppelin 200,000,000+ UK 60s-70s (1969-1979) Rock/Blues MSNBC
13. Metallica ~200,000,000 US 80’s-00’s (1991-1997) Hard Rock 57 mil US
14. Julio Iglesias ~200,000,000 Spain 70s-00s (1969-) Latino Pop
15. Queen 180,000,000 UK 70s-00s (1975-1995) Rock R&R
16 AC/DC ~180,000,000 Australia/UK 70s-00s (1980-1992) Hard Rock AC/DC
17 Whitney Houston ~180,000,000 US 80s-00s (1985-2000) R&B/Pop Discography
18. ABBA 160,000,000 Sweden 70s-80s (1974-1982) Disco/Pop ABBA discography
19. U2 ~150,000,000 Ireland 80s-00s (1983-) Rock/Pop 50m.US
20.The Jacksons 150,000,000 US 60s-80s (1969-1980) R&B 71m.US
21. Garth Brooks ~145,000,000 US 80s-00s (1989-2001) Country 105m.US
22. Janet Jackson 130,000,000 US 80s-00s (1986-) R&B/pop
23. The Eagles ~120,000,000 US 70s-00s (1974-1979) Country/Rock 89 million in US
24. Wei Wei ~120,000,000 China 80s-00s (1986-) Pop
25. The Bee Gees 110,000,000 UK/Australia 60s-00s (1975-1979) Pop/Disco src.1
26. Bon Jovi ~110,000,000 US 80s-00s (1986-2000) Rock/Hard Rock (100m.alb.)
27. R.E.M. ~110,000,000 US 80s-00s (1991-) Rock [(106m.alb.)
28. Kenny Rogers 105,000,000+ US 60s-00s Country/Pop/Rock
29. Black Sabbath 100,000,000+ US 70s-00s Hard Rock/Metal
30. Barbra Streisand 100,000,000+ US 60s-00s popular 70.5 million in US
31. Mireille Mathieu ~100,000,000 France 60s-00s Pop src.
32.Alla Pugacheva ~100,000,000 Russia 70s-00s Rock/Pop *(10m.US)
33. Prince ~100,000,000 US 70s-00s Rock/Pop src.
34. Ricky Nelson ~100,000,000 US 50s-80s Pop/Country/Rock
35. Luciano Pavarotti ~100,000,000 Italy 60s-00s Opera
36.Brenda Lee ~100,000,000 US 50s-60s Pop/Country
37.OmPrakash ~100,000,000 India 90s-00s
38.Illayaraja ~100,000,000 India 70s-00s
39. Johnny Mathis ~100,000,000 UK 60s-00s Rock/Pop
40. Lionel Richie ~100,000,000 US 80s-00s Pop/R&B [26] 21.0 mililion in US
41. Dolly Parton ~100,000,000 US 60s-00s Country
42. Donna Summer ~100,000,000 US 70s-90s Disco
43. Aerosmith ~100,000,000 US 70s-00s Hard Rock
44. Billy Joel ~100,000,000 US 70s-00s Pop / Rock 78 mil.US,
45. Fleetwood Mac ~100,000,000 UK/US 60s-00s Pop/Rock 2
46. Johnny Hallyday ~100,000,000 France 50s-00s Pop src.1
47. Charles Aznavour ~100,000,000 France 50s-00s Pop
48. Bruce Springsteen ~90,000,000 US 70s-00s Rock/Pop *(61 mil. albums US)
49. Def Leppard ~90,000,000 UK 80s-00s Hard Rock 55.5mil.US
50. Bob Dylan ~90,000,000 US 60s-00s Folk-Rock *35m.US,
51. Earth, Wind & Fire 90,000,000 US 70s-00s R&B/Funk/Disco/Pop *(23 mil.US)
52. KISS ~90,000,000 US 70s-00s Hard Rock source
53.B’z ~86,000,000 Japan 90s-00s Rock
54. Eddy Arnold 85,000,000 US 40s-90s Country source
55. Britney Spears ~85,000,000 US 90s-00s Pop *(32 mil. US), src.
56. Modern Talking ~80,000,000 Germany 80s-00s Eurodance
57. Jean-Michel Jarre ~80,000,000 France 70s-00s Synth Pop
58. Santana ~80,000,000 US 60s-00s Rock src.1 *[37mil. US]
59. Dalida ~80,000,000 France 50s-80s as of 1981 See also: discussion #19
60. Salvatore Adamo ~80,000,000 Italy 60s-00s
61. Fairouz ~80,000,000 Lebanon 60s-00s Traditional Arab, Modern, Pop *(35 mil. US)
62. Eric Clapton ~80,000,000 UK 80s-00s Rock, Blues *(38 mil. US)
63. Stevie Wonder ~80,000,000 US 60s-00s Soul/R&B/Pop,Disco
64. Hank Snow ~80,000,000 Canada 30s-90s Folk
65. Spice Girls ~76,000,000 UK 90s-00s Pop source
66. Backstreet Boys ~75,000,000 US 90s-00s Pop src.1
67. Journey ~75,000,000 US 70s-00s Rock/Pop 40mil.US,
68. Paul McCartney ~75,000,000+ UK 60s-00s Rock
69. Dire Straits 74,000,000 UK 70s-90s Rock
70. Shania Twain ~73,000,000 Canada 90s-00s Country/Rock/Pop
71. Depeche Mode ~70,000,000 UK 80s-00s Pop/Rock
72. A-ha 70,000,000 Norway 80s-00s Pop
73. The Carpenters 70,000,000 US 60s-80s Pop
74. Gloria Estefan ~70,000,000 US 80s-00s Latino Pop src.1,
75. Enya 70,000,000 Ireland 80s-00s New Age/Celtic
76. Roberto Carlos ~70,000,000 Brazil 60s-00s
77. Charley Pride ~70,000,000 US 60s-00s Country source
78. Bay City Rollers ~70,000,000 UK 70s-00s Rock
79. Van Halen ~70,000,000 US 70s-00s Hard Rock
80. Kylie Minogue 65,000,000 Australia 80s-00s Synth Pop source
81. George Strait ~65,000,000 US 70s-00s Country *54 mil. US
82. Iron Maiden 65,000,000 UK 70s-00s Metal
83. Eminem 65,000,000 US 90s-00s Rap *(22 mil. US)
84. Tupac 60,000,000+ US 90s-00s Rap
85. Genesis 60,000,000 UK Rock/Pop src.
86. Phil Collins ~60,000,000 UK Rock/Pop src.
87. Guns N' Roses ~60,000,000 US 80s-90s Hard Rock 71mil. albums
88. Chicago ~60,000,000 US 60s-80s Jazz/Rock
89. Vicky Leandros ~60,000,000+ Greece 60s-00s Pop No reference given
90. Bryan Adams ~60,000,000 Canada 80s-00s Pop/Rock 1
91. The Doors ~60,000,000 US 60s-70s Rock *(30 mil. US)
92. Tina Turner ~60,000,000 US 70s-00s Rock/Pop
93. Perry Como ~60,000,000 US 30s-00s Standards
94. Frank Sinatra ~60,000,000 US 40s-90s Standards *(25 mil.US)
95. Simon and Garfunkel ~60,000,000 US 60s Folk-Rock *(36mil.US)
96. Pearl Jam ~60,000,000 US 90s-00s Alternative *(29 mil. US)
97. John Denver ~60,000,000 US 60s-00s Folk/Rock/Country
98. The Monkees ~60,000,000 US 60s-90s Rock
99. Hank Thompson ~60,000,000 US 40s-00s Country
100. Barry Manilow 60,000,000+ US 70s-00s Pop/Standards
101. Boyz II Men ~60,000,000 US 80s-00s R&B/Pop *(27mil.US),
102. Paul Anka ~60,000,000 Canada 50s-00s Pop
103. Alanis Morissette ~55,000,000 Canada 90s-00s Rock/Pop src.1
104. TLC 55,000,000+ USA 90s-00s *(28 mil.US)R&B BMG
105. The Police *53,000,000 UK 70s-80s Rock/Pop 22m.US,
106. Nirvana *52,000,000 US 80s-90s Alternative 24m.US
107. Michael Bolton 52,000,000 US 80s-00s Pop
108. Luis Miguel 55,000,000 Mexico 80s-00s Latin Pop
109. Andre Kostelanetz 52,000,000 US 70s-00s Classic src.1
110. Tony Bennett ~51,000,000 US 50s-00s Standards/Jazz
111. Alabama *~50,000,000 US 70s-00s Country 46m.US
112. Johnny Cash ~50,000,000 US Country
113. Motley Crue *~50,000,000 US 80s-00s Hard Rock 22m.US,
114. Foreigner *~50,000,000 US/UK 70s-90s Rock/Pop 36m.US
115. Oasis ~50,000,000 UK 90s-00s Rock ~50m.albums
116. Meat Loaf ~50,000,000 US 70s-00s Rock
117. Olivia Newton-John ~50,000,000 Australia 70s-00s Country/Pop
118. Bjork ~50,000,000 Iceland 80s-00s Alternative
119. Gene Autry ~50,000,000 US Country
120. Nat King Cole ~50,000,000 US 30s-60s Jazz
121. The Seekers ~50,000,000 Australia 60s, 90s-00s Rock/Pop/Folk
122.The Doobie Brothers ~50,000,000 US 70s-00s Rock 50mil.US
123. Three Dog Night ~50,000,000 US 60s-70s Rock
124. Bob Seger ~50,000,000 US 70s-00s Rock
125. Roger Whittaker ~50,000,000 UK 70s-90s src.1
127. Annie Lennox ~50,000,000 UK 90s-00s src.1
128. Ace Of Base ~50,000,000 Sweden 90s-00s Pop/Dance source
129. David Bowie ~50,000,000 UK 60s-00s Rock src.
130. Reba McEntire 48,000,000 US 70s-00s Country
131. Andy Lau 48,000,000 Hong Kong 80s-00s Country
132. Ayumi Hamasaki 46,000,000 Japan 90s-00s J-Pop src.
133. Willie Nelson 46,000,000 US 50s-00s IRS
134. George Michael 45,000,000 UK 80s-00s Pop
135. Biggie Smalls ~45,000,000 US 90s Rap *(38mil.US)
136. Bananarama ~45,000,000 UK 80s-00s Pop/Rock/Dance 40mil albums
137. Chris de Burgh 45,000,000 Ireland 70s-00s Pop/Rock
138. Red Hot Chili Peppers 44,000,000 US 80s-00s Alternative
139. Milli Vanilli 44,000,000 Germany 80s-90s Pop
140. Alan Jackson 43,000,000 US 90s-00s Country source
141. *NSYNC 42,000,000 US 90s-00s Pop *(30 mil. US)
142. Christina Aguilera ~40,000,000 US 90s-00s Pop 34m.albums
143. Vicente Fernandez 40,000,000 Mexico 70s-00s Mexican
144. Waylon Jennings +40,000,000 US Country
145. Jose Feliciano 40,000,000 Puerto Rico 60s-00s Pop
146. Judas Priest ~40,000,000 UK 70s-00s Hard Rock
147. The Who ~40,000,000 UK 60s-00s Rock *(20mil.US)
148. Ozzy Osbourne ~40,000,000 UK 60s-00s Hard Rock *(27mil.US)
149. John Lennon ~40,000,000 UK 60s-70s Rock *13.5mil.US
150. The Beach Boys 40,000,000 US 60s-90s (1961-1996) Pop/Rock

 

[U2democrat]

 

[bono_man2002]

And Green Day sold a bazilon albums with Dookie and American Idiot, and arent on that list?....

 

[An Cat Gav]

Nana Moskouri??
How the hell did she get so high up there!
Incredible. There must be a lot of Greeks in the world!
Whitney houston?? That's just sad
Julio Inglesias??
Now that's just taking the piss!

 

[powerhour24]

"And Green Day sold a bazilon albums with Dookie and American Idiot, and arent on that list?...."

They don't sell big worldwide.

 

[powerhour24]

Also, U2's past 170m now, that list isn't very up to date.

 

[Zoots]

Nana Moskouri??
How the hell did she get so high up there!

I was gonna say the same thing.

Yeah I'm surprised too that Green Day isn't up there, at least in the Top 100.

 

[ponkine]

Also, U2's past 170m now, that list isn't very up to date.

The list is up to this year, so it's true

 

[powerhour24]

RIAA has them at 170, I dunno.

 

[ponkine]

I don't think U2 have even sold 150 million copies. Even the band have said around 130

A 40 million copies difference is too much

 

[BANZAI]

I thought U2 would score higher than Madonna, Nana Mouskouri, Cliff Richard, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Celine Dion, Metallica, Julio Iglesias, AC/DC and Whitney Houston.

 

[vaz02]

This list is bullshit. Never have i seen so much crap from a sales list in all my time. I suspect singles aswell as albums are counted in this list.

 

[jasonbonoman95]

total rubbish. Those figures are complete garbage.

 

[jasonbonoman95]

look at number 139. Wow Milli Vanilli has the second highest selling album ever with those figures. who made this crap?

 

[jimmmm]

I've seen many lists like this in the past, never 2 the same, but there seems to be some major discrepancies in this one, David Bowie's worldwide sales, according to most sites I've ever seen are believed to be in the region of 120-130mill., Abba, according to other sites around 250-300mill. I suppose its whichever list the individual chooses to believe, but this one , the more I look at it the less credible it seems, bananarama have sold more than the Beach Boys, can't see Neil Diamond anywhere either, surely he's sold more than enough to be included in any top150 best selling artists. Also can't see Rod Stewart, & just seen George Michael with same sales as Bananarama as well, I don't think this list has been very well researched at all.

 

[Numb1075]

Abba beat us ? What?121?@1!

 

[lash]

thanks for the list dude:

just as long as we stay ahead of bonjovi, i cant understand their appeal anymore

 

[Yahweh]

That list is probably quite accurate.

 

[jimmmm]

It's a bit long winded, but this from wikipedia seems to be far more accurate, to me at least....

Artists claimed to have sold 250 million records or more
In alphabetical order
ABBA Sweden 70s-80s Rock/Pop/Schlager [3][4]
Alla Pugacheva Russia 70s-00s Pop [5]
The Beatles UK 60s-70s Rock/Pop Guinness estimate [6] [7]
Bing Crosby U.S. 20s-70s Pop (Traditional) [8]
Chubby Checker U.S. 60s-00s Pop/R&B [9] [10]
Cliff Richard UK 50s-00s Pop [11]
Sir Elton John UK 70s-00s Piano Rock [12]
Elvis Presley U.S. 50s-70s Rock'N'Roll/Pop/Country/Gospel [13] [14][15]
Frank Sinatra U.S. 30s-90s Pop (Traditional) [16]
Julio Iglesias Spain 70s-00s Pop (Latin) [17]
Led Zeppelin UK 60s-80s Hard Rock/Blues Rock/Heavy Metal [18]
Madonna U.S. 80s-00s Pop/Dance/Electronica/R&B [19]
Michael Jackson U.S. 60s-00s Pop/R&B/Rock/Disco/Soul/Dance/ Gospel/Ballads [20][21]
Nana Mouskouri Greece 60s-00s Pop [22][23]
Queen UK 70s-00s Arena/Glam/Heavy Metal/Progressive Rock [24]
Tino Rossi France 30s-80s Pop [25]


Artists claimed to have sold 100 million records or more
AC/DC Australia 70s-00s Hard Rock [26]
Aerosmith U.S. 70s-00s Hard Rock [27]
A. R. Rahman India 90s-00s Classic (Soundtracks) [28]
Barbra Streisand U.S. 60s-00s Vocal/Pop [29]
Barry White U.S. 70s-00s Pop/R&B [30]
The Beach Boys U.S. 60s-90s Pop/Surf Rock [31]
The Bee Gees UK 60s-00s Pop/Disco [32]
Billy Joel U.S. 70s-00s Piano Rock [33] [34]
Black Sabbath UK 60s - 00s Heavy Metal/Hard Rock [35]
Bon Jovi U.S. 80s-00s Hair Metal [36]
Brenda Lee U.S. 50s-60s Pop/Country [37]
The Carpenters U.S. 60s-80s Pop [38][39]
Céline Dion Canada 80s-00s Pop [40]
Charles Aznavour France 50s-00s Pop [41]
Cher U.S. 60s-00s Pop/Rock/Dance [42] [43]
Chicago U.S. 60s-00s Pop [44]
Creedence Clearwater Revival U.S. 60s-70s Pop/Rock [45] [46]
David Bowie UK 60s-00s Rock/Pop [47][48][49][50]
Deep Purple UK 60s-00s Rock [51]
Dionne Warwick U.S. 60s-00s Pop/R&B [52]
Dolly Parton U.S. 60s-00s Country/Pop [53][54]
Donna Summer U.S. 70s-00s Disco/Pop [55]
Duane Eddy U.S. 50s-80s Rock [56]
Eagles U.S. 70s-00s Rock [57]
Engelbert Humperdinck UK 60s-00s Pop [58]
Fats Domino U.S. 40s-00s Rock/R&B [59]
Fleetwood Mac UK/U.S. 60s-00s Rock [60]
Frankie Laine U.S. 40s-00s Jazz/Pop/Gospel/Country [61]
Garth Brooks U.S. 80s-00s Country [62]
Gene Autry U.S. 20s-90s Country [63]
Genesis UK 70s-00s Progressive Rock / Pop Rock [64]
The Jacksons U.S. 60s-80s Pop/R&B/Disco/Rock/Soul [65][66][67]
John Denver U.S. 60s-00s Folk/Rock [68]' Denver, John; 1996; A Legacy of a Song; Personality; ISBN 0895249278
Johnny Hallyday France 50s-00s Pop [69]
Johnny Mathis U.S. 50s-00s Pop (Traditional) [70]
Joni James U.S. 50s-60s Pop (Traditional) [71]
Kenny Rogers U.S. 50s-00s Country [72][73]
Lionel Richie U.S. 80s-00s R&B [74]
Luciano Pavarotti Italy 60s-00s Opera [75] [76]
Mariah Carey U.S. 90s-00s Pop/R&B [77]
Metallica U.S. 80s-00s Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal [78]
Mireille Mathieu France 60s-00s Pop [79]
Modern Talking Germany 80s-00s Pop/Dance [80]
Neil Diamond U.S. 60s-80s Pop [81]
Patti Page U.S. 40s-00s Pop/Country [82] [83]
Perry Como U.S. 30s-00s Pop [84]
Phil Collins UK 80s-00s Soft Rock [85]
Pink Floyd UK 60s-00s Psychedelic Rock/Progressive Rock [86][87]
Prince U.S 70s-00s Pop/R&B/Funk/Soul/Rock [88]
Ricky Nelson U.S. 50s-80s Pop/Country [89]
Rod Stewart UK 60s-00s Pop/Rock [90]
The Rolling Stones UK 60s-00s Rock [91]
The Royal Canadians Canada 30s-50s Pop (Big Band) [92]
Stevie Wonder U.S. 60s-00s Pop/R&B [93][94]
Tommy James U.S. 60s-00s Rock [95]
U2 Ireland 70s-00s Rock [96]
Vicky Leandros Greece 60s-00s Pop [97] [98]
Wei Wei China 80s-00s Pop [99] [100]
Whitney Houston U.S. 80s-00s Pop/R&B/Gospel/Soul [101]
The Who UK 60s-00s Rock [102]


Artists claimed to have sold 75 million records or more
Alabama U.S. 70s-00s Rock/Country [103] [104]

The Andrews Sisters U.S. 30s-50s Pop (Swing)/Vocal [105]
B'z Japan 80s-00s Rock/Pop [106]
Backstreet Boys U.S. 90s-00s Pop [107]
Barry Manilow U.S. 70s-00s Pop [108]
Bob Dylan U.S. 60s-00s Folk/Rock [109]
Bobby Vinton U.S. 60s-90s Pop/Vocal [110] [111]
Britney Spears U.S. 90s-00s Pop [112]
Dalida France 50s-80s Pop [113]
Earth, Wind & Fire U.S. 70s-00s R&B/Disco/Pop [114]
Eddy Arnold U.S. 40s-90s Country [115]
Eurythmics UK 80s-90s Pop/Rock [116] [117]
Gene Austin U.S. 20s-30s Pop (Traditional) [118]
Guns N' Roses U.S. 80s-00s Hard Rock [119] [120]
Hank Snow Canada 30s-90s Folk [121]
Jean-Michel Jarre France 70s-00s Pop (Synth) [122]
Journey U.S. 70s-00s Rock/Pop [123]
Kenny G U.S. 80s-00s Jazz [124]
KISS U.S. 70s-00s Rock [125]
Linda Ronstadt U.S. 60s-00s Country/Pop [126]
Roxette Sweden 80s-00s Pop [127]
Salvatore Adamo Belgium 60s-00s Pop [128]
Santana Mexico 60s-00s Rock/Blues [129]
Van Halen U.S. 70s-00s Rock [130] [131]
The Ventures U.S. 50s-00s Rock [132]
Victor Silvester UK 30s-80s Dance/Pop [133]
Willie Nelson U.S. 50s-00s Country [134]


Artists claimed to have sold 50 million records or more
2Pac U.S. 90s Rap [135]
Adriano Celentano Italy 60s-00s Pop [136]
A-ha Norway 80s-00s Pop/Rock [137] [138]
Alanis Morissette Canada 90s-00s Rock [139]
Alice Cooper U.S. 60s-00s Heavy Metal [140]
Andre Kostelanetz U.S. 40s-70s Classic [141]
Andrea Bocelli Italy 90s-00s Classical [142]
Anne Murray Canada 60s-00s Country/Pop [143]
Annie Lennox UK 90s-00s Pop [144]
Bay City Rollers UK 70s Pop/Rock [145]
B.J. Thomas U.S. 60s-00s Country/Pop [146]
Blondie U.S. 70s-00s Rock (New Wave)/Pop [147]
Bob Marley Jamaica 70s-80s Reggae [148]
Bob Seger U.S. 60s-00s Rock [149]
Boyz II Men U.S. 80s-00s R&B/Pop [150]
Bruce Springsteen U.S. 70s-00s Rock [151]
Bryan Adams Canada 80s-00s Rock/Pop [152]
Cat Stevens UK 60s-00s Pop/Rock [153]
Charlie Daniels U.S. 70s-00s Country [154]
Cyndi Lauper U.S. 70s-00s Pop/Rock/dance [155]

Def Leppard UK 70s-00s Hard Rock [156]
Depeche Mode UK 80s-00s Pop/Rock [157]
Destiny's Child U.S. 90s-00s R&B [158]
The Diamonds Canada 50s-70s Pop/R&B [159]
Dire Straits 1 UK 80s-90s Rock [160]
The Doobie Brothers U.S. 70s-00s Rock [161]
The Doors U.S. 60s-70s Psychedelic Rock [162]
Don Cornell U.S. 50s-90s Pop (Traditional) [163]
Duran Duran UK 80s-00s Pop/Rock [164]
Eminem U.S. 90s-00s Rap [165]
Enya Ireland 80s-00s New Age (Celtic) [166]
Foreigner U.S./UK 70s-00s Rock/Pop [167]
Four Tops U.S. 50s-00s R&B [168]
George Strait U.S. 70s-00s Country [169]
Gloria Estefan U.S. 80s-00s Pop (Latin) [170]
Green Day U.S. 90s-00s Alternative Rock/Punk Rock/Punk Pop [171]
Hank Thompson U.S. 40s-00s Country [172]
Iron Maiden UK 70s-00s Heavy Metal [173]
Janet Jackson U.S. 80s-00s Pop/R&B [174]
Jethro Tull UK 60s-00s Rock [175]
Johnny Cash U.S. 50s-00s Country [176]
Kylie Minogue Australia 80s-00s Dance [177]
Luis Miguel Mexico 80s-00s Pop (Latin) [178]
Meat Loaf U.S. 70s-00s Rock [179]
Michael Bolton U.S. 80s-00s Pop [180]
Mills Brothers U.S. 30s-70s Vocal [181]
Mina Italy 50s-00s Pop [182]
The Monkees U.S. 60s-90s Pop/Rock [183]
Nat King Cole U.S. 30s-60s Jazz [184]
Nirvana U.S. 90s Rock (Grunge) [185]
Olivia Newton-John Australia 70s-00s Country/Pop [186]
Paul Anka Canada 50s-00s Pop [187]
Pearl Jam U.S. 90s-00s Rock (Grunge) [188]
Petula Clark UK 50s-00s Pop [189]
The Police UK 70s-80s Rock (New Wave) [190] [191]
Ray Conniff U.S. 50s-00s Pop/Easy Listening [192]
Reba McEntire U.S. 70s-00s Country [193]
Red Hot Chili Peppers U.S. 80s-00s Rock [194]
Richard Clayderman France 60s-00s Pop/Piano/Instrumental [195]
Ricky Martin Puerto Rico 90s-00s Pop (Latin) [196]
Robbie Williams UK 90s-00s Pop [197]
Sade UK 80s-00s Pop/R&B [198]
The Seekers Australia 60s, 90s-00s Pop/Folk/Rock [199]
Shania Twain Canada 90s-00s Country/Pop [200]
Simply Red UK 80s-00s Pop [201]
Spice Girls U.K. 90s-00s Pop [202]
Three Dog Night U.S. 60s-70s Rock [203]
Tina Turner U.S. 60s-00s Rock/Pop/R&B [204]
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers U.S. 70s-00s Pop/Rock [205]
Tony Bennett U.S. 50s-00s Pop (Traditional)/Jazz [206]
The Turtles U.S. 60s Pop/Rock [207]
UB40 UK 80s-00s Reggae [208]
ZZ Top U.S. 70s-00s Rock [209]

 

[jimmmm]

Another list, more differences...

The Beatles 1,150,000,000
Elvis Presley 1,100,000,000
Elton John 375,000,000
(tie)ABBA 375,000,000
Bing Crosby 350,000,000
Michael Jackson 275,000,000
The Rolling Stones 250,000,000
Pink Floyd 250,000,000
Madonna 250,000,000
Led Zeppelin 225,000,000
Mariah Carey 220,000,000
Celine Dion 215,000,000
Whitney Houston 210,000,000
Julio Iglesias 210,000,000
Cliff Richard 210,000,000
Frank Sinatra 210,000,000
Queen 200,000,000
Leonard Cohen 180,000,000
Nana Mouskouri 195,000,000
AC/DC 160,000,000
The Jackson 5 170,000,000
Metallica 170,000,000
Genesis 160,000,000
Phil Collins 155,000,000
U2 150,000,000
Mireille Mathieu 150,000,000
Paul Anka 150,000,000
David Bowie 136,000,000
Status Quo 135,000,000
E. Humperdinck 130,000,000
Wei Wei 120,000,000
Chicago 122,000,000
Neil Diamond 120,000,000
Garth Brooks 120,000,000
Prince 120,000,000
The Bee Gees 110,000,000
Bon Jovi 110,000,000
R.E.M. 110,000,000
Janet Jackson 105,000,000
Kenny Rogers 105,000,000
Barbra Streisand 102,000,000
Neil Young 100,000,000
Black Sabbath 100,000,000
Ricky Nelson 100,000,000
Luciano Pavarotti 100,000,000
Brenda Lee 100,000,000
A. R. Rahman 100,000,000
Illayaraja 100,000,000
Barry White 100,000,000
Deep Purple 100,000,000
Lionel Richie 100,000,000
Dolly Parton 100,000,000
Donna Summer 100,000,000
VickyLeandros 100,000,000
Rod Stewart 100,000,000
Aerosmith 100,000,000
Billy Joel 100,000,000
Fleetwood Mac 100,000,000
Johnny Hallyday 100,000,000
Charles Aznavour 100,000,000
Bruce Springsteen 96,000,000
Shania Twain 95,000,000
Britney Spears 95,000,000
The Eagles 90,000,000
Bob Dylan 90,000,000
The Ventures 90,000,000
Earth, Wind & Fire 90,000,000
B'z 86,000,000
Eddy Arnold 85,000,000
Jean-Michel Jarre 80,000,000
Bjork 80,000,000
Eurythmics 80,000,000
KISS 80,000,000
Santana 80,000,000
Dalida 80,000,000
Salvatore Adamo 80,000,000
Fairouz 80,000,000
Hank Snow 80,000,000
Eric Clapton 80,000,000
Stevie Wonder 80,000,000
Boney M 80,000,000
Spice Girls 76,000,000
Backstreet Boys 75,000,000
Bobby Vinton 75,000,000
Sade 75,000,000
Paul McCartney 75,000,000
Chet Atkins 75,000,000
Victor Silvester 75,000,000
Journey 75,000,000
Richard Clayderman 75,000,000
Def Leppard 74,000,000
Dire Straits 74,000,000
Petula Clark 71,000,000
The Carpenters 70,000,000
Kool & the Gang 70,000,000
Gloria Estefan 70,000,000
Duran Duran 70,000,000
Enya 70,000,000
Kenny G 70,000,000
Roberto Carlos 70,000,000
Charley Pride 70,000,000
Ray Conniff 70,000,000
Ozzy Osbourne 70,000,000
Bay City Rollers 70,000,000
Van Halen 70,000,000
Adriano Celentano 70,000,000

Personally, I think its wrong, in an industry that is worth so much money, & obviously is of great interest to a great many people, that there is no official list, with exact, or as near as possible estimations of worldwide sales of the top 100 artists of all time.

 

[jasonbonoman95]

how could Madonna have done over 250,000?

 

[edge3]

The original list here was how the Wikipedia list appeared about a year ago. Problem was it could be edited by anyone so the numbers were often being changed by fans & therefore some were ridiculously inflated - eg Metallica with 200m but really 100m.

I believe this is why they've now changed it with just the 'Artists claimed to have sold 250 million records or more' instead of showing actual individual figures.

Btw, Beatles & Elvis only sold 1 billion if you count 1 album brought as 3 copies sold (or something), as the record companies used to do in the old days. Really they're each on about 400-500m. Same with ABBA : not 400m but more like 150-200m...& a few others (Elton John, Bing Crosby...)

I'd now put U2 on 155-165m total records sold (140-145m albums + 15-20m singles).

 

[vaz02]

Mariah Carey 220,000,000


wot a joke

These lids have seem to be done by fans and elvis with sales of 1b billion albums seems inflated too.

phill collins 160 mill ? give me a break lol.

 

[tonyhotland]

mariah has indeed sold a lot..
i think she was the biggest selling artist in the 90s. i remember the billboard awards giving her a millenium award for selling so many.

but that elvis over 1 billion thing.. crap!


==============
teach me lord,
I know I'm not a hopeless case
-- Beautiful Day

 

[doctorwho]

Also, U2's past 170m now, that list isn't very up to date.

Where are you getting that from?

Most estimate U2's worldwide sales at ~150M. RIAA cerfications list the following:

Boy - 1M
October - 1M
War - 4M
Under a Blood Red Sky - 3M
Unforgettable Fire - 3M
Wide Awake in America - 1M
Joshua Tree - 10M
Rattle & Hum - 5M
Achtung Baby - 8M
Zooropa - 2M
Pop - 1M
Best Of (80's - 2 discs) - 2M
Best Of (80's - 1 disc) - 2M
ATYCLB - 4M
Best Of (90's) - 1M
HTDAAB - 3M

Total: 51M

It should be noted, though, that many of U2's albums haven't been re-certified in over a decade. The last certification for AB was in '97. The last certification for JT, War and UF was in '95! So these numbers could go up. Also, the certifications do not reflect actual sales. For example, "Pop" sold 1.5M to customers, but that's not enough to give it 2x Platinum status. "Zooropa", ATYCLB and HTDAAB also all sold more than their actual certifications.

That said, even if the U.S. sales go up by a several million, worldwide, the estimate of ~150M stands. Maybe with the release of "U218", U2 will come close to 160M worldwide.

 

[edge3]

This Wikipedia list is supposed to include single sales too. So U2 should indeed be on around 170m total records sold : ~150m albums (as has also been stated in various recent press articles) + ~20m singles (5.3m in UK alone).