How many albums have u2 sold?

[eidderf]

Pretty boring question, but does anybody know? I have seen some figures but they differ hugely (For ATYCLB 10m, 14.4m and everything in between!) I consistently hear that they've sold over 100m in total, but not much about individual albums.

Can anybody help?

 

[Paul Vox]

This was posted by MacPhisto a few days ago...

U2's (US sales only)

Boy - 1 Million
October - 1 Million
War - 4 Million
Under A Blood Red Sky - 3 Million
Unforgettable Fire - 3 Million
Wide Awake in America - 1 Million
Joshua Tree - 10 Million
Rattle and Hum - 5 Million
Achtung Baby - 8 Million
Zooropa - 2 Million
Pop - 1 Million
Best of 1980-1990/ The B- Sides - 2 Million (1 Million of the two disc sets)
Best of 1980-1990 - 2 Million
All That You Can't Leave Behind - 4 Million
Best of 1990-2000 - 1 Million


Videos:
Zoo TV - Gold (50,000)
Elevation - 2x Platinum (200,000)

Singles:

Desire - Gold (500,000)
Discotheque - Gold (500,000)

I'm still looking for current worldwide numbers...

Several recent articles have said 120 million total.

 

[eidderf]

This was posted by MacPhisto a few days ago...

U2's (US sales only)

Boy - 1 Million
October - 1 Million
War - 4 Million
Under A Blood Red Sky - 3 Million
Unforgettable Fire - 3 Million
Wide Awake in America - 1 Million
Joshua Tree - 10 Million
Rattle and Hum - 5 Million
Achtung Baby - 8 Million
Zooropa - 2 Million
Pop - 1 Million
Best of 1980-1990/ The B- Sides - 2 Million (1 Million of the two disc sets)
Best of 1980-1990 - 2 Million
All That You Can't Leave Behind - 4 Million
Best of 1990-2000 - 1 Million


Videos:
Zoo TV - Gold (50,000)
Elevation - 2x Platinum (200,000)

Singles:

Desire - Gold (500,000)
Discotheque - Gold (500,000)

I'm still looking for current worldwide numbers...

Several recent articles have said 120 million total.

Cheers PV. Sorry if was posted recently, I didn't see it. 10 million for Joshua Tree in US alone? Thats pretty impressive.

 

[mikeuk]

Cheers PV. Sorry if was posted recently, I didn't see it. 10 million for Joshua Tree in US alone? Thats pretty impressive.

The figures quoted only realte to RIAA certifications, and not actual sales e.fg. many have sold since their last certification, buit that isn't reflected in the sales estimates within this thread.

recent record company figures put Joshua Tree at (worldwide) sales of 20.7 million and ATYCLB near to 14 million ! most recent estimates put total sales in excess of 120 million

Mike

 

[zoo tv mcg]

Paul McGuiness stated in an interview that ATYCLB sold 13 million so if any one should have the most up to date figures - he should

 

[STING2]

The Joshua Tree worldwide figure is over 25 million at a minimum. By 1995, the album had sold 14 million copies in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom alone!

 

[BigMacPhisto]

120 million worldwide sounds pretty accurate to these ears.......any thoughts, Sting2?

 

[zoo tv mcg]

The press from alot of articles are saying 120m - this was quoted from the IPOD presentation with Apple. But with so many overdue recertifications in alot of countries, I did a rough calc and thought it was closer to 130m based on previous discussion threads. Your guys thoughts.

 

[saltwaterkiss26]

That's a lot of albums.

...

 

[STING2]

120 million worldwide sounds pretty accurate to these ears.......any thoughts, Sting2?

136 million copies sold!

Boy 3 million
October 3 million
War 8 million
UABRS 8 million
Unforgettable Fire 8 million
WAIA 3 million
Joshua Tree 27 million+
Rattle And Hum 13 million
Achtung Baby 17 million
Zooropa 7 million
POP 6 million
Best Of 1980-1990 15 million
ATYCLB 12 million
Best of 1990-2000 6 million

 

[MANWHARF]

in the usa Achtung Baby was a huge hit, but no the rest of th world, except Australia and the Uk, so 17 millions its too much

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

I dunno, it sold 9 million outside the US, thats pretty damn good.

 

[phommel]

136 million copies sold!

Boy 3 million
October 3 million
War 8 million
UABRS 8 million
Unforgettable Fire 8 million
WAIA 3 million
Joshua Tree 27 million+
Rattle And Hum 13 million
Achtung Baby 17 million
Zooropa 7 million
POP 6 million
Best Of 1980-1990 15 million
ATYCLB 12 million
Best of 1990-2000 6 million

Wow, that's pretty amazing. Can you put this in perspective.,..I mean do you have a list of copies sold by other bands and where stands U2? Alsoconsidering JT. 27 million!!!! can you compare this to other albums by other artists? I'm just curious....

 

[Yahweh]

I think Stings Joshua Tree number is slightly inflated.....I think they said it was 135 million which includes the new CD but none the less it is someplace in the vacinity of 125 to 140 million which is excellent.

 

[mistyrose]

Wow, that Best of 1980-1990 sure sold a LOT! And it's follow-up, 90-2000 sold less than half of that!

 

[STING2]

in the usa Achtung Baby was a huge hit, but no the rest of th world, except Australia and the Uk, so 17 millions its too much

Well, thats false because the album hit #1 or placed in the top 5 of every chart in nearly every country on the planet. By the end of 1992 Achtung Baby's confirmed sales were:

4 million in the USA, 6 million outside the USA =

10 million worldwide by end of 1992.

This confirmed by Billboard Magazine and the U2 concert special on ZOO TV at the end of 1992.


From September 1992 to September 1997, Achtung Baby sold another 4 million copies in the United States ALONE! www.riaa.com confirms these sales.

This would put the album at a minimum 14 million copies sold by 1997 without adding in sales from outside the United States. Based on the fact that Achtung's sales increased by a 1/3 from 1993 to 2001 in the United Kingdom, extrapolating that rate for all international sales from the first year which was 6 million and you get another 2 million in sales around the world by 2001, a very conservative estimate. This puts the album at 16 million and I add another 1 million for sales since 1997 in the USA plus sales around the rest of the world since 2001.

17 million is a very conservative estimate for Achtung Baby's total sales to date, and the actual total is probably higher.

 

[STING2]

Wow, that's pretty amazing. Can you put this in perspective.,..I mean do you have a list of copies sold by other bands and where stands U2? Alsoconsidering JT. 27 million!!!! can you compare this to other albums by other artists? I'm just curious....

Since international sales are hard to come by, I do not have much to compare it to.

Off the top of my head, I know AC/DC "Back In Black" has sold over 42 million copies worldwide. Shania Twain and Alanis Morrisette each have one album at or near the 30 million mark.

I could make some estimates of other artist based on their sales in the USA and popularity overseas. Its easier to compare global sales for albums released since 1996 when the IFPI started tracking and recording album sales for all of Europe. Their website is here www.ifpi.org . For the United States, go to www.riaa.com , for Canada, go to www.cria.ca .

 

[STING2]

I think Stings Joshua Tree number is slightly inflated.....I think they said it was 135 million which includes the new CD but none the less it is someplace in the vacinity of 125 to 140 million which is excellent.

Well, what do we have confirmation on what Joshua Tree actually sold. We know that the album sold 14 million copies before the end of 1987. Breakdown was like this in 1987:

USA 4 million
Canada 1.5 million
United Kingdom 1.2 million
Rest of World 7.3 million

Total 14 million in 1987.

From 1988 to 1995, the Joshua Tree sold another 6 million copies in the United States alone. This brings Joshua Tree's figure to:

20 million copies

without considering "rest of the world sales of Joshua Tree" from 1988 to 1995.

The best way to estimate sales outside the USA during that time frame is to take the United Kingdom rate and extrapolate that for the rest of the countries.

In the United Kingdom, Joshua Tree's sales increased by 50% over what it had sold there in 1987 from 1988 to 1992. Sales of Joshua Tree outside the USA in 1987 were 10 million copies. 50% of that would be 5 million.

So by 1995, you have 25 million copies sold worldwide. In the 9 years since then, estimating that Joshua Tree sold another 2 million copies worldwide is very conservative.

So, I would say 27 million copies sold worldwide by 2004 is slightly underestimating the true total.

 

[mikeuk]

Well, what do we have confirmation on what Joshua Tree actually sold. We know that the album sold 14 million copies before the end of 1987. Breakdown was like this in 1987:

USA 4 million
Canada 1.5 million
United Kingdom 1.2 million
Rest of World 7.3 million

Total 14 million in 1987.

From 1988 to 1995, the Joshua Tree sold another 6 million copies in the United States alone. This brings Joshua Tree's figure to:

20 million copies

without considering "rest of the world sales of Joshua Tree" from 1988 to 1995.

The best way to estimate sales outside the USA during that time frame is to take the United Kingdom rate and extrapolate that for the rest of the countries.

In the United Kingdom, Joshua Tree's sales increased by 50% over what it had sold there in 1987 from 1988 to 1992. Sales of Joshua Tree outside the USA in 1987 were 10 million copies. 50% of that would be 5 million.

So by 1995, you have 25 million copies sold worldwide. In the 9 years since then, estimating that Joshua Tree sold another 2 million copies worldwide is very conservative.

So, I would say 27 million copies sold worldwide by 2004 is slightly underestimating the true total.

for what it's worth the record company recently - via BBC radio 1- put Joshua Tree sales at 20.7 million.I know that Sting disagreeswith this figure, but it's the latest `official' one we have.

Mike

 

[STING2]

for what it's worth the record company recently - via BBC radio 1- put Joshua Tree sales at 20.7 million.I know that Sting disagreeswith this figure, but it's the latest `official' one we have.

Mike

Record company information has to be taken with a grain of salt. Better to look at the facts from independent auditors that have actually confirmed sales like RIAA, IFPI and other firms that certify album sales rather than a random posting by some record company employ.

According to the RIAA (United States), BPI (United Kingdom), and CRIA (Canada),

Joshua Tree's combined album sales by 1995 in these three countries alone was 14 million! These 3 countries consititute only about 40% of the world market where U2 sells its albums! Again this was back in 1995.

In 1987, the Joshua Tree sold 14 million albums worldwide. This is not my estimate, but something that was printed in Billboard, other magazines and reported by the record company itself back then, multiple sources. Of that total in 1987, only 4 million was from the USA. Go to www.riaa.com if you would like to see the evidence that Joshua Tree sold 4 million copies in the USA in 1987. By 1995, the Joshua Tree sold another 6 million copies in the USA.

If you are willing to believe that no one outside the United States has bought a single copy of the Joshua Tree since January of 1988, then the figure of 20.7 million copies sold would fit. 14 million sold worldwide in 1987, plus 6 more million sold in the USA up to 1995.

I am sure that millions of people outside the United States have purchased the Joshua Tree since January of 1988 and in fact, 600,000 copies of the Joshua Tree were purchased in the United Kingdom from January 1988 to June 1992! And thats just one country outside the United States over a 4 year time period!

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

So you think the actual figure for Achtung Baby is probably 20million?

 

[STING2]

So you think the actual figure for Achtung Baby is probably 20million?

Its possible, but I would still say 17 million is the right number, even though its a conservative estimate.

 

[Squire]

hello guys.

I know that this is not a Pink Floyd forum, but can you tell me how much did Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall sold? Just to compare with U2. And i heard Thriller from Michael Jackson is the best selling album. Because i think Joshua Tree might be in the Top Ten of the best selling albums of all time

 

[WHYWHY]

I believe that Thriller has sold over 48 million worldwide. Ofcourse that figure is way old, so it might have even crossed over hte 50 million mark by now.

 

[STING2]

hello guys.

I know that this is not a Pink Floyd forum, but can you tell me how much did Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall sold? Just to compare with U2. And i heard Thriller from Michael Jackson is the best selling album. Because i think Joshua Tree might be in the Top Ten of the best selling albums of all time

"Dark Side Of the Moon" has sold over 15 million copies in the USA alone! It has sold over 2 million copies in the United Kingdom. I do not know its total sales worldwide.

"The Wall" has sold over 11.5 million copies in the USA and 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Once again, I do not know its total worldwide figure, but it is much smaller than that for "Dark Side of the Moon". "The Wall" has mainly been a big seller in the USA.

 

[METFIELD]

hello guys.

I know that this is not a Pink Floyd forum, but can you tell me how much did Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall sold? Just to compare with U2. And i heard Thriller from Michael Jackson is the best selling album. Because i think Joshua Tree might be in the Top Ten of the best selling albums of all time

dark side of the moon sold 35 million
thriller 60
black album outsold joshua tree

 

[all_i_want]

HTDAAB went to no1 in over 30 countries, st. anger went no1 in 12 countries. that says a lot about worldwide appeal and apparently touring more countries doesnt mean selling albums there.HTDAAB will have outsold st.anger in a matter of months, say, 1.5 months maybe.

 

[METFIELD]

HTDAAB went to no1 in over 30 countries, st. anger went no1 in 12 countries. that says a lot about worldwide appeal and apparently touring more countries doesnt mean selling albums there.HTDAAB will have outsold st.anger in a matter of months, say, 1.5 months maybe.

st anger debuted number 1 in 30 countries.htdaab in 32 maybe

st anger is the best selling metal album last 5 years
evanecance and linkin park albums outsold atycl worldwide

metallica have gold and platinum certifications in more than 40 countries

in 2003 and 2004 metallica was the biggest catalog seller in the rock world

u2s first two year sales is not important.u2 never sold like metallica of their older albums

 

[all_i_want]

well may i say thats cause metallica's catalog is better than anything else they will release in the future. they will never top those albums, while U2 still has that 3rd career defining masterpiece in them. linkin park is not really metal, and neither is evanesance.

btw, it seems pretty impossible to me that st. anger DEBUTED at no1 in 30 countries. itd surely sell more than 4 million worldwide if that was the case. where did you get that statistic from?

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Metallica's last flawless effort was Master of Puppets in the eighties.......they're still a great live act, but their recent efforts are abysmal. Metfield, can you please explain why you post here at all?