Post by Sysop3 on Jun 5, 2018 0:56:42 GMT -5
Top Ten
To detail the best-selling musicians of all time by album sales, it’s helpful to first take a look at the music business — which isn’t what it used to be.
Long gone are the days when an artist could put out an album or CD and fans would rush to the store to buy a copy — and obsessively study the artwork and liner notes. That model, much to the chagrin of many musicians, ended in the late 1990s with the advent of streaming services that enabled people to download individual songs for free or a nominal price. While common now, this was a big deal at the time.
If you’re too young to remember this cultural milestone, Google “Napster and Metallica.” The heavy metal band’s drummer, Lars Ulrich, led the charge against Napster, a pioneering file-sharing internet service that allowed people to share digital musical files for free. Metallica sued Napster in 2000, alleging copyright infringement and racketeering. For a while, Ulrich became the much-maligned poster boy for greedy rock stars, but the courts ruled in Metallica’s favor and Napster eventually filed bankruptcy.
But by then the genie was out of the bottle.
Other file sharing services popped up and today people consume and download music, videos, and other media through iTunes and a host of other companies. This has caused album sales to plummet. But on the other hand, a tween without any album sales or experience performing live can now put out a music video or song and become an instant star (We’re looking at you, Justin Beiber).
Indeed, the musical landscape is vastly different from the heydays of the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, when vinyl and CD sales peaked. This helps explain why the best-selling artists, as outlined below according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s certified US album sales, all rose to prominence decades ago. But even as musical tastes and styles have changed, these acts have remained popular across multiple generations.
The following are the best-selling artists of all time...
The Beatles
The Beatles/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 178
The four lads from Liverpool, England — John, Paul, George and Ringo —first arrived in the United States in 1964. Music would never be the same. “Beatlemania” swept the nation and in less than a decade the band released a dozen albums, each one a defining cultural moment.
The band broke up in 1970, but the Beatles are still deeply relevant and continue to influence new generations of musicians.
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 148
Brooks rose to prominence in the early 1990s with a unique sound that mixed elements of country, rock and pop. He supported a string of No. 1 records with wildly popular world tours, earning 2 Grammy Awards and 17 American Music Awards in the process.
After an extended hiatus, Brooks recently launched a comeback tour and released a new album in 2016.
Elvis Presley
AP
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 136
He’s known as the “King of Rock & Roll” for good reason. When he arrived on the scene in the 1950s, he scandalized mainstream America with his hip-swiveling performances. But it was his music — a powerful mix of rock, blues, country and gospel — that made an indelible mark.
While Elvis died in 1977, he’s still an iconic figure, and every year millions of people make the pilgrimage to Graceland, his former residence in Memphis, Tennessee.
Led Zeppelin
AP
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 111.5
Synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll excess and debauchery, Led Zeppelin helped create the template for heavy, guitar-driven music. Hailing from England, the band released its first album in 1969 — which critics savaged.
But with the combustible mix of Robert Plant on vocals and Jimmy Paige on guitar, Led Zeppelin garnered a rabid following, headlining sold-out area tours throughout the 1970s.
Eagles
Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 101
Hailing from Los Angeles, the Eagles were a dominant musical force throughout much of the 1970s, producing radio-friendly rock/pop tunes like “Hotel California” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”
The Eagles disbanded in 1980 but reunited in 1994 to record the album “Hell Freezes Over” and then “Long Road Out of Eden” in 2007, followed by an extended tour.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 82.5
Starting with his iconic “Piano Man” tune in 1973, Billy Joel has enjoyed a prolific and successful career that spans decades.
While he hasn’t released any new material since 2001, with more than 30 Top 40 hits Joel continues to tour and perform before sold-out crowds. Moreover, Joel is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and has won six Grammy Awards.
Michael Jackson
img.discogs.com/6PFlDzZtBmhq2buIAWnf73zsDAg=/600x607/smart/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/A-15885-1506759724-8583.jpeg.jpg
AP Images
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 81
First as the electrifying, prepubescent frontman of the Jackson Five and later as a pioneering solo artist, Michael Jackson more than earned his “King of Pop” moniker. His career exploded in the early 1980s with the advent of MTV and hit songs/videos like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.”
While his controversial personal life sometimes overshadowed his music, Jackson, who died in 2009, remains an iconic figure in the world of music and pop culture.
Elton John
Elton John/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 77
A prolific singer, pianist and composer, Elton John had his first hit, “Your Song,” in 1970. It was the start of a career that has spanned five decades and produced seven No. 1 albums and five Grammy Awards.
Previously known for his flamboyant stage costumes and antics, John is now a noted activist in the fight against AIDS and a champion for LGBT issues.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/50-best-selling-music-artists-all-time-bands-singers-musicians-richest-beatles-a7946531.html
© 2018 Granite Media Group, Inc.
To detail the best-selling musicians of all time by album sales, it’s helpful to first take a look at the music business — which isn’t what it used to be.
Long gone are the days when an artist could put out an album or CD and fans would rush to the store to buy a copy — and obsessively study the artwork and liner notes. That model, much to the chagrin of many musicians, ended in the late 1990s with the advent of streaming services that enabled people to download individual songs for free or a nominal price. While common now, this was a big deal at the time.
If you’re too young to remember this cultural milestone, Google “Napster and Metallica.” The heavy metal band’s drummer, Lars Ulrich, led the charge against Napster, a pioneering file-sharing internet service that allowed people to share digital musical files for free. Metallica sued Napster in 2000, alleging copyright infringement and racketeering. For a while, Ulrich became the much-maligned poster boy for greedy rock stars, but the courts ruled in Metallica’s favor and Napster eventually filed bankruptcy.
But by then the genie was out of the bottle.
Other file sharing services popped up and today people consume and download music, videos, and other media through iTunes and a host of other companies. This has caused album sales to plummet. But on the other hand, a tween without any album sales or experience performing live can now put out a music video or song and become an instant star (We’re looking at you, Justin Beiber).
Indeed, the musical landscape is vastly different from the heydays of the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, when vinyl and CD sales peaked. This helps explain why the best-selling artists, as outlined below according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s certified US album sales, all rose to prominence decades ago. But even as musical tastes and styles have changed, these acts have remained popular across multiple generations.
The following are the best-selling artists of all time...
The Beatles
The Beatles/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 178
The four lads from Liverpool, England — John, Paul, George and Ringo —first arrived in the United States in 1964. Music would never be the same. “Beatlemania” swept the nation and in less than a decade the band released a dozen albums, each one a defining cultural moment.
The band broke up in 1970, but the Beatles are still deeply relevant and continue to influence new generations of musicians.
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 148
Brooks rose to prominence in the early 1990s with a unique sound that mixed elements of country, rock and pop. He supported a string of No. 1 records with wildly popular world tours, earning 2 Grammy Awards and 17 American Music Awards in the process.
After an extended hiatus, Brooks recently launched a comeback tour and released a new album in 2016.
Elvis Presley
AP
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 136
He’s known as the “King of Rock & Roll” for good reason. When he arrived on the scene in the 1950s, he scandalized mainstream America with his hip-swiveling performances. But it was his music — a powerful mix of rock, blues, country and gospel — that made an indelible mark.
While Elvis died in 1977, he’s still an iconic figure, and every year millions of people make the pilgrimage to Graceland, his former residence in Memphis, Tennessee.
Led Zeppelin
AP
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 111.5
Synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll excess and debauchery, Led Zeppelin helped create the template for heavy, guitar-driven music. Hailing from England, the band released its first album in 1969 — which critics savaged.
But with the combustible mix of Robert Plant on vocals and Jimmy Paige on guitar, Led Zeppelin garnered a rabid following, headlining sold-out area tours throughout the 1970s.
Eagles
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 101
Hailing from Los Angeles, the Eagles were a dominant musical force throughout much of the 1970s, producing radio-friendly rock/pop tunes like “Hotel California” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”
The Eagles disbanded in 1980 but reunited in 1994 to record the album “Hell Freezes Over” and then “Long Road Out of Eden” in 2007, followed by an extended tour.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 82.5
Starting with his iconic “Piano Man” tune in 1973, Billy Joel has enjoyed a prolific and successful career that spans decades.
While he hasn’t released any new material since 2001, with more than 30 Top 40 hits Joel continues to tour and perform before sold-out crowds. Moreover, Joel is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and has won six Grammy Awards.
Michael Jackson
img.discogs.com/6PFlDzZtBmhq2buIAWnf73zsDAg=/600x607/smart/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/A-15885-1506759724-8583.jpeg.jpg
AP Images
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 81
First as the electrifying, prepubescent frontman of the Jackson Five and later as a pioneering solo artist, Michael Jackson more than earned his “King of Pop” moniker. His career exploded in the early 1980s with the advent of MTV and hit songs/videos like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.”
While his controversial personal life sometimes overshadowed his music, Jackson, who died in 2009, remains an iconic figure in the world of music and pop culture.
Elton John
Elton John/Instagram
Certified Units Sold (in millions): 77
A prolific singer, pianist and composer, Elton John had his first hit, “Your Song,” in 1970. It was the start of a career that has spanned five decades and produced seven No. 1 albums and five Grammy Awards.
Previously known for his flamboyant stage costumes and antics, John is now a noted activist in the fight against AIDS and a champion for LGBT issues.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/50-best-selling-music-artists-all-time-bands-singers-musicians-richest-beatles-a7946531.html
© 2018 Granite Media Group, Inc.
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