10 Best-Selling Artists in the U.S. of All Time
There have been countless hit-makers in music history, but which artists are quite literally the best-selling artists in the United States of all time? Thanks to the Recording Industry Association…
There have been countless hit-makers in music history, but which artists are quite literally the best-selling artists in the United States of all time? Thanks to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), we can determine just that.
One of the most notable things the RIAA does is award albums and other title certifications based on sales. The RIAA has three certification levels:
-Gold: Awarded to titles that have sold a minimum of 500,000 units.
-Platinum: Awarded to titles that have sold a minimum of 1 million units.
-Diamond: Awarded to titles that have sold a minimum of 10 million units.
Title tallies are measured in "units." These units are determined in three ways:
-The sale of a physical or digital album counts as 1 unit.
-The individual sale of 10 digital tracks from an album counts as 1 unit.
-1,500 on-demand audio/video streams from an album count as 1 unit.
According to the RIAA's certification criteria, a title becomes eligible for certification 30 days after its release date for physical titles and the same day of release for digital titles. In order for a title to be certified, the RIAA states, "Applicants must submit specific sales and streaming figures at each level threshold, along with other criteria, to qualify for certification."
In other words: A lot of effort and statistical analysis goes into the RIAA's certification process. (If you care to read about every single little detail about the certification process, you can do so here.)
With all of this in mind, keep scrolling to find out who are the ten best-selling artists in the United States of all time. With every artist, you'll learn which of their titles have moved the most units. (Spoiler: Brace yourself for some mind-blowing numbers! Seriously, they're going to make your head spin.)
10. Pink Floyd - 75 million units sold.
MJ Kim/Getty ImagesWhen Pink Floyd is 10th on a list, you know you're dealing only with legends. Of the 75 million units sold, Pink Floyd has two studio albums that have been certified Diamond: 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'The Wall.' Those classic albums have sold 15 million and 23 million units, respectively.
9. AC/DC - 75 million units sold.
Newsmakers/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesOne of Australia's greatest exports, AC/DC is beloved all over the world, but there's a lot of love for the hard rock icons in the U.S. Of all of their albums, their biggest-selling LP is 'Back in Black,' which has sold a whopping 25 million units in the States alone.
8. Elton John - 79 million units sold.
Erika Goldring/Getty ImagesSir Elton, of course, has a massive worldwide fan base. As for the 79 million units sold in the U.S., his biggest tallies come via his 1974 'Greatest Hits' compilation, which has sold 17 million units to date.
7. Billy Joel - 86 million units sold.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images"The Piano Man" sure has a lot of bread in his jar thanks to his impressive sales in the United States. His 'Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II' collection has moved 23 million units. Additionally, his classic album 'The Stranger' has moved 11 million units.
6. Michael Jackson - 89 million units sold.
Phil Walter/Getty Images"The King of Pop" has an impressive three titles that have been certified Diamond. 'Bad' has moved 11 million units, while the compilation 'Number Ones' has sold 13 million units. Of course, the biggest feather in MJ's cap comes via 'Thriller,' which has sold a staggering 34 million units.
5. Led Zeppelin - 112.5 million units sold.
Evening Standard/Getty ImagesConsidering their sales totals, it would be shocking to go through someone's album collection and not find a Led Zeppelin title. Five of Zeppelin's studio albums have been certified Diamond: 'Led Zeppelin I' (10 million units); 'Houses of the Holy' (11 million units); 'Led Zeppelin II' (12 million units); 'Physical Graffiti' (16 million units); and 'Led Zeppelin IV' (24 million units).
4. Eagles - 120 million units sold.
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesLike Zeppelin, it would be shocking to find no Eagles titles in someone's album collection considering how many units they've sold in their legendary career. Chances are that aforementioned album collection contains 'Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975.' That greatest hits album has sold 38 million units making it the biggest selling album ever in the United States. The Eagles also have the third best-selling album of all time in the U.S. with 'Hotel California,' which has sold 26 million units.
3. Elvis Presley - 139 million units sold
Liaison/Getty Images"The King" may have left the building decades ago, but his influence still looms large. Of all the titles he's released, 101 of them have been certified Gold, while 57 of them have gone Platinum. Twenty-five titles have been certified multi-platinum. His lone Diamond certified title? That's 'Elvis' Christmas Album,' which has sold 10 million units.
2. Garth Brooks - 157 million units sold.
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesGarth Brooks' sales figure are simply insane! For crying out loud, he has 10 titles that have been certified Diamond! His biggest seller? That would be 'Double Live,' which has moved 21 million units.
1. The Beatles - 183 million units sold.
Fox Photos/Getty ImagesThe best-selling artist of all time in the U.S. is certainly not surprising. Even though they split over 50 years ago, The Beatles continue to be the standard for rock/pop songwriting greatness. Three of their studio albums have been certified Diamond: 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (11 million units); 'Abbey Road' (12 million units); and 'The Beatles'/"The White Album" (24 million units). Even three of their greatest hits compilations have been certified Diamond. Frankly, there's just no beating The Beatles.
