A lot of time has passed from the first charts to today. Criteria for assessing the "selling" and popularity of musicians have changed. They are influenced by various factors - from moral values to the state of world financial policy.
But there are such celebrities whose popularity the Pope himself does not take to challenge. About 25 most expensive artists, whose albums are sold out faster than hot pies, it will be discussed below.
25. Rod Stewart - 76 million copies
Six of his albums, six singles took first place in the charts of Britain. 16 singles Rod Stewart entered the American top-10. He rightfully can be considered one of the most successful solo artists of our time.
24. Britney Spears - 80 million
Britney - one of the greatest stars of pop music, achieved fame at a young age. Her commercial success is comparable to the success of Madonna and Michael Jackson. True, the statement of her record company on the sale of 200 million singles is somewhat exaggerated.
23. Phil Collins - 85 + million
This musician is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His name is immortalized in the Hall of Fame rock'n'roll. Sales of his albums around the world are over 150 million copies. But officially sold singles are only 85 million.
22. Metallica - 90 million
The self-titled album of this group, released in 1991, sold more than 16 million copies in the US. This made the record the best-selling SoundScan ever. Metallica is without doubt one of the most commercially successful teams of our time. Its sales around the world are estimated at more than 120 million copies.
21. Aerosmith - 90+ million
This is one of the long-lived groups. It exists more than four decades and for all history has sold more than 150 million copies of the albums.
20. Barbara Streisand - 97 million
She has 50 gold, 30 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums on her account. With such "luggage" Barbara managed to become one of the best-selling artists. In addition, she is one of the few singers who also won the Oscar, Grammy and Tony awards.
19. Bruce Springsteen - 100 million
An industrious artist who has received many awards for his music, among which are "Grammy", a couple of "Golden Globes", "Oscar" and others. Bruce enters the Hall of the Glory of Rock and Roll, and his latest album, High Hopes, has reached 100 million sales worldwide.
18. Billy Joel - 100+ million
He is the third best selling artist in America. Only Elvis and Garth Brooks overtook him. His albums Greatest Hits Vol I and II became platinum 23 times. Of course, for such a musician there was a place in the Hall of Rock and Roll fame.
17. The Rolling Stones - 100+ million
Many will be surprised, but one of the most popular bands sold not so many albums as it seems. Official sales - just over 100 million. At the same time, the tours of the "rollings" of the Voodoo Lounge Tour and Big Bang Bang became top in the 90s and 2000s, respectively.
16. U2 - 105 million
A small Irish project developed into something colossal thanks to the charismatic frontman of the band - Bono. For the whole history of its existence, the collective has won 22 Grammys. This is more than any other group. In 2005, the band entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
15. Queen - 105+ million
A huge number of their songs took first place in the American, British and many other world charts. The Greatest Hits album is considered the best selling in the history of Britain.
14. AC / DC - 110 million
The only album Back in Black is worth: 40 million sales in the world, of which 22 million - in the US. Their official sales are 110 million, in fact the figures should be significantly larger.
13. Whitney Houston - 112 million
Her voice is her main legacy. A million-dollar sales - just a confirmation of the enormous talent Whitney, who was able to last seven weeks in a row at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 hit parade.
12. Eminem - 115 million
He is the best-selling hip-hop performer of the 2000s. 45 million copies of his albums sold only in the US. The world figures are much larger. And this is only sales on physical media.
11. Pink Floyd - 115+ million
Their sales will not be able to fully describe the value of their musical heritage. Philosophical texts, unique sound experiments, complex and vivid performances - Pink Floyd had a huge impact on many musicians of our time.
10. Celine Dion - 125 million
The rise of her career came after Eurovision. Now Celine has two singles with sales of over a million copies, and Dion D'eux became the most successful French-language album. She has many awards and prizes, and it seems she does not intend to stop.
9. Mariah Carey - 130 million
To list its commercial achievements can be long. Mariah managed 16 weeks to hold on to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. But instead of talking about her and her merits, it's better to listen to a few tracks of the star.
8. Eagles - 130+ million
The most commercially successful American group. Their album Greatest Hits (1971 - 1975) shares first place with Jackson Thriller's plate in top-selling albums.
7. Led Zeppelin - 140 million
They are the second after The Beatles in America. What else can you add?
6. Garth Brooks - 145 million
Garth is called a king, and he is really a great performer. Brooks is America's best-selling performer since the beginning of the SoundScan era.
5. Elton John - 162 million
He stood at the helm of pop-rock and rock currents of the 70's and deservedly earned the title of world-class star. And with him, and unofficial 250 million sales around the world.
4. Madonna - 166 million
Madonna is so cool that her name is even included in the Guinness Book of Records. The singer is officially recognized as the best-selling female performer of all time.
3. Michael Jackson - 175 million
Although the data of his labels on the sale of 750 million copies and exaggerated, there is no doubt that he is the king of pop music. During his career, Jackson set a lot of records. I wrote the most commercially successful album Thriller, for example, or shot the best selling clip.
2. Elvis Presley - 210 million
The only solo artist who managed to overcome the barrier of 200 million sales. But the worst thing is that to record its commercial successes, the US Record Industry Association began only in 1958. And this means that Elvis has much more achievements than 90 gold, 52 platinum and 25 multiplatinum albums.
1. The Beatles - 265 million
"Beatles" became a symbol of the era. And if their albums are as actively sold for the next two decades, The Beatles will be the first group to exceed the mark of 300 million sales.