Talk:List of best-selling music artists: Difference between revisions

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==Methodology==

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As has been pointed out, this list is lacking in the kind of scientific rigor that is required of a Wikipedia article. We know that artists, fans, and promoters often make outrageous claims about how many records an artist may have sold, and that lazy journalists often repeat these figures without checking them, but it seems that this article simply accepts the highest claim.

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I have previously tried to highlight this by citing the example of Alla Pugacheva, who is undoubtedly ''not'' the fifth-biggest-selling worldwide recording artist, as this list asserts (Reliable statistics for Russian sales do not exist; she is not the mos,t popular Russian star by a huge margin, and yet there is not a single other Russian artist on the list). There are many others here: Cliff Richard, for one, may well have been the British Elvis and an enduring star, but his sales have been restricted largely to the UK. 260 million would require him to sell over 5 million records each year for each of the 50 years he has been performing; where are the British industry statistics supporting this? I doubt also that Nana Mouskouri, while indeed extremely prolific and well known in a number of major markets, has outsold Michael Jackson.

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I am almost tempted to flag the article for lack of neutrality, simply because it seems to repeat rather wild assertions as facts (whatever the disclaimer at the beginning). Unless, of course, we can agree on a standard method for accepting sales figures. [[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 16:18, August 8, 2005 (UTC)

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:I would agree entirely - I think we need to come up with a standard. IE if it doesnt come from an official source then it doesnt get posted here, and the artists site can not be considered an official source. Also we should as a standard, I dont know how others would feel about this, but we should use the lowest available figure, Also singles should not be counted. There are some people that despite there claims shouldnt be in the top 100 let alone the top 10, like Johnny Mathis, and Neil Young. I can see Nana Mouskouri selling 100 million albums, but not the large number currently attributed to her. Celine Dion, Maiha Carry and Madonna, as well as MJ are really the only ones with hard numbers (I believe they were all given awards at one time or another for high sales).

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:Also we should use firm numbers but not estimates. So we know from the award she won last year Celine Dion has sold 175 million albums but it could be more because they are not really sure of all her sales in some countries (particularly underdeveloped french ones where they could be much higher than stated). In this instance I propose we would use the 175 million as a firm number, and put next to the firm number an astrict meaning that it could be higher. So use the best most reliable firm number. Elivis was popular but his sales have really been overstated here.--[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 17:38, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

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::And what is an "official source"?, anything can be debated! Also, Cliff Richards success has not been restricted to isn't the UK. Just because he didn't make it that big in America, so what? The entire world it's just the UK and USA. Cliff is big all throughout Europe, and also in Australia and New Zealand. So to say his sales "are largely restricted to the UK" (a country where he has had over 100 hit singles and more than 60 hit albums anyway) is complete and utter nonsence. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 21:36, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

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:::This last post proves my point rather well. Every fan, it seems, wants to believe a favourite artist is among the world's top sellers. I cited the cases of three artists on this list who, while popular, appear here with what should be obvious are highly exaggerated sales figures. I too like Cliff Richard, and know that he has some fans in the rest of Europe (although he is hardly among the top-selling artists) and has had hits such as "Dreaming" in North America, even if his music isn't widely appreciated there. He is indeed an enduring figure in NZ and Australia as well, although the 20 million people there haven't each bought 10 of his records. Thus "largely confined to the UK" where he is something of an icon. But even there, he hasn't outsold, say, Pink Floyd; he went from 1965 to 1979 without a major hit single.

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== Moving Katy Perry to 165 million ==

:::So, again, the difficulty of compiling exacting figures shouldn't lead us to take fan figures seriously, even if they are repeated in mainstream media. There exist industry figures and awards for top-selling artists, and these should form the basis of most estimates. See further down this page for a link to an interesting analysis of Elvis's true sales; now apply this kind of disintersted analysis to all the other artists listed here. [[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 20:57, August 11, 2005 (UTC)

Katy Perry has reportedly sold 165 million records worldwide, according to [https://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/2018/08/06/03006-20180806ARTFIG00241-rencontre-entre-celine-dion-et-katy-perry-cette-photo-pese-400millions-d-albums.php Le Figaro], the oldest national newspaper in France. I think, considering the rules of this list, 165 million is the highest claimed sales we can document for her.

: Actually i am not a "huge" fan of Cliff Richard., just know what I am talking about. His sales are not "largely restricted" to the UK. Cliff has sold more singles in the UK than anyone and, yes, he has outsold Pink Floyd in total sales in the UK. You claim Cliff went from 1962 to 1972 without a major hit in the UK... what rubbish, he had 6 top 10 singles in 1964 alone!

Futhermore, Pink Floyd have gone much longer without successfull albums than Cliff Richard, so you have proven that you're the one cutting the facts to suit your own version of events, even though when the facts are looked at, your claims are proven false.

Also, Elvis' sales are not largely over stated here, looking at world charts from when he started to the presnet, there is no reason to doubt he sold at the very very least 500 million records.

You also prove you don't know what you are talking about one bit, by claiming the industry are the "most reliable" source. Common sense shows, it even says here on this page, that the industry exaggerated sales for publicity. So, the "figures from the industry" you quote like they are bible verses mean nothing too and that comftably includes any statsitic from the R.I.A.A [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 21:13, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

'''Pure album sales worldwide'''

::::Personal attack, anonymous user. Sigh. [[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 21:17, August 11, 2005 (UTC)

*''One of the Boys'' – 7 million as of August 2010 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160330100108/http://www.mtv.com/news/1646527/katy-perry-fantasia-look-to-unseat-eminem-on-charts MTV])

*''Teenage Dream'' – 12 million as of March 2025 ([https://www.businessinsider.es/estilo-vida/conciertos-katy-perry-madrid-barcelona-cuanto-cuestan-entradas-donde-comprarlas-1446059 Business Insider]) and ([https://www.europe2.fr/musique/europe-2-classics-california-gurls-de-katy-perry-est-une-ode-a-la-cote-ouest-des-etats-unis-54375.html Europe 2]).

*''Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection'' – 1 million as of 2013 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130409080309/http://www.aria.com.au/documents/RIN2013.pdf IFPI]).

*''Prism'' – 6 million as of September 2016 ([https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2015/10/19/katy-perry-hizo-vibrar-a-costa-rica-en-el-ltimo-concierto-del-prismatic-tour The San Diego Union-Tribune]).

*''Witness'' – 1 million as of June 2018 ([https://los40.com/los40/2018/07/18/musica/1531909318_416197.html Los 40]) and ([https://www.laprensa.hn/espectaculos/katy-perry-tuvo-depresion-mala-musica-MFLP1199041 La Prensa]).

:'''TOTAL – 27 million''' without including her last two albums, ''Smile'' and ''143'', and recurrent sales of these listed albums above.

'''Pure single sales worldwide'''

No more personal than you were being by repsonding directly to me and trying to make out I was just trying to beef up the stats. However, I proved that you are cutting facts to suit yourself - something you tried to accuse me of- and not basing your claims on reality. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 21:22, 11 August 2005 (UTC)

*125 million as of 2017 to 2018 ([https://www.chartsinfrance.net/Katy-Perry/news-106301.html Pure Charts]) and [https://www.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/columns/brandy-mcdonnell/2017/05/15/katy-perry-announces-new-album-witness-north-american-tour-including-oklahoma-show/60599418007 The Oklahoman]

*135 million as of 2022 ([https://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2022/02/12/news/katy_perry-337501985 la Repubblica]) and ([https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/01/premiere-eccezionale-per-il-video-when-im-gone-di-dj-alesso-e-katy-perry-0457d091-7f2e-478c-8ecb-0bcac01c2274.html Rai News 24])

*143 million as of 2025 ([https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity-life/incredible-katy-perry-adds-two-final-shows-to-soldout-australia-concerts-as-she-fights-back-against-criticism-of-her-latest-album/news-story/058cfe8ccae96d671ed2d7e8269e5510 Sky News Australia])

Combining the total of pure album and single sales, Katy Perry has already crossed 150 to 160+ million sales worldwide. Again, without including the recurrent sales of her discography. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 16:23, 5 August 2025 (UTC)

We need to rate people by statistics stated by organizations like RIAA, most countries have em. I know Canada has one, but so does the UK and Austrilia and many other markets. Once you take these offical sources, you dont take anything else into account. We know celine, madonna, mariah, MJ, and the beatles are all in the right ball park but there are some other people who are not in that ball park, and not only that are playing a whole different ball game, and while they should still be on this list they should be 100 places lower.

:One of the Boys has sold only 1.73 million copies in the US as of 2020, 718,000 in the UK as of April 2020, and 156,000 in France as of 2013. Given these countries account for nearly 50% of the global music market share, the reported 7 million copies sold worldwide as of 2010 seems inaccurate, possibly a PR exaggeration by record labels. A similar discrepancy is seen with Teenage Dream, which has sold 3.1 million copies in the US, 1.46 million in the UK, 376,000 in Canada, and 266,000 in France as of 2020, casting doubt on its global sales figures. And her single sales are largely driven by streaming numbers, rather than actual sales or downloads. The claimed 160 million sales figure for Katy Perry is likely highly inflated, especially considering that the vast majority of her single sales are generated from streaming rather than actual purchases [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 17:50, 5 August 2025 (UTC)

No we shouldn't. This page states that industry stats are no more reliable than anythign else. The R.I.A.A are not reliable themselves. For instance, the ungraded Led Zeppelin's sales in mid-1990s, then again by 20-30 million a few years later on the same albums a few years later. Nice few years for Zeeppelin eh? They sold more albums than anyone in America, withot having a top 100 disc. (lol). Unless someone from the R.I.A.A, and other "industry sources", goes around the record factory, and and counts every CD shipped out then there stats, are NOT 100% accurate at all. Where do the RIAA get their "ship out" figures from? Record company say so! An article like this should reflect some sort of truth, not be a list of industry hype. Your idea is just as faultless, if not more so, than the system that is already in practice. You might think the RIAA figures are gospel, but they are not. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:04, 12 August 2005 (UTC)

::There's a strong case to be made that there's no exaggeration in the PR from record labels regarding album sales. If streaming figures are indeed factored in, Katy's album sales are likely to surpass [https://www.universalmusic.ca/press-releases/global-pop-superstar-katy-perrys-new-album-143-confirmed-for-september-20-release-via-capitol-records/ 70 million] copies worldwide, as published by her record label, Capitol, and Universal Music Group. The pure album sales of 27 million mentioned above aren't adjusted for the inclusion of streams, which means that only pure sales are included.

::When discussing the global music market share, it's important to consider that the year-to-year data from various countries can be inconsistent, as reflected in this [[List of largest recorded music markets|article]]. This makes it difficult to pinpoint which countries contribute most significantly to the reported sales of Katy's albums. Adding up sales by country for each album is also complicated; many countries have different methods for tracking and certifying sales, and some may not actively report these figures. Please see [[WP:No original research#Synthesis of published material that advances a position]]; we need a source that explicitly gives a total sales figure. Therefore, relying on reports and publications by these reliable sources is a much more convenient way of knowing the actual sales figures. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 18:16, 5 August 2025 (UTC)

:::For example, for ''Prism'', if streams will be included, its adjusted sales worldwide is [https://grammymuseum.org/exhibit/katy-perry-frock-roll-transforming-music-and-fashion/ 12.5 million]. So the sales figure of 6 million is safe to say include only pure sales. The figures will be much higher if streams are really included as what you are implying here. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 18:22, 5 August 2025 (UTC)

::I agree with moving Katy up the list. Let us calculate following the "rule" that claimed sales must be supported by at least 75% of certified sales:

::Katy Perry: *Certified sales = 225.967 million *Proposed claimed sales = 165 million

::To have her claimed sales of 165 million accepted under the rule, she would need a minimum of 220 million certified sales (since 75% of 220 million is 165 million).

::She currently has 225.967 million certified sales, which already exceeds the required minimum.In fact, her current certified sales are about 2.6% higher than the minimum needed. "'Therefore, her claimed sales of 165 million are sufficiently supported for inclusion on the list under this rule."' No additional certified sales are needed.

::With these, I think it is reasonable to update Katy Perry's claimed sales from 143 million to 165 million because her certified sales of approximately 225.967 million exceed the minimum threshold needed to support that claim, given the rule that claimed sales must be at least 75% of certified sales. This logic mirrors Lady Gaga's case, where her claimed sales are supported by the amount of her certified sales, surpassing the required value to validate the claimed sales. Thus, moving Katy Perry's claimed sales from 143 million to 165 million is justified and consistent with the methodology ensuring claimed sales are backed by sufficient certified sales. [[User:Michael Igol|Michael Igol]] ([[User talk:Michael Igol|talk]]) 17:04, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

:::I've restored Katy Perry's old claimed sales, as the new 165 million figure is inflated and mostly based on streaming-generated numbers. Her total available certifications stand at 226 million, with 146 million from the US, and notably, 121 million of these are from digital singles sales, which are largely streaming-generated. The rules you mentioned came into effect when certifications were based on sales rather than streaming, and there's a consensus not to use such rules based on the discussions from the RFC that closed on October 1, 2022. [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 15:06, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::Katy Perry has sold over 27 million albums globally and her pure single sales are reported to be between [https://www.chartsinfrance.net/Katy-Perry/news-106301.html 125 million] [https://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2022/02/12/news/katy_perry-337501985 and] 143 million. This puts her total pure sales significantly above 150 million. If we factor in streaming numbers, as you seem to imply, her adjusted sales would exceed [https://www.universalmusic.ca/press-releases/global-pop-superstar-katy-perrys-new-album-143-confirmed-for-september-20-release-via-capitol-records/ 200 million worldwide], as I pointed out in my previous response, which you failed to address. It is important to note that these claimed sales are based on global figures, so why are you solely focusing on her USA certifications? [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 16:22, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::[https://chartmasters.org/katy-perry-albums-and-songs-sales/#digital_songs ChartMasters], a dubious source you quoted before, confirms that her pure singles have reached a total of 135 million digital downloads worldwide, without including stream-equivalent units.

::::When we tally any of the reported pure single sales, ranging from 125 million to 143 million worldwide, and add them to the 27 million pure album sales from her first five albums, it's undeniable that she has already surpassed the 150 million mark. This figure is achieved without even factoring in her extended plays, her two recent studio albums, or the recurrent sales of the albums already counted. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 16:34, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::The main focus of this discussion is Katy Perry's claimed pure sales figures. It's important to clarify that her certifications are not in question. However, using her certifications from one country to make sweeping conclusions about her worldwide claimed sales is misguided. It's problematic to hastily generalize that her sales are "largely streaming-generated" without proper context. Even if there is some truth to that claim, her certifications—which are part of her certified sales—should not be the focal point of this discussion.

::::Initially, you were overanalyzing and manually counting the pure sales of each country for each of her albums, which detracts from the main topic. Now, you're redirecting to her certifications, further diverting the discussion. [[User:Michael Igol|Michael Igol]] ([[User talk:Michael Igol|talk]]) 16:56, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::'''Your assertion that most of Katy Perry's albums and single sales are generated by streaming is absolutely flawed'''. Katy achieved her peak success during the digital downloads era, with her first three studio albums, ''One of the Boys'', ''Teenage Dream'', and ''Prism'', as well as her most successful singles, "I Kissed a Girl," "California Gurls," "Firework," "Roar", and many more, are all released between 2008 and 2014. This [https://www.forbes.com/sites/billrosenblatt/2018/05/07/the-short-unhappy-life-of-music-downloads/ period] marked the height of paid digital downloads before streaming became the dominant force in music consumption.

::::The evidence of her success during this time is clearly reflected in the IFPI reports from 2008 to 2014, which show her significant presence in the industry at a time when digital downloads were thriving (You can check each of these reports if you have the time). In fact, in 2014, she was recognized as the [https://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/26/showbiz/katy-perry-digital-award best-selling digital artist in the United States], surpassing some artists above her on this list.

::::Just for a comparison. Ed Sheeran is ranked higher than Katy Perry on this list and has claimed sales of 200 million, a figure you and other users accept. However, it's important to recognize, since you are not aware, that Katy had a more significant presence in global music during the digital downloads era, where she sold more records than Ed. Ed's [https://variety.com/2025/music/news/ed-sheeran-drake-the-weeknd-apple-music-top-streamed-songs-1236447163/ global success] largely aligns with the rise of streaming, where most of his successful albums and singles are released and charted during this [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ed-sheeran-shape-of-you-verdict-meaning-b2052113.html time]. Therefore, questioning Katy's claimed sales of 165 million as primarily streaming-generated is unacceptable, especially considering Ed's accepted sales of 200 million.

::::Again, your claim that her sales are mainly streaming-generated simply does not hold up under scrutiny. Most of Katy Perry's sales figures stem from her music released during the digital downloads era, well before streaming took over the music landscape. This reality firmly counters any assertion to the contrary. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 18:51, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::If Katy Perry's sales were generated from digital downloads instead of streams, it would impact her RIAA database, as it's account for 65% of her certifications. Prior to June 2013, when RIAA began incorporating streams into certifications, Katy Perry had [https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Katy+Perry+&ti=&lab=&genre=&format=Single&date_option=certification&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section 27 million units]. Her later certifications are based on streaming, as noted in Billboard articles. However, the provided sources cite ChartMasters, which is not a reliable source. Before updating claimed sales, ensure you obtain consensus. [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 08:14, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::Interestingly, you have no issue with Coldplay and Britney Spears having a 1:1 ratio of certified sales and claimed sales, or with Coldplay having South Korea pure sales listed under certified sales. Yet, when it comes to moving Katy Perry higher on the list, you ignore all the reasons and supported claims I presented here. Why is that? When it comes to Katy Perry, your approach appears inconsistent.

::::::Relying solely on her certification in the US to draw conclusions about her global sales is flawed. Even if we consider her 27 million certified sales in 2013 before RIAA included streaming, how can we be sure those figures are current or that all her releases up to that point are fully certified?

::::::Moreover, you were [[Talk:Katy Perry/Archive 8#Claimed sales|the one who first referenced ChartMasters]] to challenge my proposal. I merely brought it up in light of your previous comments. It's part of fairness to apply the same standards consistently across all artists. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 08:37, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::Both Coldplay and Britney Spears are more senior artists than Katy Perry, resulting in higher physical and digital sales. I appreciate all three artists - Coldplay, Katy Perry, and Britney Spears - and I tend to listen to Coldplay and Katy Perry more often. I used Katy Perry's US sales as an example due to the US being the largest music market, accounting for 65% of her total certifications. I mentioned ChartMasters but didn't reference it as a source, which I clarified in subsequent comments. Regarding certification updates, the same applies to all artists on the list, including Katy Perry post-2013. Additionally, I didn't note until now that Coldplay's South Korean sales data was included in the column, which is solely dedicated to certifications, so it can be removed. [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 09:19, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::::Another one is Coldplay's certified sales in the UK, which are listed as 51.005 million. This figure looks odd, especially since the BPI, the UK's official certifying body, issues certifications in increments of 200k, 300k, 600k, and 1.2 million. The presence of a "5" at the end of the mentioned figure is odd and casts doubt on whether it really represents certified sales. You guys seem to have overlooked or ignored numerous weird data in this list.

::::::::Again, I have provided extensive supporting information to justify moving Katy Perry up the list. If the figure of 165 million claimed sales cannot be accepted outright, I propose we at least adjust her claimed sales from 143 million to 150 million. I firmly believe she has already surpassed the 150 million mark.

::::::::Placing Ed Sheeran above Katy Perry, particularly given that a significant portion of his sales stems from the streaming era, does not sit right with me. Please review his discography to understand the context of his sales better. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 11:11, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::Hello there! I don't want to get involved in this discussion, but since I'm the one who keeps track of Coldplay and you mentioned them, here's [https://i.ibb.co/bMvNG2P8/Coldplay-Certifications-in-the-UK.jpg the full list of certifications] they have in the United Kingdom. '''[[User:GustavoCza|GustavoCza]]''' ([[User talk:GustavoCza|talk]] • [[Special:Contribs/GustavoCza|contribs]]) 14:01, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::What about Coldplay's Korean certifications? Are those really certifications or just pure sales reported by the charts? The source you provided is no longer working. [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 17:24, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::::It's a year-end report with songs that reached Platinum status or higher. "Something Just Like This" was filed under 2.5 million downloads, but some of the certifications were for 100 million streams instead. '''[[User:GustavoCza|GustavoCza]]''' ([[User talk:GustavoCza|talk]] • [[Special:Contribs/GustavoCza|contribs]]) 18:12, 8 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::::Hello! I would appreciate it if you could take a moment to address my previous question about moving Katy Perry up the list, with at least 150 million claimed sales. Thank you. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 10:08, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::::150 million sounds about right for Katy, I don't see any problem with moving her up. The only reason Coldplay are in the same range is because they remain ridiculously undercertified outside the United Kingdom. '''[[User:GustavoCza|GustavoCza]]''' ([[User talk:GustavoCza|talk]] • [[Special:Contribs/GustavoCza|contribs]]) 17:20, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::::Do you have any sources to back up the 150 million units sales claim? [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 21:37, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::::::Hello! Unfortunately, I couldn't find a specific source to support the claimed sales of 150 million. However, I did come across an [https://tn.com.ar/musica/noticias/2023/09/18/katy-perry-vendio-su-catalogo-musical-por-225-millones-de-dolares/ article] published by [[Todo Noticias]], an Argentine news channel, that supports the claim of 151 million sales worldwide. If it is fine, we can use this source instead. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 06:34, 11 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::::::I strongly support moving Katy Perry higher on the list. If we can't agree on the claimed sales of 165 million, we should consider at least 150 million. If there isn't a specific source to back up the 150 million, we can refer to the source that states 151 million sales until more recent and better sources become available. [[User:Michael Igol|Michael Igol]] ([[User talk:Michael Igol|talk]]) 10:48, 13 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::::::Hi, [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] it's been five days since your last reply in this discussion about moving Katy up the list with at least 151 million claimed sales, as supported by the provided source. I noticed you were making edits to the main article, so not addressing our discussion here won't help us reach a resolution or a general consensus on this matter. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 04:35, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::::::::::I don't see any issues with updating Katy Perry's claimed sales to 150 million from 143 million. Let's wait a few more days to see if anyone else has any objections. If not, let's go ahead with the update. [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 05:46, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::::::::::Hey there. It's been almost a week, and this topic is about to be archived automatically soon. I believe it's safe to say that there is a consensus: everyone agrees that Katy Perry's claimed sales should be updated from 143 million to 151 million, as supported by the specific source I referenced in my previous comment. Thank you for engaging in this meaningful discussion. [[User:143kittypurry|143kittypurry]] ([[User talk:143kittypurry|talk]]) 20:00, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

== Definitions section fails WP:V and WP:NOR ==

While their numbers are not the best, you have to understand what you are not understanding. We need a standard and a baseline. Right now a lot of figures are out of wack. As where if we go with the recording industry "official" stats we are measuring everyone by the same stick. Right now we are measuring people by the stick that their fans are comming in here and creating. At least it would create a sense of everyone is measured by the same fair stick. --[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 15:25, 12 August 2005 (UTC)

As the title states the definition section of this article fails [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|WP:V]] and [[Wikipedia:No original research|WP:NOR]] (which every article needs to adhere to) and is un-encyclopedic. The arguments are not suitable for a Wikpedia page in the absence of reliable secondary sources. I had addressed the issue here [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_best-selling_music_artists&diff=1305945268&oldid=1305932723] but my edits were reverted due to prior consensus about the original research. There is a larger issue here about the article as a whole lacking objectivity and being un-encyclopedic, which has been the cause of numerous disputes, talk page discussions, RfCs and noticeboard incidents over the years and even a [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of best-selling music artists (4th nomination)|deletion request]] last year. But until a good solution can be found to revamp the article as a whole, some improvements can still be made by removing definitions that violate [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|WP:V]] and [[Wikipedia:No original research|WP:NOR]] and provide a subjective basis for editors to object to claimed sales figure based on perceived inflation - the extent to which can't be quantified and will be subject to debate/dispute on a case by case or artist by artist basis based on opinions. [[User:Isjadd773|Isjadd773]] ([[User talk:Isjadd773|talk]]) 02:05, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

: {{re|Isjadd773}} I removed the "more citations needed" tag because this section is still verifiable and encyclopedic. [[User:Achmad Rachmani|Achmad Rachmani]] ([[User talk:Achmad Rachmani|talk]]) 23:59, 16 August 2025 (UTC)

It's not a "fair stick" when the figures are not correct. Your claim it's fair when the figures are not right is just not true. A lot of figures mught be out of wack now, even more will be so if this system is put into practice. A lot of older artists for example will not have sales certified. Why should they be precluded from the list? Also, plenty of albums are not certified because they never reach the 500,000 sales. Yet they may sell 300,000 or 400,000. Why should those sales not be added on to totals, especially if an act has had 100 albums make that figure? You fail to understand this "measuring by the same stick" is in no way definitive and will still use a lot of false, over the top and hyped info. It will solve nothing and is a pointless excersise. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 16:33, 12 August 2005 (UTC)

::It's a shame you removed the tag without addressing the issues raised with reliable sources for that section or making other appropriate changes to the language. This was a good faith request for citations. If you can't provide them or are unwilling to do so then you shouldn't remove the tag and let someone else address it. There are multiple unverified and unsourced claims which violate [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|WP:V]] and [[Wikipedia:No original research|WP:NOR]]. The onus falls on editors insisting on keeping unverified claims to provide appropriate citations. [[User:Isjadd773|Isjadd773]] ([[User talk:Isjadd773|talk]]) 01:19, 17 August 2025 (UTC)

:::There is a source for each part of the Definitions text. You probably disagree, but it is sourced. [[User:Markus WikiEditor|Markus WikiEditor]] ([[User talk:Markus WikiEditor|talk]]) 01:55, 17 August 2025 (UTC)

::::There were multiples issues with that section related to WP:V and WP:NOR. I've addressed them again with seperate edits and edit summaries. It falls on you to explain why content which fails to adhere to Wiki policies should stay. [[User:Isjadd773|Isjadd773]] ([[User talk:Isjadd773|talk]]) 15:16, 17 August 2025 (UTC)

:::You have to explain what sentences are in violation of WP:NOR or WP:V instead of just saying it. You have placed the tag on the top of article by simply saying the section definition violates these, which is definitely not in good faith. [[User:TheWikiholic|TheWikiholic]] ([[User talk:TheWikiholic|talk]]) 02:05, 17 August 2025 (UTC)

::::It's rather strange you bring this up as a talking point considering you reverted my edit where I had added citation needed tags within the section and trimmed some of the OR and SYNTH. Even ignoring the edits, the section is only three paragraphs. It should be fairly easy to see what content fails WP:V and WP:NOR. [[User:Isjadd773|Isjadd773]] ([[User talk:Isjadd773|talk]]) 02:29, 17 August 2025 (UTC)

::::As explained in the previous reply, you were already aware of what I was disputing considering you reverted my prior edit. I've addressed these issues again with separate edits and edit summaries, so there's no excuse of someone being unaware of what I'm disputing. It falls on you to explain why content which fails to adhere to Wiki policies should stay. [[User:Isjadd773|Isjadd773]] ([[User talk:Isjadd773|talk]]) 15:19, 17 August 2025 (UTC)

== Period active ==

The point is that it will bring everyone into the same bloody ball park, where they currently do not reside. Some statistics take into account singles, and some dont. There is no standard. Any standard from here would be an improvement. As this list is right now it should be deleted, because there are too few official sources. Or we could play your way, and REMOVE any artist that does not have a source listed, or they are listed as having their discography as their source instead of the horses mouth. How about this as a standard, if it does not come from their offical website, or their record label it didnt happend. We cant have someone here because they might have sold a certain number of albums, If we dont have concrete information they should not be on this list. Alla whatever from Russia, has concrete information, Encyclopedia Britanica, which is widely considered the most complete and accurate encyclopedia. Some dispute her numbers but if its in the Britanica you can bet its checked. I say if it doesnt come from another non community encyclopedia, the artists oficial site, or their record label it didnt happen. Because you cant publish something as a FACT in an encyclopedia if you have no means of backing it up. --[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 04:12, 13 August 2005 (UTC)

ABBA, Fleetwood Mac and Genesis are all inactive, since 2022. [[Special:Contributions/149.62.209.16|149.62.209.16]] ([[User talk:149.62.209.16|talk]]) 14:49, 16 August 2025 (UTC)

I doubt it was checked that thoroughly. Who would they have check it with? It would either be the record label, or they would have gone to the homes of the people who owned these records. The second virtually impossible. The first is open to bias. The guinness book of records who are also a respected source take industry say so too, even on albums that have be claimed to have sold more since their peak success, which is highly not true. If you want a list like this, you have to look at more than one source. Not just industry claims, not just the RIAA, not just other encyclopaedias. A cross section of sources is used on any good list, and unless you are going to look back in the history of the entire music business, check every claim against every sales chart and look at files about every acts back catalogue sales then that's the only way to get this as accurate as possible. The suggestion we only use selected sources is not going to take this anywhere. Also what do you consider another encyclopaedia? Do Music Who's who books count? Why dose a statistic mean more on an official website than an autobiography? There is no proper way to do this. Any sales info is prone to abuse, no matter how highly respected the source is. The suggested method will not put "people in the same ball park", it will just allow artists that have been hyped to look better on the list than thorough research will ever show. Sadly I (and the rest of us i'm sure) don't have the time and money available it would take to research every chart and read every claim to make this list more realistic, therefore this list will never be a real list and any method we use will be as it is now, open to hype and incorrect figures. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 07:26, 13 August 2005 (UTC)

== Michael Jacksons Numbers are inaccurate… ==

Meanie, that Britannica piece is unfortunately not accurate, and if you note it is not an encyclopedia entry (which would have been checked thoroughly), just a human-interest "news" story on their website, which is not the same thing. As I've mentioned below, I would be surprised indeed if Alla Pugacheva had sold more than 100 million records of any description. Even her husband, who would likely exaggerate his wife's sales figures, has claimed "only" 140 million. [[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 10:51, August 13, 2005 (UTC)

Michael Jackson has sold nowhere near 3 million units in DK. How on earth did you come up with this number? [[Special:Contributions/83.89.31.24|83.89.31.24]] ([[User talk:83.89.31.24|talk]]) 10:04, 22 August 2025 (UTC)

Most respected sources WON'T even check the sales info. And with all the hype from the industry and fans alike over the years who can blame them for taking any old figure and hanging their heads in despair?!

== Mina (Italian singer) ==

Well since there is no way we can get this list to be even slightly accurate as is the case of many other articles and lists, because of the lack of available unbiased soruces. For example it oculd neve be as unbiased as a list on oilreserves. I say we slate this article for deletion, and if I knew how I would definatly tag it for NPOV. --[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 04:51, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

Says she sold 150 million world wide [[Special:Contributions/45.48.245.50|45.48.245.50]] ([[User talk:45.48.245.50|talk]]) 07:14, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

You could nominate it for deletion, yes, or like with so many articles it could be mentioned that is list is disputed, like so many other articles here state, there is already a disclaimer on the page stating that this page should be "taken with a large grain of salt". [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 11:17, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

::I have to agree with ProhibitOpinion here. For years now I have searched for information of worldwide record sales of various artists. It has become a hobby of mine and while it is often difficult to get any idea whatsoever, sometimes I am able to get a ballpark figure. Based on this research, I have to say the numbers on this list sound ridiculous. There are many artists who have sold far more records than they should have and checking out some of the sources, many of them are not even close to being reliable. For instance, to use an example PO gave, Cliff Richard's numbers are not just inaccurate but resemble a multiple of what they should be.... and I've lived in the UK all my life. It's not to say that people cannot be big outside the US but it is to say, the market that Richard "tapped" was not big enough to supply him those sales no matter how big he was, short of us considering that huge portions of the population bought his albums. While I'm sure he had great success in New Zealand etc, these populations still don't supply the numbers. To hit 200,000,000 he would have to have been (in the world outside the US) the most popular music artist EVER. He's not.

::I would say more should be done to sort the article out but I don't believe that's the problem; it's simply too hard to provide the figures needed for this chart to be properly compiled. If it could feasibly have been done, a professional organisation or academic study would have undertaken it long ago. Instead we have over-zealous Wikipedia contributors quoting sources that were often taking wild stabs at numbers at best, simply making them up at worst. In fact, it appears as though in calculating Garth Brooks' worldwide take, a contributor has merely doubled his American take, which of course is a problem as Brooks is nowhere near as big in the rest of the world as he is in the States.--[[User:Zoso Jade|Zoso Jade]] 08:57, September 7, 2005 (UTC)

:::ProhibitOpinion, eh? Wish I'd thought of that! [[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 17:19, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

:::PS: This list gets less credible by the day. Why hasn't it been deleted yet?

==No cheating==

For the source for Celine Dion and Neil Young [http://www.piczo.com/alm-26?g=14523000 seen here], you can clearly see that someone deliberately made that site in order to highlight their artists. That website lacks authority and should not be cited as a source.

I am certain that you can all notice that the information in the website was 'cut and pasted' from this site unto theirs and the figures were manipulated. The writing is in the same font and in the same format as the one on this page. Furthermore, the person who made the site is, like, 10 years old; they had pictures of 'their graduation'. Shouldn't we try to get reliable source? If we use that source, its like we are inviting other people to go out and make websites with unsupported info and cite it as a source.

[[User:Journalist|Journalist]] 02:22, 29 July 2005 (UTC)

==Discrepancies and unlikely figures==

One example is Fariouz: here in the list claims she sold 35M in the US, while she doesn't figure on the RIAA's top 100 ( see [http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topartists.asp riaa.com bestsellers top artists]) - there seems to be at least 25 who sold under the given figure and are on the list.

Also, I can hardly imagine that Michael Jackson is so low on the list. Remember, so far he's the one with the single highest selling album worldwide.

* He's also one of the acts with the fewest releases, hence he has less to ad on to it. Result - lower on the list than an big act who's released 3 times as many albums. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:10, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

As far as coutry music goes, I very much doubt they have any significant selling outside the USA.

* Then you'd be wrong [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:10, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Tell anyone in europe "Garth Brooks" or "George Strait" and they give you the look of "What the fuck do you think?"

* Then how come I know who they are? How come country music has top selling specailst magazines, radio shows and record stores here? Country music might not be as big here as in North America, but you are grossly underplaying it's success overseas. Country music's world wide appeal is equal to that of Jazz or Classical [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:10, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Amsterdam is a small village where everyone knows each other?!", while they might be familiar with small-time death-metal bands.

I can also hardly imagine that certain artists listed here sold more albums than the total number of albums released multiplied by the number of residents in their home country multiplied by ten. I mean, let's be a bit realistic, do you think a Greek guy sells outside greece? Cos personally, I never seen a greek album in the USA or europe.

This means that Latvian and Croatian artists who sold over sixhundredthousandmillion must be really popular in China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, :-).

[[User:Www.jpfo.org|Www.jpfo.org]] 04:08, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

See how "Greek guy" Nana Mouskouri is selling outside the Europe on Amazon.com : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=br_ss_hs/002-0798253-1696857?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dblended&field-keywords=Nana+Mouskouri [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 14:15, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I never said that Mouskou Nanastapopulos isn't selling, I just said it's strange the her -with similar others- seem to have outsold Presley, Zeppelin, Floyd, Jackson, Madonna, etc, while I never saw an album by them anywhere in the world. I never listen to a single note by Beatles, Presley, Madonna, Jackson, Osmond, Garth Brooks, George Strait, the Who, etc., yet I know well who they are. So how come these lebanese/croatian/mesopotamian megabuzillon sellers aren't ever prominantly displayed in record stores, MTV or radio? Maybe because they sell well anyhow, so they don't need the promotion c*******ers like Cötley Müle always get on MTV?

*Or maybe their number of sales quoted is bull****, for publicity purposes! [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:10, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Well this Nana sings in apparently 15 langues, making her more fluenent than the pope. While I dont really know who she is, Europe is an audience at least as big as the United States, and if you can sing well in 15 languages I dont see any reason why she couldnt land herself in the top selling singers ever, without ever selling in the US, but she did, apparently, back in the 80's. -Meanie- (didnt realize I was not logged in)

==Garth Brooks==

Who is listing Karyn White while forgetting these best selling artists?

*[[Garth Brooks]]

*[[Shania Twain]]

*[[Phil Collins]]

*[[Rod Stewart]]

*[[Prince (artist)|Prince]]

*[[Michael Jackson]]

*[[Tina Turner]]

*[[Cher (entertainer)|Cher]]

*[[Kenny Rogers]]

*[[Neil Diamond]]

Also, let's try to rank them by worldwide sales. The numbers are jumping all over the place.

:I agree, who could not understand to put them in order of sales.--[[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 19:18, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I would prefer to see a source at the bottom of the chart.

:Absolutely.--[[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 19:18, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I thought we were excluding groups!? That's ok if we're not.

I'm pretty sure Mariah and Celine and Elvis are somewhere on that list, but Britney? What about Barbara Streisand? That list is clearly flawed and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Britney definitely belongs on the list. Streisland has sold a lot of records ALL IN over many releases, but she's never had a single album sell in such quantities as Britney Spears.

==Janet Jackson==

Janet has NOT sold 100 million records!

Where is your source for that? I demand to know!

It sounds like it came from www.notachanceinhell.com! [[User:MadonnaFan|MadonnaFan]]

:Then you can edit it like you see fit. - [[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 23:30, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)

The Bowie wikipedia page states that he's sold 136 million. Consistency?

Janet Jackson has sold 100 million records because she has sold 77 million albums and about 23 million singles which makes it, that she has indeed sold about 100 million records!!!! (JJ)

No, she hasn't. That's what was claimed she sold, but a look at world-wide singles and album charts shows she's had less success that artists who haven't even sold half that. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:02, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

== Removals ==

What's up [[User:Rmhermen]]? 11 artists/groups to many for you? Please don't remove anything before discussing it here, okay? - [[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 21:40, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

== Move ==

[[List of best selling music artists]] was moved to [[Best selling music artists in US]]. Please don't do that. - [[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 22:25, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

== Mariah Carey ==

I found a link which say she won an award for selling 150 million "albums", so I guess it can be 195 million albums and singles.--[[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 19:31, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, Mariah Carey's number is pretty accurate as far as album and single sales... She won some Artist of the Millenium award for it at the World Music Awards a few years ago. Only thing is, this says she has released 15 albums and I can only think of 13.

== What's with the empty links? ==

Each line links to a an empty url (i.e. [[http://]). Should these be pointing somewhere? If not, I'll removed them and hard-code in numbers. -- [[User:Kaszeta|Kaszeta]] 19:15, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC)

:When so, and you add a new line item, do you notice how you have to update the line below it?--[[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 18:32, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

== Shania Twain ==

Shania has reportedly sold over 80 Million worldwide with only 4 albums,

This list is a load of BS!

And I sold 5 billion albums. :-)

:You'd better watch what you say. Twain's album, ''[[Come on Over (1997 album)|Come on Over]]'' sold 39 million copies worldwide, and with ''[[Up! (album)|Up!]]'' and ''[[The Woman In Me]]'' (16 and 18 million copies respectively), that comes to a total of 74 million albums sold. Her debut record was a flop, but managed to sell 2 million coming up to 76 million. Finally, her [[Greatest Hits (Shania Twain)|greatest hits]] has currently sold four miilion, upping the total to eighty million. HAH!

The remaining four or five million copies are composed of her various singles sold, including "Any Man of Mine", "You're Still the One", "From This Moment On", "That Don't Impress Me Much", "Up!", "Forever and for Always", "Party for Two", and her other singles. [[User:64.231.160.162|64.231.160.162]] 20:21, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

"Up" sold 16 million? lol that goes to show just how unrealsitc these figures are. The album sold less than 8 million world-wide by the time it dropped low in the charts in the USA and Europe, i highly doubt that it's sold betetr than half again since. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:15, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

== Revert to last jerryseinfeld edit? ==

Tried to clean up, but realized the article looked better before, how do you revert an article?

== Removed information ==

Look at how many times this article have suffered removed listings and removed links ([http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_best_selling_music_artists&action=history article history]).--[[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 18:26, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

== ABBA ==

Why was the sales figures for [[ABBA]] changed from 370 millions to 250 millions by [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] in edit '23:54 2005 May 21'? This is not consistent with what the [[ABBA]] page says. Does [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] have any sources?

I hope it has nothing to do with his changing [[Nana_Mouskouri]] from 250 to 300 millions and wanting her to have a better position than [[ABBA]]. I changed the figures back to reflect the contents of the [[ABBA]] page.

- [[User:Killenheladagen|Killenheladagen]]

370 milion figure doesn't have any sources so far.[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 12:25, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

[[ABBA]] page is not a source. Everybody can write there whatever he want.[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 12:40, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

Of course the [[ABBA]] article is not a definite source, but a good practise would be to treat each artist/band article as a source for the list article and then specify the original source in the artist/band article. I see that you edited the [[ABBA]] article so it says "140 to 370 million" which is good, and a reference in that article to a proper source would make it even better. I once read in a magazine that [[ABBA]] sold 500 million world wide, but almost nothing in the US. I will try to dig up that magazine. - [[User:Killenheladagen|Killenheladagen]] 17:53, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

All this figures of 300-400-500 millions seems to me coming from imagination of ABBA fans. If you will look at album sales numbers of ABBA you will not see such a figures.[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 17:59, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

== Comments on Vorash's work ==

Vorash has put a lot of effort into trying to improve this list and article, which was previously completely worthless. Some comments:

* For 1950s and 1960s artists only using US RIAA ''album'' sales is misleading. These artists sold a ''lot'' of singles back then, especially in less affluent markets where albums were too expensive. For example, even in the UK, I believe the Beatles sold more singles than albums during their active period. (No, I don't have a source for this at the moment.) So I think only counting albums, or only extrapolating from US album figures, is misleading for such artists.

* As I'm sure Vorash realizes, trying to estimate worldwide sales from US sales is fraught with danger. It obviously breaks down for artists that are from non-English speaking countries, and probably also breaks down for mostly English-language artists who also record in non-English languages (think Dion or Estefan). Also, there seem to be some arbitrary low ratios assigned ... for instance Neil Diamond gets no extra worldwide sales at all, when I happen to know at the least he's very popular in the UK (I went to a sold-out arena show of his there).

* Why is the table broken into two parts with a "==-==" divider that shows up in the table of contents?

Good effort overall, as I said. [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 14:10, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

table broken in order to edit more easily ....you can edit half of page.......

as of Neil Diamond i don't know about his sales and i never heard of him so i just put US sales numbers.....but you can change it !!.........:)[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 14:45, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

=="Genre" column no good==

Vorash, you [[jumped the shark]] when you added the "genre" column to this table. I don't know what you think "synth pop" is, but almost all of the artists you put in that genre don't belong there, as a look at the artists that ''are'' listed in the WP [[synth pop]] article will show you. You've also created artificial distinctions between "rock" and "rock and roll" (WP redirects these together and doesn't really try to distinguish them), and the distinction between "rock" and "hard rock" is also difficult to make reliably (the WP [[hard rock]] article only lists a few examples). And some of these acts are on the list precisely because they bridged a gap between genres, which will make them inherently difficult to place.

I would suggest just getting rid of this column. The purpose of this article is to try to figure out worldwide record sales, not to engage in [[pigeonholing]] of musical artists. [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 12:33, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

This "synth pop" category is completely ridiculous. [[Gary Numan]] and [[Ultravox]] are synth pop (or at least were for part of their careers). Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, and Billy Joel are not. If the use of a synthesizer on your album makes you a synth pop artist, then everyone is nowadays; you might as well put "music" as a category for all the additional information it provides. What's wrong with, say, "pop," "rock," or "soul"?

Some of the other figures are pretty suspicious. I'm certain the Eagles sold more than 10 million albums outside the US. That table at the bottom needs some work, and the "not popular outside the US" or whatever it says is probably not NPOV. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 13:27, 2005 May 23 (UTC)

*If you guys can not distinguish between Rock and Synth Pop i will suggest you to visit this site for the beginnig: http://www.discogs.com (All Entries that you have there were submited by totally different people . All these people write styles when they submit a record(CD or vinyl) Nobody guides them . Its like in wikipedia.)

Also i cant understand why you have a problem with genres - almost all articles about music artists in wikipedia starts with description of genre of this artist like "hard rock American artist" or "country american artist" ....so why it should be a problem here ???

The genre column gives the same short description of artist that you have in the beginning of every article about artist. Pop - is not a Genre - allmost all BestSellers are the "Pop".

*THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO GIVE AS MUCh INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS WHAT WIKIPEDIA IS ABOUT - INFORMATION!!!. THIS IS NOT A SHOW !!!!!!

*All modern music industry is about ESTIMATIOn - BRitish top 40 (is a 1500 store sample), BillBOard Top 200 is also limited sample - what ? you will suggest not to use this because it

is not REAl FACTS and only an ESTIMATION ?? WHAT does it MEAn 1#US #1 UK place that you see on every article....does it mean TRUE INFORMATION ?????? or does it mean ESTIMATIOn ?? [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 14:46, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

THe estimation can be good or wrong (as you showed it in 50s-60s singles sales with Beatles and Elvis), but no estimation in absence of information means - HIDDINg INFORMATION !!!!![[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 15:02, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

The article about [[Synth pop]] is misleading when it says "Lyrically, synth pop has an affection for science-fiction themes." and "Synth pop is sometimes referred to as electropop ". I already read all articles about Genres in wikipedia and also in some other 100s web sites.[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 15:23, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

*MY DESCRIPTION of SYNTH POP track is : POp song that was produced mostly by synthesizer .

Point. No More no Less. (exactly as in the begining of the article "Synth pop is a style of popular music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument") .........[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 15:32, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

* if you will visit http://www.discogs.com/ (site have memebers that "understand" in music like

collectors and DJs) you will see SYNTH-POp description exactly as i wrote in GEnre column.

THis site is visited by some 20,000 people a day........and what you can see there is "a REAl PEOPLE OPINION" about STYLES. .... [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 15:49, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

Fist of all, kindly refrain from the personal comments. Secondly, you have just described synth pop. Explain how Mariah Carey counts? Where are Stevie Wonder's science-fiction lyrics? --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 15:51, 2005 May 23 (UTC)

*All Entries that you have there were submited by totally different people . All these people write styles when they submit a record(CD or vinyl) Nobody guides them . Its like in wikipedia. :

*http://www.discogs.com/release/76870

*http://www.discogs.com/release/162757

*http://www.discogs.com/release/234990

*http://www.discogs.com/release/76894 (HOLIDAY SINCE FICTION ?????????????????)

*http://www.discogs.com/release/257602

*http://www.discogs.com/release/347691

*http://www.discogs.com/release/453089

*http://www.discogs.com/release/172323

*http://www.discogs.com/release/198936

*http://www.discogs.com/release/259250

*http://www.discogs.com/release/458196

*http://www.discogs.com/release/394564 (DRESS YOU UP SINCE FICTION ??????????))))))

*http://www.discogs.com/release/458410

*http://www.discogs.com/release/215716

*http://www.discogs.com/release/392825

*http://www.discogs.com/release/110232 (Like A Virgi SINCE FICTION ?? Like A Virgin ELECTRO ??)

*http://www.discogs.com/release/116502

*http://www.discogs.com/release/103403

*http://www.discogs.com/release/407889

*http://www.discogs.com/release/207795 (INTO THE GROOVE SINCE fICTION ??)

*http://www.discogs.com/release/253791

*http://www.discogs.com/release/213386

*http://www.discogs.com/release/103400 (OPEn YOUR Heart SINCE fICTION ??))

*http://www.discogs.com/release/182792

*http://www.discogs.com/release/300094

*http://www.discogs.com/release/437858

*http://www.discogs.com/release/207168 (Papa Don't Preach SInce fiction?))

*http://www.discogs.com/release/356351

*http://www.discogs.com/release/77860

*..and more more and more[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 16:12, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

All counts as "Style: Synth-pop". All article about "Synth-pop" is wrong. NObody use it and nobody will understand the discription that you have in this article. Its measleading.[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 16:22, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

You quote a single source, another website, on a single artist, Madonna, and that makes everyone else synth pop?

The case for Madonna can be made, as she became popular (1982) as synth-pop or electropop was still a popular genre, and her music was clearly influenced by it, as well as by disco and R&B; although her later albums, such as ''Like A Virgin'', relied mostly on other instruments. The Wikipedia article on synth pop explains what is meant by the genre and how it differs from later forms of pop music that (as most do) used synthesizers:

::Synth pop is a style of popular music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. '''While it might be argued that most current popular and commercial music in the industrialized world is realized via electronic instruments, synth pop has its own stylistic tendencies which differentiate it from other music produced by the same means.''' These include: the exploitation of artificiality (the synthesizers are not used to imitate acoustic instruments), the use of mechanical rhythms and "feel", the use of vocal arrangements as a counterpoint to the artificiality of the instruments, and the use of ostinato patterns as an effect. Synth pop song forms are generally the same as in "regular" pop music. Lyrically, synth pop has an affection for science-fiction themes. (Emphasis mine)

It continues with a list of artists who are generally regarded as reflective of the genre. If you are unfamiliar with them, you should become acquainted with their work, as this will help make it clear that synth pop is a specific genre, and is not just a synonym for pop music. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 17:01, 2005 May 23 (UTC)

Its not a single Source !!!!!!!! All Entries that you have there were submited by totally different people !!! All these people write styles when they submit a record(CD or vinyl)

Nobody guides them !! Its like in wikipedia !!!![[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 17:09, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

YOu have 100,000 members there and they all WRONG ?? [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 17:16, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

Unless someone is willing to provide more substantive arguments to retain it, my vote would go for removing the "genre" column entirely. Individual artist pages will describe their style in sufficient detail. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 17:12, 2005 May 23 (UTC)

:Agreed. This article has enough of a burden in trying to document record sales, it shouldn't include extraneous controversial analysis. [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 17:53, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

::what does it mean "Standards" ? :) [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 19:59, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

:::See [[Pop Standards]].

I've tidied the article a bit and taken out the genre column, because it was controversial and, based on the discussion, distracted from the focus of the article (accurate music sales). Genre information is available on each artist, and it's not usually something that can be distilled into a word or two. Vorash, keep up the good work hunting down the sales statistics. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 17:49, 2005 Jun 8 (UTC)

Well i can agree to remove any controversial genres, like "Synth pop" [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 17:54, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps, as you had a rather unusual definition of it, but there's really no common worldwide standard for some genres, at least the less popular ones. I think Wasted Time R was right, the article is stronger without the genre column. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 18:00, 2005 Jun 8 (UTC)

== No Contributors ==

:I probably shold not speak to people, whose contribution to CORE Article DATA so far is equal to 0. You keep wasting my time and energy on details that dont have any relationship to CORE ARTICLE DATA - DATA ABOUT SALES.[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 18:10, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

::Very well. Let's take out the "genre" column altogether and keep the article focused on sales. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 18:17, 2005 May 23 (UTC)

::: Well as i said before.....i will not discusss any article's issues with people that dont participate in writing process. THE DISCUSION PAGE on WIKIPEDIA is ONLY for people who actually participate in writing process. This way they can discuss their problems in article creation. I cant see you fitting in this category.[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 18:35, 23 May 2005 (UTC)

== "Albums" column pointless ==

There is no need for the "number of albums" column (which predates the current work). It's too hard to calculate (you have to know about out-of-print records), it ignores singles, and it's unnecessary &ndash; the "years active" column conveys the length of career, which is what we're interested in. (BTW a little amazing that the top act is the only one with a single-decade-only career ...) [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 00:40, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

:what tyou mean ""number of albums" column.?...its column for source link or explanation on what estimation based on( on what numbers)...you want to write estimation without explanation ?[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 01:14, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

::No, I mean the column "Albums" that comes after "Names" and before "Worldwide Sales". [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 01:32, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

:::well i dont know...........you think it will not be intersting to see ratio between sales and number of albums ?.........in case of Nana Mouskouri that has 450 albums ( if its true) its quite interesting no?..........[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 01:42, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

::::Well, the table's total sales count includes albums, EPs, and singles, so you're not going to know the sales:albums ratios even if you do have the number of albums. You're a computer programmer, so you should be familiar with the principle of [[Orthogonality#Derived_meanings|orthogonal design]]. This article should just try to do one thing: list sales volume for top artists. That's going to be hard enough as it is! Let the Mouskouri article figure out if she really released 450 albums. Let the Madonna article figure out if her genre is synth pop or dance/pop or just plain pop or whatever. Focus on one thing. (Having the nationality and years active information violates orthogonality but is ok in practice, since the information is easy to obtain and rarely changes.) [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 13:53, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

== Who is "TLS"? ==

It looks to me (especially based on the sales figure) that this should be [[TLC]]. --[[User:FuriousFreddy|FuriousFreddy]] 00:21, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

you was right , it was my mistake [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 00:52, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

== Bob Dylan ==

I think Dylan's numbers must be grossly underestimated here, probably due to counting only figures from the first few months after album releases. Selections from his back catalog are among the most frequently repurchased during media transitions (vinyl-to-CD, etc.,.), and I'm sure his overall numbers would rise by at least a third if this were properly accounted for. [[User:JDG|JDG]] 08:09, 28 May 2005 (UTC)

== Alla Pugachova ==

Common sense suggests that the 260 million figure attributed to her is an overestimate. (Shame on Britannica Online!) Consider the following: Bruce Springsteen, an artist of approximately similar popularity in his home country, and active over about the same number of years, is shown as having sold only 80 million, of which 20 million or so were outside the US. Alla has only a small fanbase outside the former USSR. Furthermore, the USSR was a poorer country with a far less developed recording industry, and at times it could be hard to buy popular records at all, even if they were by a national recording artist. There's no doubt she's popular and has sold a lot of records, but more than Madonna, Celine Dion, and Pink Floyd worldwide?

I'd guess, based on other enormously popular artists like the Puhdys (East Germany) and Omega (Hungary) that a figure of perhaps 60 million might be likely. Which, as I mentioned, would be as many as Bruce Springsteen has ever sold in the US. Either way, the lower estimates are probably more credible than this one. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 16:48, 2005 Jun 8 (UTC)

Well, you are absolutely wrong about USSR's recording industry. Its true that USSR was poor country, but there were TV sets and vinyl players in every home, and USSR population was more than 290 million. The USSR record industry represented small number of "popular" artists such as Pugacheva. This fact supports over 200 milion figure ,because russian population was forced to buy only "selected" artists. The same policy was in other "soviet" countries. [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 17:30, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I realize that, but again, the US population was 5/6ths that of the USSR (hence my comparison, they were similar market sizes) and its top-selling artists sold only a small fraction of Alla's sales figures listed here. Most other statistics suggest 100-150 million, which I suspect is still an overestimate, but this 260 million is double that. Even accounting for the lack of competition, I would suggest you take an average of all the estimates you've seen or pick another one that might be more realistic; I think this is more evidence that Britannica's lost it. Even 100 million would be a huge number of albums. --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 17:43, 2005 Jun 8 (UTC)

Its not only in USSR, you should aslo add other countries like East Garmany , Poland..and more....and i also don't see any particular interest in exaggerating sales figures by Pugacheva, because she is the number one seller in Russia in any case and nobody knows her in world, so why to exaggerate numbers ??[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 17:52, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Presumably because she would like to claim to have outsold Madonna. As far as other countries' artists go, we're looking at 10-20 million, perhaps not enough to fit on the list; the Puhdys sold 12-15 million at the time of German reunification (including a fair number in West Germany) and a couple million more since then (including CD replacements). For example, Poland's current best selling artists (Ich Troje and Myslovitz) have sold 3-6 million (as I recall). --[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 17:57, 2005 Jun 8 (UTC)

We aslo don't have any other sources for this info. What you mean saing "Most other statistics suggest 100-150 million" ? What other statistics ? Forums?[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 18:58, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[b]Vorash[/b]:

1) Pugacheva was #1 selling artist not only in the USSR, but also in many soviet-oriented countries with overall population over 500 million people.

2) Soviet people were never poor in anyhow close sense as it happens in the USA (see the film "Client" from 1994 for example). Everybody had health care, work, home (most often it was quite pathetic home, but no way caravans or rented car-houses near to garbage dumping sites -- where USA's poor people sometimes live). Also, very average families could allow once a year themselves to fly to USSR's resort, Crimea, at Black Sea to rest there for 2-4 weeks. So, of course, people very well could allow themselves buying of Alla Pugacheva records. [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=84.204.114.194 84.204.114.194]

I don't think AP was the #1 selling artist anywhere outside Russia or the USSR (she isn't in any former Soviet state I can think of outside Russia, in Ukraine I think it's currently Okean Elzi; she's well known but hardly a big seller in places like Poland), though obviously she has fans in many countries. And yes, she's sold a lot of records. But, as you point out further down the page, many artist sales figures are highly exaggerated. If the Beatles or Elvis have only sold 300 million albums worldwide, it is hard to justify similar sales for AP, especially as her sales are mostly restricted to Russia/the USSR. My point about the relative wealth of the US was not meant to start a discussion about the Soviet Union, just that it is an indisputable fact that the US had a much better developed recording industry, availability of recordings, and general purchasing power, even if the consumers there had more choice and might spread their album buying out between more artists (however, I have lived in both countries, and know that lots of Russians can't stand Alla), and that national records were relatively cheap in the USSR. The population of the US was a little bit less than the USSR's, but significantly more than Russia's; therefore comparisons between similarly popular recording stars can be made; Bruce Springsteen, a national icon who has been releasing albums for the same length of time, and at times has been the top-selling recording artist (note: ''I'' can't stand him) sold 60 million in the U.S., where record sales can be assessed with relative accuracy.

I would suggest therefore that claims that AP sold 300 million albums are highly exaggerated, as there is no real way to verify this (her husband, likely to give an optimistic figure, claimed 140 million). She hasn't outsold the Beatles or Madonna worldwide, or come close, and any claims that she has should be treated with a great degree of skepticism.

Which is not to pick on Alla alone, I think most artists inflate their record sales figures, as they're hard to prove, and lazy journalists tend to repeat whichever figures the stars tell them...

--[[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] July 2, 2005 22:09 (UTC)

`That was not me who claimed AP's 260 million records or whatever else sales figure for her. However, the united socialistic market was supermonopolistic and twice as bigger than the USA. So really big figures could really be true; also, that sales figure came not from just some greedy label managers or producers, but from the firm "Melodia" accountings. The probability that the organization would somehow overestimate the sales is quite low, because Soviet authorities would put in jail anyone for this. Hence sales data from 1975-1991 years period is reliable.

-------------

I should like to point out that the USSR's people only really started to be what we call poor when the system started to break down. There were probably only a few allowed artists, and they were likely friends of the comunist insiders. I would also like to point out that us wikipedians can not claim to be more accurate that Britanica. If Britanica said so, it is almsot certainly correct becasue it is widely considered to be the most complete and accurate collection in the world. I say we stick with the Britanica figure because Britanica is possibly the most accurate source we can find.--[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 05:02, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

:No, the Britannica article is a news story on their website, '''not''' a proper encyclopedia entry, and is not subject to the same academic rigor. It repeats an unreliable figure, as many news articles unfortunately do.

:As far as the claim above that the Soviet recording industry would not inflate production figures, it wouldn't have been the first time. I'm surprised by the rose-tinted recollections of the wealth of the record-buying Soviet public in some of the above comments.

:But where are the other huge-selling Soviet artists? The industry wasn't dedicated to Alla alone. Who was the second-biggest seller? Surely they weren't outsold 30 to 1 by Alla Pugacheva if the assertions above are true, so why aren't they on the list?

:To be honest, I would be surprised if she'd far outsold the likes of Karel Gott. [[User:ProhibitOnions|ProhibitOnions]] 21:15, August 11, 2005 (UTC)

== elvis american sales ==

been following these for some time... in 2001 RIAA said his total was 60 million, he was more or less equal with elton john and they were gradually awarding him certifications, there'd been no "holding back". RIAA then upped his total to 100 million on the 25th anniversary of his death - are we to really expect he sold his 100 millionth sale on that precise day, or even year and that riaa just happened to magically discover tens of millions of previously unregistered sales? now its 117 million, in otherwords we're expected to believe that elvis is selling more records now in the usa than at the height of his popularity in the 50s! between 2001 and today that means elvis sold 57 million records, between the 1950s and 2001 he sold 60 million records. it's blatant figure rigging to reflect a p.r event.

:Can you please provide us a some link to "2001 RIAA 60 milion" figure ? [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 15:23, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Yes, Elvis sales in 2001 were certified by RIAA only on level about 60-68 million albums. There is no link about, because the "Best Sellers" list is not archived and updated regularly. However, it is not necessary some PR move, because according to RIAA rules it certifies (and updates certifications) an album or single or whatever if only distributor specifically files filled forms about this. Most of Elvis' albums were not certified before 2002. (by DenisRS)[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=84.204.124.213 84.204.124.213]

Elvis's certificated albums in 1999 were 77 million - [http://www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/press1999/111099.asp] -[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 16:28, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Elvis likely sold most of his Albums after his death, and we should remember this. There were a lot of new compilations released in the 90's and 00's and the RIAA might not have updated the figure for a great many years.--[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 05:04, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

That says more about the RIAA's figures, that it does Elvis' sales [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 18:42, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

== Black Sabbath ==

Can anyone confirm that these guys have actually sold 100 mil? [[User:Keith, evil dude]]

== Britney twice? ==

How come Britney Spears is listed at number 1 and at the same time at number 29? :-) -- [[User:Nicapicella|NicApicella]], 16/Jun/2005

If you see an obvious case of Vandalism why you are not correcting it ??[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 00:05, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

== VFD ==

'''List of best-selling music artists''' was proposed for deletion on German wikipedia 4 days ago, but most of the people voted for keeping it. [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 29 June 2005 23:37 (UTC)

== UPDATE ==

http://www.antimusic.com/news/05/june/2902.shtml Go there. Apparently the RIAA has updated their list. [[User:Redwolf24|Redwolf24]] 30 June 2005 01:01 (UTC)

RIAA list is already updated on RIAA site (it has 6/20/2005 update).[[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 1 July 2005 16:42 (UTC)

== Jeremy Castle ==

Stumbled on this while researching him for a VfD. He's on this list as having sold 20,000,000 albums in the US but http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topartists.asp mentions nothing, he has no entries regarding ever charting on Allmusic. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Votes_for_deletion/Jeremy_Castle [[User:RasputinAXP|RasputinAXP]] 1 July 2005 03:46 (UTC)

He was added by anonymous ip address [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=199.164.253.83 199.164.253.83] on 21 June 2005, probably by Jeremy Castle himself. [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 1 July 2005 05:08 (UTC)

== Beatles, Presley, Jackson sales are heavily incorrect ==

First of all, peope should know that EMI executive said in 2001 (sorry, no link) that USA were about half of all Beatles catalogue sales. Lets do the math: USA's RIAA wholesales are: 168 million albums + 22 million singles = 190 million * 2 ~= 380 million. Even taking into consideration the developments of market in the last 10-20 years, when third country markets (after USA and UK) grew considerably, there is no way how sales figures could be about billion. More rational estimation of [b]sales of Beatles are 400 million records worldwide[/b].

Elvis' half billion worldwide estimation looks more reliable, at the first sight, but more than 2/3 of his sales are said to be domestic, and from the rest quantity considerable part is UK. He sold about 121 million albums in the USA (certified 116m and prior to RIAA's certifications 5m) and about 60 million singles. This means that [b]globally Elvis sold like 300 million records[/b] (singles are like 100 million of that quantity).

Also, when we estimate market's volume in 50s-60s-70s, we should remember that prior to Jackson's "Thriller" album (1982) the highest worldwide seller was Beatles' "Sergent Pepper..." with 14 million copies (globally). "Thriller" did 32 million to the 1984 and 40 million to the end of 1985 (Now "Thriller" sales are 59 million worldwide). Jackson sold 20 million copies of his album outside of USA.

Additionally, to see rational sales figures for Beatles and Elvis people should know that SoundScan counted for Beatles in the USA in 1991-2004 years about 19 million copies of all of their albums, and global sales for that period are estimated in quantity of about 50 million copies, including 27 million copies of Beatles' "#1s" album. Notice that without super promoted and successful #1s albums sales for 14 years would be about 23 million copies worldwide. This calculation is the answer for those people who worry that RIAA does not certify albums before 0,5 million copies sold, hence cumulative RIAA sales could not include many records that did not reach that volume of sales. SoundScan does not depend on this, it counts everything, each unit possible, and it showed that the volume of uncertified by RIAA albums can not be significant.

Well, this sales rate SoundScan showed makes Beatles/Elvis sales are no more than 15-30 million a decade. For comparison, Michael Jackson sells like 25-35 million a decade extrapolated -- if calculated on the basis of "silent years" (no promotion, no releases, no nothing: like 1990, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, et cetera, when Jackson's pace is about 2.5-3.5 million albums a year).

This means that [b]there is technically no way how Beatles could sell billion records or Elvis sell half billion records worldwide.[/b] To answer Tony Galvin's doubts about how RIAA counts albums with different ID#s, I can say they add-up everything to one unit. Galvin estimates that domestic cumulative sales of Elvis' albums are about 160 million, he adds 45 million to RIAA figure because there were a lot of albums that sold below 0.5 million copies, hence uncertified, as well as albums with different ID#s. (Galvin's article: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/500_million_elvis_fans_cant_be_wrong_or_can_they.shtml) However, as I said above, all the facually same albums, though with different colours, covers, ID#s, et cetera, are always united/grouped/counted as one. So RIAA's 116 million figure can be actually expanded to about than like 130 million for Elvis' USA album sales.

Estimation of US/World ratios that listed in the article this discussion created for is not applicable towards Michael Jackson. His USA sales are about 27% of global ones, he is the most international USA artist/group. In Iraq and China children did not knew who Bush or the Pope was, but they knew how to Moonwalk. 2200 journalists from 34 countries from five continents were covering Jackson's trial -- thrice bigger than any other act like OJ Simpson or Scott Peterson or whoever else before in the world. In fact, this was huger or equial than any biggest international event ever happened in history. Jackson had the biggest international tour worldwide, visiting like, in his tours, 40 countries with upto 15 million tickets sold abroad. In 2000s, Jackson sold about 25 million records worldwide, and only like 5 million of those sales were in the USA.

(In 1991, Jackson released album "Dangerous", which wholesold 14 million copies in 14 days, the records that was not beaten ever since. Guinness book is incorrect here again, claiming that sale of 13 million copies of Beatles' 1 is record).

Jackson's Epic Records (ER) worldwide solo albums wholesales are about 210 million (grows 3 million each year without new releases or promotion). For the USA market, RIAA certifies wholesales, and USA is 27% of world sales, and ratio is 3.7. Plus about 70 million ER solo singles ~= 285 million ER solo records. In 1990, Motown said they sold to that date about 30 million solo records of Michael Jackson. To this date, the quantity can be estimated to be like 45 million. This makes about [b]Jackson's sales about 330 million solo records worldwide[/b].

In 1984 Motown said they sold 110 million records of "Jackson 5" group. In 1990, ER said they sold 30 million records of "The Jacksons" group. To this day, estimation gives that those two groups' cumulative sales are abuot 170 million records. Thus, there are about 500 million records with Jackson's voice and name, of which about 330 million are solo records.

That is why Jackson was the "Artist of Millennium" by World Music Awards, official IFPI partner (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), in 2000, as well as the biggest selling artist of all time in 1996 and 1993. It was not Elvis Presley, Iglesias, Elton John or whoever else.[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=84.204.114.194 84.204.114.194]

If we're adding solo records and group sales together then why didn't they give it to Paul McCartney? Your "facts" are hyped towards Jackson and should be taken with a pinch of salt. The world music awards awarding him "Best selling act ever" was laughable, they also gave Mariah Carey an award for "Best selling female", again laughable. You're fooling noone. A look at world sales charts easily shows both The Beatles and Presley with MUCH MORE success than Jackson (including his group efforts) and Madonna with more success than Mariah Carey, those world music awards meant nothing. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 18:50, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

==Leonard Cohen!?==

Only in Wikipedia could Leonard Cohen be claimed to have 210 million record sales.

An influential songwriter, yes. Easy to listen to, no. A big seller of records, no no. I'd be surprised if his lifetime sales are 2 million, much less 210 million. [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 6 July 2005 20:09 (UTC)

You think he didn't sell even 20 million ? [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 6 July 2005 20:13 (UTC)

I Highly doubt it! [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 19:41, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

== Genesis ==

Their worldwide sales is listed at 160,000,000. Why are they not just ahead of U2 on the list? [[User:Correct info|Correct info]] 8 July 2005 11:49 (UTC)

==Smashing Pumpkins==

22 million per this source [http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/mmx-16187_lgcy,1,5484214.story?coll=chi-nonmmxent-utl] I'll let you guys verify and see if it should be included. [[User:Edwardian|Edwardian]] 9 July 2005 08:04 (UTC)

== Genesis ==

I have no idea where that figure of 160,000,000 came from...What I'm saying is that either that figure should come down or they should be ranked higher on the list. Doesn't matter to me. I just want the list to be more accurate. If there is still no feedback from any of you about it by tomorrow, I will go ahead and make the change to the list then. [[User:Correct info|Correct info]] 9 July 2005 16:26 (UTC)

Done [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 9 July 2005 18:12 (UTC)

== Add album, single column ==

I suggest album and single voume sales is added as two columns after the "Worldwide Sales" column.--[[User:Jerryseinfeld|Jerryseinfeld]] 18:39, 21 July 2005 (UTC)

Well, i want also to suggest to leave only one dominating Genre for each artists, and to remove all 10,20,30, and etc numbers. - [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 19:01, 21 July 2005 (UTC)

Alternatively, in order to save space, Genres can replaced with the abreviations, like R-Rock, P-Pop,D-Disco, C-Country,HR-HardRock,S-Standarts,O-Opera,Rb-R&B....etc. [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 19:25, 21 July 2005 (UTC)

== Write understandably, please. ==

For some of the top entries, the numbers include slashes (a la 39/42). What does this mean? I can't find any clarification?

== Minor Edits and Revisions ==

I am not removing anyone from the list I am just moving artists around (not changing their numbers) So that their position on the list is based on their current cited number, I am also crosschecking these numbers as I go along to make sure they have not been tampered with. Also there were two for Paul Anka, and despite being a Canadian I removed the higher of the two, because its source was questionable, as the source for the lower one could be considered somewhat more reliable, if someone can find a credible source, not the one discussed in the very first section, feel free to move him back up the list. --[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 05:23, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

In further searching, I can not find any Johnny Mathias on the RIAA list, and the source another wikipedia article says he has sold 130 million US albums, extract this from his current totatl (the most he could have sold in the US and not been on that list is 19 million) and he falls way way way down several hundred places. Ill do a bit more poking before I do anything conclusive but I think someone likes the guy and bumped him up just a few notches.--[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 05:28, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

Okay I think we have straitened Mathias away somewhat, he drops back to 180 million in sales, based on his website. That is his claimed definate number. But I dont recall seeing anything from RIAA. I would like to see him dropped back to somewhere around 40 million based on the sole fact that his sales claims are just too high to be true without showing on the RIAA list, especially since it is claimed that most of his sales are in the US. Popular perhaps, 180 million? I think we need to get real here.--[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 05:40, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

I just brought Bryan Adams back in line with his source, a message board, I really think we need to find a better source. But in its absense he was brough back down to 60 million to fall into line with this source. Untill such time as a better source can be found he should be kept right there. Another note is this article seems to be a target of vandals, needless to say I think that I will pretty much have much of the vandalism removed. Then we can get back to discussing how to deal with some of the more questionable numbers. Perhaps we should make a list of artists who we need a better source for.--[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 05:55, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

== RIAA Standard ==

Here is what I propose we do, we should use the RIAA as a standard for American artists, if their numbers from sources of sales are not stacking up, then we should edit them to bring them into line with the RIAA. I see many artists on here who their sources that are listed cite them has having sold 100 million in the United States. However the RIAA has never heard of them. --[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 05:45, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

Danger area. The RIAA's figures are NO MORE RELIABLE than anyone else's. In 1999 they gave Garth Brooks an AWARD for "best selling solo act ever", only to turn around a year later and certify Elvis Presley as such. Also look at their upgrades for Led Zeppelin albums. In the space of a few years they go up for a few million sales, without any significant success on the Billboard 200. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 05:18, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

== Restoration of 200-249 ==

This section I have not fixed, but it was evidently destoryed by Vandals, as it is completely gone. We need to replace this section. --[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 06:01, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

Update! I have restored between 200-250 there is a posibility of errors in there, but Im not sure why it keeps getting deleted.--[[User:Meanie|Meanie]] 01:53, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

== Queen ==

I see their total sales are listed at 180,000,000. Why are they not higher on the list? If no one changes it, then I will. --[[User:Correct info|Correct info]] 16:15, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

:It might have been because of one of the people who was vandalising the article by randomly changing figures in the table. --[[User:Jacj|Jacj]] 16:18, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

So that figure may not be correct then...ok --[[User:Correct info|Correct info]] 00:57, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

==Neil Young?==

The figure of 240 million for [[Neil Young]] seems highly unlikely, and the source that is quoted is the same outfit that gave the discredited 210 million [[Leonard Cohen]] figure – Canadian propaganda or something.

http://www.thrasherswheat.org/tnfy/neilyoungalbums.htm has some Neil Young figures – maybe after you add it all up you get to 24 million, but no way to 240 million. [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 16:35, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

He's at it again! lol. [[User:195.93.21.40|195.93.21.40]] 18:36, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

==This list is a mess==

4 Aug 2005 24.250.0.79: <br>

Furthermore, this list is a mess. I had to add the Beatles but I don't know all the necessary information. The number one spot is some Japanese singer that I am pretty sure doesn't belong there. The numbering is all wrong because bands have been deleted and added. The statistics at the bottom do not match the list. There are bands that clearly belong on the list but are not there, etc. Someone please fix this!

:Unfixable. To do this right, you'd have to have reliable worldwide data (doesn't exist), a better wiki table formatting/numbering mechanism (doesn't exist), a real database query mechanism for the stats (doesn't exist), and no vandals (too many exist). [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] spent tons of time and effort on this list, but eventually he was driven insane and left Wikipedia. [[User:Wasted Time R|Wasted Time R]] 00:51, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

Well, thank you very much guys for votes for deletion of this list. Now i understand that i was 100% right when i left a Wikipedia. My biggest contibution now will be destroyed. Thank you again ! [[User:Vorash|Vorash]] 15:21, 19 August 2005 (UTC)

== Notes ==

Could someone take a look at the "Notes" section? I did what I could for the first two paragraphs, but had to stop there. There must be a way to reword the sentence, "sales projected from US album sales data based on "popularity" in the world and based on US/World sales ratio of similar artists that already have both US and World sales data." to something less headache-inducing. [[User:24.4.199.243|24.4.199.243]] 22:42, 7 August 2005 (UTC)

==This list is totally inaccurate !!!===

The list says Dolly Parton has sold over 100 million albums, yet the RIAA shows she only has 22 gold or platinum records in the USA. Anne Murray has 25 gold, platinum and even multi-platinum US albums and is only listed at 40 million . How do you explain that ??? Furthermore , Anne Murray is listed in the RIAA bestsellers list but Dolly Parton did not even make the list. Where did Dolly sell her records-Romania ??? Also there is no WAY in hell that The Tragically Hip sold 20 million albums. They don't even have a US following. 2 million is a more likely realistic figure.

== Worst List Ever!!! ==

About half of it is total nonsense. Nuff said. It's almost laughable.

second that thought --[[User:Rightsaidfred|Rightsaidfred]] 01:42, 2 September 2005 (UTC)

== Cher ==

There is Sonny & Cher, but what about Cher's solo career ??? Isn't She a best-selling music artist ???

== Cher ==

There is Sonny & Cher, but what about Cher's solo career ??? Isn't She a best-selling music artist ???

== French sellers ==

There are errors (Marianne James never sold 100 millions!! maybe 1 million, maximum... She's fun, but not a hard-seller. I think it's a joke). Here are some french artists : Mireille Mathieu 100 millions (and not 150...), Johnny Hallyday 100 millions, Charles Aznavour 100 millions, Michel Sardou 90 millions, Dalida 85 millions (some sources says 120, but its overweight...), Jean-Michel Jarre 80 millions, Sheila 70 millions, Richard Clayderman 60 millions, Claude françois 60 millions, François Valery 60 millions, Serge Lama 35 millions, Chantal Goya : 32 millions, Sylvie Vartan : 30 millions, Francis Cabrel : 25 millions, Joe Dassin : 20 millions... There are a lot more French artists beetween 20 and 80 millions (Pierre Perret, Henri Salvador, Téléphone, Georges Brassens, Edith Piaf, Barabara, Renaud, Patrick Bruel, JJ Goldman, Mylene Farmer, Indochine, Richard Antony, Hugues Aufray, Pierre Bachelet, Daniel Balavoine, Guy Béart, Gilbert Bécaud, C Jérome, Karen Cheryl, Julien Clerc, Jacques Dutronc, Dorothée, Henri Des, Jean Ferrat, France Gall, Serge Gainsbourg, Gipsy Kings, Richard Gotainer, Juliette Gréco, Françoise Hardy, Jean-Luc Lahaye, Gérard Lenorma, Michel Fugain, Michel Delpech, Eddy Mitchell, Florent Pagny, Pascal Obispo, Ringo, Dick Rivers, Tino Rossi, Véronique Sanson, Michel Joansz, HF Thiéfaine, Laurent Voulzy, Charles Trénet, Hervé Vilard, Michel Polnareff, for exemple). Good luck for that list, because it's very hard to find the good figures... [[User Talk:Clio64B|Clio64B]] 00:56, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

== possible sneaky vandalism ==

[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_best-selling_music_artists&diff=prev&oldid=23138365 This edit] strikes me as possible sneaky vandalism, as it is by an editor who has done nothing but change numbers without edit summaries or cited sources; [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Montreal&diff=23180148&oldid=23140324 in one case] it was immediately obvious that the change was incorrect, but I am not sure about this one. &#8212;[[User:Mirv|Charles&nbsp;P.]][[User talk:Mirv|&nbsp;<small>(Mirv)</small>]] 23:36, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

== Bjork ==

The figure of 80 million quoted for Bjork seems far too high. As her biggest seller [[Debut (album)|Debut]] only reached #61 on the Billboard top 200 and has only just been certified platinum. Subsequent albums have fared less well so the cumulative US totals would be around 4 or 5 million at most. This [http://www.billboard.com/bb/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=964260 Billboard] article from 2001 indicated total worldwide album of 10 million. Even including singles and sales since then, difficult to see how it could be much more than 15 million.

== Why names of Japanese artists have been deleted? ==

How come the names of Japanese artists have been deleted?? There are 23 Japanese artists who sold over 20 million in Japan. But most of them have been deleted from the list. Why? Is this a racial discrimination?? There is a evidence that they sold over 20 million. But in this list, there are only 5 artist. This is not true at all.

== Why names of Japanese artists have been deleted? ==

How come the names of Japanese artists have been deleted?? There are 23 Japanese artists who sold over 20 million in Japan. But most of them have been deleted from the list. Why? Is this a racial discrimination?? There is a evidence that they sold over 20 million. But in this list, there are only 5 artist. This is not true at all.

from Diranotach (me):

An Utada Hikaru should be on the list! Her first album has sold over 10 millions, and her total must be over 20 millions! She's even in Guines World Records for best selling Japanese Albume ever!

She should be on the list!!!!!

JAPAN RULZ!!!!

== NO RADIOHEAD? ==

I think Radiohead should be on this list!

== DELETION???????????????????????????????? ==

WHY in the world hasn't this article been deleted?

It had wayyyy more pro-deletion votes than the rest!

This list is so unaccurate it should be deleted.

I am utterly disappointed with Wikipedia. It's a complete anarchy. Articles will should be deleted are not because people are scr*wing the encyclopedia system. Amen.

:I gotta agree that this entry is so inaccurate and prone to rogue editing that it's pretty much useless. --[[User:Jacj|Jacj]] 16:58, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

== GARTH BROOKS ==

Garth Brooks has certified Soundscan Nielsen sales of 70M in the US.

He hardly sell anywhere else in the world except about 4M total in Canade.

Which basically makes at best 80M sales worldwide. How come he ranks at... 210M???

This site is really the worst mess ever made. It's a shame to Wikipedia.

== Michael Jackson's sales total ==

There is a source next to Michael Jackson's entry, but no-one bothered to look at the source and do a proper calculations. My calculations, using the info from that site, tell me Michael Jackson sold 297, 674, 432 copies of his solo records, so rounded up to a nice round figure makes an even 300, 000, 000. This includes his solo album with Motown, his solo singles with Motown, his solo albums with Epic, and his solo singles with Epic.

== My proposition ==

I say we delete this article and start again. It has gotten out of hand. I say we start again with the top 50 best-selling artists, and then expand on it over time. But first we need an accurate top 50, no guess work. This is not your favourite artists, this is a factual list of the biggest-selling artists. It doesn't matter if you like Robbie Williams more than Michael Jackson because, factually, Michael Jackson sold more records than Robbie Williams. Lets get an accurate top 50 list, and then expand it to 100, and then keep expanding on it over time.

== PLEASE READ BEFORE EDITING or DELETING THIS ARTICLE ==

I figured out these sales totals by devising an equation to work out worldwide sales figures based on RIAA official US sales figures. Only Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson are official worlwide sales figures made public by these artists record companies. This is the most accurate list possible and has been approved by music buffs and people in the industry. Don't go changing this list. I encourage people to add to it and turn the top 10 into a top 50, but do not change the sales figures of these artists allready on the list unless you have a better source. In that case, be my guest.