Best selling artists of ALL TIME

Janbot's head is exploding as we speak.

This is that website where some dude takes stats that are actually estimates, then interprets those estimates and passes it all off as fact, right?

Last time you spammed us with Chartmasters blog posts, the guy had major artists missing from his lists. Didn't it turn out you were just posting this crap to upset "Janbot" or whoever?

Chartmasters uses a flawed and dated methodology that doesn't properly include streaming data the way other more current lists do. Streaming is 95% of the industry today and Chartmasters undercounts it significantly. Their best-selling artists lists is not accurate anymore.

Janet is ranked way too high.

R2 please read the article. He’s used ACTUAL sources. Don’t be lazy and ignorant

R3 his numbers include steaming. Why these stupid people don’t read and think before opening their mouths??

R5, He barely even counts streaming, which is why his list is a joke. It's meant to prop up old artists who were big during the age of album sales and before streaming and iTunes.

His numbers are fairly accurate 👏 but “certain fans” would disagree if their idols at the bottom of the list.

R4 is lighting the fire!

Thank you for reminding me that it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything new from Adele... and somehow I missed her hosting SNL.

Vadgebot is in desperate need of attention again.

[quote]This is that website where some dude takes stats that are actually estimates, then interprets those estimates and passes it all off as fact, right?

Given how frequently Vadgebot uses this, he probably created it.

I miss Whitney. Such a talented artist. A huge loss for the entertainment world.

This looks accurate to me.

I love Janet but was never huge globally. Britney peaked a while ago too. Beyoncé is not that big either outside of her fanbase. Ariana is still a newbie.

Rihanna seemed just as big as Madonna because of the streaming metric but this looks more accurate.

I dont think anyone will outsell Madonna or Whitney because nobody buys albums. Taylor and Adele may have a shot but I doubt it

Umm... You seemed to have forgotten something very important.

That is, numbers 1 through 4.

#1 best selling: The Beatles

#2 best selling: Elvis Presley

#3 best selling: Michael Jackson

#4 best selling: Elton John

[quote] Lady Gag #71

I see what you did there.

Madonna stans post this list every day on here. we get it. we've seen it.

OP removed the male artists to make Madonna seem like the best selling artist of all time, that's the whole point of this post.

Wikipedia's list is a bit different.

Vadgestan worships and cites this website constantly because it has a favorability towards Madonna.

I'm sure he's about to accuse me of being "Jabba," but no, I'm not Janbot.

Top 10 according to Wikipedia

1) The Beatles

2) Elvis

3) Michael Jackson

4) Elton John

5) Madonna

6) Led Zeppelin

7) Rihanna

8) Pink Floyd

9) Eminem

10) Taylor Swift

And before people use the Spotify streaming excuse.

Taylor and Rihanna debuted in 2005. Spotify didn't exist until 2011 and also didn't really kick off until a few years later. Rihanna's singles were huge sellers on ITunes and Yahoo Music. Taylor's albums were high selling.

I call BS. Connie Francis isn't even on the list. Every other list of top selling/charting female singers, she is in the top ten (e.g., Billboard).

R23 Grandpa, CF hasn't recorded a hit in well over 50years. And no one wants to listen to her "Italian Favorites" and her singing phonetically in Hungarian.

She's nowhere to be seen.

R24 Why did you list only women?

R24 Sorry that was for OP.

OP, why did you list only women?

I'm surprised Queen ranks so highly.

The best selling artists of the 20th century was Bing Crosby. (adjusted for inflation)

R25 because he's a kween who can't appreciate music made from the perspective of non-divas.

The latest global stars have billions of views for each hit just on YOUTUBE. The OP's statistics are complete bullshit.

R30 They don't make shit off YouTube view. No one will top The Beatles in terms of sales(relative) because people don't pay as much for music now as back in the 50s-90s.

YouTube views will never replicate album or singles sales, concert sales or merchandise sales.

Anyone can hop on YouTube and watch a video for background noise or not watch it in full. A dog or toddler can accidentally press a button if YouTube is open and that will be considered a view LOL

The chartmasters site explains all over the place the various limits and challenges in creating their rankings. The biggest one being, of course, that they can only rank the artists they've done in depth studies for.

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that OP has personally selected the female singers that gays are generally known to like and be interested in and that's why he has selectively posted only "gay icons" type singers in his list? Therefore missing out the singers/bands that would be of little interest to typical DLers. i.e. starting at #5 with Madonna and then going to #11 Celine Dion etc.

I'm really surprised that no-one else has worked this out.

Am I right?

That's a good theory but I think it's also a thinly veiled attempt to praise Madonna and diminish the impact of younger pop stars like Swift, Rihanna and Adele who make up a large percentage of sales from streaming and downloads.

^ That's silly, whether it was the actual intention or just your interpretation. Madonna sold big for over 3 decades. If any of the younger pop stars also manage to sell big for that long, they will... go up in ranking.

Madonna's streams are terrible, which shows that people no longer listen to her music. Mariah and Whitney get far more streams than her.

Streaming statistics are wonderful, because they show you who the general public actually listens to, and who the most popular artists really are.

Streams are a much better indicator of an artist's popularity, rather than pure album sales. Not all fans can afford to buy an album. Hell, no one even buys albums anymore, except for older fans.

I'm pretty sure I'm right with my theory but I guess only OP can confirm. OP where are you?

It's a bit conspiracy theory to say this thread is trying to praise Madonna R35. She either IS or she ISN'T at whatever number she occupies. Yes it would have looked better if OP had included all the entries rather than just selecting the gay interest singers.

I prefer the Wikipedia list and feel like it's more up to date and accurate. I have referred to it for years. Recently, Madonna was replaced by Rihanna as the top selling female artist of all time. In fact, Rihanna is the top selling artist of all time full stop - even over The Beatles etc. Which is a bit surprising to be honest. Well, I'm surprised by it. But sales numbers are sales numbers.

1. Rihanna

2. The Beatles

3. Michael Jackson (pedophile)

4. Elvis Presley

5. Elton John

6. Madonna

7. Led Zeppelin

8. etc.

R37 OP stipulated "best selling" not "most popular". Steaming don't make much money.

[quote]Steaming don't make much money.

What's that got to do with anything? It doesn't change the fact that streaming shows who the most popular artists really are, and it ain't Madonna.

R40 read the title of the thread

Streaming makes almost no money. That's why Taylor Swift has been so critical about it.

Madonna's streams are terrible for the same reason Janet's is. Madge doesn't care about her legacy it seems, she is still trying to remain relevant and still be popular with the kids. Mariah is more youthful, has that Christmas song every year, the "I don't know her" memes and plus she was still popular in the 2000s and had a big album in 2005, so she's still fresh in people's minds. Whitney's death saved her legacy because she probably would have been like Madonna.

R40 - you seem to have fixated on one person in the list OP has posted and you seem quite unhinged about it.

Why?

It’s funny to see Queen at #4, considering that, when I was a teen in the 70s, Queen was considered by most “serious” rock fans to be complete trash.

R38 doesn't know how to read.

All Madonna has to do to get her streaming numbers up is to just promote her older music and allow it to be used more heavily in commercials and TV or something like that. She just refuses to see herself as a old veteran artist and perceives herself as still young and fresh as if she is a peer to Rihanna or Ariana Grande.

Madonna's streaming isn't as high as you would think, but she is still in the top five streaming for women from the 20th century so it's not horrible.

These lists are not valid. They vary depending upon criteria used and can be subjective and slanted as all statistics can be.

R23 is right.

Taylor is still young enough to reach Madonna's level of sales. She shows no signs of slowing down. Rihanna seems to have retired. I honestly think Beyoncé aged out unless she can pull an Emancipation of Mimi or Ray of Light type of album in her middle age.

Ariana I'm still skeptical about her longevity. Despite her voice she is the most boring of all the pop stars today. People say Adele is boring too but she is adult contemporary and has that niche. Ariana still targets tweens and teens who will grow tired of her.

*will

R52 Ariana does have a very generic sound and her lolita shtick is going to get old fast. What is she going to age into? Miley Cyrus has the same problem. Adopting a more mature image is nearly impossible.

R38. Ahahahahahahaha no

Streaming is very difficult to count accurately. For one, it is HIGHLY manipulated.

Mariah has higher streams because of the Xmas song. Take that away, her streams collapse.

Whitney is dead and she has that ONE song every wanna be diva streams.

Madonna’s team is so ineffective, they fucked up her YT channel, her streams (getting her on various lists), and she is millions of albums and singles undercertified since Warner won’t certify her back catalogue due to her leaving. Rumored she is going back and they are going to certify her old records. Estimated she will gain ~30 million units minimum.

Queen and Elton just had huge movies about them. No surprise.

Enya is highly streamed yet nobody is calling her relevant.

Since Madonna is getting a biopic. Her streams will go up. I'm sure once that Elvis biopic happens his streams will go up too.

Definitely surprised by Barbra at #22, Cher making the list at all, and Rihanna ranking higher than Beyoncé.

The only ones who will continue rising are Taylor, Beyoncé, Adele, and Ariana. Gaga and Rihanna might have a chance, but I doubt it.

Beyoncé and Ariana need to reinvent themselves first. Adele will be okay. Taylor is still going strong. Gaga and Rihanna definitely are past their prime.

Agree, Mariah is all AIWFCIY. That’s it. Nobody remembers her other songs.

Yes, R23 is right.

Connie Francis is 8th place of females on Top100 Billboard Hits:

113, Taylor Swift

110, Nicki Minaj

73, Aretha Franklin

65, Beyoncé

62, Rihanna

57, Madonna

56, Dionne Warwick

53, Connie Francis

[quote] Franklin solely boasted the record for nearly 40 years, starting June 18, 1977 (when "Break It to Me Gently" debuted as her 54th entry, pushing her ahead of the prior record-holder among women, Connie Francis).

R59 Vision of Love, Always Be My Baby, Honey, Obsessed, Touch My Body and We Belong Together are all remembered.

Mariah sucks though at preserving her legacy because she like Madonna refuses to see herself as a veteran artist and pushes her newer projects. She panders her Christmas song a lot because she wants that money though.

[quote] On a global scale, Connie Francis was the top-selling female vocalist of the Sixties and, despite the sensational advent of Madonna, the longevity of Diana Ross and the multi-format generations of the 80's and 90's, she remains the most commercially successful female singer of all time with an estimated world-wide sales figure well in excess of two hundred million.

That 200 million puts her ahead of Celine per OP's numbers in his link.

[quote] Taylor is still going strong. Gaga and Rihanna definitely are past their prime.

Taylor does not do well anymore outside of her dedicated fanbase, which mass buys each of her albums. It's like how Republicans mass buy all of the conservative books to make them look successful. I guess that's the benefit of having a rich white fanbase. Her success if far from organic.

Rihanna is releasing a new album this year, so she will add significantly to her overall numbers.

R62 Madonna is over 330 million easy. Madonna is undisputed #1.

R63 it sounds like Taylor is in the Beyoncé category of being mostly supported by her fanbase.

Pre-2000s Female Acts on Spotify (Jan. 29, 2021)

As a lead artist 1. Shakira – 4,750,888 2. Britney Spears – 3,580,296 3. Madonna – 2,663,145 4. Whitney Houston – 2,620,768 5. Mariah Carey – 2,289,917 6. Jennifer Lopez – 2,089,604 7. Christina Aguilera – 2,058,107 8. Celine Dion – 1,753,718 9. Destiny’s Child – 1,240,229 10. Tina Turner – 1,265,907

With features 1. Shakira – 6,645,809 2. Britney Spears – 3,875,398 3. Christina Aguilera – 2,883,157 4. Madonna – 2,788,149 5. Whitney Houston – 2,626,093 6. Mariah Carey – 2,479,477 7. Jennifer Lopez – 2,412,205 8. Celine Dion – 1,784,040 9. Enya – 1,487,186 10. Tina Turner – 1,281,271

Rihanna has been procrastinating with this album since forever. I really think she's scared it won't live up to Anti. Rih was big a few years back but she isn't like Taylor or Beyoncé who have hugely fanatical supporters that buy albums and tickets in bulk.

Gaga is like Britney. A pop culture phenomenon that peaked too early. She only got attention again after she started acting. Chromatica kinda proved she doesn't have much else to offer.

The fact so many songs can easily chart thanks to streaming is bullshit. The rules back in the day were much more stringent about when or if a song could chart. It had to be “official” and a lot of other things to be allowed to chart. Most songs now are not even going to be remembered a few years from now much less decades from now.

Britney is a talentless whore.

R70

She was a manufactured pop star with a huge media push behind her like Beyonce, Timberlake, Rihanna and Gaga. I don't think that type of corporate-pushed pop culture phenomena will ever happen again because of the media fragmentation and having far more options available rather than relying on Top 40 radio, magazines and TV. They sold well because the media forced them onto people. That type of force-feeding just will not happen anymore.

R61 Connie would be even higher, I believe 5th or 6th place, if her pre-Hot 100 Billboard hits were counted, Who's Sorry Now, I'm Sorry I Made You Cry, and Stupid Cupid. These were not counted in the list t=you posted.

R66

I think J. Lo and Shakira have high numbers because of their Latin fanbase. The most surprising is Tina and Enya, they are very talented but I didn't know that many people streamed their music.

Honestly, J. Lo, Britney and Destiny's Child are more early 2000s than 90s but technically 1999 is still the 90s.

How embarrassing for Janet. But she must be used to being embarrassed by now.

Wow, the recording industry really managed to find ways around anti-Payola laws.

The Rolling Stones should be in the top five.

Seems like a non Anglo-American star could have similar numbers not being tracked on western music platforms. Asha Bhosle from India or Faye Wong from China. Or Shakira. And while her US numbers are barely anything, Kylie’s international ones are competitive.

Doubtful, R77. Look at how most countries certify gold and platinum. The amounts are way lower because the population is lower.

Indeed, R78. In sparsely populated China and India, the few people who do live there have never listened to any music, ever. And of course there aren't any similar streaming services to YouTube or Spotify. Nothing at all.

These kinds of lists are crackers.

Yes...I certainly believe Taylor Swift has sold more albums than Fleetwood Mac.

(insert eye roll emoji)

Pre-2000s Female Acts on Spotify (Feb. 5, 2021)

#1 @shakira 6.53M #2 @britneyspears 3.39M #3 @whitneyhouston 2.67M #4 @Madonna 2.38M #5 @MariahCarey 2.37M #6 @JLo 2.18M #7 @xtina 2.18M #8 @celinedion 1.77M #9 @DollyParton 1.49M #10 @LoveTinaTurner 1.27M

Most streamed female artists on Spotify (Feb. 5, 2021)

#1 @taylorswift13 22.21M #2 @ArianaGrande 21.29M #3 @DUALIPA 15.52M #4 @billieeilish 13.65M #5 @DojaCat 9.94M #6 @rihanna 9.54M #7 @sia 9.49M #8 @MileyCyrus 9.27M #9 @Olivia_Rodrigo 9.14M #10 @ladygaga 8.84M

Pre-2000s Male Acts on Spotify (Feb. 5, 2021)

#1 @Eminem 13.88M #2 @michaeljackson 5.06M #3 @eltonofficial 4.44M #4 @JAY_Z 3.44M #5 @bobmarley 3.33M #6 @2PAC 3.29M #7 @DavidBowieReal 2.58M #8 @ElvisPresley 2.55M #9 @thenotoriousbig 2.5M #10 @SnoopDogg 2.49M

[quote] Indeed, [R78]. In sparsely populated China and India, the few people who do live there have never listened to any music, ever. And of course there aren't any similar streaming services to YouTube or Spotify. Nothing at all.

Maybe you missed the word "MOST." And also, you think in countries like India where the poverty level is off the charts that they're sitting around the gutter streaming Kylie Minogue?