ANSWERS: 40
  • I believe the female artist with most records sold is Connie Francis. She recorded about 70 albums. I don't know the male artist who sold most records
    • Nosmo King
      I think Madonna has sold more than Connie Francis. The biggest-selling male singer is Elvis Presley (who else?)
  • Elton John's 1997 "Candle in the Wind" Diana Tribute is by far the highest selling Single of all Time. Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" from the Bodyguard Soundtrack would be the higest for a Female The Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is highest selling album by a band. Michael Jackson's Thiller is highest selling male solo artist album Shania Twain's "Come on Over" is the highest selling female solo album
    • Nosmo King
      That's sales for specific releases, rather than total sales.
  • I Believe Diana Ross has around 80 albums to her credit, I am not sure but I think she might have recorded the most!!!!!!! With the Supremes and Solo
  • Madonna is by far the highest selling and most successful female recording artist ever. She has sold over 240 million records world wide to date, 75 million singles and 165 million albums. On top of selling more albums and more singles world wide than any other female artist, she has been extremely successful on the charts in literally every major music market around the world... World wide sales for each of Madonna's albums: Madonna (The First Album)- 9 million Like A Virgin- 19 million True Blue- 20 million Who's That Girl Original Motion Picture Soundtrack- 5 million You Can Dance- 6 million Like A Prayer- 12 million I'm Breathless: Music From and Inspired by The Film Dick Tracy- 6 million The Immaculate Collection- 23 million Erotica- 5 million Bedtime Stories- 6 million Something to Remember- 8 million Evita Soundtrack- 8 million Ray of Light- 16 million Music- 13 million GHV2- 6 million American Life- 4 million Remixed & Revisited- (Although it was considered an album in the US it's short run time and the fact that it only had 7 tracks caused it to be considered as, and chart as a single in most overseas territories, it's world wide sales are subjective...)
  • These artists have the most gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums (each album is counted only once even if the album was certified gold, platinum, and multi-platinum) Elvis Presley (97 Gold, 55 of which Platinum, 25 of which multi-platinum, tops in every category ) Pink Floyd (74, 71, 69, -most for any group in every category-) Barbra Streisand (50, 31, 13) (female with the most gold, multi-platinum albums and #1 The Beatles (43, 38, 24) The Rolling Stones (42, 27,11) Totals are derived from cumulative album sales totals AS OF 3/8/06 Figures are in the millions The Beatles 168.5 Elvis Presley 118.5 Garth Brooks 116.0 Led Zeppelin 109.5 The Eagles 91.0 Billy Joel 79.5 Pink Floyd 73.5 Barbara Streisand 71.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_certification
  • Sir Cliff Richard sold over 250 million records http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/24/blair.cliff/index.html
    • Nosmo King
      Elvis has sold more than Cliff.
  • As of 2006 Nana Mouskouri (from Greece) has sold over 300 million records. Madonna is approx 250 million. I think the reason for this is that Nana Mouskouri has alot of records that don't really get to #1 but stay somewhere on the charts for a long time. Whereas Madonna and Mariah etc get to #1 and stay at number one for a couple weeks and drop away. Nana Mouskouri's fans tend to like to collect all of her hundreds of albums and she is fluent in 6 languages and had recorded and performed in 15 languages. Also her career has been active since the early 60's. The only country where she hasn't made that big of a name for herself is seems to be the U.S. But she has worked with Qunicy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Nina Simone, Joan Baez, Julio Iglesias among others. Nana is reputed to be fun, personable and down-to-earth which has built a certain degree of affection among her fans (which is why I love her even if I don't think she's the greatest singer)
  • The Worldwide best-selling musical act in history cannot and will probably never be known. U.S. sales data before 1952 are incomplete. International sales, particularly in the developing world, are still often poorly tracked, and much sales data before the 1980s are rare or dubious. The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley have all been given the title by various sources. Less common claims are made for a number of other artists. The Beatles take the top position in the U.S. which is the biggest and best tracked market in the world. Here are the figures from the Grand Daddy of them all, accepted as the best source..... The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) figures for U.S. sales. The U.S. is the worlds largest single market. Totals are derived from cumulative album U.S. sales totals AS OF 3/8/06 Figures are in the millions The Beatles 168.5 Elvis Presley 118.5 Garth Brooks 116.0 Led Zeppelin 109.5 The Eagles 91.0 Billy Joel 79.5 Pink Floyd 73.5 Barbara Streisand 71.0 That's a lot! of freakin' records folks. Here's some other interesting record info: The RIAA® Gold® and Platinum® Awards program was launched in 1958 in an effort to create a standard by which to measure sales of a sound recording. In the beginning, there was only a Gold® album award for the sale of 500,000 copies. As the industry grew, other awards were developed. The Platinum® award (1,000,000 sold) was created in 1976 and with the advent of the compact disc and the subsequent increase in sales, the Multi-Platinum™ award was created in 1984. On March 16, 1999, the RIAA® launched the Diamond® Awards, honoring sales of 10 million copies or more of an album or single. I win....!!
  • RCA/BMG has said Elvis Presley is the all time biggest seller, bar none. RCA/BMG said they have nothing to prove to anyone. Don't know who is the biggest female artist. Record sells, seem to be over done. Like one of the beatles albums, which said it sold 19 million,when in real numbers it had sold 9.5 million. Which is still alot.Because the album was a two record album.
  • Miss Mariah Carey is no doubt the biggest selling female singer/songwriter in the history of music! With only 16yrs in the industry,Mariah Carey has the most number one singles of any active artist and tied with Elvis Pressley with 17 number one hits! Second only to the "The Beatles" whom has 20 number one hits! According to World Music Awards, Carey is the biggest-selling recording artist of the decade (1990-2000) [2]. In 2000, she received the Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium award [3] for being the best selling female artist of all time.[4] In 2003, she also became the first female artist to receive the Chopard Diamond World Music Award, for sales surpassing 175 million copies [5]. She sold a total of about eighty million records in the U.S. (63 million albums and 17.5 million singles)[1] and over 200 million records worldwide in that decade. Since 2000, Carey's sales have continued to decline with her only selling 20 million albums from 2000 to 2007, however her last release "The Emancipation of Mimi" did sell an estimated 10 million copies. In total she has sold 225 million records. Carey is the most successful international artist in Japan, with sales of over twelve million. #1s is the biggest selling foreign album in that country, and Glitter is the first international soundtrack ever to achieve number-one status [6]. She has achieved five number-one albums in Japan ley with 17 number one singles and three behind the "The Beatles"
  • I believe that Michael Jackson did. He has sold over 750 albums so no beatles or elivis can top that.
    • Nosmo King
      I think Michael Jackson has sold considerably more than 750 albums. If one of his albums sold 750 copies it still wouldn't have made the Top 100, let alone Number One. I think you mean 750 million. Even so, Elvis has sold more than that.
  • Elvis is the highest he has sold over a billion. i dont know why a guy commented michael jackson has 750 albums no-one has that amount michael jackson has about 10 offiacl albums. But elvis is the highest
    • Nosmo King
      I don't think even Elvis has sold a billion records. If he did, everybody in the world would have at least 130 Elvis records, including people who don't like Elvis. I think this billion nonsense is an exaggeration.
  • Elvis is the highest he has sold over a billion. i dont know why a guy commented michael jackson has 750 albums no-one has that amount michael jackson has about 10 offiacl albums. But elvis is the highest
    • Nosmo King
      I don't think even Elvis has sold a billion records. If he did, everybody in the world would have at least 130 Elvis records, including people who don't like Elvis. I think this billion nonsense is an exaggeration.
  • well.. i'm the one of the biggest madonna fans too... is no doubt that madonna is the most succesful female recording artist worldwide of all time, and is usually regarded as the most famous female singer on earth of all time.. ... honestly, she is popular for her image and figure.. and maintain her popularity through decade.. that's the reason why she kept her status as the No.1 Female Musician in the world of all time... but she's not a good vocalist... Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion... has a vocal better than Madonna... and this three women also beat Madonna in some music record... Whitney Houston, Mariah carey, and Celine Dion has an album which sell over 30 million copies worldwide... and in history of music, only five female singer who can sell her album over 30 million copies... beside them... is Shania Twain and Alanis Morissette.. here the list best selling female album worldwide of all time.. 1. Shania Twain Come on Over, 37 million 2. Whitney Houston The Bodyguard Soundtrack, 37 million 3. Celine Dion Falling Into You, 32 million Let's Talk About Love, 31 million 4. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Phill, 30 million 5. Mariah Carey Music Box, 30 million the highest selling worldwide of Madonna Album, is The Immaculate Collection, which sold "only" 23 million... behind... Baby One More Time, Britney Spears (28 million) and Daydream, Mariah Carey (25 million)... i just want to say that Madonna is not the Biggest Selling Female Artist in the world... but she is the most succesful female recording artist and the most famous female musician on earth... the biggest selling female artist in the world is.. Celine Dion...
  • celine dion leads the ladie's in most albums sold. Look it up cause it's true.
  • Celine Dion has sold the most albums in the world. She is extremely popular worldwide, in states too. People tend to try to put her down cause they think that Mariah Carey has the best voice in the world. But truth is: they both are extraordinary singers. They have different styles of music and voice. But they both blow you away! I don't think one can judge who is better, they both rock! Though I prefer Celine's type of music, nicer melodies, nicer use of voice. Where as mariah on the other hand has a great voice but shouts it out too much and doesn't hold the notes for long and her style of music has gotten worse over the years. I don't like her hip hop new style. no beat, no melody. just shouting. Wish she would utilize her voice more like celine does.
  • you're all wrong. Nana Maskouri, unfortunately, has sold over 300 million records and is the most successful female recording artiste of all time.
  • we know for a fact that micheal jackson sold more than elvis and the beatles also new fact nobody wants to recognize is that wyclef & shikira sold way more than all the rest
  • Not listed in any specific order beyond category. Top selling Male Solo Artist Of Our Time: MICHAEL JACKSON HIGHEST SELLING FEMALE SOLO ARTIST OF OUR TIME: MADONNA Artists Reputed Sales 500 million records or more Artist Country Period Genre Source The Beatles U.K. 60s-70s Rock / Arena Rock / Pop / Psychedelic Rock [1] [2] Bing Crosby U.S. 20s-70s Jazz / Swing / Vocal / Easy Listening / Pop [3] Michael Jackson U.S. 60s-00s Pop / New Jack Swing / R&B / Rock / Funk / Disco / Gospel [4] Elvis Presley U.S. 50s-70s Rock / R&B / Gospel / Blues / Rockabilly / Pop / Country [5] Frank Sinatra U.S. 30s-90s Pop / Easy Listening / Vocal / Jazz / Swing [6] 250 million records or more Artist Country Period Genre Source ABBA Sweden 70s-80s Pop / Disco [7] [8] Alla Pugacheva Russia 60s-00s Russian pop [9] Cliff Richard U.K. 50s-00s Pop / Rock / Adult Contemporary [10] Elton John U.K. 60s-00s Pop / Rock / Adult Contemporary [11] Julio Iglesias Spain 60s-00s Latin Pop [12] Led Zeppelin U.K. 60s-80s Hard Rock / Blues Rock / Heavy Metal / Folk Rock [13] Madonna U.S. 80s-00s Pop / Dance / Disco / Electronica [14] Nana Mouskouri Greece 50s-00s Pop / Folk / Jazz [15] Pink Floyd U.K. 60s-90s Progressive Rock / Psychedelic Rock / Art Rock / Hard Rock [16][17][18] Queen U.K. 70s-00s Hard Rock / Glam Rock / Heavy Metal [19] Tino Rossi France 30s-80s Swing
  • i know that but still not the nunber one cause shes been sold only 225 millions for all her time . and i like mariah 2 ut theres an other woman on earth who is the only one who has been sold acording to the record guiness book and billboard magazine and u can serch everywhere on line and they goin to tell you that madonna is the only one who has been sold more then 275 millions of records worlwide and has been certificate for the record guiness book and her waner bross company so i really like mariah i love her music but i understand that madonna has sold more records then any other female in history ....
  • not madonna is the only one and i don't say that . well the record guiness book book is the one and the billboard magazine . that madonna has been sold more the 275 million of records .. and is true . but like celin or mariah well they are good 2 but they havent sold no more then madonna look celin 200 millions and mariah 225 millions but thers is one who has sold 275 millions her name is madonna the only one in history. thats the only true and you guys can find out this in the guiness book or billboard magazine
  • sorry to bust all your balls but all you elvis fans out there need to face the facts, The Beatles #1 are the biggest selling artist of all time with over 1.7 BILLION records sold world wide with Elvis dropping in 700 million short at #2 with 1 BILLION. Also according to official record sales from the USA. (This information was taken from EMI Records and the guinness book of records). RIAA which is the Recording Industry Association America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTopArt BEATLES, THE 170 BROOKS, GARTH 128 PRESLEY, ELVIS 118.5 LED ZEPPELIN 111.5 EAGLES 98 Time to face it THE BEATLES are #1.
  • MICHAEL JACKSON....END OF STORY !!!!
  • Michael Jackson has sold over 705 million records (or around that) according to the Guiness Book of World Records, and I think Celine Dion recently became the biggest selling female artist (not sure of the numbers)
  • Madonna is globally the biggest selling female artist of all time. No one has ever topped her.
  • The question was which male or female ARTIST has sold the most, not GROUP, so the guy that said The Beatles, you are in the wrong forum! Madonna is the biggest selling female artist of all time. She has sold the most albums, singles and concert tickets. Everyone things its Mariah, whlist she is more popular in her native US, Madonna is far more popular and sold more records than her world wide. Michael Jackson is the biggest selling male solo artist.
  • MARIAH CAREY IS THE WORLD'S BEST SELLING FEMALE RECORDING ARTIST AND SONGWRITER OF ALL TIME.
  • the biggest selling female artist of all time at this moment is none other than the frence canadian singer CELINE DION, it is true that MADONNA is holding the record for the most tickets sold for a concert after she kicked CHER of 2006 with her confession tour, but still with that great achievment CELINE DION still tops the list with 290 million records sold world wide, come everyone be reasonable now which one of these ladies MARIAH CAREY,CELINE DOIN,MADONNA do you guys think you listen to the most on the radio and see on television or for that fact the news CELINE DION of cause MARIAH CAREY might have more BILLBOARD number ones than her but still CELINE beats her on the record selling and MADONNA she doesn't even have alot of BILLBOARD number ones she was only made famouse with the material girl song and that is also when people started listening to her am i right WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO MADONNA.But it seems that this year all three ladies has released albums i think now at the end of this year you should all go and see which one of the three is the biggest selling female artist of all time MWA EVERYONE SEE YOU SOON I AM *RATED BOY*
  • sorry to dissapoint you but as of his last album, the re-up, Eminem just passed elvis with the most records sold from a solo male artist.
  • The best guess (compiled from RIAA stats,SoundScan and others) Beatles...appr. 1.2 billion,Elvis Presley...appr. 900,000 million,Michael Jackson...appr.670,000 million,Frank Sinatra...appr.520,000 million,Rolling Stones...appr.320,000 million,AC/DC...appr.300,000 million,Led Zeppelin...appr.290,000 million,Pink Floyd...appr.260,000 million,ABBA...appr.225,000 million,Julio Iglesias...appr.150,000 million
  • The Beatles official sales are over 1 billion Elvis around 1 billion the truth is there are no accurate figures. The Beatles also have 20 #1's(in 7 years) in the US to Elvis 18(in 23 years). The Beatles have 2 platinum cd's since 2000 and that is truly great for a band that broke up in 1970. The Beatles were also voted best all time by, Rolling Stone , VH1, Entertainment magazine, Billboard and named most influential artists of the 20th century by Variety.Elvis was great make no mistake but in 7 years the Beatles bettered him and to this day are still the best ever without a doubt.
  • Sorry folks you have to go back a little farther in music history. Bing Crosby was the biggest selling artist and had the most number ones. No one comes close to his acheivements in music. He got the ball rolling and everyone after him ripped off of him!!
  • To try and guess, as many previous posters did, is a bit daft. I have seen figures re: Elvis of 1 billion and the Beatles also 1 billion. These figures were given a few years ago. Don't forget that the Beatles No.1's Album recently sold almost 30 million world wide - more than a quarter of a century after they split up! Led Zeppelin sold well over 200 million. Let's not forget the second biggest selling group of all time after the Beatles shall we? With in excess of 300 Million album sales it's the one and only ABBA. It is really a pity that we don't have a definitive list of world sales to avaoid all the arguments but one thing is for sure in my opinion-nobody sold or will ever sell more than the Beatles, I mean they were just by far and away the absolute best! John Kellas Bad Sassendorf Germany
  • Elvis is way ahead and it is interesting to see how the rest of you just put forth names and numbers without substantiation. As to the RIAA, they have the Beatles listed as selling 170 million albums... not billion. And secondly, this is only for the US, not the world. Thirdly, as well, this figure does not take into account singles sold which Elvis was the truly the King of. Elvis was also more popular than the Beatles worldwide and even more popular than they were in England. As Elvis dominates the UK charts as well as America's billboard charts.(See Joel Whitburn's Billboard's Top 40 ranking the stars) RIAA figures are also deceptively wrong too because they only give credit for sales on albums that have made it to 1 million. So, if you have an album that sold 999,000 copies it counts as 0 records sold. And while the Beatles have no albums left unaccounted for in that way, Elvis has an amazing 240 plus albums ranging from 300,000 in sales to just below that million mark. But he is credited with sales of zero for all of them. Also, those albums that are between gold (million sold) and platinum (2 million) status are not counted either. So if you sold 1 million 800 thousand you only get credit with 1 million in sales and lose 800K. The Beatles lose some sales here too but Elvis again has more albums in this zone than them too and therefore would gain again with a full acoounting. Also, Ernst Jorgenson of BMI researched Elvis' sales achievements as greater than 1 billion and they had him make sure, as well, that Elvis definitely sold more than any other artist or group prior to awarding him an award for doing so. Bing Crosby is really the only other person who might be close to home and yet you are all just throwing up the names of the people you like better than reviewing and stating the honest facts.
  • Male: Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson- 1 billion plus Queen, Led Zepellin- 200-300 million(ish) Female: Madonna and Mariah Carey- 200-300 million(ish) Tina Turner, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion- 180-200 million Mixed: ABBA- 300 million Others whom I am not sure of: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Bee Gees, Rod Stewart p.s: none of these figures are entirely accurate but I do know that The Beatles, Elvis and MJ are at the top of their game!!!
  • Gettymam and others have interestingly called me an Elvis freak for simply putting forth facts culled from working in the industry. Which is especially interesting, too, as I prefer the Beatles music to Elvis', though Elvis does have some great stuff. But anyone who does work in the industry knows that the Beatles sales data does not show them coming near 1 billion records sold as EMI backed off that claim a long time ago. Just as BMG had to back off their false Elvis figure of 1 billion records sold in 1982. And the Michael Jackson camp claim of 750 million records sold was also just done for publicity purposes. Since 1982, however, Ernst Jorgenson was hired to cull the sales data and it is safe to say that only Elvis Presley has sold more than 1 billion records based an actual real analysis which you can look up with an Internet search. The other gentleman is right, too, as to Bing Crosby having the most #1s and perhaps being the greatest selling artist in history though those numbers are based on sheet music and not records. Bing Crosby was in his heyday before the Billboard rankings and that is why I did not include him in my analysis. But since Gettyman takes things so personally with the Beatles, I think he should have his facts straight when he speaks of them. Although, aside from his 1.3 billion claim, the other things he states as to the Beatles are true. Though, one could be misled by what he says as, overall, Elvis is well ahead of the Beatles cumulatively on both the American and British charts. And as to their current level of sales - taking an average of the past ten (10) years - they are almost identical with the Beatles being slightly ahead. As the Beatles #1s was a huge worldwide smash as was Elvis #1s. However, the Beatles - with that album did sell several million more. Elvis 2nd to None, however, did very well also and his single, "A Little Less Conversation" sold millions worldwide and gave him another #1 hit in over 20 countries worldwide. The Beatles do have more #1s than Elvis in America,though, but less in Great Britain. But as to the overall statistics, if you simply pick up a copy of Joel Whitburn's Top 40 you will see that Elvis - and even I found this surprising - is well ahead of the Beatles overall in terms of Top 10s, Weeks at #1, Top 40s, most songs charted and so on. And Whitburn also uses a statistical formula that gives Elvis 5,000 plus points, while the Beatles come in second with 3,000 +. It's interesting to note, too, how Gettyman does not say that it was Elvis who was voted Artist of the Century by far more entities than the Beatles, though the Beatles very rightfully do have their supporters. But anytime anyone puts down either the Beatles or Elvis, you can tell they have a personal agenda. With the Michael Jackson fans being the most recent example. I just report the facts, and because I work within the industry as a consultant to BMG, I know what the numbers are. And when it comes to Gold and Platinum records, which Gettyman referenced, Elvis has more than double the Beatles and anyone else. Though that in no way detracts from the Beatles greatness, while Gettyman obviously thinks that it does. Since, and I am sure this will happen, but Gettyman will try to make an argument that the Beatles have greater sales achievements even though they do not. Additionally, he made the point about 7 years, etc. versus Elvis' longer career while failing to note that if one were to take any two (2) year period in music history, no one dominated a period so dominantly as Elvis from 1956-1958. While it is also true that this domination - and surely Elvis' record sales were diminished - due to his going into the army from 58-60. Elvis was also in the movies during the entire decade of the 1960s and did not perform live again until 1968, when the Beatles were still together. And, in 1968, Elvis had the highest rated musical special of the year. Also, in 1969 while the Beatles were still together, he had another #1 hit with Suspcious Minds and broke all previous Las Vegas Attendance records. Going on in 1973 to have the most viewed show of any sort with Aloha from Hawaii, which was seen - at the same time - by 1 billion to 1.5 billion people. And, despite rumors to the contrary, Elvis did not die with a struggling career. As he was the #1 live touring act in America in 1977 (the year of his death), even though he only toured half of the year. So Elvis was both before and after the Beatles and it is sad that the Beatles broke up when the did. It's sad, too - in some people's opinion - that Elvis spent so many years away from serious music making in Hollywood. Also, and anyone who is honest about popular culture, very much knows that Elvis is totally ingrained in ours as he is very much our nation's most popular celebrity. As, often times, he is even made fun of. And it has not been such a positive thing being so popular. But it was no less than the Beatles themselves who said that "Before Elvis there was nothing," and I have been in on meetings with Paul McCartney and Phil Spector who both marvelled at the power of Elvis' voice. And Elvis was also considered to be the greatest cultural force of the 20th century by Leanard Bernstein. On the other hand, Elvis didn't write his own songs and in this area, the Beatles are vastly superior as they are - in my opinion - the greatest song writers of all time!!! Individually, however, no singular member of the Beatles could match Elvis in total musical talent as Elvis was very much a prodigy learning to play the guitar, the bass, the piano and even the drums on his own and by ear. While he also had, with the possible exceptions of Tom Jones and Aretha Franklin, the most powerful voice in all of popular music with a range of approximately 3 plus octaves. None of the Beatles, whose harmonies are wonderful, are even close to that or have Elvis' ability to sing in so many different genres. And as to musicianship, in terms of playing the guitar and piano, etc., all of them are considered average in comparison to great guitar players like Clapton and James Burton etc. Although, Johnny Cash did say Elvis was the best rhythm guitar player he ever saw. But he was referring to the young Elvis, as by the time Elvis became Elvis the Superstar, he very rarely played the guitar and often times made fun of his own playing. While Ringo, I might add, is not at all considered one of the world's great drummers though he is an extremely nice and personable fellow. However, if you want to see a great performance and Elvis playing the guitar, simply goto youtube and type in "Baby What You Want Me to Do," with the sit down version being the best when Elvis borrows Scotty Moore's electric guitar. Also, and all of these polls are subjective, but Elvis is considered by most (if one looks at various gallop polls done over the years) as the world's greatest singer. While the same polling firm (gallop) has also found that the Beatles are considered the greatest band in history, with the Rolling Stones second. Both conclusions that I share and which are - to a very large extent - supported by the objective data. But it is absolutely ridiculous when you have people coming on here saying Eminem is the greatest selling solo artist in history or Garth Brooks, etc. Even though, with Garth Brookes, you can see that he has more certified ALBUM sales than Elvis for the time being, being second only to the Beatles. However, that certification process is precisely what it is, a certification process and not an actual counting of total records sold. Also, it needs to be noted that because of accounting methods at the time (50s, 60s and 70s) neither Elvis or the Beatles have the actual sales receipts to prove 1 billion records sold. However, there are other very solid ways of coming to good faith guestimates, without being biased, and that's what Ernst Jorgenson does in concluding that Elvis is the only individual to have realistically surpassed the billion records sold mark. And should anyone wish for a copy of the article, just ask, and I will be glad to provide it.
  • This question is way too broad
  • Can i just break in here and say... We all know Michael Jackson has the record for best selling album of all time... So he really does win there... And well...i'm sure he is the best selling artist of all time, because most artist's nowadays...they sell about 2 million? every album? i don't know but i think that's about average????? The least amount of copies MJ ever sold in his adult solo career was around 10 MILLION for Invincible[x] 10 MILLION??? That's alot :) "Thriller" - Michael Jackson (54 million) "Black In Black" - AC/DC (42m) "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" - The Eagles (41m) "Saturday Night Fever" - (Soundtrack) (40m) "The Bodyguard" - (Soundtrack) (37m) "Bat Out Of Hell" - Meat Loaf (37m) "Dark Side Of The Moon" - Pink Floyd (35m) "Come On Over" - Shania Twain (35m) "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - The Beatles (32m) "Dirty Dancing" - (Soundtrack) (32m) ^^^ apparently that's top 10 best selling album's worldwide... It's quite clear that MJ is waaaay up there... And he has sold more than 750 million albums altogether :) Which is a lot :) And the Beatles no way sold all them tbhh
  • Bing Crosby holds the record no one comes close to him. But the Beatles, Elvis, Elton, Sinatra are up there before Michael Wacko Jacko!
  • I don't know the exact total sales figures, but the biggest-selling male singer is Elvis Presley and the biggest-selling female singer is Madonna.

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