These Are The Top 25 Best-Selling Musical Acts Of All-Time

Nearly everyone loves listening to music, and these 25 musical acts have been the most commercially successful of all-time.

In every corner of the world, people make, listen to, and debate music. It’s one of the few things that transcends nearly every culture on the planet.

It’s hard to argue for objective bests in terms of musical quality. It is, after all, about one’s personal tastes. But, we can quantify how commercially successful it is.

This list, using data from Chartmasters, combines data including studio albums, LP’s, physical singles, digital singles, and streaming numbers to create an equivalent number of records sold.

25. Barbra Streisand, 153 MIllion

One of the great talents in entertainment history, the EGOT winner has been pleasing fans for seven decades now. She has five number-one singles to her name, including The Way We Were and Woman In Love.

24. Whitney Houston, 158 Million

Many consider Houston to be the best pop vocalist in history, and the late singer’s impact and influence can still be felt today. Her hit, from the movie The Bodyguard, I Will Always Love You, is arguably the most famous love song of all time.

23. Bruce Springsteen, 162 Million

“The Boss” is a New Jersey legend, and his 21 studio albums have helped him become one of the voices of the regular American. His 1984 hit album, Born In The USA, put seven singles in the Billboard Top 10.

22. Bee Gees, 162 Million

Many have tried, but few have pulled off the incredible three part harmonies that brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb did. Hits like Stayin’ Alive and How Deep Is Your Love are crowd-pleasers more than 50 years after their release.

21. ABBA, 164,900,000

The most successful Swedish band ever, ABBA got their big break on the first version of the European song competition, Eurovision, and never looked back. Their music lives on, adapted into the hit musical, Mamma Mia!

20. Metallica, 168 Million

They are the defining heavy metal band, and they’ve been selling tons of records for over 40 years now. Few bands have as loyal a fan base as Metallica, and those fans pack shows all over the world.

19. Eric Clapton, 175 Million

One of the greatest guitarists of all-time, Clapton is one of Britain’s most successful musical exports. Hits like Layla and Wonderful Tonight are timeless.

18. Eagles, 176 Million

Hotel California and Take It To The Limit are two of the many tracks that define one of America’s most popular, longest-lasting, and best-selling bands.

17. Mariah Carey, 177 Million

You can count on one hand the number of pop singers who can even be in the same conversation with Mariah Carey when it comes to vocal talent. The soprano has belted out hits such as Hero and Fantasy, selling a ton of records along the way.

16. Taylor Swift, 178 Million

There’s no bigger artist in the world right now, and it’s not hard to see her topping this list before her career is done. At just 33-years-old, she has thirteen number one albums. That number is only going to continue to grow.

15. Rod Stewart, 191 Million

One of the most iconic voices in rock ‘n’ roll history, Stewart has been pumping out hits since the 1960s. He’s seen ten of his albums top the UK charts.

14. Celine Dion, 199 Million

The best-selling Canadian artist of all-time, her contributions to the Titanic soundtrack, with the incredible ballad, My Heart Will Go On, launched her to international superstardom.

13. U2, 201 Million

Lead singer Bono is just as well-known as a humanitarian and a philanthropist as the band is known for their music, but this Irish group has been selling out monster concerts and putting out hit records for parts of five decades.

12. AC/DC, 202 Million

Australian rock band AC/DC hit it big with their 1981 album, For Those About To Rock, and haven’t looked back since.

11. Led Zeppelin, 207 Million

Guitarist Jimmy Page steals the headlines for many when talking about Led Zeppelin, but the other members were pretty incredible, too. Few bands pushed the boundaries and influenced rock music more than Led Zeppelin.

10. Eminem, 208 Million

There’s no way a kid from the Detroit suburbs should’ve sold more rap albums and records than anyone else, but that’s exactly what Eminem has done. He is, indeed, The Real Slim Shady.

9. Elton John, 208 Million

Sir Elton John says he’s finally done touring after over 60 years of thrilling audiences. Does anyone have a better collection of singalong songs than he does?

8. Frank Sinatra, 231 Million

Sinatra is synonymous with New York City, even though he was raised just across the river in Hoboken, New Jersey. He’s one of the greatest and most recognizable male voices of all time, and his music endures nearly 40 years after his death.

7. Pink Floyd, 238 Million

Arguably the defining psychedelic rock band, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album is one of the best of all-time. And, the album cover itself is legendary.

6. The Rolling Stones, 244 Million

Over 60 years from their formation, The Rolling Stones are still touring like they’re twenty-somethings, and few have ever put on a better show. They’ve sold their fair share of albums, too.

5. Madonna, 248 Million

“The Queen of Pop” rode the MTV wave to superstardom, with huge hits such as Like A Prayer, Like a Virgin, and Material Girl being some of pop music’s foundational pieces.

4. Queen, 280 Million

For as many records as they sold, and as many fans as they have, it all could have been even bigger had legendary lead singer, Freddie Mercury, not died of AIDS in 1991 at age 45. Their music endures, and the band still tours, but the original lineup of Queen was as big of a musical phenomenon as anything before or since.

3. Elvis Presley, 321 Million

“The King Of Rock and Roll” was as big as anyone in American culture in the 20th century. Truly larger than life, hits like Can’t Help Falling in Love and Jailhouse Rock are instantly recognizable and often covered. No one, however, can sing them like Elvis could.

2. Michael Jackson, 339 Million

“The King of Pop” was arguably the most famous person in the world in the 1980s and 1990s. His troubled life and legal troubles were adjacent to unbelievable musical feats and accomplishments. His album, Thriller, is considered to have sold more copies than any other album in history.

1. The Beatles, 424 Million

Simply put, the music industry can be split into time periods: before The Beatles, and after The Beatles. Paul, John, Ringo, and George were the biggest musical act ever, arguably the biggest cultural phenomenon ever, and changed the course of music history more than anyone ever. They were together for just a decade, but that’s all it took for them to create music that would last for eternity.