Michael Jackson leads the way with the biggest success of his career (of anyone's career, actually), Thriller, which is millions ahead of any other title. The RIAA has certified the title 33-times platinum for equivalent sales of at least 33 million copies, making it the only collection to go three-times diamond.
These awards, given by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), represent huge sales—500,000 units for gold, 1 million for platinum, 2 million or more for multiplatinum, and 10 million for diamond.
Thriller – Michael Jackson – Best Selling Albums Of All Time. Finally, the King of Pop has held on to the top spot posthumously since 2009, selling over 66 million copies worldwide! As well as the title, track, the album was packed with best-selling singles from 'Billie Jean', to 'P.Y. T', to 'Beat It'.
1. "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.
The breakout hit “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee has moved into the RIAA record books, becoming the first single in history to go 17X platinum.
Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" Is the Fastest-Selling Diamond Record of All Time.
NBA YoungBoy Receives Plaque For Having 100 Gold & Platinum Singles.
As music sales increased with the introduction of compact discs, the RIAA created the Multi-Platinum award in 1984. Diamond awards, honoring those artists whose sales of singles or albums reached 10,000,000 copies, were introduced in 1999.
Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Becomes the Highest Certified Song in RIAA History. Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' has been certified 14-times platinum by the RIAA.
Talk about a dream come true. For 23 years, no artist had matched Michael Jackson's record of five No. 1s from a single album (Bad).
The Beatles have the most No. 1 hits of all time: 20.
Garth Brooks has received seven Diamond awards for seven individual albums from the RIAA for selling over ten million units each, a feat only he can claim, and is the No.
There are 116 songs in history that have been certified diamond — here they all are. The RIAA gives diamond certifications to songs that have gone platinum 10 times. "Stay" by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber is the most recent song to receive the rare certification.
Billboard reports the single from the “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” soundtrack is now 17 times platinum — the equivalent of 17 million copies sold — surpassing Lil Nas X's “Old Time Road,” which was 15x platinum.
At the time, Posty joined fellow rappers Juicy J, T.I., OutKast, Tupac Shakur and Drake who have also reached diamond status for either features on a song, their own albums or a song they released during their careers.
The anticipation forGet Rich Or Die Tryin''s release was so high that Interscope Records rushed it out five days before its scheduled Feb. 11 date. It sold over 800K copies in its first week and has since been certified Diamond by the RIAA.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, an album is certified Diamond when it hits 10 million in sales. Double that? That's Double Diamond and only 12 albums have achieved this accomplishment.
Garth Brooks holds the record for most diamond-certified albums, with nine. Others with three or more albums that have reached diamond status include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Shania Twain and the Eagles. The RIAA awards diamond plaques to albums and singles that reach 10 times platinum status.
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" were both certified diamond on August 29, 2022, nearly 40 years after their release.
Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Is the Fastest Song in History to Be Certified Diamond by the RIAA | Billboard – Billboard.
Most recorded artist in music history - Asha Bhosle
In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records had older sister Mangeshkar (now 87) down as recording the most songs in history - a staggering 25,000.
Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales.
As of June 22, 2023, The Beatles have the highest total certified albums and Drake has the highest total certified digital singles. Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Eminem, and Taylor Swift are the only acts in the top 30 of both lists.