"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.
The Beatles have the most No. 1 hits of all time: 20.
Over the course of Elvis' life, he achieved some of the highest accolades in music and film. It is estimated that more than one billion Elvis records have been sold worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history.
According to Billboard, The Weeknd's “Blinding Lights” holds the title for the most famous song for the period 1960-2021. If you're interested in songs that appeared on "all-time top" lists compiled by well-known music publications, check this study from 2015 that resulted in 50 iconic songs of all time.
The Girl from Ipanema is the second most recorded song in the history of recorded songs, next to "Summertime" by George Gerwin.
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.
The use of her song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” in the series has shot it up the charts in a way it didn't even when the song was released in 1985! In fact, it's the oldest song to EVER reach No.
With “All I Want…”, Carey extended her lead over Elvis Presley (17) for the most US No. 1s by a solo artist, and is just one behind The Beatles (20) for the most chart-toppers overall. Mariah's 19 US No.
Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26), of The Beatles, rank first and second, respectively, for having written the most Hot 100 No. 1s, thanks to their respective group and solo outputs.
Cher's career as a recording artist spans seven decades and she is the only artist to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of the past six decades.
Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, and no one else even comes close. The 33-year-old Canadian singer's success has seen him set two new Guinness World Records titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify – 111.4 million (as of 20 March 2023)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.
The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time, collecting over $2.5 billion according to Billboard Boxscore.
It's official: The Weeknd is statistically the most popular artist in the world according to Guinness World Records.
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's “Despacito” reigns as the most-viewed music video on YouTube, crossing 8 billion views just five years after its release.
Music historians cite Whitney's record-setting achievements: the only artist to have seven consecutive number one Billboard Hot 100 hits ("Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," "Greatest Love of All," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," "Didn't We Almost Have It All," "So Emotional" and "Where Do ...
The most successful songwriters in terms of number one singles are John Lennon (1940-80) and Paul McCartney (b. 18 Jun 1942). McCartney is credited as the writer on 32 number one hits in the US to Lennons 26 (with 23 co-written), whereas Lennon authored 29 UK number ones to McCartney's 28 (25 co-written).
The only audited measure of record sales in the United States is certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Since the RIAA introduced its awards on 14 March 1958, Elvis Presley holds the record for the most platinum certificates for both albums and singles with 82.