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.
Presley has sold an astounding 212 million vinyl albums and another 135 million singles. New Jersey's own Frank Sinatra came in second with 95 million singles. Michael Jackson finished 3rd with 79 million singles.
Elvis Presley, recognised as the best-selling solo music artist of all time by Guinness World Records, sold over 400.
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.
Conversation. Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Phil Collins are the only musicians to have sold over 100 million albums as a solo artist and member of a group. I remember Phil Collins.
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.
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)
The Eagles have dethroned GRAMMY-winner Michael Jackson of his best album of all-time title. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) told the Associated Press that the GRAMMY-winning band's Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album is now certified 38x platinum, making it the best-selling album of all time.
Mariah Carey (USA) has topped the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 19 different occasions.
Fela Kuti recorded 46 albums as a solo artist over the course of a solo career spanning 23 years. The first solo album was recorded in 1969 and the last in 1992.
1. The Beatles — 183 million units.
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.
According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
As of June 2023, "Blinding Lights" (2019) by Canadian singer the Weeknd is the most-streamed song of all time on Spotify, while "Dance Monkey" (2019) by Australian singer-songwriter Tones and I is the most-streamed song by a female artist.
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.
Known by the real name of “Céline Marie Claudette Dion”.
1. Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin is often credited as one of the greatest female vocalists of all time. Her ability to transcend genres and styles, such as rock, gospel, soul and jazz, has earned her the title of “Queen of Soul” and the number one spot on this list.
Frankie Laine – I Believe (18 weeks)
Famous composer Mantovani then claimed the Number 1 spot, before Frankie gave him a nudge and racked up an additional three weeks. Only five songs in history have scored three separate stints at the top!
1. "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.