Countless artists have sold over a million records, from historical figures like Enrico Caruso (first to sell 1M singles in 1904) to contemporary superstars like Taylor Swift, while legends like The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley have sold hundreds of millions, dominating charts across decades and formats, with Thriller by MJ and 1989 by Taylor Swift being massive million-selling albums.
Michael Jackson has sold over 1 billion records worldwide across all credits. He's the best selling artist in music history.
Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing live music artist of all time, collecting $3 billion according to Pollstar. U2, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, and Elton John also passed two-billion mark in concert revenue.
The first record to sell over a million copies was 'Vesti la giubba' from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, sung by the Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso (1873–1921).
No. Michael Jackson was only 1.75M tall; Taylor Swift is 1.78M. They are/were both of slim build. So Swift's extra height would make her bigger overall than Jackson was.
Who is the most successful artist of all time?
They are sometimes referred to as Moonwalkers. Michael Jackson's fanbase is one of the largest in the world, with numerous media outlets reporting that he reached billions of fans over his four-decade career.
Garth Brooks is the artist with nine diamond-certified albums, a record for album sales (10 million+ units each), though Drake now leads in total Diamond certifications (albums and singles combined) with over 10, followed by Post Malone for singles. Brooks' nine diamond albums include classics like Double Live, The Ultimate Hits, and In Pieces, making him the sole artist with this many album awards from the RIAA.
As to be expected, due to his far greater number of total chart entries, Elvis has the advantage over The Beatles in most performance categories. Presley placed 102 titles in Billboard's top 40, while The Beatles had 50 entries that made it that far up the chart. In the top 20, Elvis had 61 songs and The Beatles 37.
The richest singer of all time is generally considered to be Jay-Z, with estimated net worths reaching billions, primarily from his music, record labels (Roc-A-Fella), fashion (Rocawear), and significant investments in alcohol brands (D'usse, Ace of Spades) and tech companies like Uber. Other music billionaires include Taylor Swift and Rihanna, while Paul McCartney is the wealthiest British musician, but Jay-Z consistently leads lists of the world's richest musicians due to his diverse business empire.
Swift, having sold over 200 million albums, then eclipsed even Gaga, having become a billionaire and won fourteen Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, forty American Music Awards, thirty-nine Billboard Music Awards, a hundred and eighteen Guinness World Records, twenty-three MTV Video Awards, twelve Country Music Awards and ...
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Madonna, Whitney Houston and Pink Floyd each have three.
The Rolling Stones, $2.5 billion
Compared to other rock bands that came up in the 1960s, the Rolling Stones have fared well.
There's no single "number 1 artist of all time" as it's subjective, but Leonardo da Vinci often tops lists for visual art due to masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, while The Beatles are frequently cited as the best-selling music group ever, and Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley are often named as top solo music artists by sales and influence. Modern metrics like Spotify streams point to artists like Bad Bunny or Taylor Swift for recent dominance.
1. Madonna. The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops re-inventing herself, Madonna has sold over three hundred million records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide. Her film career, however, is another story.
There's no single "number one" album due to different metrics (sales, critical acclaim, cultural impact), but Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982) is consistently cited as the best-selling album worldwide and a landmark pop record, while The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) often tops US sales charts. Other contenders for "best" often include Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, and recent critical favorites like Adele's 21.
Aerosmith is the best-selling American hard rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 70 million records in the United States alone.
George Strait holds the record for the most platinum albums, with 33 certified by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for selling over one million copies each in the USA, a feat that cements his status as the "King of Country" and leads all artists across genres. He is followed by Elvis Presley and The Beatles in overall platinum awards, but Strait leads the pack specifically for platinum albums.
The best-selling vinyl album of all time is widely considered to be Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982), with estimated sales of over 66 million copies, many of those on vinyl before CDs dominated, though *Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)* (1976) is also a massive contender, often cited as the best-selling non-compilation vinyl in the US due to its strong classic rock appeal and vinyl's dominance in the mid-70s. Other perennial best-sellers on vinyl include Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, and AC/DC's Back in Black.
Sales: Off the Wall has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2025. Billboard Year-End Awards (1980): Jackson was recognized as Top Black Artist and the album as Top Black Album. Major Awards and Nominations.