Best-Selling Music Artists 1969 - 2019

Timeline history of most popular music artists from 1969 to 2019 ranked by yearly certified record sales. Numbers are worldwide and adjusted to twelve months trailing average.
Recent years data includes digital singles sales as reported by online music retailers and streaming services. This data aggregates multiple sources and can serve as popularity indicator across different medias such as album sales, radio broadcasting, digital copies sales and online streaming frequency.
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Data source: RIAA, IFPI, record companies

[@calfman3333]

Psy is like that one kid that accidentally walks into the wrong classroom

[@lovekookie4ever661]

*Psy enters the chat*

[@tomagray1811]

With 4 albums Michael was number 1 for nearly 20years, that’s incredible!! Truly legendary

[@thomasodle7147]

It was cool to see the legends like The Beatles, Elvis, and Michael Jackson, Queen, etc stay up there for so long. Especially The Beatles, they had just stopped making music at the beginning of this chart and they were still up there for like 20 years

[@diegod0485]

Psy: Hi

[@LOCOCOCO88]

Psy: allow me to introduce myself.

[@jcortese3300]

The thing is that after about the late 2000s, I realize I've completely unfamiliar with every single artist up there, or maybe I've heard one song of theirs in an ad or something.

[@avkashmenon7281]

(The 80s comes)

[@rohankurani4974]

i can’t believe i watched lines moving for 10 minutes straight...

[@collat946]

PSY:

[@augustsveryown]

Michael Jackson ruled the 80s and 90s

[@leokimvideo]

This clearly shows how music died once the 2000's came along. Astonishing to see in many ways

[@skyzaid263]

PSY comes in:

[@lmj587]

Michael Jackson drops a new album

[@kutectar]

20 years of rule.

[@user-kc4me3vi2b]

やっぱりマイケル・ジャクソンは凄い。改めて凄さを知った…

[@vaeirin]

Luis Fonsi entered the chat:

[@mysticlei3362]

Michael Jackson, Madonna👑, and Queen be like: excuse me im in a hurry!

[@learninghistory4397]

Don't be fooled by numbers, though. The top selling artists are:

[@_subhannix_]

Till the time MJ had released song being promoted by Sony, he was in the top. Indeed a Genius, and of course the Greatest Pop Singer of all time.