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The song, recognized as "the best-selling single of all time", was released before the pop/rock singles-chart era and "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and—remarkably—still retains the title more than 50 years later".
Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling physical single in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking music sales in 1991. All of these physical singles have sold over four million copies according to either reliable third-party claims or RIAA multi-platinum certifications.
The following list of best-selling music artists includes musical artists from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. The sales figures are calculated based on the formula detailed below.
The best-selling musicians of all time include Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, and Whitney Houston. RIAA ranked the best-selling musicians of all time based on total album units sold in the US.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby is not only the best-selling Christmas/holiday single in the United States, but also the best-selling single of all time since the advent of recorded music, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing live music artist of all time, collecting $3 billion according to Pollstar. The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music group of all time, collecting over $2.9 billion according to Billboard Boxscore. U2, Coldplay, and Elton John also passed two-billion mark in concert revenue.
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. [4] [5] [6] Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.
The RIAA began its certifications in 1958, therefore, popular artists from earlier eras are generally not represented on this list. As of February 10, 2024, the Beatles have the highest total certified albums and Drake has the highest total certified digital singles. Eminem is the only act in the top 20 of both lists.