List of best-selling music artists

From 2011 to 2021, the number of Platinum certifications for songs grew at an average annual rate of 18%. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and almost all other certifying bodies count streaming towards Gold and Platinum thresholds required for certification. The RIAA counts 10 downloads of individual tracks as well as 1,500 audio/video streams as an equivalent to one unit of album, including those from singles released before the album release. Theoretically, if one song were streamed 1.5 billion times on YouTube, the single would receive Diamond and its album could be certified Platinum; thus generating a combined total of 11 million certified units without any sales. Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo was certified platinum exclusively through streaming. Longer albums with more songs tend to generate more streams, which can lead to Gold and Platinum certifications. For example, Chris Brown's 45-song album Heartbreak on a Full Moon was certified gold in fewer than 10 days, although its singles did not perform well on sales charts. Issued certifications for songs which have been recorded by multiple artists, including featured artists, are added to each artist's total amount of certified units, as all the artists would have played a significant part in a song. For example, "This Is What You Came For" include Rihanna and Calvin Harris, while "Where Them Girls At" include Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj, so the certifications issued for these songs are added to the total amount of certified units for all involved artists. However, the certifications issued for songs that have been recorded by four or more artists are not included, as the artists involved would have played minor roles; examples include Kanye West's "Monster" and "All Day". ==Artists by reputed sales==

250 million or more records File:The Beatles 1963 Dezo Hoffman Capitol Records press photo 2.jpg|The Beatles File:Michael Jackson 1983 (3x4 cropped) (contrast).jpg|Michael Jackson File:Elvis Presley promoting Jailhouse Rock.jpg|Elvis Presley File:Popzanger Elton John in Nederland Elton John , kop, Bestanddeelnr 924-2765 (cropped) (b).jpg|Elton John File:Queen A Night At The Opera (1975 Elektra publicity photo 02).jpg|Queen File:Madonna at the premiere of I Am Because We Are.jpg|Madonna File:Led Zeppelin - promotional image (1971).jpg|Led Zeppelin 200 million to 249 million records File:Eminem-02-mika (cropped 3x4).jpg|Eminem File:Mariah Carey 1999 (bigger) (cropped) (b).jpg|Mariah Carey File:Whitney Houston (cropped3).JPEG|Whitney Houston File:Taylor Swift 2019 by Glenn Francis (cropped 3x4).jpg|Taylor Swift File:Beyoncé Army.mil (cropped) (cropped).jpg|Beyoncé File:Ed Sheeran-6886 (cropped).jpg|Ed Sheeran File:ACDC Let There Be Rock (1977 Atco publicity photo).jpg|AC/DC 120 million to 199 million records File:Drake at The Carter Effect 2017 (36818935200) (cropped).jpg|Drake File:Garth Brooks 2019 By Glenn Francis.jpg|Garth Brooks File:Kanye West at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival-2 (cropped).jpg|Kanye West File:ColdplayBBC071221 (cropped).jpg|Coldplay File:Billy Joel "52nd Street" (1978 Columbia publicity photo) (cropped).jpg|Billy Joel File:Katy Perry - Part Of Me Australian Premiere - June 2012 (3) (cropped).jpg|Katy Perry File:Justin Bieber Q & A (26511724391) (cropped).jpg|Justin Bieber 100 million to 119 million records File:Nicki Minaj 3, 2012.jpg|Nicki Minaj File:LinkinParkBerlin2010.jpg|Linkin Park File:George Strait 2014 1.jpg|George Strait File:Journey band.JPG|Journey File:Pink 2019-07-27 Munich (cropped).jpg|Pink File:Shania Twain Glaston2024 2806 300624 (33 of 173) (53838111535) (cropped).jpg|Shania Twain 80 million to 99 million records File:Antonio de la Rúa, Barack Obama, & Shakira (2009-02-02) (cropped).jpg|Shakira File:Ariana Grande during The Honeymoon Tour in Jakarta 2015.jpg|Ariana Grande File:Alicia Keys (2025).jpg|Alicia Keys File:Tim McGraw with Gov. Hogan (cropped).jpg|Tim McGraw File:Lionel Richie 1984.jpg|Lionel Richie File:Johnny Cash 1977.jpg|Johnny Cash File:Justin Timberlake by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|Justin Timberlake 75 million to 79 million records File:FEQ July 2018 The Weeknd (44778856382) (cropped).jpg|The Weeknd File:Imagine Dragons, Roundhouse, London (35390234536).jpg|Imagine Dragons File:LukeBryanApr10.jpg|Luke Bryan File:Greenday2010.jpg|Green Day File:Alabama at Bayfest 2014.jpg|Alabama ==See also==