List of best-selling albums in the United States
This is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States based on RIAA certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the album must have achieved at least a diamond certification from the RIAA. The albums released prior to March 1991 should be included with their certified units only, because their Nielsen SoundScan sales are not complete.
Since February 2016, album certifications include "on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent" units.[1]
Groupings are based on different benchmarks; the highest being for at least 20 million units, and the lowest being for multi-disc albums certified at least 10 times platinum and single-disc albums that have been certified at least 10 times platinum but with sales figures lower than 10,000,000. Albums are listed in order of units certified, or sales figures when available, by greatest to least.
As a result of the RIAA's methodology of counting each disc in a multi-disc set as one unit toward certification, most double albums on the list—such as Pink Floyd's The Wall and Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below—have been certified with a number double the number of copies sold. Such albums have the shipments of copies, not discs, indicated. Conversely, the certification level for double albums that fit onto one compact disc such as the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack reflect the actual number of copies sold.
The albums in this list are ordered first by number of units, then by platinum awards received, and finally by artist name and album title.
Albums with two references for their estimated actual sales include sales through BMG Music Club. Albums with three references for their estimated actual sales include sales through BMG Music Club and Columbia House.
More than 20 million copies
Year | Artist | Album | Label | Shipments (Sales) | Certification[2][3] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1982 | Michael Jackson | Thriller | Epic | 33,000,000 | 33× Platinum‡ |
1976 | Eagles | Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) | Asylum | 29,000,000 | 29× Platinum |
1971 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | Atlantic | 23,000,000 | 23× Platinum |
1980 | AC/DC | Back in Black | Atlantic | 22,000,000 | 22× Platinum |
1977 | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | Warner Bros. | 20,000,000 | 20× Platinum |
15–19 million copies
Year | Artist | Album | Label | Shipments (Sales) | Certification[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Guns N' Roses | Appetite for Destruction | Geffen | 18,000,000 | 18× Platinum |
1997 | Shania Twain | Come On Over | Mercury Nashville | (17,661,500)[4][5] | 20× Platinum |
1974 | Elton John | Greatest Hits | Polydor | 17,000,000 | 17× Platinum‡ |
1976 | Boston | Boston | Epic Records | 17,000,000 | 17× Platinum |
1990 | Garth Brooks | No Fences | Capitol Nashville | 17,000,000 | 17× Platinum |
1991 | Metallica | Metallica | Elektra | (16,400,000)[6] | 16× Platinum |
1976 | Eagles | Hotel California | Asylum | 16,000,000 | 16× Platinum |
1977 | Soundtrack / Bee Gees | Saturday Night Fever | RSO | 16,000,000 | 16× Platinum‡ |
1995 | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | Maverick | (15,350,000)[4][7] | 16× Platinum |
1973 | Pink Floyd | The Dark Side of the Moon | Harvest/Capitol | 15,000,000 | 15× Platinum (as of 1998)
|
1984 | Bob Marley & The Wailers | Legend | Island | 15,000,000 | 15× Platinum |
1984 | Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | Columbia | 15,000,000 | 15× Platinum |
1988 | Journey | Greatest Hits | Columbia | 15,000,000 | 15× Platinum |
10–14 million copies
Fewer than 10 million copies
Year | Artist | Album | Label | Shipments (Sales) | Certification[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Boyz II Men | II | Motown | (9,890,000)[4][23] | 12× Platinum |
1991 | Garth Brooks | Ropin' the Wind | Capitol Nashville | (9,600,000)[10] | 14× Platinum |
1995 | No Doubt | Tragic Kingdom | Trauma/Interscope Records | (9,520,000)[4][24] | 10× Platinum |
1968 | The Beatles | The Beatles | Capitol | 9,500,000 | 19× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
2015 | Adele | 25 | Columbia/XL | (9,400,000)[13] | 11× Platinum‡ |
1996 | Matchbox Twenty | Yourself or Someone Like You | Atlantic | (9,358,000)[4][25] | 12× Platinum |
1994 | Green Day | Dookie | Reprise Records | (9,342,000)[4][26] | 10× Platinum |
1994 | Bob Seger | Greatest Hits | Capitol | (9,062,000)[27] | 10× Platinum‡ |
1995 | Shania Twain | The Woman in Me | Mercury Nashville | (8,894,000)[4][28] | 12× Platinum |
1995 | Jewel | Pieces of You | Atlantic | (8,800,000)[4][29] | 12× Platinum |
1994 | TLC | CrazySexyCool | LaFace | (8,765,000)[4][21] | 11× Platinum |
2000 | Nelly | Country Grammar | Universal | (8,581,000)[30] | 10× Platinum‡ |
1995 | Mariah Carey | Daydream | Columbia | (8,505,000)[4][31] | 10× Platinum |
1973 | The Beatles | 1967-1970 | Capitol | 8,500,000 | 17× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
1999 | Dixie Chicks | Fly | Monument Records | (8,396,000)[21] | 10× Platinum |
1993 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Greatest Hits | MCA | (8,200,000)[32] | 12× Platinum |
1993 | Mariah Carey | Music Box | Columbia | (8,012,000)[4][31] | 10× Platinum |
1975 | Led Zeppelin | Physical Graffiti | Swan Song | 8,000,000 | 16× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
2005 | Nickelback | All the Right Reasons | Roadrunner | (7,960,000)[33] | 10× Platinum‡ |
1994 | Soundtrack | The Lion King | Walt Disney Records | (7,879,000)[34] | 10× Platinum |
1994 | Garth Brooks | The Hits | Liberty Records | (7,821,000)[35] | 10× Platinum |
1992 | Eric Clapton | Unplugged | Reprise Records | (7,617,000)[36] | 10× Platinum |
1973 | The Beatles | 1962–1966 | Capitol | 7,500,000 | 15× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
2008 | Taylor Swift | Fearless | Big Machine Records | (7,123,000)[37] | 10× Platinum‡ |
1997 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Life After Death | Bad Boy Records/Arista | (6,320,000)[4][38] | 10× Platinum (2-disc album) (as of 2000)
|
1998 | Garth Brooks | Double Live | Capitol Nashville | (6,017,000)[39] | 21× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
1971 | The Rolling Stones | Hot Rocks 1964-1971 | London | 6,000,000 | 12× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
2003 | Outkast | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | LaFace, Arista | (5,702,000)[40] | 11× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
1997 | Garth Brooks | Sevens | Capitol Records | (5,700,000)[41] | 10× Platinum |
2002 | Shania Twain | Up! | Mercury Nashville | (5,409,000)[40] | 11× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
1998 | 2Pac | Greatest Hits | Interscope | (5,100,000)[42] | 10× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
1976 | Stevie Wonder | Songs in the Key of Life | Motown | 5,000,000 | 10× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
1996 | 2Pac | All Eyez On Me | Death Row Records | 5,000,000 | 10× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
2007 | Garth Brooks | The Ultimate Hits | Pearl Records | 5,000,000 | 10× Platinum‡ (2-disc album)
|
1995 | The Smashing Pumpkins | Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | Virgin | (4,900,000)[43] | 10× Platinum (2-disc album)
|
1994 | Soundtrack | Forrest Gump | Epic Records | (4,400,000)[44] | 12× Platinum |
1986 | Bruce Springsteen | Live/1975–85 | Columbia | 4,333,333 | 13× Platinum (3-disc album)
|
1990 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin Boxed Set | Atlantic Records | 2,500,000 | 10× Platinum (4-disc album)
|
Notes
- †Only includes sales tracked by Nielsen SoundScan since March 1, 1991 and BMG Music Club sales, where available.[45]
When tracking began, Nielsen SoundScan only had about 40% coverage of album sales.[46] SoundScan initially did not track albums sold in supermarkets, and never tracked those sold through mail-order music clubs such as Columbia House or BMG Music Club.[47][48]
- ‡Album certifications from February 1, 2016 onward include "on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent."[1]
See also
- List of best-selling albums
- Lists of best-selling albums by country
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling singles
- Best-selling albums in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began
- Best-selling albums by year in the United States
- List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States
- List of best-selling albums of the 21st century
References
- ^ a b "RIAA Debuts Album Award With Streams". Recording Industry Association of America. Washington, DC, USA. 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
- ^ a b c d "RIAA's Top 100 Albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "RIAA Diamond Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
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- ^ Titus, Christa (2016-08-12). "7 Fast Chart Facts About Metallica's 'Black Album,' 25 Years Later". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
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- ^ "Seger CD one of the decade's best sellers". United Press International. December 16, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
- ^ Grein, Paul (2011-04-19). "Week Ending April 17, 2011. Albums: Grohl Times Two". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
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- ^ Stutz, Colin (March 13, 2017). "Nickelback's 'All the Right Reasons' Reaches RIAA Diamond Status". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Grein, Paul (2014-07-02). "Chart Watch: Ed Sheeran's Transatlantic #1". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
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External links
- RIAA Website
- RIAA "Top 100" Albums
- Billboard Magazine,– a magazine that publishes weekly music rankings