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Highest Selling Albums of Soundscan Era (1991-Present)


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Old 06-01-2012, 16:10
ags_rule
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01. Metallica - "Metallica" (15,735,000)
02. Shania Twain - "Come On Over" (15,513,000)
03. Alanis Morissette - "Jagged Little Pill" (14,714,000)
04. Backstreet Boys - "Millennium" (12,168,000)
05. The Beatles - "1" (11,985,000)
06. Soundtrack - "Bodyguard" (11,829,000)
07. Santana - "Supernatural" (11,772,000)
08. Creed - "Human Clay" (11,574,000)
09. N' Sync - "No Strings Attached" (11,122,000)
10. Celine Dion - "Falling Into You" (10,790,000)

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/...ince_1991.html

These figures are just for America only but they are about as accurate as they come. Very narrow win for Metallica but extremely deserved, a quality album.
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Old 06-01-2012, 16:15
rollercoaster
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Surely Shania is #1 worldwide, though? Metallica get this one for America, but is the rest of the world quite so tone deaf? Hm.
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Old 06-01-2012, 16:22
konebyvax
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It shows you how album sales have declined over the years - I think the most recently released album on that list is still 12 years old (The Beatles)? Although I wouldn't bet against Adele breaking into that list in the next 18-24 months.
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Old 06-01-2012, 16:25
rollercoaster
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Hasn't Adele already topped that list? :s
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Old 06-01-2012, 16:28
ags_rule
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Surely Shania is #1 worldwide, though? Metallica get this one for America, but is the rest of the world quite so tone deaf? Hm.
Oh look an ignorant opinion of metal already

Suggest you give it a listen, it's about as accessible as heavy-metal gets without selling out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcbAibPA2yY

It's hard to get any sort of solid evidence about which one has sold more worldwide. Some say Shania Twain sold 40 million worldwide while the Black album only sold 22 million, which seems highly unlikely, as there is no reliable source to back up the Shania Twain figure and Metallica certainly sold more than 5 million copies outside of the USA. Metallica have certainly remained relevant while Shania Twain has become a distant memory, so I'd be inclined to say they have, but I imagine it is very close.
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Old 06-01-2012, 16:37
konebyvax
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Hasn't Adele already topped that list? :s


Worldwide, yes, but these are US-only sales.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:03
ags_rule
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Worldwide, yes, but these are US-only sales.
Adele is nowhere near that list.

She has sold 12 million worldwide, and is 5x platinum in the USA so has sold approximately 5 million copies there.

An incredible achievement in the current sales climate and an excellent album, but let's not pretend she's outsold every other artist over the last 20 years, because she hasn't.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:10
umbongo
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It shows you how album sales have declined over the years - I think the most recently released album on that list is still 12 years old (The Beatles)? Although I wouldn't bet against Adele breaking into that list in the next 18-24 months.
I doubt Adele will get anywhere near the Top 10. She's got to at least double what she's sold so far and the album campaign seems to be over so I doubt she will.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:16
ilovezenyatta
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adele is on her way to selling 6 million pretty soon. maybe even 7 come grammy night. anyway looking at that list more albums have sold more than what these sales show.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:17
konebyvax
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Adele is nowhere near that list.

She has sold 12 million worldwide, and is 5x platinum in the USA so has sold approximately 5 million copies there.

An incredible achievement in the current sales climate and an excellent album, but let's not pretend she's outsold every other artist over the last 20 years, because she hasn't.

Nope. She's sold 15.7 million worldwide and 5.8 million in the US so 6x platinum (based on shipments). Foolish to write her off like naysayers have been doing for the best part of 2011 because it has a habit of coming back to bite you, lol). Last week in the US she sold 145k in the post Xmas week and is predicted to sell 130k this week. Then there's the Grammys and hopefully personal promo now her voice is sorted. I tell you, she is in with a definite chance. I know it would be incredible but what the album has sold so far is just that. Incredible.

And I have never suggested she's outsold every artist in the last 20 years because that would be impossible given my explanation in my first post in the thread so no idea where that came from . Album sales have declined by well over 50% in the last 20 years so that sort of claim would be silly. Hence me not making it.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:20
ilovezenyatta
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it can sell 20 million by the middle of the year maybe
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:21
markmc2k5
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Shania would have been number one if she didn't release a greatest hits album. That absolutely took away from her sales of Come On Over.

Still though, well deserved for Metallica. Classic album.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:24
ags_rule
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Nope. She's sold 15.7 million worldwide and 5.8 million in the US so 6x platinum (based on shipments). Foolish to write her off like naysayers have been doing for the best part of 2011 because it has a habit of coming back to bite you, lol). Last week in the US she sold 145k in the post Xmas week and is predicted to sell 130k this week. Then there's the Grammys and hopefully personal promo now her voice is sorted. I tell you, she is in with a definite chance.

And I have never suggested she's outsold every artist in the last 20 years because that would be impossible given my explanation in my first post in the thread so no idea where that came from . Album sales have declined by well over 50% in the last 20 years so that sort of claim would be silly. Hence me not making it.
You claimed that she had topped that list 'worldwide', which of course, she has not. Even if you take her worldwide sales (the stats of which you used are based on shipments only and therefore highly questionable), they only just match Metallica's US sales.

I would question if Adele has sold 5.8 million in the US:

http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumd...&artist=Adele#

21 went 5x multi-platinum (which is 5 million copies) on December 2nd 2011. Unless she has sold an other 800,000 copies since then, your figure is incorrect.

I think she has every chance of breaking into that Top 10 eventually if her sales remain steady, but the question is whether - when all the hype dies down - 21 enters the echelon of music history as a 'classic' album. Metallica's Black album is considered a classic of the genre and so has continued to sell well enough since it's release to stay at the top of that list. The Black album was 6x multi-platinum within just over a year, but that was 19 years ago, and since then has gone on to sell nearly another 10 million copies. Only time will tell if 21 is treated the same way.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:28
xmel05
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Its funny how Shania has the best selling album by a female
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:33
ilovezenyatta
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shania has sold 40 million worldwide. 20x in the u.s. the best by a female in the u.s. but whitney houston has the best selling album by a female worldwide with the bodyguard soundtrack selling 44 million.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:35
ilovezenyatta
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also, that shania's sales for her follow up sold half of what come on over sold. also worldwide as well.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:36
konebyvax
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You claimed that she had topped that list 'worldwide', which of course, she has not. Even if you take her worldwide sales (the stats of which you used are based on shipments only and therefore highly questionable), they only just match Metallica's US sales.

I would question if Adele has sold 5.8 million in the US:

http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumd...&artist=Adele#

21 went 5x multi-platinum (which is 5 million copies) on December 2nd 2011. Unless she has sold an other 800,000 copies since then, your figure is incorrect.

I think she has every chance of breaking into that Top 10 eventually if her sales remain steady, but the question is whether - when all the hype dies down - 21 enters the echelon of music history as a 'classic' album. Metallica's Black album is considered a classic of the genre and so has continued to sell well enough since it's release to stay at the top of that list. Only time will tell if 21 is treated the same way.

Woooahhh...I think we may be talking at cross purposes. I never claimed she had beaten the worldwide figures of any of those albums, that was in reply to the poster who thought Adele had beaten the figures shown and i pointed out that her current worldwide figure was greater than the top figure shown but that figure was US-only. Apologies if I worded in an ambiguous way, it wasn't intentional.

PS My worldwide figure isn't based on shipments, it's based on mediatraffic figures, i.e. sales to end users. But IIRC XL stated some time ago that shipments were at 16 million so I would imagine of the 2 of us my figure would be closer to the reality.

I can see '21' selling well as a catalog album for years to come but like you say time will tell.

PPS Adele's official album sales for '21' in the US is 5.8 million (look for the post by oldbloke). She sold 400k in the Xmas week!

http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopi...284&start=1150

Confirmed here by the real US chart anorak!

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-w...153256993.html

21 sold 5,824,000 copies during the year, which is the most for any album in a calendar year since 2004, when Usher's Confessions sold 7,979,000 copies. It's the most for an album by a female artist in a calendar year since Britney Spears' Oops!...I Did It Again sold 7,894,000 copies in 2000. And it's the most for an album by an act from the U.K. in a calendar year in Nielsen SoundScan history. The old record for an album by a British artist was held by Spice Girls, whose debut album Spice sold 5,302,000 copies in 1997. The Beatles are in third place. Their hits collection 1 sold 5,068,000 copies in 2000.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:38
BieberIsMyLife
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How come Mariah and Michael Jackson aren't on this list? I thought they were America's darlings at their peak?
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:46
ilovezenyatta
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those albums that are on that list have sold more than what they've sold since thats the soundscan era.
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Old 06-01-2012, 17:53
ilovezenyatta
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How come Mariah and Michael Jackson aren't on this list? I thought they were America's darlings at their peak?
well in the u.s., mariah has had 2 diamond records. music box and daydream. thriller was michael jackson's only diamond record selling 29 million. off the wall (8 million) bad (8 million), dangerous (7 million), HiStory (7 million) and Invincible (2 million)
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:12
Hav_mor91
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How come Mariah and Michael Jackson aren't on this list? I thought they were America's darlings at their peak?
Music box sold seven million but has somehow been classified as diamond and Daydream again diamond but sales less at around 8 million
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:14
ilovezenyatta
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mariah peaked at daydream, mj peaked between bad and thriller
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:22
Hav_mor91
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mariah peaked at daydream, mj peaked between bad and thriller
Commercially yes but Butterfly remains her best IMO

Never been a huge Mj fan but i would guess Thriller and doesn't it work that not all pre 1991 soundscan sales are accounted for ?
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:27
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Didn't Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt sell a ridiculous amount? It can't be far off the top 10 because i'm 99.9% sure it went Diamond...

EDIT:

The album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide; and was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States and Canada
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Old 06-01-2012, 18:29
ilovezenyatta
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well rock steady enjoyed success with their singles
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