if you dont mind i am just going to post my response to
this thread here. i can't believe how biased that opening post is and i can't be bothered with the backlash of such a confrontation reply, which will no doubt have all the diva fan bases gunning for my post.

nevertheless, here is my wouldbe response:
where are these people that claim madonna sold the most during this period? i certainly haven't read such claims here on ds.

however, it's rather convenient in my opinion that the opening post seems to concentrate on the early to mid 90s when it comes to madonna, but then elaborates in long statements about how her perceived rivals performed throughout the nineties as a whole. i suppose the success of the "ray of light" album doesn't sit well with the not so subtle biased against madonna in general, not to mention the massive success of "the immaculate collection".
"madonna never did this", "madonna could only dream of selling that much", i mean really, do you honestly think she dreamt of such things given the success of her career by that point?

by the same token, i could imagine one or two of these nineties success stories could only dream of madonna`s longevity.
the irony of madonna being painted as a down on her luck diva that sold ballads to gain popularity is almost too much. especially considering, some singers barely existed outside of their comfort zone of ballads during this period, while madonna continued to reinvent and progress herself as an artist.
she may have well bowed to record company pressure with "bedtime stories", who honestly knows, but it was by far her worst album during that decade and nowhere near the success of "ray of light" worldwide. even so, i really don't think softening her image during that period was a blatant attempt at keeping up with her rivals. her main goal during that period was bagging the "evita" role and she even postponed her lucrative touring to do so.
while it cannot be disputed that madonna suffered a backlash during some parts the nineties and while these artist sold millions of records especially during this period, as a fan it made madonna`s commercial and critical comebacks all the more satisfying.
in answer to the original question, i would also say that its between mariah and celine all things considered sales wise, not that the opening post is completely successful, especially in terms of objectivity. still it's interesting that madonna is still being used as a benchmark, presumably due to her worldwide sales overall and she still manages to remain successful even now through her touring.