Usher, Mariah Carey and Eminem

Yesterday, we looked at the top-selling albums of the 2010-2019 decade to date but let’s go even further back in time for some special Sunday fun. As we continue to bring a clearly perspective on the standing of artists in the music industry today, it’s time to highlight the 100 best-selling albums of the SoundScan era.

Since March 1991, Nielsen SoundScan began tracking the retail sales of albums across the US. That information was soon included into the methodology of the Billboard 200 in May of that year, thus bringing an end to the faulty ‘store-calling method’ upon which the system was previously based. As such, the SoundScan era introduced a new age to the music industry that boasts a higher level of transparency.

Before we get to the list of the top-selling albums, let’s enjoy a few quick facts! Garth Brooks leads all artists of the SoundScan era with over 68.7 million albums sold and he is closely followed by The Beatles, who sold 64.4 million, obviously not including their sales prior to 1991.

Mariah Carey tops the list of female acts – she is ranked third overall – with 54.1 million albums sold and is closely followed by Celine Dion with 51.8 million. Among rappers, Eminem is the clear winner with 42.3 million while Jay-Z only recently outsold Tupac with a new total of 29.1 million, thanks to his Magna Carta Holy Grail release. Finally, Beyonce failed to make the list.

Note: Unlike the statistics provided above, the following list only reflects sales up to the week of July 7 2013 and do not comprise club sales. Check out the figures below and be sure to credit me for my work if you post this information anywhere else:

1. Metallica – Metallica – 15,896,753
2. Shania Twain – Come On Over – 15,529,216
3. Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill –  14,856,788
4. Backstreet Boys – Millennium – 12,227,551
5. The Beatles - 1 – 12,214,533
6. Various Artists – The Bodyguard (Soundtrack) – 12,068,527
7. Santana – Supernatural – 11,751,712
8. Creed – Human Clay – 11,657,587
9. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Legend – 11,359,409
10. ‘N Sync – No Strings Attached – 11,145,749
11. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me – 10,941,533
12. Celine Dion – Falling Into You – 10,820,519
13. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP – 10,716,292
14. Adele – 21 – 10,672,624
15. Britney Spears – …Bay One More Time – 10,591,214
16. Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View – 10,290,251
17. Eminem – Eminem Show – 10,202,522
18. Various Artists – Titanic (Soundtrack) – 10,179,288
19. Backstreet Boys - Backstreet Boys – 10,133,209
20. Usher – Confessions – 10,106,572
21. Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory – 10,088,818
22. Pearl Jams – Ten – 10,023,878 ( 35,871 )
23. Celine Dion – Let’s Talk About Love – 9,609,743
24. Garth Brooks - Ropin’ the Wind – 9,570,940
25. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Side of the Moon – 9,538,154
26. Bob Seger – Greatest Hits – 9,279,677
27. Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause – 9,279,302
28. Britney Spears – Oops!…I Did It Again – 9,211,809
29. Nirvana – Nevermind – 9,070,716 ( 38,741 )
30. Garth Brooks – No Fences – 9,010,912
31. ‘N Sync – *NSYNC – 8,843,434
32. Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces – 8,823,473
33. Eagles – Hell Freezes Over – 8,791,124
34. Boyz II Men – II – 8,592,721
35. Nelly – Country Grammar – 8,542,690
36. Dixie Chicks – Fly – 8,383,780
37. Journey – Greatest Hits – 8,368,616
38. Christina Aguilera – Christina Aguilera – 8,251,101
39. No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom – 8,219,892
40. Matchbox Twenty – Yourself or Someone Like You – 8,216,426
41. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’ – 8,209,005
42. Green Day – Dookie – 8,145,615
43. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits – 8,121,583
44. Kenny G – Breathless – 8,062,874
45. Celine Dion – All the Way…A Decade of Song – 8,007,060
46. Various – The Lion King (Soundtrack) – 7,853,636
47. Garth Brooks – Greatest Hits – 7,822,400
48. Various  Soundtrack - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Soundtrack) – 7,808,587
49. Shania Twain – Woman in Me – 7,742,978
50. Evanescence – Fallen – 7,739,948
51. Nickelback - All the Right Reasons – 7,708,106
52. Dr. Dre – 2001 – 7,665,922
53. Mariah Carey – Daydream – 7,654,415
54. Eric Clapton – Unplugged – 7,641,902
55. Limp Bizket - Significant Other – 7,578,271
56. Billy Cyrus – Some Gave All – 7,505,501
57. TLC – CrazySexyCool – 7,465,341
58. Jewel – Pieces of You – 7,461,534
59. Spice Girls – Spice – 7,451,270
60. Carrie Underwood - Some Hearts – 7,329,685
61. Kenny G – Micacles: The Holiday Album -7,285,103
62. Mariah Carey – Music Box – 7,274,841
63. Lauryn Hill – Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – 7,198,477
64. James Taylor – Greatest Hits – 7,131,918
65. Queen – Greatest Hits – 7,104,182
66. Janet Jackson – janet. – 7,041,206
67. Ricky Martin – Ricky  Martin – 7,015,465
68. Boyz II Men – Cooleyhighharmony – 6,972,868
69. Enya - Day Without Rain – 6,957,711
70. Avril Lavigne - Let Go – 6,827,049
71. Shaggy – Hotshot – 6,824,560
72. Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish & The Hot Dog Flavored Water – 6,761,286
73. Taylor Swift – Fearless – 6,750,978
74. Michael Bolton – Time, Love & Tenderness – 6,731,452
75. Jimmy Buffett – Songs You Know By Heart – 6,603,315
76. Faith Hill – Breathe – 6,539,340
77. Nelly – Nellyville – 6,504,969
78. Ace of Base – Sign – 6,503,604
79. Creed – Weathered – 6,456,650
80. Creed – My Own Prison – 6,442,865
81. Sublime – Sublime – 6,387,744
82. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle Vol. 1 – 6,375,428
83. Destiny’s Child – Writing’s on the Wall – 6,342,929
84. Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor – 6,311,019
85. Kelly Clarkson – Breakaway – 6,290,377
86. Tim McGraw – Greatest Hits – 6,273,368
87. Michael Jackson – Thriller – 6,266,491
88. Offspring – Smash – 6,250,570
89. Natalie Cole – Unforgettable…With Love – 6,195,443
90. Green Day – American Idiot – 6,142,309
91. Fugees – The Score – 6,098,882
92. Counting Crows – August & Everything After – 6,095,148
93. Tim McGraw – Not a Moment Too Soon – 6,078,907
94. Dixie Chicks – Home – 6,053,753
95. Bush - Sixteen Stone – 6,043,370
96. Will Smith – Big Willie Style – 6,041,788
97. Various – Grease (Soundtrack) – 6,025,563
98. LeAnn Rimes – Blue – 6,024,169
99. Linkin Park – Meteora – 6,020,606
100. Garth Brooks -Double Live – 6,016,909

Watch the video for Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” from her Daydream album below:

Thoughts?