These are the Top 100 best selling artist of the Soundscan era(January 1991-December 2007)

Key:
Rank
Total sales 1991 through 2007
Year of artist's debut on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart
Artist name
***country artist
Sales numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

***#1 67,402,000 1990 GARTH BROOKS
#2 55,695,000 1964 BEATLES
#3 49,937,000 1990 MARIAH CAREY
#4 49,692,000 1991 CELINE DION
#5 48,670,000 1984 METALLICA
***#6 39,171,000 1984 GEORGE STRAIT
***#7 36,413,000 1994 TIM MCGRAW
***#8 35,266,000 1990 ALAN JACKSON
#9 34,453,000 1967 PINK FLOYD
***#10 33,531,000 1995 SHANIA TWAIN
#11 33,072,000 1984 KENNY G
#12 32,870,000 1999 EMINEM
#13 32,087,000 1981 U2
#14 31,417,000 1992 TUPAC
#15 30,596,000 1997 BACKSTREET BOYS

#16 29,471,000 1956 ELVIS PRESLEY ** kinda amazing that he has sold over 29 million since 1991 and he died in 1977 btw Happy Birthday to Elvis, he would of been 73 years old today, the 8th of January

#17 29,373,000 1992 PEARL JAM
#18 29,215,000 1999 BRITNEY SPEARS
#19 28,746,000 1970 ERIC CLAPTON
#20 28,654,000 1973 AEROSMITH
#21 28,571,000 1994 DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
#22 28,311,000 1972 EAGLES
#23 27,978,000 1998 N SYNC
***#24 27,972,000 1987 REBA MCENTIRE
#25 26,901,000 1969 ROD STEWART
***#26 26,359,000 1998 DIXIE CHICKS
#27 25,922,000 1997 CREED
#28 25,838,000 1970 ELTON JOHN
#29 25,686,000 1977 AC/DC
***#30 25,673,000 1993 TOBY KEITH
#31 25,610,000 1946 FRANK SINATRA
#32 25,263,000 1983 MADONNA
#33 25,122,000 1989 ENYA
#34 25,094,000 1996 JAY-Z
#35 24,896,000 1969 SANTANA
#36 24,623,000 1974 JIMMY BUFFETT
#37 24,312,000 1991 NIRVANA
#38 23,641,000 1987 GUNS N'ROSES
#39 23,576,000 1964 ROLLING STONES
#40 23,429,000 1991 BOYZ II MEN
#41 22,864,000 1994 GREEN DAY
#42 22,056,000 1969 LED ZEPPELIN
#43 21,925,000 1983 MICHAEL BOLTON
***#44 21,693,000 1996 KENNY CHESNEY
***#45 21,584,000 1991 BROOKS & DUNN
#46 21,547,000 1987 RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
#47 21,414,000 1992 R. KELLY
#48 20,883,000 2000 NELLY
#49 20,848,000 1984 MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER
#50 20,598,000 1992 MARY J. BLIGE
#51 20,146,000 1963 BARBRA STREISAND
#52 20,041,000 1995 ALANIS MORISSETTE
***#53 19,809,000 1996 LEANN RIMES
#54 19,709,000 2000 LINKIN PARK
#55 19,690,000 1978 PRINCE
***#56 19,503,000 1958 JOHNNY CASH
#57 19,304,000 1982 JANET JACKSON
#58 19,264,000 1998 LIMP BIZKIT
#59 19,083,000 1994 USHER
#60 19,073,000 1999 KID ROCK
#61 19,041,000 1972 MICHAEL JACKSON
***#62 18,965,000 1994 FAITH HILL
#63 18,901,000 1993 SNOOP DOGGY DOGG
#64 18,827,000 1986 BEASTIE BOYS
#65 18,613,000 1981 LUTHER VANDROSS
#66 18,508,000 1973 QUEEN
#67 18,318,000 1983 REM
#68 18,294,000 1969 BOB SEGER
#69 18,209,000 1975 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
***#70 18,196,000 1989 VINCE GILL
#71 18,125,000 1963 BOB DYLAN
#72 18,120,000 1984 BON JOVI
#73 17,949,000 1989 SARAH MCLACHLAN
#74 17,909,000 1978 VAN HALEN
#75 17,784,000 1995 KORN
***#76 17,778,000 1980 ALABAMA
#77 17,481,000 1974 BILLY JOEL
#78 17,376,000 1975 BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
#79 17,374,000 2001 JOSH GROBAN
#80 17,230,000 1994 OUTKAST
#81 16,828,000 1990 YANNI
#82 16,719,000 1998 DESTINY'S CHILD
#83 16,672,000 1997 ANDREA BOCELLI
#84 16,623,000 1973 LYNYRD SKYNYRD
#85 16,459,000 1997 DMX
***#86 16,365,000 2000 RASCAL FLATTS
#87 16,364,000 1985 SADE
#88 16,356,000 2002 NORAH JONES
#89 16,245,000 1967 VAN MORRISON
#90 16,220,000 1994 BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY
#91 16,188,000 1968 FLEETWOOD MAC
#92 16,185,000 2000 NICKELBACK
#93 16,121,000 1994 SHERYL CROW
#94 16,051,000 1991 SMASHING PUMPKINS
#95 15,990,000 1970 JAMES TAYLOR
#96 15,791,000 1981 OZZY OSBOURNE
#97 15,759,000 1994 OFFSPRING
#98 15,712.000 1980 DEF LEPPARD
#99 15,534,000 1999 CHRISTINA AGUILERA
#100 15,459,000 1992 TLC

Wow, I would've thought for sure Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, TLC and a few others would've been a little higher up on the list.

Thanks for the info, that was neat.

Why isn't Martina on there?
Didn't she sell 16 million records in that time?

These are based on actual Soundscan sales for the period of 1991 through 2007. Martina is just below the Top 100, this is based on actual sales, not shipments or RIAA certifications. Martina will get there I'm sure.

Here is what the country artists on the list sold totally in 2007

Garth sold 1,371.000 in 2007
George sold 1,301,000
Tim sold 2,369,000
Alan sold 873,000
Shania sold 240,000
Reba sold 1,567,000
Dixie Chicks sold 712,000
Toby sold 1,548.000
Kenny sold 1,814,000
Brooks and Dunn sold 764,000
LeAnn Rimes sold 576,000
Johnny Cash sold 1,691,000
Faith sold 412,000
Vince sold 269,000
Alabama sold 389,000
Rascal Flatts sold 3,169,000

I have less than 10 CD's by those artists in my music catalog.

Martina, The Corrs, Lari White, Clint Black and Trisha Yearwood make-up about 75-80% of my CD collection.

i have a few from that list

Mariah Carey
Aerosmith
Nsync
Dixie Chicks
madonna
guns n roses
janet & micheal jackson
destiny's child
TLC

Don't forget that Bon Jovi's sales before 1991 are not counted. That is where they sold tons of albums. Lots of artists who had their day before 1991 fall into that category which is why this list is so heavily slanted to the modern era. "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac sold 18 million on its own and yet Fleetwood Mac only checks in with 16 million sold after 1991. This list would look alot different if it counted sales before 1991.

Where this list is interesting is how country artists have sold so well. Considering that the first country album to go platinum was the early 1980s "Outlaws" album with Waylon and Willie you can see how country has become much bigger through the years. Think of the legendary country artists that predate the "Outlaws" album that NEVER went platinum up to that point!!!

Yep, the list is for the SoundScan Era only, which I personally call the barcode era or the why did they wrap the CD in strong plastic wrap and put a piece of tape on it that comes apart when you try to take it off era!

STING has pushed put over 100 million albums in his career- but I am not sure what actually sold. I am also willing to bet Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, the Eagles, U2, Led Zeppelin, and a number of others sold a lot more than is listed pre- 1992....

I wonder what Clapton sold in the US vs. UK, AUS, NEW Zel, South Africa, and Canada...
Along with Sting..

There are a bunch of artists that predate this era that sold a pile of albums. "Rumors" was the all time selling CD until one of Michael Jackson's Cds eventually surpassed it and the sales of that 1 cd is higher than his Soundscan era total. Bob Seger has sold something like 50 or 60 million CDs and he is way down on the list. And where is John Mellencamp? Trust me that guy has sold a pile of albums but he is nowhere to be found. So the list, intereting as it is, does not tell the whole story by any means.

It is nice to see that Alan Jackson has sold more CDs since 1991 than Michael Jackson. So there is hope for this country yet. Not much............... but there is a glimmer of hope.

Teeee may know this one but I am going to ask on the board:

I would have thought Toby Keith would be somewhere near the top 10 for country.

also the interesting fact about Alan Jackson is that he writes a large majority of his songs (along with other artists songs). I think he should be one of a few in a separate category because of that. I think there is hope for country as long as the likes of Alan Jackson stick around...

OK - where is Martina on that list? I thought she has sold 500,000 + units of WUL this year..

Are these figures for all of the albums selling on the market- or just the latest one for the artist? For example is Tims figure for "Let it Go"- or for a couple of albums combined?

He is. He is #8 on that top 100 list.

I meant over the period 1991- 2007 as a country artist. I had thought he sold more albums than others on that list..

Ok- Toby was #30 on that list with 25+ million. Another true country artist that can also write...

He has never had that real huge album but rather is a consistant seller. On CD sales he is similar to Martina in that respect.

This list is the TOTAL albums sales for these artsits in 2007. It could of been one album or many albums but these are the album sales for these artist in 2007. Only these artist are listed cause it was the sales of the artsit on the Tpo 100 best selling artists of the Soundscan era. Martina sadly falls a lttle short of the Top 100.