If you like to know everything about music, then our list of 10 most successful musical artists of all time will surely be entertaining to read. Maybe you will even learn something new.
Talking about how successful music artist is, presents a really difficult task. The thing that could mean success to someone is a failure to another. Some music artists consider themselves successful because they’ve managed to fill up the venue of 1,000 people. Others won’t settle for anything less than 20,000 (or in the case of Freddy Mercury, 70,000 has been just about right). But attendance at a concert or tour would be just an indicator of how a popular music artist is. Although popularity and success often go hand in hand, that doesn’t always have to be the case.
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One may argue that the number of sold records is what makes one artist successful. This always made a difference between successful and unsuccessful music artists. It showed how many people actually cared enough to spend their hard earned money on a record. The same goes with musicals; if they grossed enough, they are labeled successful. If you are into musicals, check out our list of the highest grossing musicals on Broadway.
A number of sold records can’t be the only thing that measures success since the data available for each artist can vary from one source to another one. Also through the years, the importance of sold records began to decrease. This is why we took Billboard’s Greatest of All Times Hot 100 Artists as our source for our list of 10 most successful musical artists of all time. . The rankings are created by counting the performance on the weekly Billboard 200 (from Aug. 17, 1963, until Oct. 10, 2015) and Billboard Hot 100 (from its start on Aug. 4, 1958, until Oct. 10, 2015). Artists were awarded points for their performance, and when everything was summed up, this was the outcome. Some of you may not fancy the list since it lacks Queen or Rihanna, but the numbers had the final word.
10. The Rolling Stones
Records Sold: 95.4 million
Let it be rock! One of the finest UK rock bands is still a thing today, after nearly 55 years of making music. This long career helped the band gain widespread popularity and to find a place on our list. They are not just the one of the most successful artists, but also among the top selling ones.
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9. Whitney Houston
Records Sold: 112 million
Whitney Houston only needed seven studio albums and two soundtrack albums to go in the history as one of the most successful and most awarded musical artists of all time. Also, Whitney was the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits.
8. Michael Jackson
Certified Records Sold: 181.1 million
The first King on our list of 10 most successful musical artists of all time. Is there something left to say about the “King of Pop” that isn’t already said? It is enough to mention that Guinness World Records have declared him as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time based on his achievements.
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7. Janet Jackson
Certified Records Sold: 52.1 million
This may come as a surprise, but the numbers say that Janet is more successful than her brother Michael. Maybe it will help to say that Janet Jackson holds the record as a female musician with the most (18) consecutive top 10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
6. Stevie Wonder
Certified Records Sold: 34.2 million
If you have any doubts that Stevie Wonder belongs to this list of most successful musical artists of all time, note that the genius has won 25 Grammy Awards, which is the most that any other male solo musician in the world has ever won. He also recorded more than 30 hits that were in the top 10 of the US charts.
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5. Mariah Carey
Certified Records Sold: 131.9 million
She may not be a thing now, but back in the days, Mariah was a synonym for a pop star. Besides 5 Grammy Awards in her trophy room, she also holds the title for having the most number-one singles in the United States when it comes to solo artists.
4. Elvis Presley
Certified Records Sold: 210.8 million
The second King, the “King of Rock and Roll”. He is the bestselling solo artist in the world and one of the most recognizable music figures in the entire history. He also had an acting career, starring in more than 30 movies, although they were mostly panned by critics.
3. Elton John
Certified Records Sold: 166.9 million
Elton ranks 3rd in our list of most successful musical artists of all time. He made more than 30 albums to date, and he doesn’t even think of stopping there. His most successful song has to be single “Candle in the Wind”, with which we all are familiar. This beautiful song is the best-selling single in the history of both the US and the UK charts.
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2. Madonna
Certified Records Sold: 170 million
Let’s face it, all the things we said for Mariah Carey, goes for Madonna as well. She just doesn’t have that edge she used to have when she was younger. Maybe we will see another Madonna’s great album in the years to come, but she would have to work more on her music and less on her acting career.
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1. The Beatles
Certified Records Sold: 269.6 million
Fab Four is without any doubt the greatest thing that happened in the modern music and claims our list of 10 most successful musical artists of all time without any competition. They hold the record for most number-one hits on the Hot 100 chart with 20. The estimated sales of The Beatles reached a range between 500 and 600 million records and considering their popularity, this may well be close to the truth. The shocking thing is that they only played for 10 years before breaking up. Imagine if they lasted 10 years more.
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