Who Are the Best Selling Artists of All Time? (Updated for 2020)

Country, rap, and even 90s pop artists appear in the RIAA’s list of best-selling artists of all time.

The following list has been updated to reflect 2020 sales figures, which have introduced some interesting changes. Notably, Eminem has moved up several positions on the list, surpassing Guns N’ Roses, and the previously unranked (within the top 50) Taylor Swift has found a spot of her own, above the likes of Bon Jovi, Queen, and Chicago.

The Eagles moved the most units of the top 10 artists, selling approximately 19 million additional albums between 2017 and 2020 – and proceeding to the number-four position as a result.

Breaking down the RIAA’s list of Gold and Platinum artists, you’ll find a few surprises.

For example, only a few hip-hop artists appear on the best-selling artists of all time list. Eminem is right behind Guns N’ Roses. 2Pac manages to hold his own, narrowly beating out Bob Dylan and Def Leppard.

Proving the power of manufactured pop, the Backstreet Boys make a strong showing, beating out Phil Collins and Dave Matthews Band.

Underscoring the popularity of country music, several country artists appear on the list. Garth Brooks takes second place, while Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, George Strait, and Fleetwood Mac rank high with total albums sold in the double-digits.

You can check out the top 50 best-selling artists, starting with #50, along with how many albums they’ve sold, below.

50. Dave Matthews Band – 34.5 million units

49. Britney Spears – 34.5 million units

48. Bon Jovi – 34.5 million units

47. Queen – 35 million units

46. Def Leppard – 35.5 million units

45. Bob Dylan – 36 million units

44. 2Pac – 36.5 million units

43. Backstreet Boys – 37 million units

42. Tim McGraw – 37.5 million units

41. Foreigner – 38 million units

40. Rod Stewart – 38 million units

39. Simon & Garfunkel – 38.5 million units

38. Chicago – 38.5 million units

37. Eric Clapton – 40 million units

36. Reba McEntire – 41 million units

35. Santana – 43.5 million units

34. Alan Jackson – 43.5 million units

33. Guns N’ Roses – 44.5 million units

32. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – 44.5 million units

31. Taylor Swift – 45 million units

30. Eminem – 46.5 million units

29. Alabama – 46.5 million units

28. Kenny Rogers – 47.5 million units

27. Shania Twain – 48 million units

26. Kenny G – 48 million units

25. Journey – 48 million units

24. Neil Diamond – 49.5 million units

23. Celine Dion – 50 million units

22. U2 – 52 million units

21. Fleetwood Mac – 54.5 million units

20. Van Halen – 56.5 million units

19. Whitney Houston – 59 million units

18. Metallica – 63 million units

17. Madonna – 64.5 million units

16. Bruce Springsteen – 65.5 million units

15. Mariah Carey – 66.5 million units

14. Aerosmith – 66.5 million units

13. The Rolling Stones – 66.5 million units

12. Barbra Streisand – 68.5 million units

11. George Strait – 69 million units

10. AC/DC – 75 million units

9. Pink Floyd – 75 million units

8. Elton John – 79 million units

7. Michael Jackson – 84 million units

6. Billy Joel – 84.5 million units

5. Led Zeppelin – 111.5 million units

4. Eagles – 120 million units

3. Elvis Presley – 146.5 million units

2. Garth Brooks – 156 million units

1. The Beatles – 183 million units

Featured image by Rodrigo Amorim (CC by 2.0)