Who sold 1 billion records?

Updated 83 days ago on 26 February 2024 by Marinà


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There are different types of music and the list of singers who have become celebrities is long. If you want to know which artists have sold over a billion records worldwide, you've come to the right place. In any case, you don't need to take a note to memorize these artists because there aren't many of them to have exceeded half a billion copies.

In effect, 3 artists are at the top of the list of those who have sold over 400 million records. In first place are Beatlesif we take into account sales of singles followed byElvis Presley and Michael Jackson, the King of Pop.

If we take the following method: one 45 rpm (two songs) equals one unit, one EP or "super 45 rpm (four songs) equals two units and an album equals six units, only The Beatles and Elvis Presley record more than a billion units sold.

1 The Beatles: over 1 billion records sold

Photo illustrating the Beatles

The Beatles are a group of four artists from Liverpool, England. These four talented singers are John Lennon, the band's creator, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and the latest to join the team, Ringo Starr.

The Beatles happen to be the most popular and influential group of artists in rock history. In the ten long years of their existence, they spent 7 years recording, from 1962 to 1969. During the band's career, they recorded 12 albums which make up some 200 songs. With their timeless songs and completely convincing styles, the Beatles are a real gem in the music world.

Here are the 5 key figures in the history of The Beatles :

  • 600 million: that's the estimated number of sales announced by The Beatles.
  • 73 million: the number of people who attended the Beatles' first televised performance in the United States, on February 9, 1964.
  • 75,000 is the amount the band spent on the production of the 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
  • 3,000: the number of "covers" of the famous song "Yesterday" by artists from all over the world.
  • 25: the number of the band's albums that have reached number one in the US charts.

2 The King: Elvis Presley

Photo of famous artist Elvis Presley
Photo of Elvis Presley, the greatest artist (singer) in the history of music

The famous Elvis Presley singer and musician from America. Our celebrity was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. He was nicknamed "The King of Rock and Roll" or simply "The King". He got this pseudonym because of his international success, and also because he developed this musical style all over the world.

It's a Rock and Roll music giant of the '60s. His fans appreciate him for his incomparable singing talent and, above all, his provocative body language. This artist has distinguished himself in many genres of music, including country, pop, gospel, rock and many others. Perhaps that's why he's one of the biggest-selling artists of all time.

Elvis launched his career well, but sadly suffered cardiac arrest in 1977 at the age of 42. Since his launch, Elvis' record sales to date have totalled 500 million.

3. the King of Pop: Michael Jackson (didn't sell a billion copies)

Photo illustration of the King of Pop "Michael Jackson".

Nicknamed "The King of Pop", Michael Jackson is singer-songwriter. Apart from that, he was also an American dancer-choreographer and actor. He was born in Gary on August 29, 1958, and died in Los Angeles in June 2009. He was his parents' eighth child, and sang with his brothers despite his young age.

He began his professional career at the age of 11 with his older brothers in the Jackson Five. It wasn't until 1971 that he went solo. You're no doubt familiar with his five landmark albums:

  • Off the Wall (in 1979);
  • Thriller (in 1982) ;
  • Bad (in 1987);
  • Dangerous (in 1991) ;
  • History (in 1995).

Throughout his famous career, not to mention his signature dances such as "moonwalk", he had won over many fans with his style of music and, above all, with his "moonwalks". vocal styles. Today, the number of sales of his albums has risen to 500 million.

Between the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, which do you prefer? If one of these artists' songs left a lasting impression on you as a teenager, find out how to get it right. download on Spotify.

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9 comments on the discussion forum for "Who sold 1 billion records?"

  1. Just to let you know

    The beatles 1.8 billion records sold
    Elvis presley 1.1 billion records sold
    Michael jackson has not sold 1 billion records he has sold 750 million.

    The beatles have sold 600 million albums
    And 1.2 billion singles.

    The beatles released 63 singles worldwide and 58 sold over 5 million.

    Reply
    • L' unico e solo ad aver venduto 1,8 miliardo e ottocento milioni di dischi e' ELVIS PRESLEY the King oltre 600 mil. Negli USA e oltre 400 milioni in Europa e i rimanenti nel resto del mondo; nella classifica della Riaa ente americano che certifica le vendite risulta secondo soltanto perché' vengono conteggiate le solo le vendite certificate con lo status di disco oro platino e multi platino dove tra L, altro detiene il record in tutte e 3 le categorie; ma non vengono conteggiati gli album sotto le 500.000 copie e questo è' ingiusto poiché non si tiene conto delle reli vendite totali , infatti Elvis Presley ha 220 album che hanno venduto tra le 250.000 e le 300.000 copie che fanno qualcosa come circa 70 milioni di album che lo portano di fatto a essere l' artista che ha venduto più, dischi in assoluto di tutti i tempi più' di ualsiasi altro singolo artista o gruppo nella storia della musica.

      Reply
  2. It's now 1.9 billion the beatles
    1.2 billion elvis presley
    500 million Michael jackson

    Had this confirmed by record companies.

    The beatles now have sold 1.2 billion singles and 700 million albums

    Reply

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