The Beatles surpass 500M+ (!) album units, according to Chartmasters

[Feanor]

 

 

Yes, yes, it's Chartmasters, but it's not like they're the only ones proclaiming The Beatles as the biggest music act in history, so this isn't exactly shocking news.

 

Either way it's a nice chart-nerdy thing to see someone try to put an exact number on The Beatles' gargantuan success. After updating their stats recently, The Beatles have now allegedly sold a crazy sounding 518M album units, of which over 380M alone are from pure album sales only:

 

 

 

No matter what the actual numbers are tho (which we'll probably never officially know), it's crazy what The Beatles managed to accomplish in under 8 years that their music has remained timeless and relevant in the decades after their disbandment.

 

[modeblock]

The 60s One Direction did THAT  

 

I hope Taylor sees this 

 

[Katamari]

Thank you George  

[alejandreaux]

9 separate albums over 30M CSPC 

 

idk what CSPC is but that has to be pretty legendary right? 

[Capris Groove]

#ThankYouRingo

[Arrows]

9 minutes ago, modeblock said:

The 60s One Direction did THAT  

 

I hope Taylor sees this 

 

Can you guys for the love of God stop making every thread about Taylor? It's getting weird

[tost1]

Ended Taylor 

[Virgos Groove]

It's crazy how much they achieved in what, 8 years? Genuinely mental.

[modeblock]

17 minutes ago, Arrows said:

Can you guys for the love of God stop making every thread about Taylor? It's getting weird

No! I want her to see this, so she can end them. 

[skeeyee]

Oh don't piss her off 

 

 

[Arrows]

3 minutes ago, modeblock said:

No! I want her to see this, so she can end them. 

Oh, my apologies

[byzantium]

I feel like it's worth noting that many of the sales came over the decades as people updated their collections from Vinyl, to Cassettes, to CD, to Digital, and now are streamed.  But then again, you need a legendary discography worth updating.  

[BGKC]

They seem to be the music industry for boomers. They have some major gems for sure. 

[Yog]

Queen deserves that instead..but nevertheless iconic band 

[Doctor Dick]

Yeah, quite huge. I do think MJ will be stepping on their heels if that biopic is successful tho. The amount of extra units catapulted by Bohemian Rhapsody for Queen is huge too. I don't think the Top 3 is endangered in anyway for the nearest time, if ever. 

 

There's certainly no act right now that could do that with those averages. Taylor needed like 14 albums to cross 200M. Adele crossed 100M with only 4 albums impressively but she isn't releasing often enough and there's no male act who can swoop in either. 

[wastedpotential]

18 minutes ago, byzantium said:

I feel like it's worth noting that many of the sales came over the decades as people updated their collections from Vinyl, to Cassettes, to CD, to Digital, and now are streamed.  But then again, you need a legendary discography worth updating.  

And a hefty amount from greatest hits albums like One, Red, and Blue (which CM separates out by the % of tracks from each parent album), but it's genuinely an un fathomable number. 

[Doctor Dick]

3 minutes ago, wastedpotential said:

And a hefty amount from greatest hits albums like One, Red, and Blue (which CM separates out by the % of tracks from each parent album), but it's genuinely an un fathomable number. 

 

23 minutes ago, byzantium said:

I feel like it's worth noting that many of the sales came over the decades as people updated their collections from Vinyl, to Cassettes, to CD, to Digital, and now are streamed.  But then again, you need a legendary discography worth updating.  

So many other acts did that and still didn't reach that threshold. There is not a single artist alive today that will reach it because no one is as big. The only competitor they have is Michael Jackson at this point whose sales can rise in the future due to his movie. The Top 2 is untouchable. 

[byzantium]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Dick said:

 

So many other acts did that and still didn't reach that threshold. There is not a single artist alive today that will reach it because no one is as big. The only competitor they have is Michael Jackson at this point whose sales can rise in the future due to his movie. The Top 2 is untouchable. 

Well so many other acts did not have the Beatle's classic discography.   But you don't know the future.  

Edited 5 hours ago by byzantium

[CaptainMusic]

11 minutes ago, Doctor Dick said:

Yeah, quite huge. I do think MJ will be stepping on their heels if that biopic is successful tho. The amount of extra units catapulted by Bohemian Rhapsody for Queen is huge too. I don't think the Top 3 is endangered in anyway for the nearest time, if ever. 

 

There's certainly no act right now that could do that with those averages. Taylor needed like 14 albums to cross 200M. Adele crossed 100M with only 4 albums impressively but she isn't releasing often enough and there's no male act who can swoop in either. 

MJ is not closing that 170M gap with or without a biopic  

[Doctor Dick]

2 minutes ago, byzantium said:

Well so many other acts did not have the Beatle's classic discography.   But you don't know the future.  

The Beatles and Michael Jackson reached the pop demo and the rock demo. MJ even reached the rap demo as well. Both gay and straight guys would stan the two. There's not a single artist that has a discography like that today and it'll be very hard to for one to appear that caters equally as hard to the pop and rock genre like those two. You see old straight rap or rock fans STAN Michael or The Beatles. That's why they're at the top and Elvis as well. Queen too btw let's not skip them. 

[Vermouth]

1 hour ago, modeblock said:

The 60s One Direction did THAT  

 

I hope Taylor sees this 

 

Dear Lord what a comparison.

 

Like comparing a milk float, and an Audi A4 to a Bugatti Veyron.

[Doctor Dick]

5 minutes ago, CaptainMusic said:

MJ is not closing that 170M gap with or without a biopic  

No but what could happen is a huge spike in the following years that will continue somewhat for some years and if The Beatles will decline a bit but MJ remains stellar he could potentially do it someday. But it'll be very hard. I think what MJ has to his advantage is music that is far closer to what the younger generations listen to than what The Beatles have. But yeah. Maybe he won't close it but The Beatles and MJ aren't getting knocked down by anyone. 

[modeblock]

3 minutes ago, Vermouth said:

Dear Lord what a comparison.

 

Like comparing a milk float, and an Audi A4 to a Bugatti Veyron.

I was being shady with the 1D thing, but Taylord could do a Yellow Submarine, while Paul could never deliver a Blank Space  

[byzantium]

16 minutes ago, Doctor Dick said:

The Beatles and Michael Jackson reached the pop demo and the rock demo. MJ even reached the rap demo as well. Both gay and straight guys would stan the two. There's not a single artist that has a discography like that today and it'll be very hard to for one to appear that caters equally as hard to the pop and rock genre like those two. You see old straight rap or rock fans STAN Michael or The Beatles. That's why they're at the top and Elvis as well. Queen too btw let's not skip them. 

No one is saying it's easy but you are the one speaking in absolutes now.  Plus many of the artists did not really have the ubiquity you associate with them now.  A lot of that comes from

their audience aging which normalizes them in the culture.  MJ might be a little different than the 50s and 60s acts mentioned.  He could have been number 1 if he released more albums. 

[Daddy]

People doing way too much when it comes to these men