official chart Best-selling albums artists in the UK

[Rusty]

Here is a compiled list of the best-selling albums artists in the UK up until the end of 2015 (except for Adele). An asterisk means that artists/act are in the Top 10 best-selling singles artist in UK history, too. 

 

01)... THE BEATLES -- 31,500,000*
02)... QUEEN -- 23,800,000*
03)... MICHAEL JACKSON -- 23,500,000*
04)... ELVIS PRESLEY -- 22,000,000*
05)... MADONNA -- 19,800,000*
06)... ROBBIE WILLIAMS -- 19,400,000
07)... ROD STEWART -- 19,300,000 
08)... ABBA -- 18,400,000*
09)... U2 -- 17,800,000
10)... ELTON JOHN -- 16,500,000*

11)... OASIS -- 16,300,000
12)... DAVID BOWIE -- 15,700,000*
13)... PINK FLOYD -- 15,400,000 
14)... TAKE THAT -- 15,100,000
15)... THE ROLLING STONES -- 15,000,000 
16)... SIMPLY RED -- 13,300,000
17)... PHIL COLLINS -- 13,000,000
18)... DIRE STRAITS -- 12,850,000
19)... FLEETWOOD MAC -- 12,800,000 
20)... BOB DYLAN -- 12,700,000 

21)... COLDPLAY -- 12,650,000
22)... WESTLIFE -- 12,600,000
23)... CLIFF RICHARD -- 11,600,000*
24)... LED ZEPPELIN -- 11,300,000 
25)... CELINE DION -- 10,900,000
26)... SIMON & GARFUNKEL -- 10,800,000 
27)… ADELE – 10,690,000 -- (To W/E 9th February 2017) 
28)... MICHAEL BUBLE -- 10,500,000 
29)... R.E.M. -- 10,450,000
30)... MEAT LOAF -- 10,400,000

31)... EMINEM -- 10,200,000
32)... GENESIS -- 10,100,000 
33)... KYLIE MINOGUE -- 9,500,000
34)... BON JOVI -- 9,300,000
35)... BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN -- 9,000,000
36)... NEIL DIAMOND -- 8,850,000 
37)... GEORGE MICHAEL -- 8,800,000
38)... FRANK SINATRA -- 8,500,000 
39)... WHITNEY HOUSTON -- 8,450,000
40)... THE CARPENTERS -- 8,350,000 

41)... BARBRA STREISAND -- 8,300,000 
42)... UB40 -- 8,200,000
43)... PAUL McCartney // WINGS -- 8,100,000 
44)... THE STEREOPHONICS -- 8,000,000
45)... THE EAGLES -- 7,850,000 
46)... RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS -- 7,700,000
47)... LIONEL RICHIE -- 7,650,000
48)... PINK -- 7,550,000
49)... THE EURYTHMICS -- 7,500,000
50)... POLICE -- 7,400,000 

51)... ERIC CLAPTON -- 7,300,000 
52)... RIHANNA -- 7,250,000*
53)... BEAUTIFUL SOUTH -- 7,200,000
54)... BOB MARLEY // BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS -- 7,150,000 
55)... GUNS 'N' ROSES -- 7,100,000
56)... BEE GEES -- 7,000,000 
57)... KINGS OF LEON -- 6,900,000
58)... MARIAH CAREY -- 6,800,000
59)... TINA TURNER -- 6,800,000 
60)... AC/DC -- 6,700,000

61)... THE CORRS -- 6,600,000
62)... KATE BUSH -- 6,550,000 
63)... GREEN DAY -- 6,500,000 
64)... PRINCE -- 6,500,000
65)... STATUS QUO -- 6,450,000 
66)... THE BEACH BOYS -- 6,350,000 
67)... ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA -- 6,300,000 
68)... SNOW PATROL -- 6,250,000
69)... DIDO -- 6,200,000 
70)... TOM JONES -- 6,150,000 
71)... THE KILLERS -- 6,100,000
72)... CHRIS REA -- 6,100,000
73)... BOYZONE -- 6,000,000
74)... BRYAN ADAMS -- 6,000,000
75)... THE SHADOWS -- 5,950,000 
76)... ENYA -- 5,900,000
77)... DIANA ROSS -- 5,600,000 
78)... NIRVANA -- 5,900,000
79)... FOO FIGHTERS -- 5,900,000
80)... MIKE OLDFIELD -- 5,750,000 

81)... DAVID GRAY -- 5,700,000
82)... ROXY MUSIC -- 5,700,000 
83)... PAUL WELLER -- 5,650,000
84)... BLONDIE -- 5,650,000 
85)... AMY WINEHOUSE -- 5,600,000
86)... JOHNNY CASH -- 5,550,000 
87)... STING -- 5,550,000
88)... WET WET WET -- 5,500,000
89)... VAN MORRISON -- 5,500,000 
90)... ANDREA BOCELLI -- 5,400,000 

91)... PAUL SIMON -- 5,400,000 
92)... DANIEL O'DONNELL -- 5,400,000
93)... TEXAS -- 5,350,000
94)... MADNESS -- 5,350,000
95)... STEVIE WONDER -- 5,300,000 
96)... SHANIA TWAIN -- 5,300,000
97)... BLUR -- 5,300,000
98)... LUCIANO PAVAROTTI -- 5,300,000
99)... WILL YOUNG -- 5,250,000
100)... PET SHOP BOYS -- 5,250,000
 

Both Britney Spears and Ed Sheeran just miss the Top 100 at around 5M albums each, though Ed should move up this year.

 

Credit: Zeus555 at UKMIX

[Eternium]

Justice 4 Britney.

 

Rihanna is an album monster in the U.K.  

[Movimento Perpétuo]

04)... ELVIS PRESLEY -- 22,000,000*
05)... MADONNA -- 19,800,000*
08)... ABBA -- 18,400,000*
31)... EMINEM -- 10,200,000
48)... PINK -- 7,550,000
49)... THE EURYTHMICS -- 7,500,000
52)... RIHANNA -- 7,250,000*
63)... GREEN DAY -- 6,500,000 
71)... THE KILLERS -- 6,100,000
85)... AMY WINEHOUSE -- 5,600,000

 

Legends only

[frenchyisback]

#52 Rihanna 

 

Real global superstar

#NoLocalsAllowed

[ParallelLines]

Rihanna truly was a phenomenon in the U.K between 2007 - 2013 and it all started with the longest-running #1 single of the 2000's decade, "Umbrella". The "Good Girl Bad" truly did place her on a platform in the UK that no other international female has replicated since. The "LOUD" and "Talk That Talk" eras were humongous too. 

 

8 #1 singles; 9 #2 singles; 29 top 10's; 256 weeks in the top 10 alongside 4 #1 albums, 106 weeks in the top 10; 25M+ records sold overall...

 

Edited February 10, 2017 by ParallelLines

[StonedSoulPicnic]

32)... GENESIS -- 10,100,000 

66)... THE BEACH BOYS -- 6,350,000 

 

[blackbeatxx]

Adele #27 with a career since 2008 and 3 albums only! Legend

[St. Charles]

Robbie Williams really is a legend. Look at his name up there with so many from the 80's and 60's. People really underestimate just how huge of a peak he had in Europe and the U.K. Truly groundbreaking.

[Gengar]

R9 will push her into the top 50

[stevyy]

Mariah has sold 7,5m albums not 6,8m

 

Year :: Certification :: sales info :: album

 

1990 - 1xP - 400,000 - Mariah Carey 

1991 - 1xP - 436,000 - Emotions 

1992 - 1xG - 243,000 - MTV Unplugged

1993 - 5xP - 1,650,000 - Music Box (1,504,000 / 1996)

1994 - 1xP - 335,000 - Merry Christmas (289,000 / 2014)

1995 - 2xP - 850,000 - Daydream (585,000 / 1995)

1997 - 1xG - 290,000 - Butterfly 

1998 - 1xP - 770,000 - #1's (706,204 / 2010)

1999 - 1xG - 250,000 - Rainbow (210,000 / 2001)

2001 - U/C - 65,000 - Glitter (54,645 / 2008)

2001 - 2xP - 810,000 - Greatest Hits

2002 - 1xG - 130,000 - Charmbracelet (122,010 /2008)

2003 - U/C - 45,000 - The Remixes (39,487 / 2006)

2005 - 2xP - 675,000 - The Emancipation of Mimi (621,352 / 2008)

2008 - 1xG - 160,000 - E=MC² (136,986 / 2009)

2008 - 1xG - 250,000 - The Ballads (200,209 / 2012)

2009 - 1xS - 100,000 - Memoir of an Imperfect Angel (80,308 / 2010)

2010 - U/C - 26,482 - Merry Christmas II You

2014 - U/C - 21,221 - Me. I am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse

2015 - U/C - 46,739 - #1 to Infinity

= 7,552,000

Edited February 18, 2017 by stevyy