SoundScan Era - USA's Best Selling Artists and Albums

[thebigham]

Paul Grein 5/19/12 charts:

Ricky Martin's eponymous 1999 album tops the 7 million mark in U.S. sales this week.[/b]

[FliplovesMC]

Paul Grein 5/19/12 charts:

Ricky Martin's eponymous 1999 album tops the 7 million mark in U.S. sales this week.[/b]

He's sold about 40K of it since its last update on this thread, less than a year ago, that's oddly healthy catalog sales, wouldn't you say?

Queen GH falls back down 1 notch.

[NothingFails]

Paul Grein 5/19/12 charts:

Ricky Martin's eponymous 1999 album tops the 7 million mark in U.S. sales this week.[/b]

He's sold about 40K of it since its last update on this thread, less than a year ago, that's oddly healthy catalog sales, wouldn't you say?

Queen GH falls back down 1 notch.

40k in a year is rather impressive considering the album is 13 years old and not necessarily considered this great album or anything. It was seen as a pop fad that people denied admitting ever owning two years later. So 40k is pretty decent in 52 weeks.

[FliplovesMC]

Paul Grein 5/19/12 charts:

Ricky Martin's eponymous 1999 album tops the 7 million mark in U.S. sales this week.[/b]

He's sold about 40K of it since its last update on this thread, less than a year ago, that's oddly healthy catalog sales, wouldn't you say?

Queen GH falls back down 1 notch.

40k in a year is rather impressive considering the album is 13 years old and not necessarily considered this great album or anything. It was seen as a pop fad that people denied admitting ever owning two years later. So 40k is pretty decent in 52 weeks.

It is surprisingly impressive for an artist who has only been on a guest on Glee and on Broadway in the last year or so, at least those are the only times I was aware of him.

[marcsgirl85]

@FliplovesMC Glee isn't a small show and being on broadway is hard work Ricky's run in the revival of Evita is supposed to be 6 months or 208 shows as a week on broadway is 8 shows in 6 days. but Yeah 40k last year is great for his first english album 12 years after release

[blackandblue]

The 100 Best-Selling Albums of the SoundScan Era
Week Ending May 06, 2012

TW Pos (TW var) RTD - Title - Act (last update) - TW Sales (% Change) LW Sales

1 ( = ) 15,774,211 Metallica - Metallica (06/05/2012)
2,190 (-3%) 2,269

2 ( = ) 15,516,000 Come on over - Shania Twain (11/03/2012)


3 ( = ) 14,734,671 Jagged little pill - Alanis Morissette (22/04/2012)


4 ( = ) 12,168,000 Millennium - Backstreet Boys (01/01/2012)


5 ( = ) 12,050,777 1 - The Beatles (06/05/2012)
1,957 (+3%) 1,902

6 ( = ) 12,016,600 The bodyguard (OST) - Whitney Houston (06/05/2012)
2,994 (-19%) 3,687

7 ( = ) 11,772,000 Supernatural - Santana (01/01/2012)


8 ( = ) 11,574,000 Human clay - Creed (01/01/2012)


9 ( = ) 11,122,000 No string attached - 'N Sync (01/01/2012)


10 ( = ) 11,032,021 Legend - Bob Marley and The Wailers (06/05/2012)
4,577 (-47%) 8,610

11 ( = ) 10,825,844 Come away with me - Norah Jones (06/05/2012) 4,014 (+121%) 1,819
12 ( = ) 10,790,000 Falling into you - Céline Dion (01/01/2012)
13 ( = ) 10,595,727 The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (06/05/2012) 2,789 (-8%) 3,017
14 ( = ) 10,556,897 ...Baby one more time - Britney Spears (22/05/2011)
15 ( = ) 10,300,000 Cracked rear view - Hootie & The Blowfish (01/01/2012)
16 ( = ) 10,162,575 Titanic - Soundtrack (06/05/2012) 1,397 (-18%) 1,709
17 ( = ) 10,116,000 Backstreet Boys - Backstreet Boys (02/10/2011)
18 ( = ) 10,065,839 The Eminem show - Eminem (06/05/2012) 1,728 (+1%) 1,709
19 ( = ) 9,984,794 Confessions - Usher (06/05/2012) 2,203 (+3%) 2,146
20 ( = ) 9,946,439 Hybrid theory - Linkin Park (06/05/2012) 2,310 (+6%) 2,177

21 ( = ) 9,943,533 Ten - Pearl Jam (06/05/2012) 1,548 (+14%) 1,361
22 ( = ) 9,573,589 Let's talk about love - Céline Dion (06/05/2012) 1,194 (-6%) 1,266
23 ( = ) 9,571,000 Ropin' the wind - Garth Brooks (02/11/2008)
24 ( = ) 9,317,651 The dark side of the moon - Pink Floyd (06/05/2012) 2,221 (-3%) 2,279
25 ( = ) 9,202,039 Oops! ...I did again - Britney Spears (22/05/2011)
26 ( = ) 9,177,888 Greatest hits - Bob Seger/Silver Bullet Band (06/05/2012) 2,140 (-12%) 2,432
27 ( = ) 9,072,939 Devil without a cause - Kid Rock (12/04/2009)
28 ( = ) 9,010,000 No fences - Garth Brooks (02/11/2008)
29 (+1) 8,986,370 21 - Adele (06/05/2012) 77,379 (-8%) 83,917

30 ( -1) 8,975,276 Nevermind - Nirvana (06/05/2012) 2,082 (-8%) 2,254
31 ( = ) 8,766,000 'N Sync - 'N Sync (05/10/2008)
32 ( = ) 8,724,000 Hell freezes over - The Eagles (22/05/2011)
33 ( = ) 8,713,000 Wide open spaces - Dixie Chicks (22/05/2011)
34 ( = ) 8,573,000 II - Boyz II Men (05/10/2008)
35 ( = ) 8,489,000 Country grammar - Nelly (30/01/2011)
36 ( = ) 8,289,000 Fly - Dixie Chicks (02/11/2008)
37 ( = ) 8,214,171 Christina Aguilera - Christina Aguilera (22/05/2011)
38 ( = ) 8,142,423 Tragic kingdom - No Doubt (22/05/2011)
39 ( = ) 8,107,933 Get rich or die tryin' - 50 Cent (06/05/2012) 1,945 (-4%) 2,016
40 ( = ) 8,100,000 Dookie - Green Day (11/03/2012)
41 ( = ) 8,090,000 Yourself or someone like you - matchbox 20 (05/10/2008)
42 ( = ) 8,076,508 Journey's Greatest hits - Journey (06/05/2012) 3,868 (+7%) 3,609
43 ( = ) 8,037,381 Breathless - Kenny G (05/10/2008)
44 (+1) 7,970,000 Greatest hits - Tom Petty/Heartbreakers (06/05/2012) 2,079 (-5%) 2,195

45 ( -1) 7,968,000 All the way... A decade of song - Céline Dion (11/09/2011)
46 ( = ) 7,827,103 The Lion King - Soundtrack (06/05/2012) 428 (-4%) 446
47 ( = ) 7,821,000 The hits - Garth Brooks (11/09/2011)
48 ( = ) 7,711,563 O brother, where art thou? - Soundtrack (06/05/2012) 1,707 (-35%) 2,639
49 ( = ) 7,661,419 The woman in me - Shania Twain (22/05/2011)
50 ( = ) 7,634,528 Fallen - Evanescence (06/05/2012) 1,678 (-2%) 1,720
51 ( = ) 7,620,462 Daydream - Mariah Carey (26/02/2012)
52 ( = ) 7,617,000 Unplugged - Eric Clapton (15/04/2012)
53 ( = ) 7,597,666 All the right reasons - Nickelback (06/05/2012) 1,993 (+3%) 1,927
54 ( = ) 7,553,206 Dr. Dre: 2001 - Dr. Dre (06/05/2012) 2,090 (-18%) 2,546
55 ( = ) 7,534,000 Significant other - Limp Bizkit (05/10/2008)
56 ( = ) 7,480,000 Some gave all - Billy Ray Cyrus (15/08/2010)
57 ( = ) 7,412,000 Spice - Spice Girls (05/10/2008)
58 ( = ) 7,387,000 Pieces of you - Jewel (27/02/2011)
59 ( = ) 7,281,000 Crazysexycool - TLC (05/10/2008)
60 ( = ) 7,250,208 Miracles: The holiday album - Kenny G (01/01/2012)
61 ( = ) 7,243,336 Music box - Mariah Carey (19/02/2012)
62 ( = ) 7,196,089 Some hearts - Carrie Underwood (06/05/2012) 3,411 (+31%) 2,603
63 ( = ) 7,110,360 The miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill(06/05/2012) 1,315 (+46%) 898
64 ( = ) 7,027,553 Greatest hits - James Taylor (06/05/2012) 1,534 (-4%) 1,599
65 ( = ) 7,025,727 janet. - Janet Jackson (22/05/2011)
66 (+2) 7,000,000 Ricky Martin - Ricky Martin (06/05/2012)

67 ( -1) 6,964,594 Greatest hits - Queen (06/05/2012) 2,403 (-59%) 5,860
68 ( -1) 6,962,155 Cooleyhighharmony - Boyz II Men (05/10/2008)
69 ( = ) 6,926,000 A day without rain - Enya (29/11/2009)
70 ( = ) 6,800,000 Hotshot - Shaggy (29/11/2009)
71 ( = ) 6,782,000 Let go - Avril Lavigne (11/03/2012)
72 ( = ) 6,728,000 Time, love and tenderness - Michael Bolton (05/10/2008)
73 ( = ) 6,703,000 Chocolate starfish and the hot dog flavored water - Limp Bizkit (29/11/2009)
74 ( = ) 6,544,569 Fearless - Taylor Swift (06/05/2012) 4,165 (+31%) 3,186
75 (+1) 6,528,864 Songs you know by heart - Jimmy Buffett (06/05/2012) 1,309 (+8%) 1,216

76 ( -1) 6,523,630 Breathe - Faith Hill (22/05/2011)
77 ( = ) 6,502,000 The sign - Ace of Base (01/11/2009)
78 ( = ) 6,488,000 Nellyville - Nelly (11/03/2012)
79 ( = ) 6,390,000 Weathered - Creed (14/11/2010)
80 ( = ) 6,382,000 My own prison - Creed (14/11/2010)
81 ( = ) 6,287,408 Sublime - Sublime (06/05/2012) 1,347 (-5%) 1,417
82 ( = ) 6,264,661 Songs in A minor - Alicia Keys (14/08/2011)
83 ( = ) 6,258,000 The writing's on the wall - Destiny's Child (05/10/2008)
84 ( = ) 6,225,289 Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson (08/04/2012)
85 ( = ) 6,220,000 Smash - The Offspring (11/03/2012)
86 ( = ) 6,200,232 Greatest hits - Tim McGraw (06/05/2012) 1,347 (+4%) 1,301
87 ( = ) 6,160,000 Unforgettable (With love) - Natalie Cole (05/10/2008)
88 ( = ) 6,136,967 Chronicle - Creedence Clearwater Revival (06/05/2012) 4,218 (+13%) 3,725
89 ( = ) 6,120,000 E.1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (31/12/2006)
90 ( = ) 6,090,877 Thriller - Michael Jackson (06/05/2012) 1,675 (-7%) 1,810
91 ( = ) 6,060,751 American idiot - Green Day (15/04/2012)
92 ( = ) 6,041,000 Home - Dixie Chicks (11/03/2012)
93 ( = ) 6,036,000 Big Willie style - Will Smith (05/10/2008)
94 ( = ) 6,016,000 Double live - Garth Brooks (15/05/2011)
95 ( = ) 6,000,000 Sixteen stone - Bush (26/09/2010)
96 ( = ) 5,998,000 Not a moment too soon - Tim McGraw (02/11/2008)
97 ( = ) 5,993,000 Blue - LeAnn Rimes (02/11/2008)
98 ( = ) 5,982,000 August and everythig after - Counting Crows (05/10/2008)
99 ( = ) 5,979,212 Grease - Soundtrack (06/05/2012) 626 (-6%) 664
100 ( = ) 5,965,559 Vs. - Pearl Jam (24/04/2011)

[thebigham]

Adele could jump to #27 next week.

[HUR]

I really doubt that "Ricky Martin" has sold 40,000 copies in just one year, even if he has had a higher profile in recent months.

[NothingFails]

I really doubt that "Ricky Martin" has sold 40,000 copies in just one year, even if he has had a higher profile in recent months.

I believe it's in Best Buy's $4.99 bin, that is how a lot of titles like Let's Talk About Love, Skid Row and some of Mariah and Madonna's titles have recharted on catalog in the past year because of the bargain pricing.

[HUR]

I really doubt that "Ricky Martin" has sold 40,000 copies in just one year, even if he has had a higher profile in recent months.

I believe it's in Best Buy's $4.99 bin, that is how a lot of titles like Let's Talk About Love, Skid Row and some of Mariah and Madonna's titles have recharted on catalog in the past year because of the bargain pricing.

Yes, the problem is that (I think) it has never appeared in the Catalogue Top 200 during this past year. Unless I'm wrong. Its price may have dropped, but unlike some of those albums (by Celion Dion and Madonna), this one hasn't charted. I'm assuming it didn't do so because otherwise, the figure quoted by Blackandblue wouldn't have been a year old before Soundscan reported this new 'milestone'.

I'm saying this because last year, in June 2011, Billboard reported that Queen's "Greatest Hits" had reached sales of 6,900,000 in the USA, while the real sales in July or August were only about 6,885,000 or so, some thousands below. I believe they rounded it up to 6,900,000. And the same thing may have happened to that Ricky Martin album.

But perhaps I'm just wrong, so don't listen to me.

[NothingFails]

I really doubt that "Ricky Martin" has sold 40,000 copies in just one year, even if he has had a higher profile in recent months.

I believe it's in Best Buy's $4.99 bin, that is how a lot of titles like Let's Talk About Love, Skid Row and some of Mariah and Madonna's titles have recharted on catalog in the past year because of the bargain pricing.

Yes, the problem is that (I think) it has never appeared in the Catalogue Top 200 during this past year. Unless I'm wrong. Its price may have dropped, but unlike some of those albums (by Celion Dion and Madonna), this one hasn't charted. I'm assuming it didn't do so because otherwise, the figure quoted by Blackandblue wouldn't have been a year old before Soundscan reported this new 'milestone'.

I'm saying this because last year, in June 2011, Billboard reported that Queen's "Greatest Hits" had reached sales of 6,900,000 in the USA, while the real sales in July or August were only about 6,885,000 or so, some thousands below. I believe they rounded it up to 6,900,000. And the same thing may have happened to that Ricky Martin album.

But perhaps I'm just wrong, so don't listen to me.

Well it didn't rechart catalog, but "last week" numbers when True Blue and Like A Virgin recharted showed it was still selling around 1000 copies a week. So if Ricky Martin's album was selling in the 600-1000 copy range, 40,000 in the last 12 months could be feasible.

[thebigham]

And maybe SoundScan was counting a 2nd version of the album and the 2 versions were combined recently?

[FliplovesMC]

I really doubt that "Ricky Martin" has sold 40,000 copies in just one year, even if he has had a higher profile in recent months.

Glad I'm not the only one skeptical about this

Also, just to be clear, I am not trying to hate on Glee but it's not even in the Top 30 when it comes to toal viewers, it isn't that big, certainly not now.

Is Adele poised for a bump this week, #27 looks possible, doesn't it?

[thebigham]

Paul Grein on the 5/26 charts:

As of this week, Beastie Boys have sold 20 million albums since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard. The group's sales have surged in the two weeks since the death of founding member Adam Yauch, better known as MCA…

Toni Braxton's career album sales top 15 million this week. Braxton won a Grammy as Best New Artist of 1993.

[thebigham]

Adele moves up to #27 this week with 9,087,000.

[NorfolkScot]

I did not know where to post this.

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watc ... #more-1529

Following Up A Monster.

Adele's 21 this week becomes the 24th studio album to sell 9 million copies since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales for Billboard. Studio follow-ups to the first 23 have achieved varying degrees of success. On the high end, Backstreet Boys' 1999 album Millennium has sold 120% as many copies as its predecessor, Backstreet Boys. On the low end, Usher's 2008 album Here I Stand has sold just 13% as many copies as its predecessor, Confessions.

I took a look at the studio follow-ups to the 23 studio albums that have sold 9 million or more copies since 1991. I focused on how well they sold relative to the sales of their predecessors. I then assigned each a letter grade.

Grade: A+

Two follow-ups to 9 million sellers managed match the sales of (or even outsell) their predecessors.

Backstreet Boys' 1999 album Millennium has sold 12,186,000 copies, which is 120% of the tally for its 1997 predecessor, Backstreet Boys (10,122,000). Millennium even managed to snag a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Millennium spawned two top 10 hits on the Hot 100 or Hot 100 Airplay charts: "I Want It That Way" and "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely." Backstreet Boys generated five.

Garth Brooks' 1991 album Ropin' The Wind has sold 9,571,000 copies, which is 106% of the recorded sales of its predecessor, No Fences (9,011,000). (No Fences was released in September 1990, so all of its sales aren't included in its tally.) Ropin' spawned three #1 country hits: "What's She Doing Now," "The River" and a cover of Billy Joel's "Shameless." No Fences spawned four. Both albums were voted Album of the Year by the Country Music Assn.

Grade: A

Three other follow-ups to 9 million sellers have achieved sales of 85% or better of their predecessors.

Eminem's 2002 album The Eminem Show has sold 10,067,000 copies, which is 95% as many as 2000's The Marshall Mathers LP (10,598,000). The Eminem Show spawned two top five hits ("Without Me" and "Cleanin' Out My Closet"), compared to just one ("The Real Slim Shady") for Marshall. Both albums received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year.

Celine Dion's 1997 album Let's Talk About Love has sold 9,575,000 copies, which is 89% as many as 1996's Falling Into You (10,791,000). Love spawned just one top 10 hit, but it was a monster: "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From 'Titanic')." Falling Into You generated three: "Because You Loved Me," "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" and a cover of Eric Carmen's "All By Myself." Let's Talk About Love failed to receive a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, an award that Falling Into You won.

Britney Spears' 2000 album Oops!…I Did It Again has sold 9,194,000 copies, which is 87% as many as 1999's …Baby One More Time (10,544,000). The title song from Oops! made the top 10. Two songs from …Baby One More Time made the top 10: the title song and "(You Drive Me) Crazy."

Grade: B

Linkin Park's 2003 album Meteora has sold 5,924,000 copies, which is 60% as many as 2000's Hybrid Theory (9,949,000). "Numb," the biggest hit from Meteora, reached #11. "In The End," the biggest hit from Hybrid, reached #2. Reanimation, which contained new mixes of the songs from Hybrid, was released in between the two studio albums.

Pearl Jam's 1993 album Vs. has sold 5,991,000 copies, which is 60% as many as 1992's Ten (9,945,000). Vs. spawned "Daughter," the band's first hit on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. ("Jeremy," from Ten, cracked that same chart three weeks later.)

Kid Rock's 2001 album Cocky has sold 5,190,000 copies, which is 56% as many as 1999's Devil Without A Cause (9,217,000). Cocky spawned Kid's first top 10 hit, "Picture" (featuring Allison Moorer or Sheryl Crow). "Only God Knows Why," the biggest hit from Devil, reached #19. The History Of Rock, a compilation of songs Kid Rock recorded between 1991 and 2000, was released in between the two studio albums.

Creed's 2001 album Weathered has sold 6,400,000 copies, which is 55% as many as 1999's Human Clay (11,579,000). Both albums spawned two top 10 hits. Weathered had "My Sacrifice" and "One Last Breath." Human Clay yielded "Higher" and "With Arms Wide Open."

Garth Brooks' 1992 album The Chase has sold 5,127,000 copies, which is 54% as many as 1991's Ropin' The Wind (9,571,000). The Chase spawned two #1 country hits: "Somewhere Other Than The Night" and "That Summer." Ropin' The Wind spawned three. Brooks released a Christmas album, Beyond The Season, in between the two studio albums.

Eminem's 2004 album Encore has sold 5,288,000 copies, which is 53% as many as 2002's The Eminem Show (10,066,000). "Just Lose It," the biggest hit from Encore, reached #6. The Eminem Show spawned two top five hits.

Grade: B-

Britney Spears' 2001 album Britney has sold 4,346,000 copies, which is 47% as many as 2000's …Oops! I Did It Again (9,194,000). "I'm A Slave 4 U," the biggest hit from Britney, reached #27. The title song from Oops! reached #9.

Backstreet Boys' 2000 album Black & Blue has sold 5,435,000 copies, which is 45% as many as 1999's Millennium (12,186,000). Black & Blue spawned one top 10 hit, "Shape Of My Heart," compared to two for its predecessor.

*NSYNC's 2001 album Celebrity has sold 4,912,000 copies, which is 44% as many as 2000's No Strings Attached (11,125,000). Celebrity spawned one top 10 hit, "Girlfriend" (featuring Nelly). No Strings Attached (which sold a record-setting 2,416,000 copies in its opening week) spawned three: "Bye Bye Bye," "It's Gonna Be Me" and "This I Promise You."

Norah Jones' 2004 album Feels Like Home has sold 4,632,000 copies, which is 43% as many as 2002's Come Away With Me (10,830,000). "Sunrise," the key song from Feels Like Home, didn't crack the Hot 100. "Don't Know Why," from Come Away With Me, made the top 30. Feels Like Home failed to receive a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, an award that Come Away With Me won.

Grade: C

Celine Dion's 2002 album A New Day Has Come has sold 3,305,000 copies, which is 35% as many as 1997's Let's Talk About Love (9,575,000). The biggest hit from A New Day Has Come was the title track, which peaked at #22. The biggest hit from Let's Talk About Love was the #1 smash "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From 'Titanic')." Dion released a Christmas album, a greatest hits album and a compilation in between the two studio albums.

Shania Twain's 1997 album Up! has sold 5,410,000 copies, which is 35% as many as 1997's Come On Over (15,517,000). "Forever And For Always," the biggest hit from the double-disk Up!, reached #20. Come On Over spawned three top 10 hits: "You're Still The One," "From This Moment On" and "That Don't Impress Me Much."

Metallica's 1996 album Load has sold 5,088,000 copies, which is 32% as many as 1991's Metallica (15,776,000), which is the best-selling album of the Nielsen SoundScan era. Load spawned the band's only top 10 hit, "Until It Sleeps." "Enter Sandman," the biggest hit from Metallica, peaked at #16. A triple-disk live album, Live Shit: Binge & Purge, was released in between the two studio albums.

Grade: D+

Hootie & the Blowfish's 1996 album Fairweather Johnson has sold 2,361,000 copies, which is 23% as many as 1994's Cracked Rear View (10,265,000). "Old Man & Me (When I Get To Heaven)," the biggest hit from Fairweather, reached #13. Cracked yielded three top 10 hits: "Hold My Hand," "Let Her Cry" and "Only Want To Be With You."

Santana's 2002 album Shamen has sold 2,517,000 copies, which is 21% as many as 1999's Supernatural (11,726,000). Shamen spawned two top 10 hits, "The Game Of Love" (featuring Michelle Branch) and "Why Don't You & I" (featuring Alex Band or Chad Kroeger). "Smooth" and "Maria Maria," the two biggest hits from Supernatural, spent a combined 22 weeks at #1. Shamen failed to receive a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, an award that Supernatural won.

Alanis Morissette's 1998 album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie has sold 2,604,000 copies, which is 18% as many as 1995's Jagged Little Pill (14,738,000). "Thank U," the biggest hit from Junkie, reached #2 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Pill spawned three top 10 hits on the Hot 100 or Hot 100 Airplay charts: "Ironic," "You Learn" and "Head Over Feet." Junkie failed to receive a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, an award that Pill won.

Grade: D

Usher's 2008 album Here I Stand has sold a mere 1,308,000 copies, which is just 13% as many as 2004's Confessions (9,987,000). "Love In This Club" (featuring Young Jeezy), the biggest hit from Here I Stand, reached #1 on the Hot 100. Confessions spawned three #1 hits: "Yeah!" (featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris), "Burn" and "Confessions Part II." (An expanded edition contained a fourth, "My Boo," a duet with Alicia Keys).

The Fine Print

I'm not listing Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, the band's 1975 follow-up to 1973's The Dark Side Of The Moon, because both albums were released long before the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era. But, for the record, Dark Side has sold 9,320,000 copies since 1991, an astounding achievement for an album that came out in March 1973. Dark Side included "Money," a top 15 hit. No songs from Wish You Were Here cracked the Hot 100.

In addition, five non-studio albums have sold 9 million copies since 1991: the soundtracks to The Bodyguard and Titanic and greatest hits albums by the Beatles, Bob Marley & the Wailers and Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band.

[Wayne]

Celine/queen - same thing.

[NothingFails]

nice, new numbers for "Vs.". 5,991,000

I dislike that article because it's only rating sales, and I don't know anyone who'd say Millennium and Weathered were superior albums to Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie just because Alanis didn't sell as well.

[Timmy94]

It never says that those 2 albums you named were better than Junkie. The article just notes that they had a higher successful album to follow-up relation than Junkie and that's a fact.

[thebigham]

^Lots of new numbers above. And confusing numbers...

Ropin' The Wind hasn't really sold anything since we got the last numbers in 2008.

No Fences has only sold 1,000 copies since 2008.

[FliplovesMC]

"No Strings Attached (which sold a record-setting 2,416,000 copies in its opening week)"

There's a new goal for Adele!

[M2M]

^Lots of new numbers above. And confusing numbers...

Ropin' The Wind hasn't really sold anything since we got the last numbers in 2008.

No Fences has only sold 1,000 copies since 2008.

Those albums are out of print and not available digitally. I am actually surprised No Fences managed that high of a number

[BeHereNow1997]

Nice article! So when BlackandBlue publishes the next Soundscan 100, we'll have updated figures for a lot of albums. Some major ones:

-Garth Brook's No Fences and Ropin The Wind (even though that one is out of print, it's still an updated figure)

-Pearl Jam's Vs. moves to #98.

- Kid Rock's Devil without a cause moves to #25

- Both Backstreet boys albums and N'Sync's no string attached.

- It seems like Santana's Supernatural and Britney Spears Oops I did it again's sales are low than what is presented here.

[thebigham]

^Yes, the lower numbers are confusing.

Did Fred forget to add a 2nd version of the album to the SS total?

Or did SS lower the total due to returns, etc...

[oldbloke]

Santana's 2002 album Shamen has sold 2,517,000 copies, which is 21% as many as 1999's Supernatural (11,726,000).

Supernatural sales were 11,772,000 in the 2011 year end SoundScan press release. Pretty sure that 11,726,000 is a typo - should be 11,776,000.