Worldwide Best Selling Albums Ever

by **Dane** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:37 pm

Def Leppard "Hysteria" 18,000,000.

From Billboad.com:

Def Leppard Expands 'Hysteria' For 20th Anniversary

September 19, 2006, 4:00 PM ET

Evie Nagy, N.Y.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its best-selling album, Def Leppard will reissue "Hysteria" as a two-CD package Oct. 24 via Bludgeon Riffola/Island/UME. Beyond a remastered edition of the original album, the new edition includes a bonus disc with a host of non-album tracks first issued during the period.

Among them are the studio B-sides "Tear It Down," "Ride Into the Sun," "I Wanna Be Your Hero" and "Ring of Fire," live versions of "Elected," "Love And Affection" and "Billy's Got a Gun" recorded in Holland in July 1987 and extended mixes of five tracks.

"Hysteria" has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide, according to the label, and spawned six top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the top 10s "Love Bites," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Armageddon It," and "Hysteria."

Def Leppard is on the road with Journey through mid-November in support of its recent covers album, "Yeah!," which debuted at No. 16 on The Billboard 200.

by **Wayne** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:02 am

Last time I checked, All the Way a decade of song by Celine Dion had sold 22.5 million copies globally

by **aez** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:24 pm

04wayne wrote:Last time I checked, All the Way... A Decade Of Song by Celine Dion had sold 22.5 million copies globally

Wher did you check that!?

by **pjsbin** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:02 am

I think.. All The Way ... A Decade Of Song

sold around 18 ~ 20 Million copies.

U.S.A : 7,300,000(soundscan) + 1,100,000 (BMG) = over 8.4m
Canada : 900,000 (CRIA) + more
Europe : 5,000,000 (IFPI,2004.01) + more
Japan : 1,230,170 (Oricon sales) + more = around 1.30~1.35m
...

22.5m is inflated..

by **seattleboy** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 5:12 am

All The Way Decade... A Decade Of Song
(8,500,000) US
(1,000,000) Canada
(250,000) Brazil
(5,000,000) Europe
(1,500,000) Japan
(120,000) South Korea
(210,000) Australia
(75,000) New Zealand
(20,000,000) Worldwide

by **Lewis17** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:42 pm

Edu & MJDangerous, I have a question for you about your sales figures for Michael Jackson's albums in Brazil.

Edu, you have posted estimates of:
Thriller = 1,200,000
Bad = 700,000
Dangerous = 450,000

MJDangerous, on your site you have:
Thriller 7 x Platinum = 1,750,000, sales estimate = 1,850,000
Bad 5 x Platinum = 1,250,000, sales estimate = 1,355,000
Dangerous 9 x Platinum = 2,250,000, sales estimate = 2,345,000

Can you explain these massive differences?

MJDangerous, what is your source for certifications in Brazil, and how reliable are these?

Many thanks

by **MJDangerous** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:11 pm

Lewis17 wrote:Edu & MJDangerous, I have a question for you about your sales figures for Michael Jackson's albums in Brazil.

Edu, you have posted estimates of:
Thriller = 1,200,000
Bad = 700,000
Dangerous = 450,000

MJDangerous, on your site you have:
Thriller 7 x Platinum = 1,750,000, sales estimate = 1,850,000
Bad 5 x Platinum = 1,250,000, sales estimate = 1,355,000
Dangerous 9 x Platinum = 2,250,000, sales estimate = 2,345,000

Can you explain these massive differences?

MJDangerous, what is your source for certifications in Brazil, and how reliable are these?

Many thanks

I was not aware about the presence of those numbers in my site, I was in the idea that I have retired them long time ago, I will do it tomorrow. Edu's number Dangerous seems a bit low, but much more realistic than the second ones.

by **seattleboy** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 11:39 pm

Alanis Morrisette's 'Jagged Little Pill' sold 30 million copies worldwide to date, according to Billboard.

by **Edu** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:59 am

Just to say that i have made some changes, especially i changed the introduction and i started to make a list (the first of two).
There is a lot to be made yet but each day i put something on the database, so please have some patience ok?
I keep reading all replies, as soon as i finish the first phase of this thread i can start to exchange opinions with other posters.
Maybe the fans of Spice Girls would like to take a look at their album on the database :wink:

by **zeus555** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:09 am

Hello,
Edu, on Page 1, you have 'Gold' by ABBA, with 3,600,000 certified UK Sales, by 1999 = 12 UK Platinum Awards. It is actually on 13 Platinum Awards now, & has been since February 2005. So, its UK Platinum Awards, from 1992 to 2005, are 13.

Zeus555

by **Edu** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:34 am

Hi zeus555

in order to use all the information available and to get more accurate UK sales of "Gold - GH" i did what i did because if i had posted the 13xPlatinum certified sales (=3,900,000) i could not use then the retail sales posted on Basil's thread, which are 988,000 sales from 2000 to 2004, because there would be a overlap of (repeated) sales between 2000 and 2004.
Acting like i did we have a higher total (4,588,000), and very probably more closer to the truth, than using "only" the BPI sales (3,900,000).
I have made myself clear? Hope so.
I also have used these procedure with some other albums, either in UK or USA.
Generally when i have retail sales available (like Soundscan) i only use the last significative certification avalaible representing sales occurred before the retail ones and then i add the retail sales of the following years till the present, and i use this procedure everytime this total is higher than the last certification available (RIAA or BPI) (see the Def Leppard's "Hysteria" sales in USA).

I have corrected the UK sales in "Gold" file in order that my reasoning becames a bit more clear :wink:

by **zeus555** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:48 am

Hello Edu,
Oh, I know that you used Basil's Sales, for 'Gold', after 1999. I was just pointing out that is is 13 times Platinum - not 12 - that's all.

The Everyhit.com Site has it on 12 Platinum Sales, in its All Time UK Albums List - rather than 13.

I was not criticising your List, Edu. I can see that you have out a lot of work into it. It is very interesting.

Incidently, 'Gold' is on about 60,000 - 70,000 UK Sales, in 2006 - so far. I was told that it was on 50,000, in early June.....

Zeus555

by **Mirrorballman** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 5:15 pm

About The Joshua Tree,

It's certified for 1.000.000 in Germany in 1994. 500.000 in Spain in 1988, 100.000 in Holland in 1987 and 100.000 in Austria in 1993. It also sold 28.000 copies in Finland. Actual sales in France is 2.072.000. Where did you get the sales figure for Japan?

About Achtung Baby,

100.000 in Spain and Holland in 1991. 50.000 in Austria in 1991, 25.000 in Switserland in 1991, 34.000 in Finland and 883.000 in France.

And The Best of 1980-1990 sold 1.200.000 copies in Canada. 600.000 for the 2-disc version and 600.000 for the single disc.

For Abba Gold I got 5xp in Sweden. I think that's 500.000.

And for the Eminen show I got 436.000 in Japan.

by **Lewis17** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 7:48 pm

Edu, here are some more Michael Jackson figures for you:

Thriller:
Belgium 11 x Platinum = 550,000
Spain 6 x Platinum = 600,000
New Zealand 12 x Platinum = 180,000

Bad:
Spain 5 x Platinum = 500,000
Italy 4 x Platinum = 800,000
Sweden 2 x Platinum = 200,000
New Zealand 8 x Platinum = 120,000

Dangerous:
Spain 6 x Platinum = 600,000
Italy 3 x Platinum = 600,000
Sweden 3 x Platinum = 300,000
New Zealand 5 x Platinum = 75,000

Off The Wall:
UK 6 x Platinum = 1.8 million
New Zealand 5 x Platinum = 75,000

History:
New Zealand 8 x Platinum = 120,000

I'm well aware the BPI site only has Off The Wall as Platinum, but this is a mistake - it's definately 6 x Platinum, and has been listed as such in both Music Week and the ChartsPlus newsletter (though I haven't managed to find the year the award was made).

Great thread, and getting better every time I look

by **Popspops** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:33 am

Korea sales

Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time: 77,186 copies
Backstreets Boys Millennium Total:215,255 copies
Eminem The Marshall Matters LP: 106,486 copies
Norah Jones Come Away With Me:77,088 copies
Celine Dion A Decade Of Song:95,066 copies
Eminem The Eminem Show Total:206,750 copies

by **aez** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:26 am

Hi Edu!

I really, really like your topic, it's great!, thanks for all the info.

I was wondering about Britney's "Oops... I Did It Again". Hasn't it sold about 15 or 20 millions arround the world???

by **seattleboy** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 2:13 am

aez wrote:Hi Edu!

I really, really like your topic, it's great!, thanks for all the info.

I was wondering about Britney's "Oops... I Did It Again". Hasn't it sold about 15 or 20 millions arround the world???

'Oops' certainly sold over 15 million copies worldwide, I estimate 18-19 million.

US - 10,000,000+
Canada - 500,000
Brazil - 100,000
Europe - 4,000,000
Japan - 500,000
South Korea - 240,000
Australia - 210,000
New Zealand - 30,000

by **johnnyboy** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:27 am

edu, you've put a lot of work into this thread!

If you look at the global sales of some albums they seem inflated,
eg ACDC's back in Black,
Meatloaf's Bat out of Hell,
the Eagles' Greatest Hits.
Trying to breakdown by country you don't come near the 40 million mark for the Eagles or ACDC - 31 million and 24 million respectively. bat out of Hell is meant to have sold 37m but only 20m accounted for.

In the ABBA thread I started i have sales figures for Gold in 36 countries, and it stands at about 22 million.
http://ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24971

(If you add up the UK EOY stas for Gold you come to 4,007,000 by the end of 2005. Basil estimates 4.8 million if you add club sales.
We have EOY stats for the individual years from 1997 but we do have stas for the 1992-99 period as a whole)

by **zeus555** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:20 pm

Hello,
'Gold', will sell 70,000 to 90,000 - if not more - in 2006, in the UK. I asked about its Sales, in late June, & was told it was on about 55,000 UK Sales, (in 2006), by then.

Zeus555

by **jimmypages59** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:17 pm

Dirty Dancing - OST
1992 --- 31361
1993 --- 78283 --- 10745 --- 89028
1994 --- 60716 --- 34551 --- 95267
1995 --- 58464 --- 34044 --- 92508
1996 --- 46517 --- 25439 --- 71956
1997 --- 39922 --- 26375 --- 66297
1998 --- 34084 --- 22403 --- 56487
1999 --- 29900 --- 21687 --- 51587
2000 --- 19802 --- 4685 --- 24487
2001 --- 153562 --- 2446 --- 156008
2002 --- 86878 --- 1438 --- 88316
2003 --- 21630 --- 989 --- 22619
2004 --- ????? --- 54 --- 54
2005 --- 96846
2006 --- 32403
Total Sales --- 790,368 --- 184,856 --- 975,224

Edu, as requested. Here are sales of Dirty Dancing for the UK between 92 and 2006. 1st column is shop sales (92 is from July onwards) 2nd column is Music Club Sales (93 is from July onwards). No figure for 2004!.

I imagine if you add in the missing shop sales (Jan-Jun 92 & 2004) it would bring Total too around 850,000 and likewise about 15,000 extra Music Club Sales (Jan-Jun 93), bringing it to around 200,000. Overall between 1992 - 2006 I imagine around 1m+ sales.

by **zago** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:27 pm

Californication 15 millions
Blood Sugar Sex Magik 12 millions

by **johnnyboy** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:53 pm

Breakdown of Abba Gold

UK 4,767,000
Germany 2,300,000
France 1,400,000
spain 600,000
Italy 500,000
Sweden 500,000
Switzerland 450,000
Denmark 240,000
Norway 200,000
Belguim 200,000
Finland 132,000
Holland 100,000
Portugal 80,000
Ireland 90,000
Austria 90,000
Poland 70,000
Cz Rep 10,000
Hungary 5,000

US 6,500,000
Canada 1,200,000

mexico 300,000
brazil 100,000
Chile 60,000
Argentina 40,000

Australia 770,000
NZ 180,000
South Africa 50,000

Japan 117,000
Tawain 210,000
Maylasia 200,000
Singapore 165,000
s korea 30,000
Hong kong 120,000
Thailand 20,000
Israel 40,000

Total 21,836,000

NB UK and US include club slaes estimates etc. Actual scanned sales are 4.1 million in both countries.

by **johnnyboy** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:00 pm

You might like to know that Abba Gold is platinum x5 in Sweden. however, that platinum is based on certification levels in 1992 ie 80,000. Certified sales are therefore 400,000. Real sales are 500,000 - ask IFPI.se to confirm this.

In France and Canada it has sold more than the Diamond award suggests and in Germany sales are 2.3 million, more than the platinum x4 certification suggests.

I dispute Universal's claim of 360 million albums agree with them on total sales for Gold.

by **johnnyboy** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:06 pm

These threads might be of interest,

Worldwide
http://ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20687

Outside US
http://ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32965

2nd Biggest Seller?
http://ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28599

by **nelson** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:22 pm

johnnyboy wrote:ask IFPI.se to confirm this.

I dispute Universal's claim of 360 million albums agree with them on total sales for Gold.

Did you ask IFPI.se about this?? I was surprised that they even answered you about this question...

And what do you think about their sales? If 360 m was disputable then what's your comment?