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Eminems album Marshal Mathers LP

ACCORDIND TO THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE for eminems albums discography ,the album Eminems album Marshal MATHERS LP has sold 17 million copies.theirefore it should NOT be on the list.this source says the same. ^ a b Byrne, Ciar (August 18, 2005). "The real Slim Shady stands up the fans on his European tour". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-real-slim-shady-stands-up-the-fans-on-his-european-tour-503319.html. Retrieved May 2, 2010.

Just adding the album's certifications (10 million US, 6 million Europe, 0.80 million Canada, 0.21 million Australia, 0.15 Mexico, 0.20 Japan, 0.05 million Brazil, 0.075 million New Zealand) you already have more than 17 million. Therefore, it is very plausible that in South America, Africa, Central America and Asia, the album sold a bit more, adding up to more than 18 million.
However, I'm not sure if the album has sold 20 million or not, since the only source we had (the one you just posted) is now a dead link. Mauri96 (talk) 05:59, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Thriller number

The text of the album says that Thriller has sold 110 million copies, and the table says 120 million. I checked the sources, and two say "over 100 mil" while one expressly says 110. Because of this, I'm changing the table to say 110. I see that this has been a well-argued issue, so I thought I'd just leave a note here in case there's a problem. – GorillaWarfare talk • contribs 03:07, 28 April 2011 (UTC)

There is no solid evidence that Thriller has sold anywhere near that figure. The only sources that ever get quoted on here are from Michael Jackson sites (hardly an impartial source and therefore unreliable) or from non-music journalists who merely quote from Jackson sites. The MTV source that is currently used as a source doesn't actually say Thriller sold 110 million, it merely says it is possible that it could have. Due to hype from Jackson himself before he died, the claim that Thriller has sold over 100 million copies is quite ludicrous. 88.104.21.249 (talk) 10:34, 5 July 2011 (UTC)
I checked the references for the number. One is a book I couldn't check, one is an MTV article talking about 110 million as a "reasonable estimate", and the third, which happens to be Michael Jackson's official website, says:

[...] Thriller holds the distinction as the largest selling album worldwide in the history of the recording industry with more than 70 million units sold. Additionally, singles released from the Thriller album sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, another all time record.

Please note how this source lists the album itself as selling "more than 70", rather than the number of 110 that it is referenced for. This correlates better with other sources I've seen - reference for 66 millions here. However, I find the above quote rather interesting - is it possible the 100/110/120 million number comes from total sales derived from the album, that is, the combined sale of the album and singles from said album?
Note also that Michael Jackson's official website goes with 70 million and that one, of all pages on the internet, have no reason to deflate the number. If anything, 70 million should be considered an upper boundary of possible numbers that should be used in Wikipedia and this article altered accordingly. 178.73.217.89 (talk) 23:38, 15 August 2011 (UTC)
I'm in the process of finding that now-lost reference stating 65 million. I want to lower Thriller 's ridiculously inflated sales figure. Could we find a more reliable source for the 70 million claim, since "some of the figures may need further examination to avoid inflated sales figures which is frequently practiced by record companies for promotional purposes.[1][2]"? Mauri96 (talk) 01:30, 19 February 2012 (UTC)
  1. ^ NEWSLINE: A Former Music Executive. Nielsen Business Media. 2004-02-14. Retrieved 2010-04-05. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Troubles in Store. Spin Media L.L.C. 2004-02-14. Retrieved 2010-04-05. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
I confirm that the 110 million number comes from total sales in the 80's, not just from Thriller, but from Bad as well. According to this issue of Jet, Michael Jackson was "feted as top artist of decade after selling 110 million discs". Note it says discs, not albums. Mauri96 (talk) 16:29, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
I found this source claiming 65 million sold by 1990. If anyone complains, we can say that current certifications only amount to 42.6 million, making this a case of "past-inflation-matches-current-level of sales". Mauri96 (talk) 18:01, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
Apparently the oft-cited figure of 110 million is not only from the sales of Bad and Thriller and their singles, but possibly "We Are the World", as well. See this.
Either 65 million or 110 million, not both. Otherwise we could easily try to apply the same dual figure display to the whole list. It's about the last and/or the highest estimated sales. (Readerweb (talk) 20:42, 31 March 2012 (UTC))
I "vote" for 65 million for the reasons I stated above.--Mauri96 (talk) 21:28, 31 March 2012 (UTC)


It's not about "voting". The highest claimed sales put Thriller over 100 million records sold, even World Music Award 2006 edition stated officially 104 million copies of Thriller sold , I suggest "over 100 million records sold" is enough, 65 million figure should dissapear from the list because it's the lowest figure. Otherwise, in that case, each album would have dual figure display (one with the highest and another with the lowest estimated sales) which would be ridicoulous. (Readerweb (talk) 18:28, 1 April 2012 (UTC))

Dirty Dancing & Millenium have not sold 40 million copies

Both albums did not sold 40 million copies. Please find below the details of both albums.

DIRTY DANCING (Soundtrack, 1988): only 13,2 million copies sold in the US, only 20,3 million certifications in the world's biggest music industries.

  • Confirmed
  • USA (1) 13,232,000
  • UK (2) 3,077,247
  • Germany 2,000,000 (1990)
  • Canada 1,000,000 (1988)
  • France 1,214,000 (1993)
  • Switzerland 250,000 (1994)
  • Netherlands 100,000 (1988)
  • Brazil 100,000 (2004)
  • 20,788,247 = Posted sales

(1) 10,000,000 (1988, RIAA) + 904,000 (1988-2002, BMG Record Club) + 2,328,000 (2007, Soundscan)

(2) 2,892,247 (2009, OCC) + 185,000 (Club sales July 1993 - 2003)


Millenium: only 13 million copies sold in the US (for an American group), worldwide maybe 30 million, but surely no 40 million copies.

Country Providers Certification Sales based on
Certification Awards
Argentina CAPIF 3× Platinum[1] 180,000+
Australia ARIA 3× Platinum[2] 210,000+
Austria IFPI Gold[3] 25,000+
Belgium IFPI 2× Platinum[4] 100,000+
Brazil ABPD 2× Platinum[5] 500,000+
Canada CRIA Diamond[6] 1,000,000+
Colombia IFPI Gold[7] 30,000+
Europe IFPI 2× Platinum[8] 2,000,000+
Finland IFPI Platinum[9] 42,525
Germany BVMI 3× Gold[10] 750,000+
Mexico AMPF 4× Platinum/Gold[11] 675,000+
Netherlands IFPI 2× Platinum[12] 200,000+
New Zealand RIANZ 2× Platinum[13] 30,000+
Norway IFPI Platinum[14] 40,000+
Poland ZPAV Gold[15] 50,000+
Portugal IFPI Platinum[16] 40,000+
Sweden IFPI Platinum[17] 80,000+
South Korea IFPI 4× Platinum[18] 250,000+
Switzerland IFPI Platinum[19] 50,000+
United Kingdom BPI Platinum[20] 300,000+
United States RIAA 13× Platinum [21] 13,000,000+

|}

I propose to put both albums under the category of +30 million. These albums should not be mentioned under the category of +40 million. It can be that there are reliable sources who are claiming those inflative figures, but we should avoid inflative figures, even if the figures are mentioned by a reliable source.Christo jones (talk) 11:22, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

Take a look at the new box I just posted. We could establish a minimum number of certifications required for albums to be on the list.Mauri96 (talk) 00:29, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Edit request from , 16 November 2011

Elton John 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' (1973) 31 million copies.

128.250.120.196 (talk) 08:40, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. CTJF83 13:06, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Here's one http://avaxhome.ws/music/elton_john_gybr_mfsl_udcd526.html And also the actual Wikipedia page for the album. Seems rather unusual it's on there but not on this list. Who removed it in the first place? This list has not been done properly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Red Echidna (talk • contribs) 10:00, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

BACKSTREET BOYS 40 MILLION

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/whats-the-biggest-selling-album-of-all-time/ http://best0f.com/top-10-greatest-selling-albums-music-history/ http://www.philbrodieband.com/muso-world-record-holders.htm http://www.jimsteinman.com/bestalbum1.htm

Plenty of sources and more available showing that the Backstreet Boys' Millennium album has sold 40 million. I dont understand changing it to 30 million when for the last 4 years or so its always been 40 million, if anything the sale figure should be increased. Just because you have someone who doesnt like the group doesnt mean you should change it. As far as certified sales, I have seen plenty of examples on this page ans the biggest selling artists page where the certified sales is far lower than the claimed sales. Of course you arent going to get certified sales from everywhere, the US and Europe you get sales for, however after the first year or two they no longer count the sales of albums that aren't new. As well as this, it's harder to get certified sales from other parts of the world such as Asia where the group is massive. What I am saying is that 30 million sales is certified in most of the world after the first couple years when the album was massive in the charts. However, it does not take into account countries where it is difficult to ger certified sales and the amount of albums it has sold since it was in the charts. Therefore I beleive the 40 million figure should be added back on.

Also, the Backstreet Boys US debut album combined with Backstreet's Back has been claimed to have sold 32 million for years, however the 28 million reference isn't too far off. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.220.231.60 (talk) 10:36, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

The millennium figure should be changed back to 40 million. Thre's been references for years claiming that, and is in the Guiniess book of records.

Estimate of sales of Michael Jackson's Thriller album.

I am a member of three pop forums, all of which deal with the subject of record sales, and all of which state that there is no way on Earth that Thriller has sold as many as 110 million albums Worldwide.

You don't have to be a genius to work it out. Thriller has sold a certified 29 million copies on the USA, and over three million in the UK, two of the World's biggest record markets. That Makes an impressive 32 million, to get to 110 million, you have to estimate nearly 80 million copies sold in other countries in the World. That is well nigh impossible, on all historical and economic bases. There is just not enough data or solid proof to support such a wild estimate. Sounds more like an attempt to hype up Jackson's already impressive sales even more, in my view.

It has probably sold about 60 to 65 million, making it the best selling album of all-time, yes, but way below the 100 million barrier. As has been pointed out already on these pages, the 110 million probably refers to sales of both the album and the singles released from it.

I reckon that that figure should be deleted, and a more realistic estimate put in its place.

2601 Badgerfaye1 (talk) 13:01, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

Well, I summed up the certifications from Thriller, and got 42.6 million sold. So the makers of this list are saying the record has sold over 60 millions in South America, Asia and Africa? Yeah right. 82.141.124.221 (talk) 01:05, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
Well then, are we going to delete the 110 million figure or not? If we do we have to give very good reasons for doing so (MJ fans are gonna be all over us). We could establish a sort of "minimum number of certifications needed for claimed sales" like in the list of best-selling artists talk page. Mauri96 (talk) 18:33, 13 February 2012 (UTC)
This 110 million seems like it is an (unreliable) figure estimated by someone and then published by a reliable source. 82.141.74.33 (talk) 17:45, 23 February 2012 (UTC)
Billboard reports 28+50.[1].--2811Butterfly (talk) 21:41, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

Estimate of sales of Madonna's Ray of Light album.

I really can not accepted that Madonna's Ray of light remove from this list, BBC and the Independent has been stated that Ray of Light has been sold 20 million copies, and how could this sales data being changed because The Guardian stated that Ray of Light sold 16 million.

this is another reliable sources http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Madonna which stated that Ray of Light sold 20 million.

Please bring back Ray of Light to the list.

Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 39.213.92.6 (talk) 13:43, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

 Done --Using the new criteria, Ray of Light was added because it has 12.235 million in certifications, more than the 50% needed to support the 20 million claim. Mauri96 (talk) 00:54, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

What happened to John Denver?

Evening!

In the mid-seventies John Denver sold more records than anyone else in the world, so I'm wondering how you've managed to exclude his name completely from your lists of who's done what? 209.91.107.135 (talk) 23:44, 6 February 2012 (UTC)

Afternoon!
No, he probably did not sell more than anyone else in the mid-seventies (although he DID sell a lot). Have you seen ABBA discography, Elton John discography and Wings discography? His biggest selling-album was probably John Denver's Greatest Hits(1973) since it was certified 9x Platinum in the U.S. and 5x Platinum in Canada. (An album needs to sell 20 million to make it to this list.)
HOWEVER, if we add all his certifications, he can probably make it to the list of best-selling music artists.Mauri96 23:46, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

WHERE IS WHITNEY HOUSTON'S 2nd ALBUM "WHITNEY"

Whitney houston's second album sold 22 million world wide, however it is not listed on this particular chart? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nippy222 (talk • contribs) 00:57, 8 February 2012 (UTC)

 Done I added Whitney in with a sourced claim of 20 million. Mauri96 (talk) 21:30, 13 February 2012 (UTC)
Let it be noted that the album's certifications add up to 14.4 million, more than the 15-35% necessary to support the 20 million claim. Mauri96 (talk) 01:30, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Pink Floyd albums

This is just insane. Apart from MJ's Thriller, these are also doubtable. Dark Side of the Moon: 15 million in USA and 35 million in rest of the world. The Wall: 23 million in USA and 7 million in rest of the world. Why on earth would Dark Side of the Moon sell five times more in other countries? That 35 million is totally impossible. Certifications give 28.3 million for The Wall and 21.2 million for Dark Side. The Wall figure is actually probably too low, but Thriller and Dark Side of the Moon have certifications doubled to the listed figure. I doubt that is possible. 82.141.124.221 (talk) 01:39, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

We could establish a sort of "minimum number of certifications needed for claimed sales" like in the list of best-selling artists talk page and lower the claimed sales with new sources after we prove that the current claimed sales are impossible. Mauri96 (talk) 18:37, 13 February 2012 (UTC)
Here is the box I was talking about. I strongly recommend we use it:

Mauri96 (talk) 00:25, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

In 1990, the RIAA certified Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon as 11x platinum, for 11 million sales in the US only. According to Soundscan, over 9,2 million copies were sold of the album as of 1991 (doesn't yet include the sales of the DSOTM immersion release). So, the album sold at least 20 million copies in the US. 50 million sold copies worldwide is not unrealistic. In fact, all the albums of Pink Floyd are undercertified by the RIAA. The Wall is certified for sales of 11,5 million double albums, but at this moment the total sales in the US for The Wall are above 13,5 million (thus 27million platinum).Floydian Tree (talk) 20:27, 15 February 2012 (UTC)
That is not right. I think that RIAA and Soundscan cover the same sales.
And I just noticed that The Wall should be at 11.5 million, since it is a double album. Isn't it explained in the header that the double sales are halved in this list? That's how I understand it. 82.141.74.33 (talk) 17:59, 23 February 2012 (UTC)
RIAA and Soundscan are not covering the same sales. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Nielsen since March 1, 1991. The final certification by the RIAA for The Wall dates back from 1999, namely 23x platinum for 11,5 million sold copies. On May 28th, 1991, the album was certified by the RIAA for 8 times platinum. According to Soundscan, The Wall sold 5,77 million copies as of 1991. So, The Wall sold at least over 13,77 million copies in the US only.Christo jones (talk) 20:17, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

http://www.cphpost.dk/culture/culture-news/metallica-spend-night-danish-prison

as it saw Metallica sell 25 million copies of The Black Album worldwide.

http://thinkflash.ae/content/metallica-to-play-abu-dhabi

having sold 100 million albums worldwide and playing to millions of fans the world over. They have scored almost a dozen multi-platinum albums, including 1991’s Metallica (commonly referred to as “The Black Album”), which is the bestselling album in history of Soundscan scanning almost 15.7 million albums in the United States alone, and over 25 million worldwide.

http://www.noise11.com/news/metallica-to-headline-download-festival-20111112

“The Black Album” was #1 in over 25 countries and spawned an incredible five hits: ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Sad But True’, ‘Wherever I May Roam’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and ‘The Unforgiven’. The album has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Metallica is one of the most successful acts in music history, selling over 100 million albums.

http://www.werchterboutique.be/en/artist/metallica

Metallica is the first name that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘metal’. Metallica is an institution. The American band celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2011 and has been widely popular for the last 20. ‘Nothing Else Matters’ was the song that broke through to the public at large in 1992. This worldwide hit is on ‘Metallica’ (1991), the fifth studio album, also known as ‘The Black Album’. It’s one long list of favourites (‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Don’t Tread On Me’, ‘The Unforgiven’, ‘Wherever I May Roam’, ‘Sad But True’ etc.) and is by some distance Metallica’s most successful album. It’s sold 25 million copies so far. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.205.113.55 (talk) 13:20, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Please update the existing number. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.205.113.55 (talk) 13:16, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

 Done --I used the new criteria to update the sources for Metallica since it has 18.57 million in certifications, way more than the 50% needed to support the 25 million that the links say. Mauri96 (talk) 01:09, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Millennium 40 mil

Backstreet Boys' Millennium has sold over 40 million, it has been referenced for years. I see the post that persuaded you to change with the figure, but if thats the case then Thriller should have sold half of what is stated and there would be no other album on this list that would exceed 30 million — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.155.9.224 (talk) 15:12, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Thriller has sold half of what's stated, all its certifications add to 42.6 million, and on the article there used to be a source claiming 65 million sold worldwide. By the way, Millennium 's certifications add up to 18-20 million, depending on whether you count the European IFPI certifications for all of Europe or not. Mauri96 (talk) 00:38, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Millennium sales

For years it has been referenced as 40 million. Guiness book of records, bbc, nbc, abc, billboard etc have always stated 40 million sales. They sold over 12 million in US, so another 28 million is needed for the rest of the world. In 1999 the album was a major hit everywhere, reaching number 1 and achieving record breaking sales. You do know that the album was massive everywhere? You cant just assume America is the world, that is pathetic. I am simply stating that it has been stated for years to have sold 40 million. The only reason references for 30 million have been found is because wikipedia changed. I will continue to edit this until the 40 million figure is re-added. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.155.15.233 (talk) 12:15, 16 February 2012 (UTC)

Britney 60 million copies?

That's utter nonsense...that bogus number should be removed as it completely undermines this page just as it was starting to become competent and accurate.

Let's look at her certifications:

USA 14,000,000 (certified 14 platinum by RIAA)

Canada:1,000,000

Europe:4,000,000 (Certified 4 Platinum by IFPI)

Australia 280,000

Brazil+Argentina 160,000

Total from the above countries:19,440,000

Let's say it sold 4-5 million more in the rest of the world,and you have an accurate estimate of around 25 million which the previous number here was.

60 million?Whoever edited that number should be ashamed of himself for spreading such lies when all it takes is a little math to completely debunk the source. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.205.113.55 (talk) 20:54, 18 February 2012 (UTC)


On the edit page the person who placed the number states as follows: two newspapers websites confirming that the album sold 60 million copies added.

That's not a confirmation,that's just a random number.There is a reason why every country has certifications,so a record company can know how much a particular artist has sold.The record companies have to pay to have their albums certified.A random source like that shouldn't be given any kind of consideration when it basically clashes with facts and hard math.Let's say 2 random newspapers state that Eminem sold 70 million copies of The Eminem Show,will that too be placed here?Wikipedia shouldn't be a place where fan boys find inaccurate sources to build up their favorites.

There's no sense of lowering Millenium's total(it was a good decision based on the same thing i'm arguing here) and then add Britney's number. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.205.113.55 (talk) 21:14, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

I personally don't think it can be realistic. So what, 2 sites claim that, still, it just came out of nowhere. It sold somewhere in the twenties (millions, that is). If someone suddenly claimed it sold over 30 I might think about it, but triple the previous amount, that's just unbelievable. TomyHun (talk) 01:29, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

== 2Pac sold 28 Million copies of Makaveli source http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000637/bio == www.2pacworld.co.uk/jacques-agnant-vs-estate-of-tupac-shakur-court truthabouttupac.com/.../makaveli-anniversary-7-day-2pac-poker-tour...

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000637/bio 71.93.149.83 (talk) 08:55, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

IMDb is user edited and, although it may actually be correct, is not a Reliable Source for anything other than 'an IMDb page exists for x', it can, however, pinpoint the numbers and/or terms you should include in your search. Dru of Id (talk) 09:05, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

www.2pacworld.co.uk/jacques-agnant-vs-estate-of-tupac-shakur-court — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.93.149.83 (talk) 18:44, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

truthabouttupac.com/.../makaveli-anniversary-7-day-2pac-poker-tour...

'Back In Back' is the second highest selling album of all time!

Someone keeps trying to use a bad source to try to "prove" that Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon sold 50 million copies. It has only sold 45 million copies. AC/DC's Back In Black is still the second best selling album of all time. Who's ever doing this please stop before you create a problem. We cannot have false information on here, thank you. http://www.nme.com/boards/showthread.php?t=201983 Here is the link, it shall inform you of the sales.Acdcguy91 (talk) 04:29, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

A forum source?Stop editing the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kargetina (talk • contribs) 19:27, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Waiting to Exhale and "Whitney"

According to sources, Waiting to Exhale :OST and Whitney (album) both has sold over 20 million copies worldwide

http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Whitney_(album)#Commercial_performance — Preceding unsigned comment added by .CruzAPerea.2012 (talk • contribs) 17:27, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 6 March 2012

2Pac sold 28 Million of Makaveli the don killuminati

www.2pacworld.co.uk/jacques-agnant-vs-estate-of-tupac-shakur-court truthabouttupac.com/.../makaveli-anniversary-7-day-2pac-poker-tour... 71.93.149.83 (talk) 01:51, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Not done: Please express your request in a 'please change X to Y' degree of detail and include reliable sources for any factual changes. The first source you provided is a court document and the others are 404. Thanks, Celestra (talk) 07:13, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

edit request 9th march. dido, no angel

The source for the stated 21 million sales of Dido's 'no angel' is a pay site and the link just takes you to the main times newspaper page, no sign of anything confirming 21 million. I found this link that states 14 million up to 2009. http://www.mediatraffic.de/2000-2009-album-chart.htm Could an editor decide on the most accurate source and amend the entry accordingly. Thank you. 86.178.229.183 (talk) 01:00, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

For starters, the album only has 10,585,000 in certifications, which, given that that includes some ~80-90% of the world music market, indicates that the album cannot have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. Thus, it will be removed per the certification requirements.
By the way, NEVER use meddiatraffic.de. They do not cite ANY sources and their sales are off by a mile. For example, it is a fact that Thriller has 42.6 million in certifactions, much more than the 34 million mediatraffic claims. The same goes for Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 , which has sold 29 million in the U.S. alone, 11 million more than the 18 million claimed by mediatraffic.Mauri96 (talk) 16:06, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

Possible sales inflation in Rumours

According to the album's page:

By 1980, 13 million copies of Rumours had been sold worldwide,[22] a figure which increased to nearly 20 million by 1987.[23] By the time of Fleetwood Mac's reunion tour in 1997, it had sold 25 million copies worldwide.[24] The amount rose to 30 million by 2004, and to 40 million by 2009.[25][26]

How is it possible that this album sold an immense 10 million copies in just 5 years between 2004 and 2009? It sounds like the record label or promoters of the album inflated sales to a nice, round figure that seemed somewhat plausible. I believe the album has sold in the region of 30 million, although the 40 million would be believable if 10 million less hadn't been published so recently, given the album has 26.7 million in certifications in just 6 countries. Mauri96 (talk) 17:48, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

  1. ^ "Argentinean Certifications for Backstreet Boys". CAPIF. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  2. ^ "Australian Certifications for 2000". Ultratop. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  3. ^ "Austrian certification database". Ultratop. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  4. ^ "Belgian certifications for 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  5. ^ "Brazilian certification database". ABPD. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  6. ^ "Canadian Certifications for Backstreet Boys". CIRA. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  7. ^ Lideres Opens In U.S., Puerto Rico. Billboard. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  8. ^ "IFPI (Europe) Certifications for 1999". IFPI. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  9. ^ "Finnish Certifications for Backstreet Boys". IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  10. ^ "Gold/Platin-Datenbank" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2010-05-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Mexican Certifications for Millennium". AMPROFON. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  12. ^ "Dutch Certifications for Millennium". NVPI. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  13. ^ "New Zealand Top-40 album chart (26 December 1999)". RIANZ. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  14. ^ "Gold/Platinum Certifications for Norway". IFPI Norway. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  15. ^ "Poland's Gold-certifications 1995-2010". ZPAV. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  16. ^ Zomba Opens New Operation in Lisbon. Billboard Magazine. 2001. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  17. ^ "Swedish Gold/Platinum Certifications for 1999" (PDF). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  18. ^ Zomba Opens In Korea. Billboard. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
  19. ^ "Swiss Gold/Platinum Certifications for 2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  20. ^ "Gold/Platinum Certifications for BPI". BPI. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  21. ^ "Gold/Platinum/Diamond Certifications for Millennium". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  22. ^ Rourke, Mary (16 March 1980). "Despite Rumors of a Split, Fleetwood Mac Is Rockin' High". The Ledger. p. 6F.
  23. ^ Pareles, Jon (7 May 1987). "Fleetwood Mac: Tango In The Night". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Fabrikant, Geraldine (30 November 1997). "Talking Money With Mick Fleetwood; There's No Stopping Tomorrow". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  25. ^ "A Fleetwood Mac Classic Gets Split Up". Austin American-Statesman. 1 April 2004. p. 8E.
  26. ^ Thrills, Adrian (16 October 2009). "On the eve of Fleetwood Mac's reunion, Stevie Nicks tells how their wild past still inspires them". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 28 December 2009.

Tubular Bells

Watched the BBC Prog Rock Britannia - mentioned Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, sold 50,000,000 copies worldwide. Move down the rest !! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.148.176.112 (talk) 11:00, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

The album only has some ~3 million in certifications, which is much less than the 12.5 million it would need for a 50 million claim per the certification requirements at the top of this page. The Tubular Bells article itself states that the album sold "..according to some reports 15 to 17 million copies worldwide." , which makes more sense given the certifications.
What's more, had it really sold the 50 million you claim, it would be an iconic album known the world over, with hundreds, it not thousands of references made to it by the media, like Thriller, The Dark Side of the Moon, or Back in Black.--Mauri96 (talk) 21:41, 24 March 2012 (UTC)

Boston sales record?

I heard Boston's, Boston Album was the # 1 seller for some record. Can you clarify this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.158.72.252 (talk) 01:29, 21 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean, but according to its Wikipedia page, the album is the "second best-selling debut album" and "fastest-selling debut album by any American group" in the United States. In any case, it has enough certifications (over 18 million) to be added to the list if we can find a reliable third-party source to add it in. (CNN, The Guardian, Billboard, BBC, MTV, The New York Times, etc.) --Mauri96 (talk) 21:52, 24 March 2012 (UTC)


Estimate of sales of Madonna's True Blue album.

I'm really confuse with the sales of Madonna's True Blue album, since 2009 the album has been stated sold more than 24 million copies, The Times and The Daily Telegraph has been stated the 24 million claim, but when I SEE the album page, I read that True Blue worldwide sales claim 25 million copies, according with this sources.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/economie/20071026.WWW000000811_la_chanteuse_la_mieux_payee_du_monde.html

LeFigaro is one of the most respected newspaper in the world, and i think if this newspaper has been stated True Blue's with 25 million claim. So the album should be change with 25 million on the list, since WE have stated that the highest figures claim is include in the list... please Mauri 96 .... need your consider... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 182.5.31.177 (talk) 05:45, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

and here is the RELIABLE SOURCES which claim TRUE BLUE sold 25 MILLION.... please change the list... thank you.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682061/madonna-lionel-richie-top-billboard.jhtml — Preceding unsigned comment added by 39.209.88.69 (talk) 01:23, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

Private Dancer and Some Gave All

I've been checking to see if some of the older albums on the list have enough certifications to back up their sales claim.

After doing some research, I found out that Tina Turner's Private Dancer has 7.95 million in certifications, which according to the requirements at the top of this page is enough for a claim of 19.875 in sales.

Could someone please locate additional certifications so that we can keep the album on the list? Thank-you. --Mauri96 (talk) 19:34, 7 April 2012 (UTC)

The same goes for Some Gave All. It only has enough certifications for a 19.09 million claim.--Mauri96 (talk) 02:05, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" sales figure

Since earlier sources have stated a a figure that's somewhat lower, is it possible that the figure of 50 million copies is an upwards rounding, whereas the actual figure is in fact slightly lower? – SmiddleTC@ 15:42, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

It could be an upward rounding, but that's the case for the sale figures of almost all the albums mentioned in this list. DSOTM has enough certifications to accept the 50 million figure. In the US the album sold over 20 million copies (certified 15x platinum in 1998), in the UK 4,1 million copies were officially sold, 2,5m in France, 2m in Canada, 1m in Australia, 1m in Germany, etc. Bloomberg can also be determined as a reliable source.Christo jones (talk) 17:31, 8 April 2012 (UTC)
There was an earlier source claiming 45 million, and I was wondering why it was simply replaced instead of being coordinated, as done with Michael Jackson's Thriller on the list. Sure, it's merely a difference of 5 million, but it's equally important to regard the fact that it affects top 3 placement. – SmiddleTC@ 19:36, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

Spice Girls's Spiceworld

in the last two years, Spice Girls second album Spiceworld, has been included on the list with 20 million sales claim, but why now the album has been deleted from the list.

when, i check the site of The Times which the album mention.... it seems a pay site, because is not direct to the article but to the main news website.

Please Mauri96, how many certifications that the Spiceworld have, i think that album is deserved to be on the list.. Thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by 39.213.49.176 (talk) 06:18, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Hi there. All you needed to do was go to Spiceworld and add up some numbers. According to that page, Spiceworld has 11,315,000 in certifications. This is a very high number, to be sure, but it's not quite enough to support a 20 million claim.
The things is, since the album was released relatively recently, in 1997, it needs to have its claimed sales (like the The Times claim) supported by 64% in certifications because by 1997 dozens of countries were awarding certifications and tracking sales.
Since Spiceworld has 11.315 million in certifications and was released in 1997, it then follows that those certifications can support up to 17.68 million in claimed sales. Therefore, the album cannot be added to the list until it has 12.8 million in certifications because 64% of 20 million is 12.8 million.--Mauri96 (talk) 05:40, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

Estimate of sales of Madonna's Like a Virgin album.

in the past several years, Madonna's Like a Virgin album has been stated sold 21 million copies, many reliable sources have stated this claim such as ABC, MTV, Entertaintment Online, Yahoo Music, and Metro UK.

and this another sources, which is express me SO MUCH... because the sources stated Like a Virgin sold 30 million copies... is this reliable? and how about Like a Virgin certification - it's only 14 million 65 thousand for the entire world.

http://www.imagecpr.com/?p=13257

http://www.asn.tv/news.php?n=3959

http://www.inflexwetrust.com/2012/03/28/nfl-madonna-tweets-about-tim-tebows-virginity-wants-to-show-him-around-nyc/

http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/madonna_tweets_about_tim_tebows_virginity/10415695 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 39.213.49.176 (talk) 12:49, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

WOW.... as Madonna fans... I'm happy but confuse.... is this reliable Mauri96?... NEED you advise and consider.. thank you.39.208.99.175 (talk) 01:29, 11 April 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 39.213.49.176 (talk) 11:50, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Just to comment, I was the one who edited the "14 million 65 thousand" phrase into the post ^above^. I got that number by adding the album's available certifications.
If we take into consideration the certification requirements for albums, albums from 1984 need to have their sales claims supported by at least 40% in certifications. This means that, in theory, the 14.065 million Like a Virgin has in certifications can support sales claims of up to 35.16 million!
However, it is my personal opinion that changing the 21 million figure for 30 million would be exaggerating sales quite a lot. One has to remember that those 14.065 million include sales (and shipments, which are sometimes higher) from some of the biggest music markets in the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Canada.
If you added up the total number of albums sold (in 2005) in the countries where Like a Virgin has been certified and divided that by world album sales (in 2005), you would get around 60%. This means that more than half of of Like a Virgin 's total possible world sales are already accounted for in its certifications. In other words, even though the certifications don't include sales from every single country where albums are sold, we can only extrapolate Like a Virgin 's sales so far.
In this case, my (unsourced and unprovable) estimate would be that Like a Virgin has sold at the absolute most possible, 25 million copies. In my opinion, anything beyond that is just exaggerating and inventing sales.--Mauri96 (talk) 06:11, 9 May 2012 (UTC)
To answer your question: No, they are not reliable. The first one even spells "whose" wrong. The word should be "whose", not "who's". Besides, the last three links seem to be copies of the first. The second and fourth links even give credit to imagecpr.com. They are not reliable at all.--Mauri96 (talk) 06:17, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

well, finally.. you answer my question... thank you... to be honest, I like Madonna a lot and i believe she's the true masterpiece in music history after The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Jacko...

i will try to find another reliable figure sales of Madonna album... i trully believe that her album Like a Virgin is deserved to have claim at least 25 - 27 million.... thank you. 182.4.234.135 (talk) 15:59, 10 May 2012 (UTC)

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