Top 10 best-selling bands of all time
CachHayNhat - Each of these best-selling bands has sold more than 100 million records globally. There are many factors you can consider when talking about the greatest bands of all time, most of them are subjective. But even though it's an art, the music business is first and foremost: A business. Therefore, there is no more important statistic for objectively finding the top bands in history than sales statistics. Therefore, the following chart lists the Top 10 best-selling bands of all time, based on the number of certified records each band has sold worldwide.
Note: This chart lists the top-selling bands of all time.
Top 10 best selling bands in history
(as of March 2020)
TOP 10 BEST SELLING BAND OF ALL TIME:
~ 290 million records sold worldwide
~ 160 million records sold worldwide
~ 150 million records sold worldwide
~ 140 million records sold worldwide
~ 130 million records sold worldwide
~ 125 million records sold worldwide
~ 120 million records sold worldwide
~ 110 million records sold worldwide
~ 105 million records sold worldwide
~ 100 million records sold worldwide
Top 10 best-selling bands in history based on worldwide certified record sales (both albums and singles).
1. The Beatles
Worldwide sales record: ~290 million
Year of operation: 1960-1970
Founded in: Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
Band members: George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr
Genre: rock
best-selling album: The Beatles (1968)
Best Selling Single: She Loves You (1963)
2. Eagles
Worldwide Disc Sales: ~160 million
Year of operation: 1971 - present
Established in: Los Angeles, California, USA
Band Members: Don Henley, Joe Walsh (since 1975), Timothy Schmit (since 1977), Bernie Leadon (1971-2016), Randy Meisner (1971-1977), Glenn Frey (1973-2016), Don Felder (1974 -2001)
Genre: Rock
Best-selling album: their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) (1976)
Best-selling single: Hotel California (1977)
3. Queen
Worldwide Disc Sales: ~150 million
Year of operation: 1970 - present
Established in: London, England, United Kingdom
Band Members: Brian May, Roger Taylor, Farrokh Bulsara (“Freddie Mercury”) (1970-1991), John Deacon (1971-1997) )
Genre: Rock
Best-selling album: Greatest Hits (1981)
Best-selling single: Bohemian Rhapsody (1975)
4. Led Zeppelin
Worldwide Disc Sales: ~140 million
Year of operation: 1968 - 1980
Established in: London, England, United Kingdom
Band Members: John Baldwin, John Bonham, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Genre: Hard Rock
Best-selling album: Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Best-selling single: Whole Lotta Love (1969)
5. Pink Floyd
Worldwide Disc Sales: ~130 million
Year of operation: 1965 - 2014
Established in: London, England, United Kingdom
Band Members: Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Bob Klose (1965 only), David Gilmour (1967-2014)
Genre: Rock
Best-selling album: The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Best-selling single: Another Brick in the Wall (1979)
6. AC/DC
Record sales worldwide: ~125 million
Year of operation: 1973 - present
Established in: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Band members: Angus Young, Chris Slade (since 1989), Stevie Young (since 2014), William Rose (since 2016), Malcolm Young (1973-2014), Dave Evans (1973-1974), Bonn Scott (1974-1980), Phil Rudd (1975-2015), Mark Evans (1975-1977), Cliff Williams (1977-2016), Brian Johnson (1980-2016), Simon Wright (1983-1989)
Genre: Hard Rock
Best-selling album: Back in Black (1980)
Best-selling single: Highway to Hell (1979)
7. Maroon 5
Record sales worldwide: ~120 million
Year of operation: 1994 - present
Established in: Los Angeles, California, USA
Band Members: Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Michael Madden, James Valentine (since 2001), Matthew Flynn (since 2006), Paul Morton (since 2012), Samuel Farrar (since 2016), Ryan Dusick (1994-2006)
Genre: Pop Rock
Best-selling album: Songs About Jane (2002)
Best-selling single: She Will Be Loved (2004)
8. U2
Worldwide Disc Sales: ~110 million
Year of operation: 1976 - present
Established in: Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
Band Members: Paul Hewson (“Bono”), Adam Clayton, David Evans, Larry Mullen, Richard Evans (1976-1978), Ivan McCormick (76 only)
Genre: Rock
Best-selling album: The Joshua Tree (1987)
Best-selling single: Beautiful Day (2000)
9. Metallica
Record sales worldwide: ~ 105 million
Year of operation: 1981 - present
Established in: Los Angeles, California, USA
Band Members: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett (since 1983), Robert Trujillo (since 2003), Cliff Burton (1982-1986), David M Sustainability (1982-1983), Jason Newsted (1986-2001) , Ron McGovney (1982 only)
Genre: Heavy Metal
Best-selling album: Metallica (1991)
Best-selling single: Enter Sandman (1991)
10. The Rolling Stones
Worldwide Disc Sales: ~100 million
Year of operation: 1962 - present
Established in: London, England, United Kingdom
Band Members: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts (since 1963), Ronnie Wood (since 1975), Brian Jones (1962-1969), Bill Wyman (1962-1993), Ian Stewart (1962-1963), Mick Taylor (1969-2014)
Genre: Rock
Best-selling album: Sticky Fingers (1971)
Best-selling single: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965)