List of best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era

Metallica's self-titled album is the highest selling record under Nielsen SoundScan, selling over 16 million copies

This is a list of best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Billboard on March 1, 1991. The list of albums sales are between 1991 and 2014 (see below):

NOTE: Nielsen SoundScan data is unrelated to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifications. Nielsen SoundScan data is based on actual sales and the RIAA's certification process is based on shipments.

Best-sellers (overall)

1991–2014 list

  1. Metallica / Metallica ~ 16,040,000
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,580,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,950,000
  4. 1 / The Beatles ~ 12,410,000
  5. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,250,000
  6. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 12,140,000
  7. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,850,000
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,690,000
  9. Legend / Bob Marley and the Wailers ~ 11,660,000
  10. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,160,000

Source: [1]

1991–2013 list

  1. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,948,000
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,547,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,895,000
  4. 1 / The Beatles ~ 12,281,000
  5. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,241,000
  6. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 12,085,000
  7. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,792,000
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,674,000
  9. Legend / Bob Marley & The Wailers ~ 11,458,000
  10. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,152,000

Source: [2]

1991–2012 list

  1. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,845,000
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,524,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,806,000
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,209,000
  5. 1 / The Beatles ~ 12,139,000
  6. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 12,056,000
  7. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,732,000
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,632,000
  9. Legend / Bob Marley & The Wailers ~ 11,220,000
  10. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,137,000

Source: [3]

1991–2011 list

  1. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,735,000
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,513,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,714,000
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,168,000
  5. 1 / The Beatles ~ 11,985,000
  6. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,829,000
  7. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,772,000
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,574,000
  9. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,122,000
  10. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,790,000

Source: [4]

1991–2010 list

  1. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,620,000
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,499,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,673,000
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,115,000
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,823,000
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,709,000
  7. 1 / The Beatles ~ 11,703,000
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,563,000
  9. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,117,000
  10. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,785,000

Source: [5]

1991–2009 list

  1. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,525,000
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,487,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,642,000
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,109,000
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,815,000
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,687,000
  7. 1 / The Beatles ~ 11,564,000
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,547,000
  9. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,113,000
  10. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,781,000

Source: [6]

1991–2008 list

  1. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,473,000
  2. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,319,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,607,000
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,104,000
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,805,000
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,673,000
  7. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,525,000
  8. 1 / The Beatles ~ 11,345,000
  9. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,109,000
  10. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,768,000

Source: [7]

1991–2007 list

  1. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,449,000
  2. Metallica / Metallica ~ 15,077,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,557,000
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,099,000
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,798,000
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,643,000
  7. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,504,000
  8. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,104,000
  9. 1 / The Beatles ~ 11,097,000
  10. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,768,000

Source: [8]

1991–2006 list

  1. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 15,408,533
  2. Metallica / Metallica ~ 14,819,905
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,513,325
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,091,491
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,789,552
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,588,453
  7. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,483,557
  8. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,099,051
  9. 1 / The Beatles ~ 10,821,222
  10. Falling into You / Celine Dion - 10,768,000

Source: [9][10]

1991–2003 list

  1. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 14,896,911
  2. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,200,822
  3. Metallica / Metallica ~ 13,803,308
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,056,675
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,741,779
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,333,627
  7. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,291,067
  8. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,069,789
  9. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,614,005
  10. ...Baby One More Time / Britney Spears ~ 10,472,878

Source: [11]

1991–2002 list

  1. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 14,490,470
  2. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 14,084,425
  3. Metallica / Metallica ~ 13,332,320
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 12,030,804
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,714,440
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 11,165,842
  7. Human Clay / Creed ~ 11,078,203
  8. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,023,057
  9. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,525,873
  10. ...Baby One More Time / Britney Spears ~ 10,416,070

Source: [12]

1991–2001 list

  1. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 14,147,017
  2. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 13,890,054
  3. Metallica / Metallica ~ 12,981,888
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 11,971,132
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,689,093
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 10,961,112
  7. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 10,891,514
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 10,490,972
  9. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,438,190
  10. ...Baby One More Time / Britney Spears ~ 10,269,049

Source: [13]

1991–2000 list

  1. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 13,729,828
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 13,652,045
  3. Metallica / Metallica ~ 12,441,854
  4. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 11,705,375
  5. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,655,923
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 10,590,413
  7. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,357,969
  8. ...Baby One More Time / Britney Spears ~ 9,981,434
  9. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 9,936,104
  10. Titanic / Soundtrack (Celine Dion) ~ 9,897,900

Source: [14]

Decade best-sellers

1991–1999

  1. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 13,542,393
  2. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 12,110,660
  3. Metallica / Metallica ~ 11,715,533
  4. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 11,605,690
  5. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 10,224,282
  6. Cracked Rear View / Hootie & the Blowfish ~ 9,817,666
  7. Titanic / Soundtrack (Celine Dion) ~ 9,806,175
  8. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 9,445,732
  9. Ropin' the Wind / Garth Brooks ~ 9,370,863
  10. Backstreet Boys / Backstreet Boys ~ 9,258,265

Source: [15]

2000–2009

  1. 1 / The Beatles ~ 11,564,000
  2. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 11,113,000
  3. Come Away With Me / Norah Jones ~ 10,579,000
  4. The Marshall Mathers LP / Eminem ~ 10,216,000
  5. The Eminem Show / Eminem ~ 9,818,000
  6. Confessions / Usher ~ 9,730,000
  7. Hybrid Theory / Linkin Park ~ 9,697,000
  8. Human Clay / Creed ~ 9,495,000
  9. Oops!... I Did It Again / Britney Spears ~ 9,184,000
  10. Country Grammar / Nelly ~ 8,464,000

Source: [16]

Annual best-sellers

1991

  1. Ropin' The Wind / Garth Brooks ~ 4,000,000
  2. Mariah Carey / Mariah Carey ~ 3,380,000
  3. No Fences / Garth Brooks ~ 3,370,000
  4. Unforgettable / Natalie Cole ~ 3,260,000
  5. Time, Love and Tenderness / Michael Bolton ~ 3,170,000
  6. Metallica / Metallica ~ 3,200,000
  7. Gonna Make You Sweat / C+C Music Factory ~ 3,150,000
  8. Use Your Illusion II / Guns N' Roses ~ 2,810,000
  9. Out of Time / R.E.M. ~ 2,780,000
  10. To the Extreme / Vanilla Ice ~ 2,450,000

Source: [17]

1992

  1. Some Gave All / Billy Ray Cyrus ~ 4,700,000
  2. Ropin' The Wind / Garth Brooks ~ 4,000,000
  3. Ten / Pearl Jam ~ 3,400,000
  4. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 3,300,000
  5. Totally Krossed Out / Kris Kross ~ 3,200,000
  6. No Fences / Garth Brooks ~ 3,100,000
  7. The Chase / Garth Brooks ~ 3,100,000
  8. Nevermind / Nirvana ~ 2,700,000
  9. Adrenalize / Def Leppard ~ 2,700,000
  10. Metallica / Metallica ~ 2,600,000

Source: [18]

1993

  1. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 5,460,000[19]
  2. Janet / Janet Jackson ~ 4,300,000
  3. Vs. / Pearl Jam ~ 3,800,000
  4. Breathless / Kenny G ~ 3,800,000
  5. Music Box / Mariah Carey ~ 3,300,000
  6. The Chronic / Dr. Dre ~ 2,900,000
  7. Unplugged / Eric Clapton ~ 2,900,000
  8. In Pieces / Garth Brooks ~ 2,800,000
  9. Core / Stone Temple Pilots ~ 2,700,000
  10. Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell / Meat Loaf ~ 2,600,000

Source: [20]

1994

  1. The Lion King / Soundtrack ~ 4,900,000
  2. The Sign / Ace of Base ~ 4,900,000
  3. II / Boyz II Men ~ 4,300,000
  4. August & Everything After / Counting Crows ~ 3,800,000
  5. Dookie / Green Day ~ 3,400,000
  6. Not a Moment Too Soon / Tim McGraw ~ 3,200,000
  7. Purple / Stone Temple Pilots ~ 3,100,000
  8. Miracles: The Holiday Album / Kenny G ~ 3,000,000
  9. Smash / Offspring ~ 2,900,000
  10. Music Box / Mariah Carey ~ 2,700,000

Source: [21]

1995

  1. Cracked Rear View / Hootie & the Blowfish ~ 7,000,000
  2. CrazySexyCool / TLC ~ 4,800,000
  3. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 4,200,000
  4. Daydream / Mariah Carey ~ 3,900,000
  5. The Hits / Garth Brooks ~ 3,800,000
  6. Throwing Copper / Live ~ 3,500,000
  7. II / Boyz II Men ~ 3,400,000
  8. Anthology 1 / The Beatles ~ 2,900,000
  9. Hell Freezes Over / Eagles ~ 2,800,000
  10. The Woman in Me (Shania Twain album) / Shania Twain ~ 2,800,000

Source: [22]

1996

  1. Jagged Little Pill / Alanis Morissette ~ 7,400,000
  2. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 6,000,000
  3. The Score / Fugees ~ 4,500,000
  4. Tragic Kingdom / No Doubt ~ 4,400,000
  5. Daydream / Mariah Carey ~ 3,000,000
  6. All Eyez on Me / 2Pac ~ 3,000,000
  7. Load / Metallica ~ 3,000,000
  8. Secrets / Toni Braxton ~ 2,900,000
  9. The Woman in Me / Shania Twain ~ 2,800,000
  10. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? / Oasis ~ 2,600,000

Source: [23]

1997

  1. Spice / Spice Girls ~ 5,300,000
  2. Pieces of You / Jewel ~ 4,300,000
  3. No Way Out / Puff Daddy and the Family ~ 3,400,000
  4. Sevens / Garth Brooks ~ 3,300,000
  5. Middle of Nowhere / Hanson ~ 3,200,000
  6. Life After Death / The Notorious B.I.G. ~ 3,100,000
  7. Bringing Down the Horse / The Wallflowers ~ 3,100,000
  8. Falling into You / Celine Dion ~ 3,000,000
  9. Space Jam (soundtrack) / soundtrack ~ 2,900,000
  10. You Light Up My Life — Inspirational Songs / LeAnn Rimes ~ 2,900,000

Source: [24]

1998

  1. Titanic / Soundtrack (Celine Dion) ~ 9,338,061
  2. Let's Talk About Love / Celine Dion ~ 5,859,421
  3. Backstreet Boys / Backstreet Boys ~ 5,709,369
  4. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 4,872,841
  5. *NSYNC / NSYNC ~ 4,385,148
  6. City of Angels / Soundtrack ~ 4,120,508
  7. Double Live / Garth Brooks ~ 3,892,288
  8. Big Willie Style / Will Smith ~ 3,687,568
  9. Savage Garden / Savage Garden ~ 3,247,406
  10. Armageddon / Soundtrack ~ 3,222,603

Source: [25][26]

1999

  1. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 9,445,732
  2. ...Baby One More Time / Britney Spears ~ 8,358,619
  3. Ricky Martin / Ricky Martin ~ 5,981,155
  4. Come On Over / Shania Twain ~ 5,618,134
  5. Significant Other / Limp Bizkit ~ 4,952,890
  6. Supernatural / Santana ~ 4,732,589
  7. Devil Without a Cause / Kid Rock ~ 4,259,736
  8. FanMail / TLC ~ 4,186,685
  9. Christina Aguilera / Christina Aguilera ~ 3,662,905
  10. Wide Open Spaces / Dixie Chicks ~ 3,463,642

Source: [25][27]

2000

  1. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 9,936,104
  2. The Marshall Mathers LP / Eminem ~ 7,921,107
  3. Oops!... I Did It Again / Britney Spears ~ 7,893,544
  4. Human Clay / Creed ~ 6,587,834
  5. Supernatural / Santana ~ 5,857,824
  6. 1 / The Beatles ~ 5,068,300
  7. Country Grammar / Nelly ~ 5,067,529
  8. Black & Blue / Backstreet Boys ~ 4,289,865
  9. 2001 / Dr. Dre ~ 3,992,311
  10. The Writing's on the Wall / Destiny's Child ~ 3,802,165

Source: [25][28]

2001

  1. Hybrid Theory / Linkin Park ~ 4,812,852
  2. Hot Shot / Shaggy ~ 4,507,468
  3. Celebrity / NSYNC ~ 4,421,231
  4. A Day Without Rain / Enya ~ 4,410,053
  5. Break the Cycle / Staind ~ 4,242,507
  6. Songs in A Minor / Alicia Keys ~ 4,102,482
  7. Survivor / Destiny's Child ~ 3,718,446
  8. Weathered / Creed ~ 3,581,344
  9. O Brother, Where Art Thou? / Soundtrack ~ 3,460,852
  10. Now That's What I Call Music! 6 / various artists ~ 3,133,462

Source: [25]

2002

  1. The Eminem Show / Eminem ~ 7,607,925
  2. Nellyville / Nelly ~ 4,916,073
  3. Let Go / Avril Lavigne ~ 4,121,396
  4. Home / Dixie Chicks ~ 3,690,413
  5. 8 Mile / various artists ~ 3,498,497
  6. Missundaztood / Pink ~ 3,144,947
  7. Ashanti / Ashanti ~ 3,099,216
  8. Drive / Alan Jackson ~ 3,054,736
  9. Up! / Shania Twain ~ 2,909,499
  10. O Brother, Where Art Thou? / Soundtrack ~ 2,736,049

Source: [29]

2003

  1. Get Rich or Die Tryin' / 50 Cent ~ 6,535,809
  2. Come Away with Me / Norah Jones ~ 5,137,468
  3. Meteora / Linkin Park ~ 3,478,361
  4. Fallen / Evanescence ~ 3,364,738
  5. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below / Outkast ~ 3,089,849
  6. Chocolate Factory / R. Kelly ~ 2,939,536
  7. Dangerously in Love / Beyoncé ~ 2,527,485
  8. Metamorphosis / Hilary Duff ~ 2,405,544
  9. Shock'n Y'all / Toby Keith ~ 2,324,437
  10. A Rush of Blood to the Head / Coldplay ~ 2,183,997

Source: [30]

2004

  1. Confessions / Usher ~ 7,978,594
  2. Feels like Home / Norah Jones ~ 3,842,920
  3. Encore / Eminem ~ 3,517,097
  4. When the Sun Goes Down / Kenny Chesney ~ 3,072,224
  5. Happy People/U Saved Me / R. Kelly ~ 3,000,000
  6. Here for the Party / Gretchen Wilson ~ 2,931,097
  7. Live Like You Were Dying / Tim McGraw ~ 2,786,840
  8. Songs About Jane / Maroon 5 ~ 2,708,415
  9. Fallen / Evanescence ~ 2,614,226
  10. Autobiography / Ashlee Simpson ~ 2,576,945

Source: [31]

2005

  1. The Emancipation of Mimi / Mariah Carey ~ 4,968,606
  2. The Massacre / 50 Cent ~ 4,852,744
  3. Breakaway / Kelly Clarkson ~ 3,496,192
  4. American Idiot / Green Day ~ 3,360,394
  5. Monkey Business / The Black Eyed Peas ~ 3,037,251
  6. X&Y / Coldplay ~ 2,615,280
  7. Feels Like Today / Rascal Flatts ~ 2,511,209
  8. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. / Gwen Stefani ~ 2,505,390
  9. Late Registration / Kanye West ~ 2,413,580
  10. The Documentary / The Game ~ 2,275,646

Source: [32][33]

2006

  1. High School Musical / Soundtrack ~ 3,719,071
  2. Me and My Gang / Rascal Flatts ~ 3,479,994
  3. Some Hearts / Carrie Underwood ~ 3,016,031
  4. All the Right Reasons / Nickelback ~ 2,688,138
  5. FutureSex/LoveSounds / Justin Timberlake ~ 2,377,127
  6. Back to Bedlam / James Blunt ~ 2,137,196
  7. B'Day / Beyoncé ~ 2,010,311
  8. Hannah Montana / Soundtrack ~ 1,987,681
  9. Taking the Long Way / Dixie Chicks ~ 1,856,284
  10. Extreme Behavior / Hinder ~ 1,817,350

Source: [34]

2007

  1. Noël / Josh Groban ~ 3,698,934
  2. High School Musical 2 / Soundtrack ~ 2,956,799
  3. Long Road Out of Eden / Eagles ~ 2,608,338
  4. As I Am / Alicia Keys ~ 2,543,224
  5. Daughtry / Daughtry ~ 2,497,457
  6. Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus / Soundtrack/Miley Cyrus ~ 2,487,346
  7. Minutes to Midnight / Linkin Park ~ 2,098,941
  8. The Dutchess / Fergie ~ 2,063,572
  9. Taylor Swift /Taylor Swift ~ 1,950,641
  10. Graduation / Kanye West ~ 1,891,918

Source: [8]

2008

  1. Tha Carter III / Lil Wayne ~ 2,874,420
  2. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends / Coldplay ~ 2,143,928
  3. Fearless / Taylor Swift ~ 2,112,179
  4. Rock N Roll Jesus / Kid Rock ~ 2,017,905
  5. Black Ice / AC/DC ~ 1,915,172
  6. Taylor Swift / Taylor Swift ~ 1,597,316
  7. Death Magnetic / Metallica ~ 1,565,078
  8. Paper Trail / T.I. ~ 1,522,103
  9. Sleep Through The Static / Jack Johnson ~ 1,492,466
  10. I Am... Sasha Fierce / Beyoncé ~ 1,458,853

Source: [7]

2009

  1. Fearless / Taylor Swift ~ 3,216,988
  2. I Dreamed a Dream / Susan Boyle ~ 3,103,828
  3. Number Ones / Michael Jackson ~ 2,355,449
  4. The Fame / Lady Gaga ~ 2,237,750
  5. My Christmas / Andrea Bocelli ~ 2,207,202
  6. Hannah Montana: The Movie (soundtrack) / Hannah Montana ~ 1,823,435
  7. The E.N.D. / The Black Eyed Peas ~ 1,786,825
  8. Relapse / Eminem ~ 1,735,358
  9. The Blueprint 3 / Jay-Z ~ 1,514,758
  10. Only by the Night / Kings of Leon ~ 1,397,693

Source: [35]

2010

  1. Recovery / Eminem ~ 3,414,927
  2. Need You Now / Lady Antebellum ~ 3,089,303
  3. Speak Now / Taylor Swift ~ 2,960,331
  4. My World 2.0 / Justin Bieber ~ 2,318,745
  5. The Gift / Susan Boyle ~ 1,851,753
  6. The Fame / Lady Gaga ~ 1,590,839
  7. Soldier of Love / Sade ~ 1,299,761
  8. Thank Me Later / Drake ~ 1,268,780
  9. Raymond v. Raymond / Usher ~ 1,182,632
  10. Animal / Kesha ~ 1,143,285

Source: [36]

2011

  1. 21 / Adele ~ 5,823,628
  2. Christmas / Michael Bublé ~ 2,452,140
  3. Born This Way / Lady Gaga ~ 2,100,885
  4. Tha Carter IV / Lil' Wayne ~ 1,916,909
  5. My Kinda Party / Jason Aldean ~ 1,575,681
  6. Sigh No More / Mumford & Sons ~ 1,419,952
  7. Take Care / Drake ~ 1,246,774
  8. Under the Mistletoe / Justin Bieber ~ 1,245,074
  9. Watch the Throne / Jay-Z and Kanye West ~ 1,231,676
  10. Own the Night / Lady Antebellum ~ 1,203,640

Source: [37]

2012

  1. 21 / Adele ~ 4,414,000
  2. Red / Taylor Swift ~ 3,107,000
  3. Up All Night / One Direction ~ 1,616,000
  4. Babel / Mumford & Sons ~ 1,463,000
  5. Take Me Home / One Direction ~ 1,340,000
  6. Believe / Justin Bieber ~ 1,324,000
  7. Blown Away / Carrie Underwood ~ 1,203,000
  8. Tailgates & Tanlines / Luke Bryan ~ 1,105,000
  9. Tuskegee / Lionel Richie ~ 1,071,000
  10. Night Train / Jason Aldean ~ 1,024,000

Source: [3]

2013

  1. The 20/20 Experience / Justin Timberlake ~ 2,427,000
  2. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 / Eminem ~ 1,727,000
  3. Crash My Party / Luke Bryan ~ 1,521,000
  4. Night Visions / Imagine Dragons ~ 1,402,000
  5. Unorthodox Jukebox / Bruno Mars ~ 1,399,000
  6. Here's to the Good Times / Florida Georgia Line ~ 1,350,000
  7. Nothing Was the Same / Drake ~ 1,344,000
  8. Beyoncé / Beyoncé ~ 1,301,000
  9. Based on a True Story / Blake Shelton ~ 1,109,000
  10. Magna Carta Holy Grail / Jay-Z ~ 1,099,000

Source: [38]

2014

  1. 1989 / Taylor Swift ~ 3,661,000
  2. Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Various ~ 3,530,000
  3. In the Lonely Hour / Sam Smith ~ 1,210,000
  4. That's Christmas to Me / Pentatonix ~ 1,140,000
  5. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 / Various ~ 898,000
  6. Beyoncé / Beyoncé ~ 878,000
  7. Partners / Barbra Streisand ~ 856,000
  8. Pure Heroine / Lorde ~ 841,000
  9. Four / One Direction ~ 814,000
  10. The Outsiders / Eric Church ~ 811,000

Source: [39]

2015

  1. 25 / Adele ~ 8,008,000
  2. 1989 / Taylor Swift ~ 3,105,000
  3. Purpose / Justin Bieber ~ 2,225,000
  4. X / Ed Sheeran ~ 2,206,000
  5. Beauty Behind the Madness / The Weeknd ~ 2,045,000
  6. If You're Reading This It's Too Late / Drake ~ 1,919,000
  7. Title / Meghan Trainor ~ 1,795,000
  8. In the Lonely Hour / Sam Smith ~ 1,741,000
  9. Montevallo / Sam Hunt ~ 1,378,000
  10. Fetty Wap / Fetty Wap ~ 1,295,000
  • Album sales only:
  1. 25 / Adele ~ 7,441,000
  2. 1989 / Taylor Swift ~ 1,993,000
  3. Purpose / Justin Bieber ~ 1,269,000
  4. X / Ed Sheeran ~ 1,162,000
  5. If You're Reading This It's Too Late / Drake ~ 1,142,000
  6. In the Lonely Hour / Sam Smith ~ 1,018,000
  7. Title / Meghan Trainor ~ 1,007,000
  8. Beauty Behind the Madness / The Weeknd ~ 862,000
  9. Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Various ~ 861,000
  10. Kill the Lights / Luke Bryan ~ 851,000

Source: [40]

2016

  1. Views / Drake ~ 4,140,000
  2. 25 / Adele ~ 2,369,000
  3. Lemonade / Beyoncé ~ 2,187,000
  4. Anti / Rihanna ~ 1,966,000
  5. Blurryface / Twenty One Pilots ~ 1,732,000
  6. Purpose / Justin Bieber ~ 1,678,000
  7. Traveller / Chris Stapleton ~ 1,421,000
  8. Hamilton / Original Broadway Cast of "Hamilton" ~ 1,327,000
  9. Suicide Squad: The Album / Various ~ 1,126,000
  10. Dangerous Woman / Ariana Grande ~ 1,070,000
  • Album sales only:
  1. 25 / Adele ~ 1,731,000
  2. Views / Drake ~ 1,608,000
  3. Lemonade / Beyoncé ~ 1,554,000
  4. Traveller / Chris Stapleton ~ 1,085,000
  5. A Pentatonix Christmas / Pentatonix ~ 904,000
  6. Hamilton / Original Broadway Cast of "Hamilton" ~ 820,000
  7. Blurryface / Twenty One Pilots ~ 738,000
  8. The Very Best of Prince / Prince ~ 668,000
  9. Anti / Rihanna ~ 603,000
  10. Purpose / Justin Bieber ~ 554,000

Source: [41]

2017

  1. ÷ / Ed Sheeran ~ 2,764,000
  2. DAMN / Kendrick Lamar ~ 2,747,000
  3. Reputation / Taylor Swift ~ 2,336,000
  4. More Life / Drake ~ 2,227,000
  5. 24 K Magic / Bruno Mars ~ 1,626,000
  6. Stoney / Post Malone ~ 1,564,000
  7. Culture / Migos ~ 1,438,000
  8. Starboy / The Weeknd ~ 1,408,000
  9. Moana: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Various ~ 1,254,000
  10. American Teen / Khalid ~ 1,220,000
  • Album sales only:
  1. Reputation / Taylor Swift ~ 1,903,000
  2. ÷ / Ed Sheeran ~ 1,102,000
  3. DAMN / Kendrick Lamar ~ 910,000
  4. 24 K Magic / Bruno Mars ~ 710,000
  5. Moana: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Various ~ 709,000
  6. From A Room: Volume 1 / Chris Stapleton ~ 658,000
  7. Beautiful Trauma / Pink ~ 628,000
  8. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 / various ~ 600,000
  9. Hardwired... to Self-Destruct / Metallica ~ 585,000
  10. Trolls: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Various ~ 522,000

Source: [42]

Single week best-sellers

  • Albums to have sold at least one million copies in a single week.
  1. 25 / Adele ~ 3,480,000 (November 26, 2015)
  2. No Strings Attached / NSYNC ~ 2,416,000 (March 26, 2000)
  3. Celebrity / NSYNC ~ 1,880,000 (July 29, 2001)
  4. The Marshall Mathers LP / Eminem ~ 1,760,000 (May 28, 2000)
  5. Black & Blue / Backstreet Boys ~ 1,591,000 (November 26, 2000)
  6. The Eminem Show / Eminem ~ 1,322,000 (June 2, 2002)
  7. Oops!... I Did It Again / Britney Spears ~ 1,319,000 (May 21, 2000)
  8. 1989 / Taylor Swift ~ 1,287,000 (November 2, 2014)
  9. 1 / The Beatles ~ 1,259,000 (December 24, 2000, sixth week)
  10. reputation / Taylor Swift ~ 1,216,000 (November 16, 2017)
  11. Red / Taylor Swift ~ 1,208,000 (October 28, 2012)
  12. 25 / Adele ~ 1,190,000 (December 24, 2015, fifth week)
  13. 25 / Adele ~ 1,160,000 (December 3, 2015, second week)
  14. The Massacre / 50 Cent ~ 1,141,000 (March 6, 2005)
  15. Millennium / Backstreet Boys ~ 1,134,000 (May 23, 1999)
  16. Born This Way / Lady Gaga ~ 1,108,000 (May 29, 2011)
  17. Confessions / Usher ~ 1,096,000 (March 28, 2004)
  18. Double Live / Garth Brooks ~ 1,085,000 (November 22, 1998)
  19. The Bodyguard / Soundtrack (Whitney Houston) ~ 1,061,000 (December 28, 1992, sixth week)
  20. Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water / Limp Bizkit ~ 1,055,000 (October 22, 2000)
  21. Speak Now / Taylor Swift ~ 1,047,000 (October 31, 2010)
  22. Views / Drake ~ 1,040,000 (May 22, 2016)
  23. Feels like Home / Norah Jones ~ 1,022,000 (February 17, 2004)
  24. Tha Carter III / Lil Wayne ~ 1,006,000 (June 21, 2008)

Sources: [43][44][45][46][47]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (October 9, 2014). "Adele's '21' Surpasses 11 Million In U.S. Sales". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Nielsen US Music Year End Report 2013". Nielsen Soundscan. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 "The Nielsen Company & Billboard's 2012 Music Industry Report". Nielsen Soundscan. Business Wire. January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ "VVN Music: Metallica Still Have Top Selling Album of the Soundscan Era; Garth Brooks Top Selling Artist". Vintagevinylnews.com. 2012-01-05. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  5. ↑ "The Nielsen Company & Billboard's 2010 Music Industry Report". Nielsen Soundscan. Business Wire. January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Soundscan End of Year Report: For all 2009". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  7. 1 2 "Soundscan End of Year Report: For all 2008". Businesswire.com. 2008-12-31. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  8. 1 2 "Reuters Press Release: 2007 U.S. Music Purchases Exceed 1.4 Billion". Reuters. 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  9. ↑ Cashmere, Paul (2007-01-05). "Top Selling Albums of SoundScan Era (1991 – 12/30/2006)". Undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  10. ↑ "Press Release Nielsen Music 2006 Year-End Music Industry Report". Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  11. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of SoundScan Era (1991 – 12/30/2003)". Retrieved 2012-06-13 – via Find Articles.
  12. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of SoundScan Era (1991 – 12/22/2002)". Blogcritics.org. Archived from the original on 2003-04-24. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  13. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of SoundScan Era (1991 – 12/30/2001)". Avrev.com. 2002-01-04. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  14. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of SoundScan Era (1991 – 12/30/2000)". Avrev.com. 2001-01-03. Archived from the original on 2008-12-22. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  15. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of SoundScan Era (1991 – 12/30/1999)". Members.tripod.com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  16. ↑ "Top Ten". People. 2009-12-28. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  17. ↑ Philips, Chuck (1992-02-02). "The Album Champs of 1991, for Sure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  18. ↑ PHILIPS, CHUCK (5 January 1993). "Cyrus, Brooks Give Their All to Record Sales". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ↑ Grein, Paul. "Chart Watch Extra: 20 Years of Top Albums". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  20. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (15 January 1994). "ACTUAL ARTICLE TITLE BELONGS HERE!". Billboard – via Google Books.
  21. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (21 January 1995). "ACTUAL ARTICLE TITLE BELONGS HERE!". Billboard – via Google Books.
  22. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (20 January 1996). "ACTUAL ARTICLE TITLE BELONGS HERE!". Billboard – via Google Books.
  23. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (18 January 1997). "ACTUAL ARTICLE TITLE BELONGS HERE!". Billboard – via Google Books.
  24. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (31 January 1998). "ACTUAL ARTICLE TITLE BELONGS HERE!". Billboard – via Google Books.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Got Charts? Linkin Park, Shaggy, 'NSYNC Are 2001's Top-Sellers". MTV. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  26. ↑ http://members.tripod.com/chartts/SALE98US.HTMSoundScan 1998 Year-End Music Industry Report
  27. ↑ "SoundScan 1999 Year-End Music Industry Report". Backstreet.net. 2000-01-05. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  28. ↑ "Audio/Video Revolution: Record Sales Up 4% in 2000 Despite Napster & MP3.com". Avrev.com. 2001-01-03. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  29. ↑ D'Angelo, Joe (2003-01-03). "MTV News:Eminem Sold Most Albums, Nickelback Ruled Radio In '02". MTV. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  30. ↑ "Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen BDS 2003 Year End Music Industry Report". Retrieved 2012-06-13 – via Find Articles.
  31. ↑ CBC News:More music purchases in 2004: Nielsen SoundScan Archived December 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  32. ↑ Grein, Paul. "Chart Watch Extra: 20 Years of Top Albums". Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  33. ↑ "a Phil Brodie Band Muso Information Page". Philbrodieband.com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  34. ↑ "Nielsen Music 2006 Year-End Music Industry Report". Businesswire.com. 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  35. ↑ Nielsen Music 2009 Year-End Music Industry Report, Businesswire.com, Jan 7, 2010 article.
  36. ↑ "Nielsen Music 2010 Year-End Music Industry Report". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  37. ↑ "Nielsen Music 2011 Year-End Music Industry Report". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  38. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (January 2, 2014). "Justin Timberlake's '20/20' 2013's Best Selling Album, 'Blurred Lines' Top Song". Billboard. Nielsen Soundscan. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  39. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (December 31, 2014). "Taylor Swift's '1989' Beats 'Frozen' As Top Selling Album of 2014". Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  40. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (January 5, 2016). "Adele's '25' Rules as Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2015 in U.S." Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  41. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (January 5, 2017). "Drake's 'Views' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2016 in the U.S." Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  42. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (2018-01-03). "Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2017 in U.S." Billboard. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  43. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (November 23, 2015). "Adele's '25' Is the 20th Album to Sell a Million Copies in a Week: See the Full List". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  44. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (December 5, 2015). "Adele's '25' Sells 1.11 Million in Second Week in U.S." Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  45. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (December 27, 2015). "Adele's '25' Sells Another 1.16 Million in U.S., Spends Fifth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  46. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (20 November 2017). "Official: Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Album Sells 1.2M Copies in US During First Week". Billboard. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  47. ↑ "Lil Wayne's 'Tha Carter III' Sells 1 Million". Billboard. Billboard Music. 18 June 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
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