The 50 best-selling music artists of all time
- The best-selling musicians of all time include pop sensations like Taylor Swift and rock legends like Metallica.
- We ranked the best-selling musicians of all time based on their total certified album units sold in the US according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
- Swift moved up in the rankings recently thanks to her latest album, "Midnights."
Pop sensations like Taylor Swift have ignited their stardom in recent years, but Swift still isn't the best-selling artist of all time.
Insider turned to the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) list to find out who is. The list is based on total certified album units sold in the US (including streaming figures).
The rap star Eminem saw a big boost in album sales after his performance during the Super Bowl halftime show last year year, surpassing music legends like Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, and Neil Diamond.
Swift herself also moved up the charts recently, thanks to her latest album, "Midnights," putting her in the top 25 artists of all time.
England's greatest rock band still holds the top spot on this all-time ranking of best-selling artists by album sales, and it looks untouchable on a list filled with a number of surprising appearances.
It could be somewhat shocking to find out, for instance, that country star Garth Brooks has sold more than Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
This post has been updated with the most recent data from RIAA. John Lynch contributed to a previous version of this post.
Check out the 50 best-selling music artists of all time in the US by album sales:
50. Britney Spears — 34.5 million units
49. Bon Jovi — 34.5 million units
48. Kenny Chesney — 35 million units
47. Def Leppard — 35.5 million units
46. Bob Dylan — 36 million units
45. Tupac Shakur — 36.5 million units
44. Backstreet Boys — 37 million units
43. Rod Stewart — 38 million units
42. Foreigner — 38 million units
41. Simon & Garfunkel — 38.5 million units
40. Chicago — 38.5 million units
39. Tim McGraw — 39.5 million units
38. Eric Clapton — 40 million units
37. Reba McEntire — 41 million units
36. Queen — 43 million units
35. Santana — 43.5 million units
34. Guns N' Roses — 44.5 million units
33. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band — 44.5 million units
32. Alan Jackson — 44.5 million units
31. Kenny Rogers — 47.5 million units
30. Shania Twain — 48 million units
29. Kenny G — 48 million units
28. Journey — 49 million units
27. Alabama — 49 million units
26. Neil Diamond — 49.5 million units
25. Taylor Swift — 51 million units
24. U2 — 52 million units
23. Celine Dion — 53 million units
22. Fleetwood Mac — 54.5 million units
21. Van Halen — 56.5 million units
20. Whitney Houston — 61 million units
19. Eminem — 61.5 million units
18. Metallica — 63 million units
17. Madonna — 65.5 million units
16. The Rolling Stones — 66.5 million units
15. Barbra Streisand — 68.5 million units
14. George Strait — 69 million units
13. Aerosmith — 69.5 million units
12. Bruce Springsteen — 71 million units
11. Mariah Carey — 74 million units
10. Pink Floyd — 75 million units
9. AC/DC — 75 million units
8. Elton John — 79 million units
7. Billy Joel — 86 million units
6. Michael Jackson — 89 million units
5. Led Zeppelin — 112.5 million units
4. Eagles — 120 million units
3. Elvis Presley — 146.5 million units
2. Garth Brooks — 157 million units
1. The Beatles — 183 million units
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