Who is the best-selling artist of the 21st century?
The 21st century has been a wild ride already. Compared to the previous century, music has had a total facelift and transformation. As the digital world enjoys its first 100 years, the music industry has become a beast unlike ever before. But which artist is racing ahead as the best seller?
In the 20th century, the music industry was like a baby. Learning to crawl, walk and then run as the first vinyl record was launched in 1930, heralding a new world of buying and sharing music. The 1960s and ‘70s especially saw music blossom into something new and beautiful as rock and roll took the world by storm. The Beatles raced ahead as the best-selling artist of the century. Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Queen and The Rolling Stones follow behind as the top five.
The Beatles sold so many albums that they remain the highest-selling artist of all time. Presley, Jackson and Queen also maintain their rankings, but The Rolling Stones are replaced by Madonna. However, the dynamics of the music industry were distinctly different in the 20th century. The dominance of the LP prevailed, with purchasing physical albums being the sole avenue to access music. The industry appeared more straightforward – an artist would record an album or single, release it, and fans would engage by buying the music. This cyclical process continued, with fans eagerly anticipating and purchasing each new release, creating a seamless progression in the musical landscape.
But in the 21st century, now digitisation has taken hold, music fans have access to all music at any time. New releases are not only fighting against their immediate peers but have decades of older albums as competition, too. In that way, it feels impossible for new artists to ever reach the dizzying heights that The Beatles or Elvis Presley did. That’s likely why few modern acts have made it into the list of the best-selling artists of all time.
In contrast, the list of best-selling artists in the 21st century reflects a shift, with pop and rap ascending to prominence while classic rock takes a back seat. Eminem emerges as the leading artist of the century thus far, propelled by the extraordinary success of his 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP, which achieved an astounding 11 times platinum status. Rapidly ascending the ranks of the top albums of all time, it has garnered global sales exceeding 25 million copies.
However, he could soon be dethroned as the second-place artist keeps beating record after record. Taylor Swift is the second best-selling artist of the 21st century, selling more than 200 million albums worldwide. Her 14 records have cemented her place as one of the most dominant forces in music with her current re-recording project, as she remakes her old albums to regain control of her masters, only making her more powerful. In 2023, Swift was the global top artist on Spotify, suggesting that as digital streams continue to take over physical sales, she could quickly replace Eminem in the top spot.
Canadian rapper Drake comes in at the third spot, followed by the hugely successful K-pop band BTS. Rihanna takes the fifth spot despite not having released an album since 2016. Other names in the top ten include Coldplay, Adele and Ed Sheeran.
It’s a very different lineup from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin, who led in the previous century. The impact of digital music and social media has completely changed the face of the music world, but only time will tell if these artists have the decades or centuries-long staying power of their predecessors.
The best-selling artists of the 21st century:
- Eminem
- Taylor Swift
- Drake
- BTS
- Rihanna
- Coldplay
- Adele
- Ed Sheeran
- Justin Bieber
- Kanye West
