Hootie & The Blowfish, 'Cracked Rear View', released 1994. It’s kind of tough to say if an artist’s best years are behind them, said David Joyce, an analyst at Miller Tabak who has a buy rating on Live Nation. Garth Brooks, 'Double Live', released 1998. This could make the Nickelback deal seem expensive for Live Nation if the band’s subsequent album sales fail to come close to the numbers it has delivered to date. Led Zeppelin, 'Led Zeppelin IV', released 1971. also fueled a record-breaking two year world tour for Nickelback, who so far. Billy Joel, 'Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II', released 1985. With almost 45 million sold worldwide, music fans remain thirsty for the. Eagles, 'Hotel California', released 1976. Michael Jackson, 'Thriller', released 1982. Here are the 10 best-selling albums ever in the US, based on certified album sales, according to RIAA:ġ. And, mega-stars like Taylor Swift (whose 'Reputation' led all album sales last year, with 1.9 million sold) tend to be the only musicians who sell a significant number of albums anymore, whether that be in physical or digital sales. In 2017, US album sales dipped nearly 18 percent, to roughly 169 million copies sold, according to Nielsen. With the ongoing rise of music streaming resulting in fewer album sales in today's music industry, 'Thriller' and other classic albums are likely safe, for now, in their spots atop the all-time rankings for album sales. While a classic album like 'Thriller' obviously was, and continues to be, a major earner for Jackson and his estate, the singer also made money by staying busy through a variety of ventures, from a clothing label to endorsements for brands like Pepsi. In total, Jackson earned over $1.1 billion during his lifetime, according to Forbes, which also noted that the singer's estate continues to collect massive amounts of posthumous cash ($700 million in the first five years after Jackson's 2009 death, the publication reported in 2014). What is clear is that the release of 'Thriller' kicked off a period of massive earnings for Jackson, with Forbes reporting that the 'King of Pop' pulled in $134 million (from album sales, touring and other sources) in just the two years following the album's release. While estimates vary, 'Thriller' is said to have sold at least 66 million copies globally, according to the Guinness World Records, while others have claimed the album has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. While the Eagles album 'Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975' recently passed 'Thriller' in terms of all-time American sales (with 38 million, according to RIAA), Jackson's classic album is still recognized as the best-selling album ever in terms of global sales.

Nickelback album sales to date