1. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973) Since its upgrade from an initial weekly top 10 ranking to its iconic top 200 list in May 1967, the Billboard 200 has remained the definitive barometer for chart success in the music world.
Since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular weekly basis, with the March 24, 1956-dated chart, the album with the most weeks in the top 10 is the original cast recording of My Fair Lady, with 173 weeks in the top 10 between 1956-60.
Fleetwood Mac have the longest charting studio album with Rumours (997 weeks). Additionally, their albums The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac has spent 363 weeks on the chart, and 50 Years - Don't Stop has spent 239 weeks on the chart.
"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
In 2021, Billboard revised the rankings again upon the ascendance of "Blinding Lights" to the top spot on the list. Shown below are the top 10 songs and top 10 artists over the 63-year period of the Hot 100, through November 2021.
The Beatles have the most No. 1 hits of all time: 20. Though unclear for how long, the Beatles still reign supreme as the artist with the most No. 1 songs of all time.
1989. Taylor Swift's career began with a record deal with Big Machine Records in 2005 and the release of her eponymous debut album in 2006. With 157 weeks on the Billboard 200 by December 2009, the album was the longest-charting album of the 2000s decade.
Morale & the Big Steppers” and 2016's “Untitled Unmastered.” “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City” sold 242,000 copies upon its debut, earning the highest first-week sales for a male hip-hop artist in 2012. It is the longest-charting hip-hop album in history.
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Madonna and Whitney Houston each have three.
Kylie Minogue has become the first woman to top the album chart in each of five consecutive decades. Her 15th studio album, Disco, reaches No 1 this week, beating Little Mix's Confetti in one of the hottest chart battles of 2020.
The legendarily weird Frank Zappa has released 119 albums, with 100 studio albums, 13 compilations and 6 rock operas and bootlegs. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.
Most number one singles by a songwriter (US/UK)
McCartney is credited as the writer on 32 number one hits in the US to Lennons 26 (with 23 co-written), whereas Lennon authored 29 UK number ones to McCartney's 28 (25 co-written).
The Beatles, unsurprisingly, lead the way with a record 20 No. 1s, all earned between 1964 and 1970. The Fab Four also scored 34 top 10s (second only to Madonna's 38), hitting No. 1 in over half their visits to the top 10.
In 2008, Clayton Counts and Neil Keener came together to create the avant-garde group called Bull of Heaven. Their lengthy creations created a reputation for the band, and they now hold the record for the world's longest album.
Harry Belafonte (37 weeks)
1 on the very first weekly Billboard 200 chart. Calypso is tied with the South Pacific soundtrack as the longest-running No. 1 album of the 1956-59 period.
BTS RM's 'Indigo' becomes the longest-charting album by a Korean soloist on Billboard 200. BTS RM's solo album broke a new record among solo K-Pop acts.
Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022
Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales.
Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) by the Eagles is the best-selling album of all time in the U.S.
Mariah Carey (USA) has topped the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 19 different occasions.
Taylor Swift has once again made music history by claiming every single top 10 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart at once. No other artist has ever held all 10 spots at the same time, according to Billboard.