Michael Jackson — $400 million. Elvis Presley — $40 million. Arnold Palmer — $35 million.
Presley has sold an astounding 212 million vinyl albums and another 135 million singles. New Jersey's own Frank Sinatra came in second with 95 million singles. Michael Jackson finished 3rd with 79 million singles.
In 2018, the figure was $400 million. It was the eighth year since his death that Jackson's annual earnings were reported to be over $100 million, thus bringing Jackson's postmortem total to $2.4 billion.
Besides having a big name, the singer also had a big fortune through his albums. Upon his death, Michael's net worth was estimated to be around $500 million. But it is said that due to his lavish lifestyle, the Thriller singer lost most of it and was in debt.
The estate rights currently belong to the survivors of the Jackson family, including the late singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, and his three children, Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson, and Blanket Jackson. John Branca, an attorney, and John McClain, an accountant, administer the estate.
Over the course of Elvis' life, he achieved some of the highest accolades in music and film. It is estimated that more than one billion Elvis records have been sold worldwide, more than anyone in record industry history.
Michael Jackson was the King of Pop, but his personal life may haunt his legacy.
Billboard stats: Most weeks at number 1: 1st place is Elvis with 79; distant 2nd is Beatles with 59. Michael comes in 6th, with 37. Most #1 singles: Beatles are 1st with 20; Elvis is tied for 2nd with 18; Michael is tied for 3rd/4th (depending on how you like to count ties) with 13.
His manager told him that a fan in the audience wanted to meet him after the show. Because Elvis was so taken aback by Michael Jackson's request, he agreed to meet the singer. The two men had a good conversation and began collaborating right away.
These are people from different eras and you can't really say who was bigger accurately. For the 50's Elvis was the biggest act on the planet. In the 60's the Beatles rules the decade. MJ was the most dominant Pop singer during his peak.
Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, and no one else even comes close. The 33-year-old Canadian singer's success has seen him set two new Guinness World Records titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify – 111.4 million (as of 20 March 2023)
However, The Beatles outrank Elvis in terms of “fame”: The Beatles scored 4.423 vs. Elvis at 3.592. In terms of achievement (referred to as “gravitas”), Presley ranks at 3.523 vs. The Beatles at 2.284.
The late singer is the best-selling of all time with claimed sales of over 500 million copies. In fact, only The Beatles are ahead of him in the most successful music acts ever. Now new research has discovered that Elvis has also beaten the likes of Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra in another music record.
Jackson has had 13 number-one singles on Billboard's Hot 100, making him the male artist with most No. 1 Hits in the Hot 100 era.
With over 3 billion views, the most popular song on YouTube is "Despacito." Released by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee in 2017, this Latin pop sensation took the world by storm and became a viral hit.
1. Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin is often credited as one of the greatest female vocalists of all time. Her ability to transcend genres and styles, such as rock, gospel, soul and jazz, has earned her the title of “Queen of Soul” and the number one spot on this list.
Aretha Franklin
The Queen of Soul was unrivalled for decades when it came to having the best singing voice on the planet.
The top 10 in the poll were: (1) Aretha Franklin, (2) Ray Charles, (3) Elvis Presley, (4) Sam Cooke, (5) John Lennon, (6) Marvin Gaye, (7) Bob Dylan, (8) Otis Redding, (9) Stevie Wonder, (10) James Brown.
Madonna is recognized by Guinness World Records as the "Best-selling female recording artist of all time".
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.
The Official Charts Company can today reveal that sales of Adele's 21 have overtaken those of a classic Michael Jackson album. Plus we reveal the Top 10 biggest selling albums of all time.
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. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.