#1 – The Beatles The Beatles were only acting as a band from 1960 to 1970, yet hold the clear lead as the bestselling artists of all time.
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.
The Beatles have the most number one hits on the chart, with 20 songs having reached that position.
2010s. Drake accepted the trophy during the ceremony of the 2021 Billboard Music Awards held on May 23, 2021.
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.
With 40 top 10 hits in the Hot 100 over her career, Swift surpassed Madonna as the woman with the most top 10s in the chart's history. (Madonna has 38 top 10 singles.) Swift is only surpassed by Drake, who counts 59 top 10 hits.
Michael Jackson
As the King of Pop, it makes sense to begin the list with Michael Jackson. The legendary singer achieved fame at a young age through his musical family and their group the Jackson 5. This led him to regular studio work and performances across the Midwest, notably through Motown Records.
"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.
It was never a hit single and got almost no play on Top 40 radio. There's even a dispute over the exact title. Yet “It's a Small World,” also known as “It's a Small, Small World” and “It's a Small World (After All),” is very likely the most played song in music history — nearly 50 million times.
According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
Elvis Presley tops the chart with combined sales of over 21.7 million singles.
Coincidentally, Michael Jackson's Bad and Katy's Teenage Dream are the only albums in US chart history to each score five Number 1s on the Billboard Hot 100.
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)
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.
As of July 2023, English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is the most-followed artist on Spotify, while American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande is the most-followed female artist.
Queen of Pop is a nickname most commonly associated with American singer Madonna.
Canadian singer Justin Bieber is referred to as the "Prince of Pop". South Korean singer BoA is referred to as the "Queen of K-pop".
King of Pop is a nickname most commonly associated with American singer Michael Jackson (1958–2009). King of Pop may also refer to: Several other musicians, see honorific nicknames in popular music. King of Pop (album), a 2008 compilation album by Michael Jackson.
Most recorded artist in music history - Asha Bhosle
In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records had older sister Mangeshkar (now 87) down as recording the most songs in history - a staggering 25,000.
During the time period from 2012 to 2021, Drake was the top performer in the charts, with 46 songs in the Billboard Top 100. Ranking in joint second place were Ariana Grande with 22 and Nicki Minaj with 21 songs each.
Drake has surpassed The Beatles with the most top five hits in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.