List of best-selling music artists

Table columns:
Artist
Country / Market
Period active
Release year of first charted record
Genre
Total certified units(from available markets)[c]
Claimed sales

Table rows:
cells: The Beatles
United Kingdom
1960–1970[10]
1962[10]
Rock / Pop[10]
showTotal available certified units: 271.6 million US: 212.250 million[11] JPN: 4.950 million[c][12] GER: 8 million[c][13] UK: 18.445 million[c][14] FRA: 3.890 million[c][15][16] CAN: 14.455 million[c][17] AUS: 3.060 million[c][18][19] BRA: 550,000[c][20] ITA: 380,000[c][21] SPA: 1.250 million[c][22][23] SWE 485,000[c][24] DEN: 270,000[c][25][26][27] SWI: 350,000[c][28] ARG: 1.606 million[c][29][30] BEL: 390,000[c][31][32] AUT: 500,000[c][33] POL: 175,000[c][34] NZ: 660,000[c][35][36]
600 million[37][38]500 million[39]
cells: Elvis Presley
United States
1954–1977[40]
1954[40]
Rock and roll / Pop / Country[40]
showTotal available certified units: 223.1 million US: 199.150 million[11] JPN: 300,000[c][12] GER: 1.2 million[c][13] UK: 13.145 million[c][14] FRA: 2.590 million[c][15][16] CAN: 2.925 million[c][17] AUS: 1.797 million[c][18][41] BRA: 125,000[c][20] ITA: 105,000[c][21] SPA: 300,000[c][22][42][43] SWE 380,000[c][24] DEN: 120,000[c][44][45][46] SWI: 185,000[c][28] MEX: 105,000[c][47] ARG: 110,000[c][29] BEL: 115,000[c][31][32] AUT: 205,000[c][33] FIN: 213,945[c][48] NZ: 117,500[c][35][36]
600 million[49][50]500 million[51]
cells: Michael Jackson
United States
1964–2009[52]
1971[52]
Pop / Rock / Dance / Soul / R&B[52]
showTotal available certified units: 185.8 million US: 104.5 million[11] JPN: 4.650 million[c][12][53] GER: 11.275 million[13] UK: 28.245 million[14] FRA: 11.375 million[15][16][54] CAN: 4.670 million[17] AUS: 6.740 million[c][18][19][55][56][57] BRA: 280,000[c][20] ITA: 1.195 million[c][21] SPA: 1.995 million[c][22][23][42][43][58] SWE: 1.230 million[c][24][59] DEN: 1.289 million[c][60][61][27] SWI: 910,000[c][28] MEX: 3.670 million[c][47] ARG: 124,000[c][29][30] BEL: 665,000[c][31][32] AUT: 1.197 million[c][33] POL: 530,000[c][34] FIN: 384,127[48] NZ: 902,500[35][36]
350 million[62][63]300 million[64][65]
cells: Madonna
United States
1979–present[66]
1982[66]
Pop / Dance / Electronica[66]
showTotal available certified units: 171 million US: 85.675 million[11] JPN: 6.450 million [c][12][53] GER: 12.4 million[13] UK: 29.045 million[14] FRA: 12.81 million[15][16][54] CAN: 6.030 million[17] AUS: 4.787 million[c][18][67][68] BRA: 3.440 million[c][20] ITA: 465,000[c][21] SPA: 2.815 million[22][23][42][43][58] SWE: 1.070 million[c][24][59] DEN: 407,000[c][60][61][69][27][70][71] SWI: 1.080 million[c][28] MEX: 510,000[c][47] ARG: 1.098[29][30] BEL: 740,000[c][31][32] AUT: 602,500[c][33] POL: 530,000[c][34] FIN: 652,686[48] NZ: 417,500[35][36]
300 million[72][73]275 million[74]
cells: Elton John
United Kingdom
1964–present[75]
1969[75]
Pop / Rock[75]
showTotal available certified units: 181.1 million US: 129.350 million[11] JPN: 1.1 million [c][12] GER: 7.9 million[c][13] UK: 22.595 million[c][14] FRA: 4.825 million[c][15][16][54] CAN: 5.975 million[c][17] AUS: 2.947 million[c][18][76] BRA: 835,000[c][20] SPA: 1.2 million[c][22][23][43][58] SWE: 740,000[c][24] DEN: 195,000[c][45][61][77][27] SWI: 1.313 million[c][28] MEX: 100,000[c][47] ARG: 128,000[29][30] BEL: 565,000[c][31][32] AUT: 765,000[c][33] POL: 150,000[c][34] FIN: 163,481[48] NZ: 255,000[c][35][36]
300 million[78][79]250 million[80][81]
cells: Led Zeppelin
United Kingdom
1968–1980[82]
1969[82]
Hard rock / Blues rock / Folk rock[82]
showTotal available certified units: 140 million US: 114.1 million[11] JPN: 400,000 [c][12] GER: 3.775 million[c][13] UK: 9.530 million[c][14] FRA: 2.310 million[c][15][16][83] CAN: 4.710 million[17] AUS: 2.8 million[c][18][84][85] BRA: 820,000[c][20] ITA: 420,000[c][21] SPA: 450,000[c][23][43][58] SWI: 211,000[c][28] ARG: 360,000[c][29] POL: 120,000[c][34]
300 million[86][87]200 million[88][89]
cells: Pink Floyd
United Kingdom
1965–1996, 2014[90][91]
1967[90]
Progressive rock / Psychedelic rock[90]
showTotal available certified units: 119.6 million US: 78 million[11] JPN: 100,000[c][92] GER: 7.5 million[c][13] UK: 11.520 million[c][14] FRA: 6.360 million[c][15][16][54] CAN: 6.790 million[c][17] AUS: 2.932 million[c][18][19] BRA: 540,000[c][20] ITA: 1.910 million[c][21] SPA: 625,000[c][22][23][42][58] SWE: 220,000[c][24][59] SWI: 390,000[c][28] ARG: 582,000[c][29][30] BEL: 115,000[c][31][32] AUT: 460,000[c][33] POL: 590,000[c][34] NZ: 787,500[c][35][36]
250 million[93][94]200 million[95]

Questions about this table:
originalText: who sold the most records elvis or the beatles
answer: answerTexts: The Beatles
alternativeAnswers: answerTexts: The Beatles
answerTexts: The Beatles
answerTexts: The Beatles