Considering its ubiquity, it should come as no surprise that Adele’s 21 is the best-selling album of all time through popular online retailer Amazon.com.
The UK singer’s 2011 record held off Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream and the Broadway cast version of Wicked to top the list. Elsewhere in the top ten were efforts from Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Amy Winehouse, Dixie Chicks and Coldplay . Lady Gaga’s Born This Way topped the Best-Selling MP3 Albums list, yet failed to make the top ten for CD albums. Adele’s 21 was the fourth highest-selling album in the MP3 format, behind Gaga, Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More and The Lumineers’ self-titled debut.
Interestingly, different Taylor Swift albums made each list: Fearless, her 2008 effort, was sixth on the CDs list, while 2010’s Speak Now is the ninth highest-selling MP3 album. Despite having sold well over five million copies worldwide, last year’s Red failed to make either list.
Top 10 Best-Selling CDs of All Time
1. 21 – Adele
2. I Dreamed A Dream – Susan Boyle
3. Wicked (2003 Original Broadway Cast) – Stephen Schwartz
4. Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
5. Sigh No More – Mumford & Sons
6. Fearless – Taylor Swift
7. Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
8. 19 – Adele
9. Taking the Long Way – Dixie Chicks
10. Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends – Coldplay
Top 10 Best-Selling MP3 Albums of All Time:
Reporting from inside the Australian music business since '94.
1. Born This Way – Lady Gaga
2. Sigh No More – Mumford & Sons
3. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
4. 21 – Adele
5. Mylo Xyloto – Coldplay
6. Some Nights (Explicit) – Fun
7. My Head Is An Animal – Of Monsters And Men
8. El Camino – The Black Keys
9. Speak Now – Taylor Swift
10. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Top 10 Best-Selling MP3 Songs of All Time:
1. “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen
2. “Somebody That I Used To Know [feat. Kimbra]” – Gotye
3. “We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)” – Fun.
4. “I Gotta Feeling” – The Black Eyed Peas
5. “Rolling In The Deep” – Adele
6. “Gangam Style” – Psy
7. “Dynamite” – Taio Cruz
8. “Where We Came From” – Phillip Phillips
9. “Hey Ho” – The Lumineers
10. “Some Nights” – Fun.
Top 10 Best-Selling CDs of 2013
1. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk
2. The 20/20 Experience – Justin Timberlake
3. To Be Loved – Michael Bublé
4. All That Echoes – Josh Groban
5. The Next Day [Deluxe Edition] – David Bowie
6. Passione [Deluxe Edition] – Andrea Bocelli
7. Old Yellow Moon – Emmylou Harris
8. Based On A True Story… – Blake Shelton
9. People, Hell & Angels – Jimi Hendrix
10. Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend
Top 10 Best-Selling MP3 Albums of 2013
1. Heartthrob – Tegan and Sara
2. Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend
3. Big Mozart Box – Various
4. The 20/20 Experience – Justin Timberlake
5. 100 Must-Have Movie Classics, Vol. 2 – Various artists
6. The Marshall Mathers LP2 (Deluxe) – Eminem
7. Trouble Will Find Me – The National
8. Based on a True Story... – Blake Shelton
9. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk
10. Native – OneRepublic
Top 10 Best-Selling MP3 Songs of 2013
1. “Blurred Lines [feat. T.I., Pharrell]” – Robin Thicke
2. “Roar” – Katy Perry
3. “Royals” – Lorde
4. “Get Lucky” – Daft Punk
5. “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)” – Fall Out Boy
6. “Wagon Wheel” – Darius Rucker
7. “Wake Me Up” – Avicii
8. “Mirrors” – Justin Timberlake
9. “Cruise (Remix)” – Florida Georgia Line
10. “Come & Get It” – Selena Gomez
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Reporting from inside the Australian music business since '94.
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