Highest Selling Artists:

Artist

Country of origin

Period active

Releaseyear of first charted record

Total certified units Genre

(from available [Notes] markets)

Claimed sales

The Beatles

United Kingdom

1960 1970[5]

1962[5]

Rock / Pop[5]

Total available certified units: 257.6 million[show]

600 million[27][28]

Elvis Presley

United States

1954 1977[29]

1954

[29]

Rock and roll / Pop /Country[29]

Total available certified units: 206.7 million[show]

600 million[35] 500 million[36]

Michael Jackson[Note 2]

United States

1964 2009[37]

1971[37]

Pop / Rock / Dance /R&B[37]

400 million[46][47] 350 Total available certified units: 169.7 million[show] million[48] 300 million[49][50]

Madonna

United States

1979 present[51]

1982

[51]

Pop / Rock / Dance[51]

Total available certified units: 164.3 million[show]

300 million[52][53] 275 million[54][55]

Elton John

United Kingdom

1964 present[56]

1969

[56]

Pop / Rock

[56]

Total available certified units: 158.9 million[show]

300 million[57][58] 250 million[59][60]

Led Zeppelin

United Kingdom

1968 1980[61]

1969

[61]

Hard rock / Heavy metal[61]

Total available certified units: 137.1 million[show]

300 million[64][65] 200 million[66][67]

Pink Floyd

United Kingdom

1965 1996[68]

1967[68]

Progressive rock[68]

Total available certified units: 114.1 million[show]

Other Famous:

AC/DC

Australia

1973 present[94]

1975[94]

Hard rock/Heavy metal[94]

Total available certified units: 108.7 million[show]

200 million[95][96] 150 million[97][98]

The Rolling Stones

United Kingdom

1962 present[104]

1963[104]

Rock / Blues rock[104]

Total available certified units: 93.7 million[show]

200 million[105][106

Eagles

United States

1971 present[115]

1972[115]

Soft rock / Country rock[115]

Total available certified units: 125.8 million[show]

150 million[116]

Rihanna

Barbados United States

2005 present[117]

2005[117]

R&B / Pop / Dance /Hip-hop[117]

Total available certified units: 106.5 million[show]

150 million[119]

Metallica

United States

1981 present[155]

1983[155]

Heavy metal / Thrash metal[155]

Total available certified units: 89.2 million[show]

110 million[157]

Taylor Swift

United States

2006 present[158]

Country / Country 2006[158] pop / Pop / Poprock[158]

Total available certified units: 74.5 million[show]

101 million[161]

Eminem

United States

1996 present[162]

1999[162] Hip hop[162]

Total available certified units: 87.1 million[show]

100 million[165]

Britney Spears

United States

1998 present[166]

1998[166]

Pop / Dance / Dancepop[166]

Total available certified units: 75.3 million[show]

100 million[168]

Bob Dylan

United States

1959 present[200]

1963[200] Folk / Rock[200]

Total available certified units: 43.1 million[show]

100 million[201]

Bryan Adams

Canada

1979 present[204]

1979[204] Rock[204]

Total available certified units: 42.2 million[show]

100 million[205]

Lady Gaga

United States

2005 present[250]

Pop / Dance / 2008[250] Electronic/ Rock[250]

Total available certified units: 59.1 million[show]

80 million[252]

The Doors

United States

1965 1973[257]

1967[257] Rock[257]

Total available certified units: 44.6 million[show]

80 million[258]

Beyonc

United States

2003 present[276]

2003[276] R&B / Pop[276]

Total available certified units: 55.2 million[show]

75 million[278]

Green Day

United States

1987 present[285]

Punk rock / 1994[285] Alternative rock[285]

Total available certified units: 45.2 million[show]

75 million[286]

Nirvana

United States

1987 1994[289]

1989[289]

Grunge / Alternative rock[289]

Total available certified units: 42.4 million[show]

75 million[293]

Bob Marley

Jamaica

1962 1981[298]

1975[298] Reggae[298]

Total available certified units: 30 million[show]

75 million[300]

Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the 1950s, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. Musically, rock has centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with bass guitar and drums. But the genre has become extremely diverse and common musical characteristics are difficult to define. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political in emphasis. Rock places a higher degree of emphasis on musicianship, live performance, and an ideology of authenticity than pop music. By the late 1960s, referred to as the "golden age"[1] or "classic rock"[2] period, a number of distinct rock music sub-genres had emerged, including hybrids like blues rock, folk rock, country rock, and jazz-rock fusion, many of which contributed to the development of psychedelic rock, which was influenced by the counter-cultural psychedelic scene. New genres that emerged from this scene included progressive rock, which extended the artistic elements; glam rock, which highlighted showmanship and visual style; and the diverse and enduring major sub-genre of heavy metal, which emphasized volume, power, and speed. In the second half of the 1970s, punk rock both intensified and reacted against some of these trends to produce a raw, energetic form of music characterized by overt political and social critiques. Punk was an influence into the 1980s on the subsequent development of other sub-genres, including new wave, post-punk and eventually the alternative rock movement. From the 1990s alternative rock began to dominate rock music and break through into the mainstream in the form of grunge, Britpop, and indie rock.

Rock and roll

Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll or rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that originated [1][2] and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African-American genres such as blues, jump blues, jazz, and gospel [3] [11] music, together with Western swing and country music. The American Heritage Dictionary and [12] the Merriam-Webster Dictionary both define rock and roll as synonymous with rock music. Encyclopdia Britannica, on the other hand, regards it as the music that originated in the mid[13] 1950s and later developed "into the more encompassing international style known as rock music".

Pop music
Pop music (a term that originally derives from an abbreviation of "popular") is a genre of popular music which originated in its modern form in the 1950s, deriving from rock and roll. According to Grove Music Online, the term "pop music" "originated in Britain in the mid-1950s as a description [7] for rock and roll and the new youth music styles that it influenced ...". The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pop's "earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience ...[;] since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the special meaning of non-classical mus[ic], usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, ABBA, etc."

Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It often uses new recording techniques and effects and draws on non-Western sources such as the ragasand drones of Indian music. It was pioneered by musicians including The Beatles, The Byrds, and The Yardbirds, emerging as a genre during the mid-1960s among folk rock andblues rock bands in the United Kingdom and United States, such as Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, The Doors and Pink Floyd. It reached a peak in between 1967 and 1969. Major features include: electric guitars, often used with feedback, wah wah and fuzzboxes; elaborate studio effects, such as backwards tapes, panning, phasing, long delay loops, and extreme reverb;[2] [3] exotic instrumentation, with a particular fondness for the sitar and tabla;
[1]

There had long been a culture of drug use among jazz and blues musicians, and, in the early 1960s, [23] use of drugs (including cannabis, peyote, mescaline and LSD ) had begun to grow among folk and [24] rock musicians, who also began to include drug references in their songs. Two of the most successful and influential acts of the era, Bob Dylan and the Beatles, were among the first to experiment with such references. Dylan's song "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (1965), [25] which may have taken its title from a Kerouac novel, included the line, "Johnny's in the basement, mixing up the medicine", and his "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965) requested "Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship".

The Beatles introduced audiences to many of the major elements of the psychedelic sound during this period, with guitar feedback in "I Feel Fine" (1964), "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" from their 1965 Rubber Soul album using a sitar, and the employment of reversed audio tapes on their [10] 1966 B-side "Rain". Drug references began to appear in their songs, in "Day Tripper" (1965), and more explicitly in "Tomorrow Never Knows" (1966), from their albumRevolver.[27]

(Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-26/delhi/38039180_1_bhangholi-scotch-whisky)
THE DOPE ON CANNABIS Charas, ganja and bhang are obtained from different varieties of the same plant called 'cannabis sativa' . Their psychoactive substance is common: THC or tetra hydro cannabinol. It's glassy solid when cold and white sticky when warm. Yet there are differences between charas (hash or dope), ganja (grass or marijuana) and bhang (Indian hemp). GANJA Like charas, it is made of the top leaves and unfertilised flower of young female plant. The resin is not extracted like charas. Leaves and flowers are dried and smoked in cigarettes, chillums and pipes. CHARAS It's a resin extract from the top leaves and unfertilized flower of the young female plant of cannabis sativa. The old method of extraction is to rub the buds and leaves between hands until the residue accumulates on palms and fingers, which is then scraped off. Modern methods include sieving the buds and leaves and running them in motorized tumblers. Mainly brown in colour; the more exotic variety is blonde hash. BHANG Large green leaves and flowering shoots of mainly the male plant but female too. Crushed into pulp with requisite amount of water. It is rarely smoked. Dark green in colour, bhang can be laced with milk as thandai, mixed with sweets. Since bhang is ingested, its hallucinogenic effects take longer to come.

Cannabis
Cannabis, also known by numerous other names, is a preparation of theCannabis plant intended [4][5][6] for use as a psychoactive drug and as medicine. Pharmacologically, the principal psychoactive
a[]

constituent of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); it is one of 483 known compounds in the plant. Cannabis is also known to have been used by the ancient Hindus of India and Nepal thousands of years ago. As a drug it usually comes in the form of dried flower buds (marijuana), resin (hashish), or various extracts collectively known as hashish oil. Aka Marijuana. The herb was called ganjika in Sanskrit, or Ganja in Hindi. Aka Bhang - A preparation from the leaves and flowers (buds) of the female cannabis plant, smoked or consumed as a beverage.

Charas
Charas is the name given to a hashish form of cannabis which is handmade in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is made from the resin of the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica). The plant grows wild throughout Northern India along the stretch of the Himalayas (its putative origin) and is an important cash crop for the local people although the cultivation is illegal in India. Many smoke it in clay pipes called chillums.

Hashish
Hashish, often known as "hash", is a cannabis product composed of compressed or purified preparations of stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the buds of the female cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredientssuch as THC and other cannabinoidsbut in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves.

Lysergic acid diethylamide

Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide (INN) and colloquially as acid. LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has extremely [3] low toxicity relative to dose. However, adverse psychiatric reactions such as anxiety, paranoia, and [4] delusions are possible. LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938 from ergotamine.

Progressive rock
Progressive rock, also known as prog rock or prog, is a rock music subgenre that originated in the United Kingdom, with further developments inGermany, Italy, and France, throughout the mid-to[2]

late 1960s and 1970s. It developed from psychedelic rock and originated, similarly to art rock, as an attempt to give greater artistic weight and credibility to rock music.[3] Bands abandoned the short pop single in favor of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz or classical music in an effort to give rock music the same level of musical sophistication and [4] critical respect. Songs were replaced by musical suites that often stretched to 20 or 40 minutes in length and contained symphonic influences, extended musical themes, fantasy-like ambiance and lyrics, and complex orchestrations. Bands such as Jethro Tull, The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) were the genre's most influential groups.

Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Punk bands created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. By late 1976, bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned in London and Television and the Ramones in New York City. By the beginning of the 1980s, faster, more aggressive styles such as hardcore and Oi! had become the predominant mode of punk rock. Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations, giving rise to post-punk and the alternative rock movement. At the start of the 21st century, pop punk had been adopted by the mainstream, as bands such as Green Day, The Offspring and Blink-182 brought the genre widespread popularity.

Alternative rock
Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt rock or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged from the independent musicunderground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s. The 'alternative' definition refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music, expressed primarily in a distorted guitar sound, transgressive lyrics and generally a nonchalant, defiant attitude. With the breakthrough of Nirvana and the popularity of the grunge and Britpop movements in the 1990s, alternative rock entered the musical mainstream and many alternative bands became commercially successful.

Contemporary R&B, also known as R&B, is a music genre that combines elements of rhythm and blues, pop, soul, funk, and hip hop. Today the term is used to describe a style ofAfrican-American music originating after the decline of disco in the 1980s. Contemporary R&B vocalists are often known for their use of melisma, popularized by vocalists such as Michael Jackson,Stevie Wonder,[1] Whitney [1][2][3] [2][4][5] Houston, and Mariah Carey.

The Beatles
John Lennon (songwriter and vocalist), Paul McCartney(songwriter and vocalist), George Harrison (lead guitarist), and Ringo Starr (drummer, replaced Pete Best in 1962).
(Other - Stuart Sutcliffe (Gutarist, died in 1962), Pete Best)

John Lennon
9 October 1940 8 December 1980 With Paul McCartney, he formed a songwriting partnership that is one of the most celebrated of the 20th century. Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, writing, drawings, on film and in interviews. Controversial through his political andpeace activism, he moved to New York City in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by Richard Nixon's administration to deport him, while some of his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture. On 8 December 1980,Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times at the entrance to the building.

Pink Floyd
Founded in 1965, Pink Floyd originally consisted of students Syd Barrett, Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters(Vocals, Lyricist), and Richard Wright (Multi instruments). David Gilmour (Vocals, Guitarist) joined as a fifth member in December 1967, and Barrett left the band in April 1968 due to his deteriorating mental health. Years active - 19651995, 2005 (reunion).

The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek,drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. They were among the most controversial rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison's wild, poetic lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona. After Morrison's death in 1971, the remaining members continued as a trio until finally disbanding in 1973.[3]

Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 July 3, 1971) was an American singersongwriter and poet, best remembered as the lead singer of Los Angeles rock band The Doors.[1] From a young age, Morrison developed an alcohol dependency which led to his death at the age of 27in Paris. He is alleged to have died of a heroin overdose, but as no autopsy was performed, the exact cause of his death is still disputed. Morrison was well known for often improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live.

Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 September 18, 1970) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Despite a relatively brief mainstream career spanning four years, he is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music. Hendrix was widely associated with the use of psychedelic drugs, particularly lysergic acid diethylamide. The post-mortem examination concluded that Hendrix aspirated his own vomit and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates. (Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia).

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962 who were in the vanguard of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in the US from 196465 and an integral part of the counterculture of the 1960s. They were considered to be symbols of rebellious youth in their mid1960s heyday, and were portrayed as the "Anti-Beatles". Line up for longest period includes: Mick Jagger( lead and backing vocals), Keith Richards(guitars),
Charlie Watts (drums, percussion ) and Ronnie Wood(guitars)

Metallica
Metallica is an American Thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band's fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding "big four" of thrash metal alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Metallica formed in 1981. Members are : James Hetfield lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1981present) Lars Ulrich drums, percussion (1981present) Kirk Hammett lead guitar (1983present) Robert Trujillo bass (2003present)

Eagles (band)
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971 by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner. The Eagles disbanded in July 1980 but reunited in 1994 for the album Hell Freezes Over, a mix of live and new studio tracks..

Nirvana
Years Active: 19871994

Nirvana was an American rock band formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990. Despite releasing only three fulllength studio albums in their seven-year career, Nirvana has come to be regarded as one of the most [1][2] influential and important rock bands of the modern era.

Members :
Kurt Cobain(vocals,

guitar) Krist Novoselic(bass) Dave Grohl(drums)

Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 April 5, 1994) was an American musician and artist, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. When Cobain was seven years old, his parents divorced. His mother noted that his personality changed dramatically; Cobain became defiant and withdrawn. On his 14th birthday on February 20, 1981, Cobain's uncle offered him either a bike or a used guitar. He chose the guitar. Cobain began learning guitar. His first drug experience was with marijuana in 1980, at age 13. He regularly used the drug during adulthood. He used heroin sporadically for several years, but, by the end of 1990, his use developed into a full-fledged addiction. He was found dead at his home located at 171 Lake Washington Boulevard in Seattle,Washington, United States on April 8, 1994, having committed suicide three days prior on April 5.