List of best-selling albums in Canada

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This is a list of the best-selling albums in Canada that have been certified by Music Canada, formerly known as Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).

Contents

Album certifications

Music Canada provides "certifications" for album sales, similar to the RIAA's. The certification levels for albums released after May 1, 2008, are:

Note: Multi-Platinum certification refers to albums that have sold 160,000 units or more (i.e. 160,000 is double Platinum) but have not yet sold 800,000 units (Diamond certification).

Best-selling albums in Canada

Highest Certifications (Listed by Date of Certification)
Date of CertificationYearTitleArtistCertificationShipments/certified sales

[2]

May 11, 20221982 Thriller Michael Jackson 3× Diamond3,000,000 ‡
November 12, 19961995 Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette 2× Diamond2,000,000
July 30, 19871976 Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) Eagles 2× Diamond2,000,000
June 27, 19951977 Rumours Fleetwood Mac 2× Diamond2,000,000
June 28, 19951971 Led Zeppelin IV Led Zeppelin 2× Diamond2,000,000
August 31, 19951977 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 2× Diamond2,000,000
August 31, 19951979 The Wall Pink Floyd 2× Diamond2,000,000
April 9, 19991995 The Woman in Me Shania Twain 2× Diamond2,000,000
January 21, 20001997 Come On Over Shania Twain2× Diamond2,000,000
March 14, 20031973 The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd2× Diamond2,000,000
December 21, 20042002 Up! Shania Twain2× Diamond2,000,000
September 20, 20182011 21 Adele 2× Diamond1,600,000 ‡
Since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began (1995–Present)
RankYearTitleArtistCertificationUnit sales
11997Come On OverShania Twain2× Diamond1,948,000 [3]
21997 Let's Talk About Love Celine Dion Diamond1,492,000 [3]
32011 21 Adele 2× Diamond ‡ 1,489,000 [3]
41997 Big Shiny Tunes 2 Various ArtistsDiamond1,233,000 [3]
52000 1 The Beatles Diamond1,231,000 [3]
62002Up!Shania Twain2× Diamond1,134,000 [3]
71997 Romanza Andrea Bocelli Diamond1,133,000 [3]
82015 25 Adele Diamond1,093,000 [4]
81997 Aquarium Aqua Diamond1,093,000 [3]
91997 Surfacing Sarah McLachlan Diamond1,078,000 [3]
101999 Millennium Backstreet Boys Diamond1,075,000 [3]
111997 Backstreet's Back Backstreet Boys Diamond1,048,000 [5]
Claimed sales
YearTitleArtistCertificationSales
1982 Thriller Michael Jackson 3× Diamond ‡ 2,400,000 [6]
1997 Let's Talk About Love Celine Dion Diamond1,700,000 [7]
1996 Falling into You Celine Dion Diamond1,600,000 [8]
1978 Breakfast in America Supertramp Diamond1,500,000 [9]
1993 The Colour of My Love Celine Dion Diamond1,500,000 [10]
1985 No Jacket Required Phil Collins Diamond1,300,000 [11]
1978 Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack) Various artistsDiamond1,300,000 [12]
1994 The Lion King (1994 soundtrack) Various artistsDiamond1,200,000 [13]
1978 Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture Various artistsDiamond1,115,000 [14]

Best-selling albums by year

2010s

YearPerforming artist(s)NationalityAlbumSalesRef.
2010 Eminem United States Recovery 480,000 [15]
2011 Adele United Kingdom 21 850,000 [16]
2012457,000 [17]
2013 Eminem United States The Marshall Mathers LP 2 242,000 [18]
2014 Taylor Swift United States 1989 314,000 [19]
2015 Adele United Kingdom 25 860,000 [20]
2016 Drake Canada Views 196,000

[21]

2017 Ed Sheeran United Kingdom ÷ 200,000 [22]
2018 Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper United States A Star Is Born 92,000 [23]
2019 Celine Dion Canada Courage 83,000 [24]
2020 Taylor Swift United States Folklore 62,000 [25]
2021 Adele United Kingdom 30 114,000 [26]

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RIAA certification</span> Sales certification from the Recording Industry Association of America

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) operates an awards program based on the certified number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards. Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label must first request certification. The audit is conducted against net shipments after returns, which includes albums sold directly to retailers and one-stops, direct-to-consumer sales and other outlets.

<i>Number Ones</i> (Michael Jackson album) 2003 greatest hits album by Michael Jackson

Number Ones is a greatest hits album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on November 18, 2003, by Epic Records. Number Ones was Jackson's first standalone compilation album with Epic Records, after the release of the first disc of HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I in 1995. The album included Jackson's singles that reportedly reached number 1 in charts around the world, hence the album's name. Number Ones also features the last original single released during Jackson's lifetime, "One More Chance", released four days after the release of the album.

<i>All the Way... A Decade of Song</i> 1999 greatest hits album by Celine Dion

All the Way... A Decade of Song is the first English-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. Released by Sony Music on 12 November 1999, it features nine previously released songs on most editions and seven new recordings on all editions. Dion worked on new tracks mainly with David Foster. Other producers include Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, James Horner, and Matt Serletic. It is the best-selling greatest hits album in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. All the Way... A Decade of Song has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, including over nine million in the United States, five million in Europe, two million in Japan and one million units in Canada.

<i>The Colour of My Love</i> 1993 studio album by Celine Dion

The Colour of My Love is the twelfth studio album and third English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Sony Music on 9 November 1993. The songs were produced mainly by David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Christopher Neil, and Guy Roche, and four of them were written by Diane Warren. The album features cover versions of "The Power of Love" and "When I Fall in Love".

<i>Whitney</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Whitney Houston

Whitney is the second studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released on June 1, 1987, by Arista Records as the follow-up to her debut album. Whitney is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with sales of over 20 million copies worldwide. The album features five top-10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, which also became international hits. The album's first four singles—"I Wanna Dance with Somebody ", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"—all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100, making her the first female act to achieve four number-one hits from one album.

<i>Aquarium</i> (Aqua album) 1997 studio album by Aqua

Aquarium is the debut studio album by Danish band Aqua, released on 26 March 1997. The album is best known for including the globally successful single "Barbie Girl", which went on to become a widely recognizable hit around the world, as well as the popular track “Lollipop (Candyman)”. The album also featured the songs "Doctor Jones" and "Turn Back Time". In early 1997, the release of Aquarium was initially preceded by the singles "Roses Are Red" and "My Oh My", which was released a second time in 1998.

<i>Cross Road</i> (album) 1994 greatest hits album by Bon Jovi

Cross Road is the first official greatest hits album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on October 11, 1994, by Mercury Records. The album contains hits from all previously released albums from their debut, Bon Jovi (1984) to Keep the Faith (1992). The album also features two new tracks: the hit singles "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", as well as a new, updated rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" entitled "Prayer '94" available only on the North American versions. "Runaway" was never recorded with the current band, though at that time there were plans to put a "Runaway '94" on the album but it was never recorded. The diner located on the cover of the album is the Roadside Diner in Wall Township, NJ, near the crossroads of Route 33 and Route 34.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britney Spears discography</span>

American singer Britney Spears has released nine studio albums, eight compilation albums, nine box sets, three extended plays (EPs), 50 singles, 11 promotional singles, two charity singles, and has made three guest appearances. In 1997, Spears signed a recording contract with American record label Jive Records in order to launch her career.

<i>Millennium</i> (Backstreet Boys album) 1999 studio album by Backstreet Boys

Millennium is the third studio album by American boy band Backstreet Boys, released by Jive Records on May 18, 1999. It was a highly anticipated follow-up to both their U.S. self-titled 1997 album and their second released album, Backstreet's Back (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariah Carey albums discography</span>

American singer Mariah Carey has released fifteen studio albums, two soundtrack albums, seven compilation albums, four extended plays, and one remix album. Carey is one of the best-selling music artists of all-time, having sold over 220 million records globally. She was presented with the Millennium Award at the 2000 World Music Awards for becoming the best-selling female artist of the millennium. According to the RIAA, she is the highest-certified female artist and tenth overall recording artist with shipments of 75 million albums in the US. She is also ranked as the best-selling female artist of the US Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present) with album sales of 55.5 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rihanna albums discography</span>

Barbadian singer Rihanna has released eight studio albums, two remix albums, one reissue, seven box sets and three extended plays. Since the beginning of her career in 2005, Rihanna has sold 60 million album units and 215 million digital tracks worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. All of her albums have been certified platinum and multi-platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and have totalled sales of over 10 million copies in the country.

<i>These Are Special Times</i> 1998 studio album by Celine Dion

These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album and sixth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and also her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful third and fourth English albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).

<i>Sil suffisait daimer</i> 1998 studio album by Celine Dion

S'il suffisait d'aimer is the sixteenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and her eleventh French-language album. It was released by Sony Music on 31 August 1998. The album was mainly written by French singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman, and produced by Goldman and Erick Benzi. It garnered favorable reviews from music critics and became the second best-selling French-language album of all time, after Dion's own D'eux (1995). It includes three hit singles: "Zora sourit", "S'il suffisait d'aimer" and "On ne change pas". S'il suffisait d'aimer won the Juno Award for Best Selling Francophone Album of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eminem albums discography</span>

American rapper Eminem has released 12 studio albums, two compilation albums, and one extended play. His music has been released on record labels Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment, along with subsidiaries Web Entertainment and his own Shady Records. Eminem is the best-selling rapper of all time and the best-selling artist of the 2000s with US album sales at over 32.25 million during the decade. With sales of over 220 million records worldwide, he is among of the best-selling music artists of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Eminem has sold 228.5 million certified albums and singles in the United States. In his home country, he has earned 50 platinum albums and 11 number one albums.[A]

The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously existing Associazione dei Fonografici Italiani (AFI). During the following years, most of the remaining Italian record labels left AFI to join the new organisation. As of 2011, FIMI represents 2,500 companies operating in the music business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metallica discography</span> Musical artists discography

The discography of American heavy metal band Metallica includes 11 studio albums, eight live albums, three extended plays, 49 singles, 10 video albums, 43 music videos, one soundtrack album, one collaboration album and three box sets. They are a San Francisco-based metal band formed in 1981 by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich (drums). After several bassist and lead guitarist changes, the band settled on Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett, respectively. Metallica started playing locally, releasing their first widely circulated demo, No Life 'til Leather, in 1982. The demo caught the attention of Johny Zazula, who signed Metallica to Megaforce Records. The band released Kill 'Em All in 1983, and the following year they released Ride the Lightning. After Ride the Lightning was released, Metallica left Megaforce and signed to Elektra Records. In March 1986, the band released its third studio album, Master of Puppets, which was Metallica's first album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). While promoting the album, Burton was killed in a bus accident. Jason Newsted was hired as a replacement. The band's first release to feature Newsted was The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited, and then followed by ...And Justice for All in August 1988, which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine Dion albums discography</span>

Canadian singer Celine Dion has released 27 studio albums, 7 live albums, 20 compilation albums, and 25 box sets. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", Dion is the best-selling Canadian artist of all time and the best-selling artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era in Canada. Dion is also the second best-selling female artist in the United States since Nielsen began tracking sales in 1991 with over 53.2 million albums sold in the country. Guinness World Records recognises her as the Top Selling Album Act in Europe with 33 million certified album sales since 1996. In 2003, Dion was honored by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for selling 50 million albums in Europe. Billboard placed her second among the best-selling female album artist of the 2000s Decade in the United States with 17.3 million albums sold via Soundscan. According to Billboard, Dion is the sixth Greatest Billboard 200 female solo artist of all time, as well as the eighth Greatest female solo artist of all time in Billboard's chart history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katy Perry discography</span>

The American singer Katy Perry has released seven studio albums, one reissue, seven extended plays (EP), 40 singles, and 11 promotional singles. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Perry has sold 121.5 million digital singles and 19 million albums in the United States. She is also the sixth best-selling digital singles artist in the United States. Throughout her career, Perry has sold 48 million album units and 135 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Billboard listed her as the fourth top female artist of the 2010s decade and the 61st greatest artist of all time. Perry has scored nine number one songs on Billboard Hot 100 and three number one albums on Billboard 200.

Regional Mexican Albums is a genre-specific record chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. The chart was established in June 1985 and originally listed the top twenty-five best-selling albums of mariachi, tejano, norteño, and grupero, all subgenres of regional Mexican music. The genre is considered by musicologists as "the biggest-selling Latin music genre in the United States", and represented the fastest-growing Latin genre in the United States after tejano music entered the mainstream market during its 1990s golden age.

References

  1. ↑ Music Canada. "Certification Definitions". Music Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
  2. ↑ "Music Canada Sales Certifications". Historica Canada. January 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "2014 Nielsen Music Canada Report" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. January 15, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Nielsen music: YEAR-END MUSIC REPORT. TOP 10 ALBUMS - ALBUM SALES" (PDF). Billboard. 2020. p. 41. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "The Nielsen Company 2008 Canadian Music Industry Report". Reuters . 7 January 2009. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Springsteen Big in Canada, Too". Billboard . Vol. 98, no. 51. 20 December 1986. p. 39. ISSN   0006-2510.
  7. ↑ Larry LeBlanc (26 December 1998). "Seagram, Dion Led Canadian Biz" (PDF). Billboard . p. 61. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  8. ↑ "Let's Talk About Sales" (PDF). Billboard . 10 January 1998. p. 37. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Farrell, David (12 April 1980). "Anne Murray Nabs 4 Junos In Top Canada Competition" (PDF). Billboard . p. 62. Retrieved 29 March 2023– via World Radio History.
  10. ↑ Chuck Taylor (9 November 1996). "550's Celine Dion Takes Stardom to Next Level" (PDF). Billboard. p. 15. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "New Collins albums ships quarter million on rleease" (PDF). RPM. 2 December 1989. p. 2. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Farrell, David (19 August 1978). "From The Music Capitals Of The World - Toronto". Billboard . Vol. 90, no. 33. p. 64. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Disney Enjoys Success of Universal Canada Deal". Billboard . 8 April 2000. p. 51. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  14. ↑ Farrell, David (12 April 1980). "Anne Murray Nabs 4 Junos In Top Canada Competition" (PDF). Billboard . p. 62. Retrieved 29 March 2023– via World Radio History.
  15. ↑ Williams, John (August 18, 2010). "Eminem retakes No. 1 on charts". Toronto Sun . Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  16. ↑ John Williams (December 21, 2011). "CANOE - JAM! Music - Artists - Buble, Michael : Buble breaks own sales mark". Jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  17. ↑ Bliss, Karen. "Adele, Gotye Top SoundScan Year-End Charts in Canada". Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on February 19, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Canada's Digital Music Sales Rise in 2013 Unlike the U.S.; Eminem, Robin Thicke Among Top Selling Artists". Billboard.biz. January 10, 2014. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  19. ↑ Bliss, Karen (January 27, 2015). "Nielsen: Canada Loved Taylor Swift, Streaming Music and, Yep, Vinyl in 2014". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Nielsen & Billboard's 2015 Canadian Music Industry Sales Report". FYIMusicNews. January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Drake Tops Canada's Year-End Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  22. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2019-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. ↑ "Nielsen Music Canada's Year-End Insights & Trends". FYIMusicNews. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2020-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ↑ "Adele, Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and the Weeknd Top MRC Data's 2021 Canadian Year-End Report". Billboard . Retrieved 2022-01-07.
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