The following is a list of the most expensive albums made with a recorded sum of over $1 million, sorted by the most money spent in promotional campaigns and album covers. The recording process traditionally requires an investment in studio time and skilled record production labor, and the process can be expensive. [1]
In the late 1950s, the cost of producing pop albums runs from $3,000 to $7,000. [2] The average cost of producing an album climbed to $15,000 in the 1960s. [3] Early examples of record-breaking expensive albums include Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) with a reported sum of £25,000, [4] [lower-alpha 1] alongside Tommy (1969) and Pet Sounds (1966) each with a cost of $70,000, [6] [7] as well as unfinished album Smile whose single "Good Vibrations" (1966) alone had a budget between $50,000 and $75,000, [lower-alpha 2] more than most entire albums cost in those days. [9] Multiple albums were budgeted with a cost between $350,000 and $500,000 by late 1970s, [10] whereas popular rock albums had an average of $100,000 and as high as $500,000 by the midpoint of the decade. [11] [lower-alpha 3] Some albums were produced on a $1 million budget by 1981. [10] Accountant John McClain gave an estimated cost of $2.5 million for a Michael Jackson record in 1987. [14] Nowadays, according to IFPI, production costs for popular albums are "generally budgeted for at least $200,000, and if much studio time is used, costs can soar well past $350,000". [1] Some artist's sponsorships covered the cost of producing the album, most notoriously Mariah Carey between the Bahamas Board of Tourism with her album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009). [15] [16]
The first album to cost over $1 million is believed to be Tusk (1979) by Fleetwood Mac. [17] Chinese Democracy (2008) by Guns N' Roses, once included as the most expensive record in the Guinness World Records , probably cost over $1 million per year during its recording sessions from 1998 to 2006. [18] With a cost between $30 and $40 million, Michael Jackson's Invincible (2001) remains the most expensive album ever produced. [19] [20] [21] Both Michael Jackson and Kanye West have multiple appearances, with at least four each.
Released | Album | Artist | Recorded | Approx cost | Adjusted cost (in 2023 dollars) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Invincible [lower-alpha 4] | Michael Jackson | 1997–2001 | $30–40 million | $51,621,876/$68,829,167 | [19] [21] [20] |
2008 | Chinese Democracy | Guns N' Roses | 1998–2007 | $13 million | $18,396,909 | [23] |
1995 | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | Michael Jackson | 1979–1995 | $10 million | $19,995,632 | [24] |
1991 | Dangerous | Michael Jackson | 1989–1991 | $10–8 million | $22,369,900/$17,895,920 | [25] [26] [27] |
2001 | Victoria Beckham | Victoria Beckham | 1999–2001 | £5 million | £8,797,307 | [28] |
1987 | Hysteria | Def Leppard | 1984–1987 | $5–4.5 million | $13,409,490/$12,068,541 | [29] [30] [31] |
1999 | The Life of Chris Gaines [lower-alpha 5] | Garth Brooks | — | $5 million | $9,145,026 | [31] [33] |
2009 | Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel | Mariah Carey | 2009 | £4 million | £5,707,937 | [15] |
2002 | Untouchables | Korn | 2001 | $4 million [lower-alpha 6] | $6,775,948 | [35] |
1988 | Non Stop | Julio Iglesias | — | $3 million | $7,728,756 | [36] |
2010 | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | Kanye West | 2009–2010 | $3 million | $4,191,668 | [37] |
2015 | Once Upon a Time in Shaolin | Wu-Tang Clan | 2007–2013 | $3 million | $3,856,240 | [38] |
2003 | Deftones | Deftones | 2002 | $2.5 million | $4,140,738 | [39] |
1987 | Bad | Michael Jackson | 1985–1987 | $2 million | $5,363,796 | [40] |
2005 | Late Registration | Kanye West | 2004–2005 | $2 million | $3,120,123 | [41] |
2010 | Superficial | Heidi Montag | 2007–2009 | $2 million | $2,794,445 | [42] |
2002 | Sun With Love | Ho Yeow Sun | — | $1.6 million [lower-alpha 7] | $2,710,379 | [43] |
1982 | Rock in a Hard Place | Aerosmith | 1981–1982 | $1.5 million | $4,735,862 | [44] |
1990 | Charmed Life | Billy Idol | 1989–1990 | $1.5 million | $3,498,217 | [45] |
1993 | Aries | Luis Miguel | 1992–1993 | $1.5 million | $3,163,787 | [46] |
2011 | Watch the Throne | Kanye West Jay-Z | 2010–2011 | $1.5 million | $2,031,657 | [47] |
2013 | Yeezus | Kanye West | 2012–2013 | $1.5 million | $1,962,000 | [47] |
1979 | Tusk | Fleetwood Mac | 1978–1979 | $1.4 million | $5,877,304 | [48] [49] |
2012 | Cruel Summer | GOOD Music | 2011–2012 | $1.3 million | $1,725,294 | [47] |
1979 | The Long Run | Eagles | 1978–1979 | $1 million | $4,198,074 | [50] |
1981 | For Those About to Rock We Salute You | AC/DC | 1981 | $1 million | $3,351,391 | [51] |
1982 | Donna Summer | Donna Summer | 1981–1982 | $1 million | $3,157,241 | [52] |
1988 | Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson | 1987–1988 | $1 million [lower-alpha 8] | $2,576,252 | [53] [54] [55] |
1989 | The Seeds of Love | Tears for Fears | 1986–1989 | $1 million | $2,457,987 | [56] |
1991 | Metallica | Metallica | 1990–1991 | $1 million | $2,236,990 | [57] |
1995 | The Woman in Me | Shania Twain | 1994–1995 | $1 million [lower-alpha 9] | $1,999,563 | [58] |
1998 | He Got Game | Public Enemy | 1997–1998 | $1 million | $2,576,252 | [60] |
1999 | Ricky Martin | Ricky Martin | — | $1 million | $1,829,005 | [61] |
2002 | One by One | Foo Fighters | 2002 | $1 million | $1,693,987 | [62] |
2005 | One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back | The Darkness | 2005 | $1 million | $1,560,061 | [63] |
Released | Album | Artist | Record label | Budget expenditure | Adjusted cost (in 2023 dollars) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | Michael Jackson | Sony / Epic Records | $30 million | $49,989,081 | [64] [65] |
2001 | Invincible [lower-alpha 4] | Michael Jackson | Sony / Epic Records | $25 million | $43,018,230 | [19] [20] [66] |
2013 | Artpop | Lady Gaga | Interscope Records | $25 million | $32,700,000 | [67] |
1999 | Brand New Day | Sting | A&M Records | $19 million | $34,568,198 | [68] |
1999 | The Life of Chris Gaines [lower-alpha 5] | Garth Brooks | Capitol Records | $15 million | $27,435,078 | [31] [33] |
2000 | 1 | The Beatles | Apple Records / EMI | £11 million | £19,697,070 | [69] |
Michael Jackson's HIStory (1995) has the most extensive marketing campaign in popular music history, [70] spent by a record label. Up to that point, a label might spent an average of $2 million in promotional campaigns for artists such as the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Madonna, per release. [24] The lattermost, had the biggest Warner Records promotional campaign for an album up to the release of Like a Prayer (1989) with $2 million. [71] In contrast, according to Hank Bordowitz in Dirty Little Secrets of the Record Business (2007), mounting a successful promotional campaign for radio stations can cost between $250,000 and $1 million per song. [72]
Examples of associated campaigns outside record label's efforts include Born This Way (2011) by Lady Gaga, with a reported sum of $3 million provided by Amazon, [73] and Rihanna's sponsorship with Samsung for $25 million which covered the release of her album Anti (2016) and its tour. [74]
This is a list of record-breaking historical expensive album covers or CD packaging.
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. The band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionized many aspects of the music industry and were often publicized as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreography became a catalyst in the growth of MTV, enabling her to rise to prominence while breaking gender and racial barriers in the process. Lyrical content which focused on social issues and lived experiences set her reputation as a role model for youth.
Please Please Me is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released in the UK on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963. The album is 14 songs in length, and contains a mixture of cover songs and original material written by the partnership of band members John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. These videos are typically shown on music television and on streaming video sites like YouTube, or more rarely shown theatrically. They can be commercially issued on home video, either as video albums or video singles. The format has been described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip", "film clip", "video clip", or simply "video".
Let It Be is the twelfth and final studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 8 May 1970, almost a month after the group's public break-up, in tandem with the documentary of the same name. Concerned about recent friction within the band, Paul McCartney had conceived the project as an attempt to reinvigorate the group by returning to simpler rock 'n' roll configurations. Its rehearsals started at Twickenham Film Studios on 2 January 1969 as part of a planned television documentary showing the Beatles' return to live performance.
Thriller is the sixth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released on November 29, 1982, by Epic Records. It was produced by Quincy Jones, who had previously worked with Jackson on his 1979 album Off the Wall and who would later produce his 1987 album Bad. Jackson wanted to create an album where "every song was a killer". With the ongoing backlash against disco music at the time, he moved in a new musical direction, resulting in a mix of pop, post-disco, rock, funk, synth-pop, and R&B sounds. Thriller foreshadows the contradictory themes of Jackson's personal life, as he began using a motif of paranoia and darker themes. Paul McCartney appears on "The Girl Is Mine", the first credited appearance of a featured artist on a Michael Jackson album. Recording took place from April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a budget of $750,000.
Bad is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records. Written and recorded between 1985 and 1987, Bad was Jackson's third and final collaboration with the producer Quincy Jones. Jackson co-produced and composed all but two tracks, and adopted an edgier image and sound, departing from his signature groove-based style and falsetto. Bad incorporates pop, rock, funk, R&B, dance, soul, and hard rock styles, and incorporated new recording technology, including digital synthesizers. The lyrical themes include media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement, and world peace. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder.
Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969. It is the last album the group recorded, although Let It Be was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly recorded in April, July, and August 1969, and topped the record charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom. A double A-side single from the album, "Something" / "Come Together", was released in October, which also topped the charts in the US.
"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. It was written by George Harrison and is one of his best-known compositions. Harrison wrote the song in early 1969 at the country house of his friend Eric Clapton, where Harrison had chosen to play truant for the day to avoid attending a meeting at the Beatles' Apple Corps organisation. The lyrics reflect his relief at the arrival of spring and the temporary respite he was experiencing from the band's business affairs.
"Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on their 1969 album Abbey Road and was also released as a single coupled with "Something". The song reached the top of the charts in the United States and Australia, but peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom.
"Band on the Run" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, the title track to their 1973 album Band on the Run.
Yesterday and Today is a studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released in the United States and Canada in June 1966, it was their ninth album issued on Capitol Records and twelfth American release overall. Typical of the Beatles' North American discography until 1967, the album contains songs that Capitol had withheld from its configurations of the band's recent EMI albums, along with songs that the group had released elsewhere on non-album singles. Among its 11 tracks are songs from the EMI albums Help! and Rubber Soul, and three new 1966 recordings that would appear on Revolver in countries outside North America.
Sir James Paul McCartney is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One of the most successful composers and performers of all time, McCartney is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing, versatile and wide tenor vocal range, and musical eclecticism, exploring genres ranging from pre–rock and roll pop to classical, ballads, and electronica. His songwriting partnership with Lennon is the most successful in modern music history.
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Known as the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. During his four-decade career, his contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture. Jackson influenced artists across many music genres. Through stage and video performances, he popularized complicated street dance moves such as the moonwalk, which he named, as well as the robot.
American singer Michael Jackson (1958–2009) debuted on the professional music scene at age five as a member of the American family music group The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still part of the group. Jackson promoted seven of his solo albums with music videos or, as he would refer to them, "short films". Some of them drew criticism for their violent and sexual elements while others were lauded by critics and awarded Guinness World Records for their length, success, and cost.
American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson (1958–2009) is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th and 21st century, and one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time. Often referred as the "King of Pop", his achievements helped to complete the desegregation of popular music in the United States and introduced an era of multiculturalism and integration that future generations of artists followed. His influence extended to inspiring fashion trends and raising awareness for social causes around the world, during his life Jackson was received by over 30 different world leaders.
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(help)Sony advanced Jackson approximately $40 million to make it. In addition, Sony spent $25 million to market it
Michael Jackson and Rodney Jerkins At $ 65 million , Invincible is the most expensive album ever made
A representative " crossover " production was CBS's Julio Iglesias - Stevie Wonder LP " Non - Stop " ( 1988 ) , which , costing over three million dollars to produce , was one of the most expensive LPs ever made
we spent $ 1.4 million making Tusk
a Donna Summer album done with Quincy Jones a few years ago took a year to record and cost over a million dollars to produce
the album had cost more than a million dollars to produce , but Sony believed they would make back ten times that much or more
The adverts are part of an £ 11 million Beatles 1 promotional budget , paid for by EMI