List of best-selling albums in Europe

Last updated

Since 1996, the IFPI have awarded Platinum Europe Awards for albums that have sold at least one million copies in Europe. [1] Only albums released on or after 1 January 1994 are eligible for the award. [1] This is a list of the best-selling albums in Europe, having been certified Platinum five times or more.

Contents

List of best-selling albums in Europe of the IFPI Platinum Europe Awards

10× Platinum

YearArtistAlbumLabelSalesCertification [2] [1]
1997 Celine Dion Let's Talk About Love [3] Epic 10,000,00010× Platinum
2011 Adele 21 Columbia/XL 10,000,00010× Platinum

9× Platinum

YearArtistAlbumLabelSalesCertification [2] [1]
1996 Celine Dion Falling into You [3] Epic 9,000,0009× Platinum
2000 The Beatles 1 Capitol 9,000,0009× Platinum

8× Platinum

YearArtistAlbumLabelSalesCertification [2] [1]
1994 Bon Jovi Cross Road Mercury 8,000,0008× Platinum
1995 Celine Dion D'eux [3] Epic 8,000,0008× Platinum
1996 Spice Girls Spice Virgin 8,000,0008× Platinum
2006 Amy Winehouse Back to Black Island 8,000,0008× Platinum

7× Platinum

YearArtistAlbumLabelSalesCertification [2] [1]
1995 Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill Maverick 7,000,0007× Platinum
1997 Shania Twain Come On Over Mercury Nashville 7,000,0007× Platinum
1998 Madonna Ray of Light Maverick/Warner 7,000,0007× Platinum
1998 U2 The Best of 1980–1990 Island 7,000,0007× Platinum
2002 Norah Jones Come Away with Me Blue Note 7,000,0007× Platinum

6× Platinum

YearArtistAlbumLabelSalesCertification [2] [1]
1997 Andrea Bocelli Romanza Island/Universal 6,000,0006× Platinum
1997 The Corrs Talk on Corners Atlantic 6,000,0006× Platinum
1996 Fugees The Score Ruffhouse/Columbia 6,000,0006× Platinum
2000 Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP Aftermath 6,000,0006× Platinum
1998 George Michael Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael Sony 6,000,0006× Platinum
2004 James Blunt Back to Bedlam Atlantic 6,000,0006× Platinum
1995 Michael Jackson HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I Epic 6,000,0006× Platinum
1995 Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Creation 6,000,0006× Platinum
2004 Robbie Williams Greatest Hits EMI/Chrysalis 6,000,0006× Platinum
2001 Robbie Williams Swing When You're Winning EMI/Chrysalis 6,000,0006× Platinum
1999 Santana Supernatural Arista 6,000,0006× Platinum

5× Platinum

YearArtistAlbumLabelSalesCertification [2] [1]
1997 Spice Girls Spiceworld Virgin 5,000,0005× Platinum
1999 Celine Dion All the Way... A Decade of Song [3] Epic 5,000,0005× Platinum
1997 Backstreet Boys Backstreet's Back Jive 5,000,0005× Platinum
2000 Barry White The Ultimate Collection Universal 5,000,0005× Platinum
1995 Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits Columbia 5,000,0005× Platinum
2002 Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head Capitol/Parlophone 5,000,0005× Platinum
2005 Coldplay X&Y Capitol/Parlophone 5,000,0005× Platinum
2003 Dido Life for Rent Arista 5,000,0005× Platinum
1999 Dido No Angel Arista 5,000,0005× Platinum
1995 Elton John Love Songs Rocked 5,000,0005× Platinum
2002 Eminem The Eminem Show Aftermath/Shady 5,000,0005× Platinum
1997 Eros Ramazzotti Eros BMG 5,000,0005× Platinum
1996 George Michael Older Virgin 5,000,0005× Platinum
2000 Madonna Music Maverick/Warner 5,000,0005× Platinum
1997 James Horner Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture Sony 5,000,0005× Platinum
1995 Queen Made in Heaven Parlophone/EMI 5,000,0005× Platinum
1998 Phil Collins Hits Atlantic 5,000,0005× Platinum
2002 Robbie Williams Escapology EMI/Chrysalis 5,000,0005× Platinum
2005 Robbie Williams Intensive Care EMI/Chrysalis 5,000,0005× Platinum

By claimed sales

Previously, IFPI, Music & Media awarded album sales in the Pan-European sphera like The Bodyguard soundtrack which earned 7× platinum, equivalent to 7 million copies. They also reported sales amount in the case of several album's artists in their regular articles.

*Positions based on claimed sales and release year.

YearArtistAlbumSalesRef.
1982 Michael Jackson Thriller 18,000,000 [4]
1992Various artists/Whitney Houston The Bodyguard 7,000,000 [5]
1987 Michael Jackson Bad 6,700,000 [6]
1993 Mariah Carey Music Box 6,000,000 [7]
1992 ABBA ABBA Gold 5,600,000 [8]
1986 Madonna True Blue 5,500,000 [9]
1988 Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman 5,000,000 [10]
1989Madonna Like a Prayer 5,000,000 [11]
1991 Michael Jackson Dangerous 5,000,000 [12]
1993 Sheryl Crow Tuesday Night Music Club 5,000,000 [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Like a Virgin</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Madonna

Like a Virgin is the second album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 1984, by Sire Records. Following the success of her self-titled debut album, Madonna chose Nile Rodgers to produce the album due to his work with David Bowie. Madonna wrote six songs on the record, five of which feature Steve Bray as a co-writer. The album was recorded at Power Station Studio in New York at a quick pace. Rodgers enlisted the help of his former Chic bandmates Bernard Edwards, who was the bassist, and Tony Thompson, who played drums. Jason Corsaro, the record's audio engineer, persuaded Rodgers to use new digital recording methods.

<i>True Blue</i> (Madonna album) 1986 studio album by Madonna

True Blue is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on June 30, 1986, by Sire Records. In early 1985, Madonna became romantically involved with actor Sean Penn, and married him six months later on her 27th birthday. Additionally, she met producer Patrick Leonard while on the Virgin Tour, and formed a professional relationship with him. Their first collaboration was the ballad "Live to Tell", which was featured on At Close Range, a film which Penn starred. On late 1985, Madonna and Leonard began working on her third studio album; she also enlisted the help of former boyfriend Stephen Bray, with whom she had worked on her previous record Like a Virgin (1984). Titled True Blue, the record saw Madonna co-writing and co-producing for the first time in her career. It is a dance-pop album that features influences of Motown sound, girl groups, and Latin pop. It was inspired by Madonna's love for Penn, to whom she dedicated the album.

<i>You Can Dance</i> 1987 remix album by Madonna

You Can Dance is the first remix album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 17, 1987, by Sire Records. The album contains remixes of tracks from her first three studio albums—Madonna (1983), Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986)—and a new track, "Spotlight". In the 1980s, remixing was still a new concept. The mixes on You Can Dance exhibited a number of typical mixing techniques. Instrumental passages were lengthened to increase the time for dancing and vocal phrases were repeated and subjected to multiple echoes. The album cover denoted Madonna's continuous fascination with Hispanic culture.

<i>Ray of Light</i> 1998 studio album by Madonna

Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released in early 1998 by Maverick Records. A major stylistic and aesthetic departure from her previous work, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light is an electronica and techno-pop record which incorporates multiple genres, including ambient, trip hop, psychedelic music and Middle Eastern music, while also seeing Madonna singing with greater breadth and a fuller tone. Mystical themes are also strongly present in both the music and lyrics, as a result of Madonna embracing Kabbalah, her study of Hinduism and Buddhism, and her daily practice of Ashtanga yoga.

<i>Music</i> (Madonna album) 2000 studio album by Madonna

Music is the eighth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on September 18, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. Following the success of her previous album Ray of Light in 1998, the music scene was being dominated by a younger generation of singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, prompting Madonna to look for a distinctive sound within this market. Her collaborations with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for the album. Music incorporates many different genres into its overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, taking influences from funk, house, rock, country and folk. Elaborating a western theme for the album, Madonna reinvented her image as a cowgirl.

<i>Flesh & Blood</i> (Poison album) 1990 music album

Flesh & Blood is the third studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on July 2, 1990, through the Enigma label of Capitol Records. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts and more than 7.2 million copies were sold worldwide. It peaked at number 1 on the Cash Box charts.

<i>The Immaculate Collection</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Madonna

The Immaculate Collection is the first greatest hits album by American singer Madonna, released on November 13, 1990, by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles recorded throughout the 1980s, as well as two brand new tracks, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". All the previously released material were reworked through the QSound audio technology, becoming the first ever album to use it. Meanwhile, the new material saw Madonna working with Lenny Kravitz and Shep Pettibone. The album's title is a pun on the Immaculate Conception, a Marian dogma of the Catholic Church.

<i>Confessions on a Dance Floor</i> 2005 studio album by Madonna

Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 9, 2005, by Warner Bros. Records. A complete departure from her previous studio album American Life (2003), the album includes influences of 1970s disco and 1980s electropop, as well as 2000s club music. Initially, she began working with Mirwais Ahmadzaï for the album but later felt that their collaboration was not going in the direction she desired. Madonna took her collaboration with Stuart Price who was overseeing her documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret. The album was mainly recorded at Price's home-studio where Madonna spent most of her time during the recordings.

<i>Trash</i> (Alice Cooper album) 1989 studio album by Alice Cooper

Trash is the eleventh solo studio album by American rock musician Alice Cooper. It was released on July 25, 1989, by Epic Records. The album features the single "Poison", Cooper's first top ten hit since his single "You and Me" in 1977 and marked a great success in Cooper's musical career, reaching the Top 20 of various album charts and selling more than two million copies. Trash features John McCurry on guitar, Hugh McDonald of Bon Jovi on bass as well as Bobby Chouinard and Alan St. Jon, both from Billy Squier's solo band on drums and keyboards, respectively. The album was the "biggest hit among his hair metal albums", peaking at number two in the UK and number 20 in the US.

<i>Something to Remember</i> 1995 compilation album by Madonna

Something to Remember is a compilation album by American singer Madonna, released by Maverick Records on November 3, 1995. The album was conceived after a highly controversial period in Madonna's career, during which many critics speculated that her career was in decline. The compilation of ballads presented a softer image for the singer and span over a decade, including a reworked version of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" as well as three new songs: "You'll See", "One More Chance" and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You". The singles "I'll Remember" and "This Used to Be My Playground", were also included, marking the first time these songs were featured on a Madonna album.

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

American singer Madonna has released 14 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, six live albums, seven compilation albums, and 39 other limited releases. Recognized as the world's best-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records, Madonna has accumulated a total record sales of more than 300 million units worldwide. In their 2006 press release, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) confirmed that Madonna's albums alone had sold over 200 million copies worldwide. She is ranked by the RIAA as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and third highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 65.5 million album units. She holds the all-time record for the most number-one albums by a female artist in major music markets such as Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

<i>Simply the Best</i> (Tina Turner album) 1991 compilation album by Tina Turner

Simply the Best is the first greatest hits compilation by Tina Turner, released on October 22, 1991, by Capitol Records.

<i>The Very Best of Supertramp</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Supertramp

The Very Best of Supertramp is a greatest hits album by the English rock band Supertramp, originally released by A&M Records in June 1990.

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece, or simply IFPI Greece, is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. The association compiles and publishes a Top 75 album sales chart. The chart is sponsored by Cyta Hellas.

<i>Celebration</i> (Madonna album) 2009 greatest hits album by Madonna

Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on September 18, 2009, by Warner Bros. Records. The album features 34 songs spanning Madonna's career since signing up with the label in 1982. It also includes three new songs: "Celebration" which is included on all versions, "Revolver" which is included on the two-disc editions, and "It's So Cool" which is included as a bonus track on some digital two-disc editions. A fourth song, "Broken", was recorded for the album but not used; eventually it was released in 2012 as a limited edition promotional vinyl single for fanclub members. The compilation DVD Celebration: The Video Collection was released alongside the album.

<i>Bedtime Stories</i> (Madonna album) 1994 studio album by Madonna

Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer Madonna. It was released on October 25, 1994, by Maverick and Sire Records. In order to move into a more mainstream sound, Madonna collaborated with Dallas Austin, Babyface, Dave Hall and Nellee Hooper, wanting to soften her image following the critical and commercial backlash she faced after releasing sexually explicit projects in the previous two years, notably the Erotica album, the Sex book and her leading role in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. This image transformation was preceded by the ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack to the 1994 film With Honors.

<i>Music & Media</i> Pan-European music publication (1984–2003)

Music & Media was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as Eurotipsheet, but in 1986 it changed name to Music & Media. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later moved to London. The magazine focused specifically on radio, TV, music, charts and related areas of entertainment such as music festivals and events. Music & Media ceased in August 2003. Music & Media was the sister publication of Billboard magazine.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Platinum Europe Awards - Terms and Conditions" (PDF). IFPI . Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Celine Dion's highest IFPI Platinum Europe Awards:
  4. "Michael Jackson … continued". Ebony . September 1987. p. 146. Retrieved December 18, 2022 via Google Books.
  5. "EUROPEAN TOP 100 ALBUMS Week 9/94" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 9. February 26, 1994. p. 13. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  6. "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music & Media . December 26, 1987. p. 16. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  7. Tilli, Robert (December 22, 1994). "La Carey Picks The Right Song As Album Sales Point" (PDF). Music & Media . p. 22. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  8. Bakker, Machgiel (19 November 1993). "ABBA Is Still Thankful For The Music Via Boxed Set" (PDF). Music & Media . p. 16. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  9. Bakker, Machgiel (July 17, 1987). "Spotlight: Madonna Heads For 15th Triumph" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  10. "European Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. February 3, 1990. p. 18. Retrieved December 18, 2021 via World Radio History.
  11. "WEA Warnings On Madonna LP" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 19. May 4, 1990. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  12. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 43. October 23, 1993. p. 22. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  13. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music and Media. 17 June 1995: 25. Retrieved 14 March 2021.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)