This article discuss who the World's Biggest Selling Female Recording Artist of all time. The likely contenders are Mariah Carey, Madonna and Céline Dion.

Disclaimers

Different sources give different data since there is no tracking systems for worldwide sales.

Whomever the answer is now, leadership may change over time, as each artist has more or less success with their new releases, and depending upon the ongoing sales rates of their back catalogues.

It doesn't really matter. All three of these artists are great musical presences who have had spectacular careers. Nevertheless, certain fans are passionate about this question.

Figures given for these artists should include albums and singles.

The case for Madonna Ciccone Ritchie

The most recent sales figures released for Madonna show that she has sold 175 million albums and over 75 million singles worldwide, including 15 million singles in the UK and 15 million singles in the US, with another 40 million single sales across the globe. [Source: Warner Brothers Records 2004.]

Madonna's total of 245 million albums and singles worldwide thus places her, as of May 2005, as the biggest selling female recording artist of all time.

Guinness Book of World Records claims on his site that Madonna sold 120 million albums untill 2000. ([328] GuinnessWorldrecords.Com), but its looks like some kind of joke, because the only company that holds the real sales numbers is the Warner Brothers Records (which is main Madonna's label) and it claims 250 million.

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The case for Mariah Carey

The figures released for Mariah Carey - 200 million records - include both albums and singles, but other sources claim 196 million albums and 47 million singles (According to Mariah Carey Discography), which gives a total of 243 million records.

Mariah Carey has more World Music Awards than both Céline and Madonna, but it doesn't necessary have a connection to total sales numbers. Mariah Carey's awards in 90s have direct connection to fact that she was probabaly biggest selling female artist of 90s decade (time period of 1990-2000). "Best Female Pop-Artist of Millennium" award can point to fact that she sold records more than any female artist untill 2000 ( but not untill now (2005)). Diamond World Music Award is given to people who sold 100 milion records, and it doesn't mean anything.

See more info about Mariah Carey's awards here.

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The case for Céline Dion

Céline Dion has sold 185 million albums. Her single sales are not known, but she has not had the same level of singles sales success as Mariah or Madonna, having only a handful of international hits. Céline may have sold more albums but Madonna has undoubtedly sold more singles worldwide - she is a much more popular singles artist than Dion.

Céline Dion may have sold more albums than both Madonna and Mariah. Both of the preceding arguments acknowledge that Céline's singles sales are unknown but both postulate without direct evidence that she hasn't sold as many singles as the other two. If Céline has in fact sold more singles than expected, perhaps in French-speaking areas of the world, then she may indeed be the top-selling female.

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Conclusion

While data concerning album and singles sales are inconsistent, it is quite clear that as of May 2005 Madonna is the biggest selling female music artist whose sales data is verified by at least one reliable source (in this case its very respectful company - Warner Bros).

See also

Best selling music artists