Entertainment WeeklyWho wins the record-sale wars of the 00s? The battle comes down to the Real Slim Shady, the Fab Four, and a perhaps less fab boy-band fivesome.
According to Nielsen SoundScan (via USA Today), Eminem garners the top overall prize for album sales over the last ten years with 32.2 million copies sold, despite having a five-year gap in studio albums between 2004s Encore and this years Relapse.
The Beatles, however, come in a close second with 30 million, and earn the single-album ticket to ride; their greatest-hits compilation 1, released in 2000, sold 11.5 million, edging out N Syncs No Strings Attached from that same year by a mere 400,000. (The latter sold 2.4 million in its first seven days, still a SoundScan record.) Norah Jones 2002 debut Come Away With Me wins the bronze, taking third place with 10.5 million.
Soundscan Top 50 Album Artists Of The Decade:
01 Eminem 32,241,000
02 The Beatles 30,182,000
03 Tim McGraw 24,769,000
04 Toby Keith 24,469,000
05 Britney Spears 22,969,000
06 Kenny Chesney 22,034,000
07 Linkin Park 21,421,000
08 Nelly 21,232,000
09 Creed 20,594,000
10 Jay-Z 20,424,000
11 Nickelback 19,817,000
12 Rascal Flatts 19,408,000
13 Josh Groban 19,348,000
14 Alan Jackson 18,857,000
15 N'Sync 18,303,000
16 Dixie Chicks 18,178,000
17 Johnny Cash 18,143,000
18 Kid Rock 17,614,000
19 Metallica 17,403,000
20 Celine Dion 17,363,000
21 George Strait 17,275,000
22 Michael Jackson 17,261,000
23 Norah Jones 17,087,000
24 U2 16,817,000
25 Elvis Presley 16,486,000
26 Usher 16,329,000
27 Dave Matthews Band 16,025,000
28 AC/DC 15,935,000
29 50 Cent 15,868,000
30 Alicia Keys 15,561,000
31 Rod Stewart 15,561,000
32 Santana 14,975,000
33 Destiny's Child 14,878,000
34 Coldplay 14,604,000
35 Mariah Carey 14,341,000
36 Pink Floyd 14,164,000
37 Shania Twain 13,850,000
38 Ludacris 13,442,000
39 Enya 13,422,000
40 Green Day 13,363,000
41 Andrea Boccelli 13,353,000
42 Outkast 13,277,000
43 R. Kelly 13,234,000
44 Faith Hill 12,899,000
45 Mary J. Blige 12,614,000
46 3 Doors Down 12,551,000
47 Christina Aguilera 12,380,000
48 Limp Bizkit 12,378,000
49 Bon Jovi 12,378,00
50 Frank Sinatra 12,221,000
Bestselling Albums of the Decade
1. The Beatles - 1 - 11,499,000
2. *NSYNC - No Strings Attached - 11,112,000
3. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me - 10,546,000
4. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP - 10,204,000
5. Eminem - The Eminem Show - 9,799,000
6. Usher - Confessions - 9,712,000
7. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory - 9,663,000
8. Creed - Human Clay - 9,491,000
9. Britney Spears - Oops! ... I Did It Again - 9,185,000
10. Nelly - Country Grammar - 8,461,000
Bestselling Digital Singles of the Decade
1. Flo Rida feat. T-Pain - "Low" - 5,214,000
2. Lady Gaga feat. Colby O'Donis - "Just Dance" - 4,690,000
3. Jason Mraz - "I'm Yours" - 4,619,000
4. Timbaland feat. OneRepublic - "Apologize" - 4,439,000
5. The Black Eyed Peas - "Boom Boom Pow" - 4,349,000
6. Soulja Boy Tell'em - "Crank That" - 4,315,000
7. Lady Gaga - "Poker Face" - 4,200,000
8. Coldplay - "Viva la Vida" - 4,140,000
9. Taylor Swift - "Love Story" - 4,005,000
10. Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold" - 3,945,000
Commence the bitching and moaning!