Sell, Sell, Sell, Baby

People are always wondering who the best selling female artists in the music industry are, and there are always a lot of false answers that circulate around.

Well today we will clear it all up!

I feel that when people say 'best-selling' they are referring to album sales, and not sales of singles, which is an important thing to clear up.

It's extremely difficult to calculate international album sales (with all of the random numbers floating around), so we're going to refer to the most reliable source: The Recording Industry Association of America!

When the question arises, names like Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey always come up, but the best-selling female artists of all time may surprise you. So without further ado, here are the top 10 female artists of ALL TIME (in the U.S.A.):

1. Barbra Streisand (71.5 million)*

- Yup! Babs has racked up the most sales for any female artist ever! The Funny Girl has consistently been making music and selling albums for the last five decades, as well as winning a gaggle of Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, Tony awards, and Oscars (that's right people, she's an EGOT.)

2. Madonna (64 million)

- The Material Girl has been in the spotlight since her debut self-titled album in 1983, and has racked up 11 #1 albums. Although sales have lagged in the 2000's, her catalogue continues to sell briskly, with her Immaculate Collection greatest hits record topping 10 million in sales.

3. Mariah Carey (63 million)

- It's a close race for second place, and it there's a VERY good possibility that Mariah could surpass Madonna in the next couple years. Although Madge has about 7 more years in the industry than Carey, Mrs. Nick Carter has crafted a pop career that is one of a kind. From the get go, it was all about chart dominance, with her first 5 singles reaching #1 on the Billboard charts, with three albums selling more than 9 million copies each.

4. Whitney Houston (55 million)

-It's been a rough decade, with the R&B diva battling drug addiction and a divorce, but Whitney was once the biggest pop star in the world, with one of the biggest voices in the business. What's interesting about Houston's album sales is the fact that 20 million of it comes from her two soundtracks. The Bodyguard is still the best-selling soundtrack ever, with 17 million sold, while the accompanying CD to Houston's The Preacher's Wife sold a solid 3 million.

5. Celine Dion (50 million)

- Sa Leeeeeen! The cleanest cut (and most well-behaved) of the divas has had a loyal fan base since her Francophone days, with her golden pipes and, um, 'quirky' stage personality, (I would have a cracked sternum if I hit my chest that much). Her albums Falling into You and Let's Talk about Love have both been certified diamond (for sales of over 10 million), and even though she isn't cranking out the hits like she use to, her albums consider to sell well.

6. Shania Twain (48 million)

- A lot of people are surprised by this, but Twain's 1997 album Come on Over is the best-selling album by a female artist...by FAR. It is the only album by a female to sell over 20 million copies in the U.S., and it accounts for close to half of her total album sales. Twain has not release new music since 2002's Up!, but don't count the Canadian beauty out just yet, something tells me there's more platinum plaques coming her way.

7. Reba McEntire (41 million)

- If you're not a country music fan, you may be surprised by Reba McEntire's position as the 7th best-selling female artists of all time. But if you are a country music fan, it's old news. McEntire is the undisputed queen of country, collecting 24 #1 country songs and nine multi-platinum records. Her recent single "Keep on Loving You" became her 58th top 10 country single.

8. Britney Spears (32 million)

- The youngest on the list (by far), there was no one in the late 90's and early 2000's who came close to selling as much as Britney. in 1999-2000 Spears earned back to back 10 million-plus selling albums, with ...Baby One More Time and Oops...I Did it Again! While she was first dismissed as a one-hit-wonder, the pop icon defied critics and has scored 17 top 40 singles, and a staggering 5 #1 albums. Up next? A Glee episode dedicated completely to her music, and it's rumored that she will be appearing on the show as well!!

9. Linda Ronstadt (30 million)

- In the 70's and 80's no one was hotter than Linda Ronstadt. The sultry singer was a fan favorite, cemented herself as one of the leading ladies in pop/rock/country music. Her greatest hits disc has sold 7 million copies in the U.S., and she has scored #1 singles on both the pop and country music charts.

10. Enya (26.5 million)

- Whenever I tell people that Enya is the 10th best-selling female artist of all time, I get a little giggle and the response "Really?" But the Irish chanteuse has a loyal following of easy listening fans. While she sold millions of albums throughout the 80's and 90's, her biggest commercial success came with 2001's A Day Without Rain, which has been certified 7x platinum for sales of over 7 million, thanks largely in part to her top 10 single, "Only Time". The album also resonated with Americans after 9/11, as the song became an anthem for people mourning for the country.

*albums sold in the USA

(Image courtesy of popular-nostalgia.com)