List of best-selling music artists

From 2011 to 2021, the number of Platinum certifications for songs grew at an average annual rate of 18%.^[1] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and almost all other certifying bodies count streaming towards Gold and Platinum thresholds required for certification.^[2][3][4] The RIAA counts 10 downloads of individual tracks as well as 1,500 audio/video streams as an equivalent to one unit of album, including those from singles released before the album release.^[5] Theoretically, if one song were streamed 1.5 billion times on YouTube, the single would receive Diamond and its album could be certified Platinum; thus generating a combined total of 11 million certified units without any sales.^[6][7] Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo was certified platinum exclusively through streaming.^[8] Longer albums with more songs tend to generate more streams, which can lead to Gold and Platinum certifications. For example, Chris Brown's 45-song album Heartbreak on a Full Moon was certified gold in fewer than 10 days, although its singles did not perform well on sales charts.^[9]

Issued certifications for songs which have been recorded by multiple artists, including featured artists, are added to each artist's total amount of certified units, as all the artists would have played a significant part in a song. For example, "This Is What You Came For" include Rihanna and Calvin Harris, while "Where Them Girls At" include Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj, so the certifications issued for these songs are added to the total amount of certified units for all involved artists. However, the certifications issued for songs that have been recorded by four or more artists are not included, as the artists involved would have played minor roles; examples include Kanye West's "Monster" and "All Day".^[a]