METALLICA Sold 52 Million Albums In U.S. Since 1991

January 7, 2010

METALLICA is one of the top-selling artists since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking album sales in May 1991, with cumulative U.S. sales of more than 52 million copies. The band's 1991 self-titled fifth album, commonly known as "the black album," also surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. Just before Christmas, the black album hit total sales of 15,490,000 copies, eclipsing "Come On Over"'s total of 15,487,000. The Nielsen SoundScan system began compiling sales electronically more than 18 years ago on a weekly basis, providing more accurate sales figures that form the basis for the Billboard music charts.

Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.

Top-Ten-Selling Artists Of SoundScan Era (based on album sales from 1991 to January 3, 2010)

01. GARTH BROOKS (68,363,000)
02. THE BEATLES (60,370,000)
03. MARIAH CAREY (52,388,000)
04. METALLICA (52,160,000)
05. CELINE DION (50,933,000)
06. GEORGE STRAIT (41,843,000)
07. TIM MCGRAW (38,677,000)
08. ALAN JACKSON (37,447,000)
09. PINK FLOYD (35,867,000)
10. EMINEM (35,326,000)

Top-Ten-Selling Albums Of SoundScan Era (1991 - January 3, 2010):

01. "Metallica" - METALLICA (15,500,000)
02. "Come On Over" - SHANIA TWAIN (15,487,000)
03. "Jagged Little Pill" - ALANIS MORISSETTE (14,642,000)
04. "Millennium" - BACKSTREET BOYS (12,109,000)
05. "Bodyguard" soundtrack - Various Artists (11,815,000)
06. "Supernatural" - SANTANA (11,687,000)
07. "Beatles 1" - THE BEATLES (11,564,000)
08. "Human Clay" - CREED (11,547,000)
09. "No Strings Attached" - 'N SYNC (11,113,000)
10. "Falling Into You" - CELINE DION (10,781,000)

2009 Top Ten Vinyl Artists (based on sales from December 29, 2008 to January 3, 2010):

01. RADIOHEAD (45,700)
02. THE BEATLES (38,800)
03. MICHAEL JACKSON (30,400)
04. METALLICA (30,200)
05. WILCO (29,600)
06. BOB DYLAN (24,500)
07. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE (20,600)
08. PEARL JAM (19,900)
09. BON IVER (17,100)
10. IRON & WINE (16,600)

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