List_of_best-selling_singles_in_the_United_States

List of best-selling singles in the United States

List of best-selling singles in the United States

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This list compiles the best-selling singles in the United States, based on reported sales figures. Some of the singles have been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In music, a single is a song considered commercially viable enough by the artist and record company to be released separately from an album, usually featured on an album as well. For more information, see single.

  • The RIAA certifies a record only if that record company pays for its official certification; some companies do not consider this an important distinction and will not request certifications unless pressed by its active, still saleable artists. A full and complete list of RIAA-certified recordings would be a very incomplete list of popular American music.
  • The RIAA only certifies a particular recording of a song. Remixes, live and other versions count as separate.
  • Prior to 1989, physical singles were awarded with a Gold certification for shipments of 1,000,000 units and a Platinum certification for shipments of 2,000,000 units. For certification dates since January 1, 1989, a Gold award represented shipments of 500,000 units and a Platinum award represented shipments of 1,000,000 units.
  • Since May 9, 2013, RIAA certifications for singles in the "digital" category include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads.[1] The current formula since February 1, 2016 is 150 on-demand streams = 1 song download.[2]
  • Physical sales figures backed by RIAA certifications may be inaccurate as physical singles can be "overcertified" (sell less copies than were shipped to stores) or "undercertified" (sell beyond their current certification level and not receive a new certification).

Physical singles

Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling physical single in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking music sales in 1991.

All of these physical singles have sold over four million copies according to either reliable third-party claims or RIAA multi-platinum certifications.

More information Song, Artist(s) ...

Digital singles

See also: a comprehensive list of the highest-certified singles at RIAA's website.

The below singles have sold at least 6 million digital copies as reported by Luminate (or previously Nielsen SoundScan). Sales figures are not fully represented by RIAA certifications, which have included on-demand streaming-equivalent units since May 2013.[20] Thus the actual sales figures will be different from the amounts specified by the RIAA.

"I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is the best-selling digital single in the U.S., with over 8.7 million downloads sold.
Lady Gaga is the first artist to have two 7-million-selling digital singles.[21]
Katy Perry is the first artist to have three 6-million-selling digital singles.[22]
More information Song, Artist(s) ...

See also

Notes

  1. For those where sales figures are not cited, sales figures are based on certified amounts by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

References

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