It's official, according to Brian's website Queen's Greatest Hits has been named as the UK's biggest selling album EVER with sales in excess of 5.4 million copies. VH1 will list the top 100 sellers next weekend (I think) and hits 2 will be in there as well. Great news and it just goes to prove what great taste us Brits have, well sometimes anyway.
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Posts in chronological order
When Gold Collection and Platinium Collection are sold, is this a new album sales or, does it goes to the statistics of the individual albums?
For example:
1 Platinium = 1 GH1, 1GH2, 1GH3 or
1 Platinium = 1 album sold
Take care
For example:
1 Platinium = 1 GH1, 1GH2, 1GH3 or
1 Platinium = 1 album sold
Take care
Here is a breakdown of sales researched by a gentleman on UKMix website that suggests the 5.4 million is for GH1 on it's own, if you add the sales of the GH1+2 box set and the Platinum collection you would have sales of around 7 million, which is awesome
Queen - Greatest Hits. Charted November 1981
1981 - 2 (YEC) - 424,000 sold (MW) - 0.3m BPI
Even being released so late in the year it was still the No.2 album of that year.
1982 - 27v (YEC)
1983 - 84v (YEC)
1984 - 47v (YEC)
1985 - 43v (YEC) - 0.9m BPI
1986 - 35v (YEC)
So this album did great on the YEC even with all those various artist albums around.
At the end of 1986 MW gave total sales of 1,828,375.
1987 - 95v (YEC) - 170,000 sold (MW) - 1.8m BPI
In the 20th Anniversary of Radio 1 Chart in 1987, the album was 8th. (The chart runs from 1967 to 1987).
1988 no info
1989 no info
1990 no info
1991 - 25 (YEC) - 3.3 BPI
The 3.3m shipment from the BPI was on 1st January 1992 - so really it is for shipments until the end of 1991. This was the last time the album was certified. Therefore we need to piece together sales from 1st January 1992 onwards.
I have a figure from royalty payments for half of 1992 - that is July to December. It is 152,652 and includes record club sales. From YEC charts in 1991 and 1992 this album was selling hugely following Freddie Mercury's death. With sales from the second half of 1992 we can estimate sales for the whole year:-
1992 - 300,000 sold (estimate) - 34 (YEC)
1993 - 150,682 sold (includes CLUB sales)
1994 - 174,173 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 75 (YEC) - 33 (T200w)
1995 - 147,638 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 100,000 sold (MW)- 28 (T200w)
1996 - 173,316 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 103 (YEC) - 52 (T200w)
1997 - 113,397 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 49 (T200w)
So sales from 1992 to 1997 total 1,059,206. Amazing sales both in shops and through clubs (over 30% of the total) and spending sometimes the whole year on the T200 charts. We also have a figure of 1,300,000 (MW) for sales in the period 1990 to 1997 which does not include CLUB sales.
Add 3,300,000 to 1,059,206 and we get 4,359,206.
1998 - 122,610 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 47 (T200w)
1999 - 156,211 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 101,595 sold (MW) - 123 (YEC) - 49 (T200w)
2000 - 135,813 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 113,000 sold (MW) - 126 (YEC) - 52 (T200w)
2001 - 101,514 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 101,170 sold (MW) - 155 (YEC) - 51 (T200w)
2002 - 67,318 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 63,000 sold (MW) - 31 (T200w)
2003 - 46,653 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 50,300 sold (MW) - 14 (T200w)
2004 - 28,971 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 31,100 sold (MW)
Several trends to note here. In 2002 annual sales dipped below 100,000 (probably for the first time since 1981!!). Part of the reason was the release of the Platinum Collection.
Also CLUB sales start to really decline by about the year 2000. You can see this by the way the REC figures (which include CLUB sales) and MW figures (which don't) become almost equal. The album also starts to disappear from the T200 chart.
Still from 1998 to 2004 sales were 734,090. Add this to our running total and we get 5,093,296 - CRIKEY!
And then to 2005 and a revival. REC sales until September were 61,092, so sales for the whole year I will estimate as:-
2005 - 75,000 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 233 (YEC) - 35 (T200w)
So the album is back and still charting well in 2006.
If the Platinum Collection had never been released, sales would have been higher again.
So adding the figures for 2005 we get a final total of
5,168,296.
Queen - Greatest Hits. Charted November 1981
1981 - 2 (YEC) - 424,000 sold (MW) - 0.3m BPI
Even being released so late in the year it was still the No.2 album of that year.
1982 - 27v (YEC)
1983 - 84v (YEC)
1984 - 47v (YEC)
1985 - 43v (YEC) - 0.9m BPI
1986 - 35v (YEC)
So this album did great on the YEC even with all those various artist albums around.
At the end of 1986 MW gave total sales of 1,828,375.
1987 - 95v (YEC) - 170,000 sold (MW) - 1.8m BPI
In the 20th Anniversary of Radio 1 Chart in 1987, the album was 8th. (The chart runs from 1967 to 1987).
1988 no info
1989 no info
1990 no info
1991 - 25 (YEC) - 3.3 BPI
The 3.3m shipment from the BPI was on 1st January 1992 - so really it is for shipments until the end of 1991. This was the last time the album was certified. Therefore we need to piece together sales from 1st January 1992 onwards.
I have a figure from royalty payments for half of 1992 - that is July to December. It is 152,652 and includes record club sales. From YEC charts in 1991 and 1992 this album was selling hugely following Freddie Mercury's death. With sales from the second half of 1992 we can estimate sales for the whole year:-
1992 - 300,000 sold (estimate) - 34 (YEC)
1993 - 150,682 sold (includes CLUB sales)
1994 - 174,173 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 75 (YEC) - 33 (T200w)
1995 - 147,638 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 100,000 sold (MW)- 28 (T200w)
1996 - 173,316 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 103 (YEC) - 52 (T200w)
1997 - 113,397 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 49 (T200w)
So sales from 1992 to 1997 total 1,059,206. Amazing sales both in shops and through clubs (over 30% of the total) and spending sometimes the whole year on the T200 charts. We also have a figure of 1,300,000 (MW) for sales in the period 1990 to 1997 which does not include CLUB sales.
Add 3,300,000 to 1,059,206 and we get 4,359,206.
1998 - 122,610 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 47 (T200w)
1999 - 156,211 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 101,595 sold (MW) - 123 (YEC) - 49 (T200w)
2000 - 135,813 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 113,000 sold (MW) - 126 (YEC) - 52 (T200w)
2001 - 101,514 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 101,170 sold (MW) - 155 (YEC) - 51 (T200w)
2002 - 67,318 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 63,000 sold (MW) - 31 (T200w)
2003 - 46,653 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 50,300 sold (MW) - 14 (T200w)
2004 - 28,971 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 31,100 sold (MW)
Several trends to note here. In 2002 annual sales dipped below 100,000 (probably for the first time since 1981!!). Part of the reason was the release of the Platinum Collection.
Also CLUB sales start to really decline by about the year 2000. You can see this by the way the REC figures (which include CLUB sales) and MW figures (which don't) become almost equal. The album also starts to disappear from the T200 chart.
Still from 1998 to 2004 sales were 734,090. Add this to our running total and we get 5,093,296 - CRIKEY!
And then to 2005 and a revival. REC sales until September were 61,092, so sales for the whole year I will estimate as:-
2005 - 75,000 sold (includes CLUB sales) - 233 (YEC) - 35 (T200w)
So the album is back and still charting well in 2006.
If the Platinum Collection had never been released, sales would have been higher again.
So adding the figures for 2005 we get a final total of
5,168,296.
Nerd alert.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Bohardy wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Nerd alert.[/QUOTE]
LOL! My thinking exactly. :)
LOL! My thinking exactly. :)
Hahaha, nice post Bohardy.
But, wow, well done with those figures! Interesting stuff.
But, wow, well done with those figures! Interesting stuff.
wow, 5.4 million is all it takes to be the biggest seller ever in the UK? I'm not sure that's something to crow about. That's like saying "With 12 copies sold, that Night at the Opera thing is the biggest selling album ever here in Bumlick, Alabama."
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Bohardy wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Nerd alert.[/QUOTE]
indeed....!
indeed....!
Sorry for the nerd like post, I just thought the fans that visited this site might have been interested in knowing that a collection of some of the greatest music ever written by possibly the best band of all time had become the most popular album ever released in the UK, obviously I'll take a back seat now and just keep reading the threads on how big Fred's thingy was or how good looking Roger is/was, nevermind.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Lee Watkins wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Sorry for the nerd like post, I just thought the fans that visited this site might have been interested in knowing that a collection of some of the greatest music ever written by possibly the best band of all time had become the most popular album ever released in the UK, obviously I'll take a back seat now and just keep reading the threads on how big Fred's thingy was or how good looking Roger is/was, nevermind.[/QUOTE]
I really apreciated your post. That´s the kind of thing i like to know.
This is interesting, and i would like to have your help here, or anyone that can help.
About ten years ago, the Beatles were top sellers with their Anthologies Box, and the press made it funny about the fact that Beatles were selling more than Oasis (their "biggest" fans in showbizz). Now, one thing i noticed was the fact the they said that the Beatles have sold about 20 millions CD in 95 or 96( i don´t remember), and to explain the fact they said that when you release a double album each selling album counts as 2 CD´s sold.
Question:
Is this true?
If it is true, it means that the Greatest Hits 2 (vinyl) from Queen should be counted as 2?
So, when Queen sells one Gold Collection they´re only selling one CD or two CD´s (the same for the Platinium Collection)?- because for me it makes more sense to add the statistics to teir original albums, instead of counting them as 1 album sold (this case i think it´s ridiculous because it´s not the true)- but this are three different albums.
But in case it´s a double or triple album, how it is counted in the statistics?
Thanks in advance.
Take care
I really apreciated your post. That´s the kind of thing i like to know.
This is interesting, and i would like to have your help here, or anyone that can help.
About ten years ago, the Beatles were top sellers with their Anthologies Box, and the press made it funny about the fact that Beatles were selling more than Oasis (their "biggest" fans in showbizz). Now, one thing i noticed was the fact the they said that the Beatles have sold about 20 millions CD in 95 or 96( i don´t remember), and to explain the fact they said that when you release a double album each selling album counts as 2 CD´s sold.
Question:
Is this true?
If it is true, it means that the Greatest Hits 2 (vinyl) from Queen should be counted as 2?
So, when Queen sells one Gold Collection they´re only selling one CD or two CD´s (the same for the Platinium Collection)?- because for me it makes more sense to add the statistics to teir original albums, instead of counting them as 1 album sold (this case i think it´s ridiculous because it´s not the true)- but this are three different albums.
But in case it´s a double or triple album, how it is counted in the statistics?
Thanks in advance.
Take care
Lee, I wasn't addressing you, as I know you were just posting what somebody else had already posted on another forum.
And what you posted was indeed very interesting. But the nerd comment was about the guy that did all the working out of the sales. He's definitely a nerd. No doubt about it. But it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate his exhaustive research and the work he's produced.
The fact I posted in this thread proves that it interested me, as I don't even bother to open about 75% of the threads on here these days as they're simply irrelevant.
And what you posted was indeed very interesting. But the nerd comment was about the guy that did all the working out of the sales. He's definitely a nerd. No doubt about it. But it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate his exhaustive research and the work he's produced.
The fact I posted in this thread proves that it interested me, as I don't even bother to open about 75% of the threads on here these days as they're simply irrelevant.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Michael Allred wrote: [/QUOTENAME]wow, 5.4 million is all it takes to be the biggest seller ever in the UK? I'm not sure that's something to crow about. That's like saying "With 12 copies sold, that Night at the Opera thing is the biggest selling album ever here in Bumlick, Alabama."[/QUOTE]
Imbecile alert.
Which albums have sold 20 million in the states, which would be the equivalent per capita?
Imbecile alert.
Which albums have sold 20 million in the states, which would be the equivalent per capita?
Ummm..."Thriller" sold ten million copies in England alone I believe...
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]AlexRocks wrote: [/QUOTENAME] Ummm..."Thriller" sold ten million copies in England alone I believe...[/QUOTE]
Impossible!
Take care
Impossible!
Take care
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Bobby_brown wrote: [/QUOTENAME][QUOTE][QUOTENAME]AlexRocks wrote: [/QUOTENAME] Ummm..."Thriller" sold ten million copies in England alone I believe...[/QUOTE]
Impossible!
Take care[/QUOTE]
Thriller is the world's best selling album....
Impossible!
Take care[/QUOTE]
Thriller is the world's best selling album....