Lists of best-selling albums can get quite predictable. Sure, there are some occasional surprises along the way. But on the whole, there is a strong dominance of albums from the 1970s through to the 1990s.
That's logical in many ways; some of those albums have been released and available to buy for a long time. Newer albums haven't had anywhere near as long to sell in the same huge numbers. More recent releases are also measured more by streaming volumes than physical sales, which isn't always an advantage.
The best-selling lists also tend to favor classic rock quite heavily. Again, it makes sense that it was a top genre back in the 1970s and 1980s. Rap and hip hop weren't a thing back then. AOR, Adult Oriented Rock, ruled the airwaves and the album lists. Pop music with R&B often focused more on the singles market.
Top ten best selling albums of the 2000s
Over time, that rock influence faded somewhat in the charts, and other genres took a lead. That makes the more recent album charts much more interesting and with far more shocks and surprises. Let’s see how that looks with a rundown of the top ten best-selling albums of the 2000s. This is based on worldwide sales as reported via Bestsellingalbums.org.
10. Avril Lavigne - Let Go
This was Avril Lavigne’s debut album from 2002. The strong single “Sk8er Boi” helped draw attention to Lavigne, but her first single, "Complicated," had plenty of plaudits and picked up a couple of Grammy nominations. The album has sold 18 million copies.
9. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons
Album number five from Nickelback and their best seller at 19 million copies takes 9th place. It was a stormer of a disc. Three top ten and five top 20 Billboard Hot 100 singles came from it.
8. Britney Spears - Oops!… I Did It Again
She may be back in the news for all the wrong reasons, but this 20 million seller from 2000 shows how big Britney Spears was back then. This was her second album, following her enormously successful debut, Baby One More Time. No second-album issues for Britney.
7. Usher - Confessions
Confessions was a huge hit for Usher. It shot off the shelves on release in 2004 with over a million sales in week one alone. It’s now up to 20 million and ranks at number seven on the top ten best sellers of the decade.
6. Eminem - The Eminem Show
Eminem went big with this album in 2002. He kept his hip-hop focus but added depth with more rap-rock sounds, too. His political commentary continued in line with all that was happening in the US and the world at that time. It’s a powerful album for sure and has racked up 20.9 million sales.
5. Backstreet Boys - Black and Blue
Another hit seller in its opening week. Black and Blue sold over five million copies around the world in week one. It’s now up to 24 million worldwide since its 2000 release. It’s no wonder they are selling out at the Sphere for huge audiences.
4. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
In fourth place comes the debut album from Linkin Park in 2000 with an amazing 27 million sales. That took it past Guns n Roses Appetite for Destruction as the best-selling debut album. Hybrid Theory launched the band and their hip-hop, rap, and metal sound to the world.
3. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
This album really surprised me with its third-place ranking. I know the title song and more from Norah Jones, but I didn't appreciate what a huge seller this album was. I suspect it isn't one that many would have guessed at coming out so high in the best of the decade. It’s recorded 27 million sales since its 2002 release and just pips Linkin Park on the unrounded numbers.
2. The Beatles - 1
You can't keep a classic band out of the charts for long. The Beatles released this compilation of their number-one songs in 2000. Ranking at number two with 32 million sales, it is one of the must-have catch-up collections for all ages.
1. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Now there’s an impressive entry. Eminem's second album is in this top ten with this, his third studio album. The Marshall Mathers LP is rightly noted as his best work. Released in 2000, it stands at 32 million sales with the small print of numbers taking it just above the Fab Four in the decade ranking.