Billboard Charts 1926 to 2025 - Most Successful Artists

[ale2024]

2010 Drake
Drake's charting career started in 2009 and in 2010 he led the charts for the year.
His biggest hit of the year was "Find Your Love" which reached the Top 10.



The Top 15 artists were unchanged in 2010.

[ale2024]

2011 Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne scored his 2nd year on top of the charts in 2011 but was far more successful than he was back in 2008. He was more successful than Michael Jackson was in 1983, or any other artist, since Herb Alpert in 1966.
Lil Wayne had a huge number of releases and collaborations during the year. The biggest of which was his Top 10 collaboration with Chris Brown called "Look At Me Now".



Since 1998, Elton John had some success with his compilation album "Greatest Hits 1970-2002" which only reached number 12, but charted between 2002 and 2004.
rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/elton-john/greatest-hits-1970-2002/
His biggest hit since 1998, was one minor hit in 1999, a collaboration with LeAnn Rimes called "Written In The Stars". By the end of 2011, he had surpassed Guy Lombardo to take 7th place overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Rwv4iAqIQ

1926 - 2011
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Elvis Presley
4 Frank Sinatra
5 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
6 Michael Jackson
7 Elton John
8 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
9 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
10 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
11 (Diana Ross &) The Supremes
12 Madonna
13 Mariah Carey
14 Barbra Streisand
15 Perry Como

[ale2024]

2012 Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj collaborated on many releases in 2012 and was on top of the charts for the year.
Her biggest success of the year was her Top 10 hit "Starships".



The Top 15 artists were unchanged in 2012.

[ale2024]

2013 Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake's body of work was the most successful of 2013. Justin easily had the most successful solo career of his band mates from *N Sync. In fact his solo success over-shadowed anything *N Sync achieved.
The biggest success of his many releases and collaborations and *N Sync compilation albums that charted in 2013, was his number 2 hit "Mirrors".



Since 2011, Lil Wayne's success continued with his own releases and collaborations. By the end of 2013, his body of work rose to 15th place overall.
His biggest success since 2011, was "The Motto", a collaboration with Drake in 2012.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMGBOcUhqu0

1926 - 2013
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Elvis Presley
4 Frank Sinatra
5 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
6 Michael Jackson
7 Elton John
8 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
9 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
10 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
11 (Diana Ross &) The Supremes
12 Madonna
13 Mariah Carey
14 Barbra Streisand
15 Lil Wayne

[ale2024]

2014 Sam Smith
Sam Smith topped the charts in 2014 by a small margin.
His biggest hit of the year was the number 2 hit "Stay With Me".



Since 2001, Michael Jackson was a regular on the charts. His biggest chart success over the 13 years until 2014 was his compilation album "Number Ones" which never reached the top 10 but charted between from 2003 to 2014 and was his 5th biggest album success to date.
rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/michael-jackson/number-ones/
His biggest hit since 2001 was "Love Never Felt So Good", a collaboration with Justin Timberlake which reached the Top 10 in 2014.
But his hit from 2001 "Butterflies" continued charting into 2002. It never reached the Top 10 but it was a bigger hit overall. By the end of 2014, Michael Jackson rose to 5th place overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=csvNBRZfFpo

Lil Wayne rose to 14th position during 2014. His biggest success of the year was the single "Loyal" by Chris Brown, in which he featured along with Tyga.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXRN_LkCa_o

1926 - 2014
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Elvis Presley
4 Frank Sinatra
5 Michael Jackson
6 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
7 Elton John
8 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
9 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
10 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
11 (Diana Ross &) The Supremes
12 Madonna
13 Mariah Carey
14 Lil Wayne
15 Barbra Streisand

[ale2024]

2015 Drake
In 2015, Drake was far more successful than when he first topped the charts in 2010. He was more successful than Lil Wayne was in 2011. He was the most successful artist in a single year since Herb Alpert in 1966. His biggest chart success of 2015, the number 1 mixtape album "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" was only the 4th biggest of his career to date.
rateyourmusic.com/release/mixtape/drake/if-youre-reading-this-its-too-late/
His biggest hit during the year was "Hotline Bling".



The Top 15 artists were unchanged in 2015.

[ale2024]

2016 Drake
In 2016, Drake was an even bigger success on the charts in a single year. He beat The Beatles' record from 1964. He beat Glenn Miller's record from 1940. He was the most successful artist in a single year since 1926. It was also Drake's 3rd year on top of the charts and by the end of the year, Drake stormed the Top 15 to take 9th place.
Drake had 4 albums charting for almost every week of the year. The most successful of these was "Views" which was number 1 for 13 weeks, but it was only the 4th biggest album of his career to date.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/drake/views/
His massive hit "One Dance" was number 1 hit for 10 weeks during the year, and the biggest single of his career to date.



Beyonce started charting with her hugely successful solo career from 2003, after her great success as part of Destiny's Child. By 2009 her solo work surpassed anything by her former group, and by 2016, Beyonce's body of work was the 12th most successful overall, and the most successful of any female artist of this period.
Since 2001, Beyonce's greatest success was her self-tilted album which went to number 1 during 2013 and 2014 and kept charting through to 2016.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/beyonce/beyonce/
Her biggest hit over that time, was "Irreplaceable" which went to number 1 in 2006 and 2007, for a total of 10 weeks.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw8LyN21OO8

1926 - 2016
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Elvis Presley
4 Frank Sinatra
5 Michael Jackson
6 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
7 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
8 Elton John
9 Drake
10 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
11 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
12 Beyonce
13 (Diana Ross &) The Supremes
14 Madonna
15 Mariah Carey

[ale2024]

2017 Drake
Drake topped the charts for a 4th year in 2017. A record only matched by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and only beaten by Bing Crosby. His biggest success of the year was his new number 1 mixtape album "More Life", but he also had 5 albums in total that were charting almost every week of the year
rateyourmusic.com/release/mixtape/drake/more-life/
His biggest single of the year was the Top 10 hit "Fake Love". By the end of 2017, Drake was 7th place overall.



Beyonce's biggest success in 2017 was her Top 5 collaboration "Mi Gente" with J Balvin and Willy William. By the end of 2017, she surpassed Tommy Dorsey to take 10th place overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHgDFRpCi0

Since 2008, Mariah Carey's biggest success was her Top 10 hit "Obsessed" from 2009. By 2017 she surpassed Madonna and Diana Ross & The Supremes, and took 13th place overall. She was now the 2nd most successful female artist of this period.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Yt0xJKDY8

1926 - 2017
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Elvis Presley
4 Frank Sinatra
5 Michael Jackson
6 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
7 Drake
8 Elton John
9 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
10 Beyonce
11 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Mariah Carey
14 (Diana Ross &) The Supremes
15 Madonna

[ale2024]

2018 Drake
In 2018, Drake topped the charts for his 5th year. Only Bing Crosby had achieved more years on top. His biggest album of the year was his new number 1 album "Scorpion", but he now had 6 albums that charted almost every week of the year.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/drake/scorpion/
His biggest success of the year was "God's Plan". It was number 1 for 11 weeks in 2018 and it was the biggest hit of his career to date. He was now the 4th most successful artist overall, more successful than Glenn Miller, Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra.



Taylor Swift topped the charts in 2009 and remained very successful in each of the following years. Since 2009, she released her massively successful "1989" album, the biggest of her career to date. It was number 1 for 11 weeks and charted every year since it was released between 2014-2018.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/taylor-swift/1989/
Her biggest hit over the same period was "Shake It Off", a number 1 hit that charted between 2014-2015. By the end of 2018, Taylor was the 13th most successful artist and the 2nd most successful female artist overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA2G-y7ySnI

1926 - 2018
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Elvis Presley
4 Drake
5 Frank Sinatra
6 Michael Jackson
7 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
8 Elton John
9 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
10 Beyonce
11 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Taylor Swift
14 Mariah Carey
15 (Diana Ross &) The Supremes

[ale2024]

2019 Post Malone
Post Malone had a great year in 2019 when he topped the charts. He was the only artist that could end Drake's dominance of the previous 4 years.
His biggest success of the year was the duet with Swae Lee, the number 1 hit "Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)".



Drake's biggest chart success of 2019 was his collaboration with Chris Brown, "No Guidance", the 9th biggest hit of his career to date. Drake still had 5 albums that charted almost every week of the year and he was now the 3rd most successful artist overall, having surpassed Elvis Presley.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L_k74BOLag

Taylor Swift's biggest success of 2019 was the number 2 hit "You Need To Calm Down", but she also had 3 albums that charted almost every week of the year. And there was no stopping her. She eclipsed Beyonce in 2019 and was now at 10th place and the most successful female artist overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkk9gvTmCXY

Since 1995, The Rolling Stones had some success on the album charts. Their biggest success was with the compilation album "Forty Licks" that reached number 2 and charted between 2002 and 2004.
rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/rolling-stones/forty-licks-5/
But their "Exile On Main St." album, that first charted in 1972, also reached number 2 when it was re-issued and charted during 2010 and 2011. A critically acclaimed album for the Stones, but even after its recent chart success, it was only their 7th most successful album to date. Mick Jagger also scored some album chart success over those 24 intervening years. And by the end of 2019, The Rolling Stones & Mick Jagger's solo work were the 12th most successful artist overall.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-rolling-stones/exile-on-main-st/

During the 18 years since 2001, Madonna's biggest success was with her number 3 hit from 2008, featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAQZPBwz2CI
By the end of 2019, Madonna returned amongst the Top 15 artists and was again, the 4th most successful female artist of this period.

1926 - 2019
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Drake
4 Elvis Presley
5 Frank Sinatra
6 Michael Jackson
7 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
8 Elton John
9 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
10 Taylor Swift
11 Beyonce
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
14 Mariah Carey
15 Madonna

[ale2024]

2020 Drake
Drake returned to top the charts for his 6th year in 2020, only one behind Bing Crosby's record of 7 years on top. His biggest chart success of the year was his collaboration with Future called "Life Is Good", the 5th biggest hit of his career to date. He also had 6 albums which charted for almost the entire year.



Taylor Swift's biggest success of 2020 was her number 1 album "Folklore", one of 4 albums of hers that charted almost every week of the year. By the end of the year, Taylor had surpassed Elton John and was at 8th place overall.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/taylor-swift/folklore/
Her biggest hit of the year was "Cardigan", one of two number 1 hits she had that year.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-a8s8OLBSE

1926 - 2020
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Drake
4 Elvis Presley
5 Frank Sinatra
6 Michael Jackson
7 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
8 Taylor Swift
9 Elton John
10 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
11 Beyonce
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
14 Mariah Carey
15 Madonna

[ale2024]

2021 Drake
In 2021 Drake matched Bing Crosby's incredible achievement of topping the Billboard charts on 7 separate years. His biggest chart success of the year was the number 1 album "Certified Lover Boy", while 6 other albums of his charted almost every week of the year.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/drake/certified-lover-boy/
His biggest hit of the year "Way 2 Sexy" was one of two songs of his that went to number 1 in 2021.



Taylor Swift surpassed Glenn Miller to take 7th place overall in 2021. Her biggest success of the year was the album "Evermore". One of 3 albums of hers that went to number 1 in 2021. And one of 7 of her albums that charted almost every week of the year.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/taylor-swift/evermore/
Her biggest hit of the year was "Willow".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsEZmictANA

1926 - 2021
1 Bing Crosby
2 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
3 Drake
4 Elvis Presley
5 Frank Sinatra
6 Michael Jackson
7 Taylor Swift
8 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
9 Elton John
10 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
11 Beyonce
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
14 Mariah Carey
15 Madonna

[ale2024]

2022 Drake
Drake dominated the Billboard charts for a record 8th year in 2022. No other artist had achieved such a feat over this period. It was also his most successful year since 2018, and he was in 2nd place overall, having surpassed Paul McCartney's vast career with The Beatles and as a solo artist. His biggest chart success of the year was another collaboration with Future called "Wait For U", the 8th biggest hit of his career to date. But Drake also had 6 albums that almost charted for every week of the year.



Taylor Swift's re-recorded album "Red (Taylor's Version)" became her biggest chart success in 2022. It was one of 7 albums of hers that charted for almost every week of the year.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/taylor-swift/red-taylors-version/
Her biggest hit of the year was the number 1 "Anti-Hero". By the end of 2022, Taylor surpassed Michael Jackson to claim 6th place overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1kbLwvqugk

Since 2011, Elton John had huge success with his compilation album "Diamonds", which went Top 10 and charted between 2017-2022.
rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/elton-john/diamonds/
Elton's biggest hit since 2017 was with a collaboration with Dua Lipa called "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)". It became the 2nd biggest hit of his career to date, and Elton surpassed Glenn Miller to become the 8th most successful artist overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qod03PVTLqk

Since 2017, Beyonce's biggest chart success was her collaboration with Ed Sheeran called "Perfect". It became the biggest hit of her career to date, and she rose to 10th place overall.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=817P8W8-mGE

Rihanna first charted in 2005 and was hugely successful over the subsequent 17 years. By 2022 she was the 15th most successful recording artist of this period.
Her biggest success was the album "ANTI" which went to number 1 in 2016 and continued charting into 2022.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/rihanna/anti/
The biggest hit of her career was "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris. It reached number 1 in 2011 and in 2012.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg00YEETFzg

1926 - 2022
1 Bing Crosby
2 Drake
3 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
4 Elvis Presley
5 Frank Sinatra
6 Taylor Swift
7 Michael Jackson
8 Elton John
9 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
10 Beyonce
11 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
14 Mariah Carey
15 Rihanna

[ale2024]

2023 Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift finally dislodged Drake from the top of the charts in 2023, like Post Malone had in 2019. But when she dominated the charts that year, she blew away Drake's record from 2016, to become the most successful artist of any single year of this period by a wide margin.
It was her 2nd year as the most successful artist. The only female artists to previously achieve this feat were Destiny's Child, 22 years earlier, and Stevie Nicks with her solo work and with Fleetwood Mac 41 years earlier.
Her biggest chart success of the year was her album "Midnights". It was one of her 3 number 1 albums for the year and one of her 8 albums that charted for every single week of the year.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/taylor-swift/midnights/
And her biggest hit of the year "Anti-Hero", continued charting from 2022, remained at number 1 for 2 weeks in 2023, and charted for most of the year. By the end of 2023, the song was the biggest hit of her career to date, and Taylor surpassed Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to take 4th place overall.

Drake meanwhile had another successful year. His biggest success was his new album with 21 Savage called "Her Loss". It was one of his 8 albums that charted for almost every week of the year.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/drake-21-savage/her-loss/
His biggest hit of the year was his collaboration with 21 Savage called "Rich Flex". And at the end of 2023, Drake replaced Bing Crosby as the most successful artist of the period 1926-2023.


In 2018, Mariah Carey had her biggest success with a little song called "All I Want For Christmas Is You". She first released the song in 2000 and by 2017 it was not even amongst her 20 biggest hits. In 2018 it went to number 6. The highest position it had ever reached and it became the 10th biggest hit of her career to date.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY
Since 2018, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" became a perennial christmas classic. It spent 2 weeks at number 1 in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
The song was then number 1 for 5 weeks during 2022 and number 1 again for 3 weeks in 2023. It was now Mariah Carey's biggest hit of her entire career.
By the end of 2023, Mariah Carey surpassed Tommy Dorsey and returned to 13th place overall.

Between the years 2012 and 2023, The Weeknd found enormous success. In the end he was the 15th most successful recording artist of this period.
His album "Starboy" was his biggest success. It reached number 1 in 2016 and 2017 and charted continuously until 2023. It even peaked back into the Top 10 in 2023.
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-weeknd/starboy/
"Blinding Lights" was his biggest hit. It first charted in 2019, reached number 1 in 2020 and remained in the charts until 2021.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHI8X4OXluQ

1926 - 2023
1 Drake
2 Bing Crosby
3 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
4 Taylor Swift
5 Elvis Presley
6 Frank Sinatra
7 Michael Jackson
8 Elton John
9 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
10 Beyonce
11 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Mariah Carey
14 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
15 The Weeknd

[ale2024]

Jan - Jun 2024 Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is on track to be the most successful recording artist of the year for a 3rd time in 2024. The first female artist to achieve this in history. She is well ahead of Drake, the 2nd most successful artist of 2024 so far.
On 4th May 2024 she held the Top 14 positions of the Singles Chart. Her chart performance in the first six months of 2024 is probably the best 1/2 year by any artist in history.
www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2024-05-04/
Her chart performance over all of 2024 might surpass her own historical success in 2023. But then again, it might fall short. She might surpass The Beatles & Paul McCartney's career success by the end 2024. But then again, she might have to wait until 2025.
Her biggest success in the first six months of 2024 was her latest "Taylor's Version" album, "1989".
rateyourmusic.com/release/album/taylor-swift/1989-taylors-version/
Her biggest hit of the year so far was "Cruel Summer".



Beyonce could surpass Glenn Miller by the end of 2024, if she continues to chart well over the the 2nd half of 2024.
Her biggest success in the first six months of 2024 has been her hit "Texas Hold 'Em".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=238Z4YaAr1g

Mariah Carey is not far below The Rolling Stones & Mick Jagger's career success. She had some success with "All I Want For Christmas Is You" in Jan 2024, and if the song and her Christmas album do well again in Dec 2024, she might surpass them by the end of the year.

By June 2024, The Weeknd had already surpassed Tommy Dorsey and is the 14th most successful artist of this period.
He was charting well, and should be able to surpass Mariah Carey and The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger) by the end of the year if this continues.
His biggest success on the charts remains his "Starboy" album.
His biggest hit in the first half of 2024 has been his collaboration, "One Of The Girls".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx92lTYxrJQ

1926 - Jun 2024
1 Drake
2 Bing Crosby
3 The Beatles (& Paul McCartney)
4 Taylor Swift
5 Elvis Presley
6 Frank Sinatra
7 Michael Jackson
8 Elton John
9 Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
10 Beyonce
11 Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
12 The Rolling Stones (& Mick Jagger)
13 Mariah Carey
14 The Weeknd
15 Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra

[tfa20]

This is a really great thread, ale2024 .

Could the list be expanded from the top 15 to the top 100 by any chance? I assume you're using some sort of inverse point system to collate the rankings...

[jdanton2]

it was a very interesting thread to read but it seems the streaming era is giving recent artists an advantage with album bomb songs being able to chart.

[torpedo007]

what a mess after 2010

it seems the ranking is driven by Hot 100 entries

[jdanton2]

Bing Crosby and other early artists had an advantage as well. there were no albums in those days and artists released alot more singles.

[badrobot]

Great thread, I enjoyed following along immensely.

I echo the request to have a longer list of the top artists, I'd love to see how everyone stacks up.

Also it definitely seems like the streaming era gave big artists an enormous boost. I wish we could see an alternate history that showed how artists would've performed if streaming access had always been available. I imagine we would've had an all-top-ten moment from someone before Taylor -- likely the Beatles, maybe Michael Jackson, possibly even Pearl Jam or Garth Brooks with their huge album sales weeks. Almost definitely we'd have NSync and Adele, and strong chances for Britney, Backstreet Boys, and Eminem.

*Edited to say, I know Adele has been active in the streaming era, but I'm curious how 25 would've performed if it had come out during the near-total transition to streaming that we've had in the past few years.

[ale2024]

Hi tfa2020 & badrobot3

I have created a new thread and started sharing a longer list. This time it will include the Top 30 artists of all time. Starting from 1890.
pulsemusic.proboards.com/thread/228188/most-successful-recording-artists-time?page=1&scrollTo=8701101

I hope you like it.