The face of the music industry has entirely changed over the last ten years, and people simply do not buy music they way we used to. With file share sites, MP3 downloads, itunes and more, the days of going to the music store are fast being lost to an evening at home sitting in front of our laptops. With the advent of the CD, the industry hit its high note in terms of sales, but by the end of the 90s the boom had gone bust. This being the case, the list of the top selling albums of all time below will most likely never change. They came at a time when people had little choice, but to go out and buy them. Most albums have conflicting estimates of sales figures. In this list below, the highest sales figure reported has been used. Sitting high atop the mountain is the late Micheal Jackson, with more than double the sales of his nearest competitor. Jackson being on top won’t surprise many, but a few other entries are sure to catch you off guard.

• 1. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982) 110 million
• 2. AC DC – Back in Black (1980) 49 million
• 3. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) 45 million
• 4. Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977) 43 million
• 5. The Eagles – Greatest Hits (1976) 42 million
• 6. Various Artists - Dirty Dancing Soundtrack  (1987) 42 million
• 7. Various Artists – The Bodyguard Soundtrack (1992) 41.5 million
• 8. Andrew Lloyd Webber – The Phantom of the Opera (1986) 41 million
• 9. Backstreet Boys – Millennium (1999) 40.5 million
• 10. The Bee Gees – Staying Alive Soundtrack (1977) 40 million