Metallica's self-titled album from 1991, also known as the "black" album, is still the No. 2 top-selling album of the SoundScan era. The LP shifted 242,000 units in the U.S. in 2008 to bring total sales to 15,319,000 and narrowing the gap to the No. 1 album on the list, Shania Twain's "Come on Over", to 154,000 copies. If these percentages keep up, "Metallica" will overtake "Come on Over" during 2009.
Top-Selling Artists Soundscan Era
1. Garth Brooks - 68,143,000
2. The Beatles - 57,088,000
3. Maria Carey - 51,569,000
4. Metallica - 51,136,000
5. Celine Dion - 50,571,000
Top-Selling Albums Soundscan Era
1. Come On Over - Shania Twain - 15,473,000
2. Metallica - Metallica - 15,319,000
3. Jagged Little Pill - alanis Morisette - 14,607,000
Metallica's top-selling albums during the SoundScan era
1. "Metallica" (1991): 15,319,000
2. "…And Justice for All" (1988): 5,229,000
3. "Load" (1996): 5,020,000
4. "Master of Puppets" (1986): 4,475,000
5. "Ride the Lightning" (1984): 4,247,000
6. "Reload" (1997): 4,002,000
Note that the numbers Do't include sales prior to the start of the SoundScan era, May 25, 1991.
"Death Magnetic", has sold 1,565,000 copies in the United States since it was released in September 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Nielsen SoundScan is an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Nielsen on March 1, 1991. Previously, Billboard tracked sales by calling stores across the U.S. and asking about sales - a method that was inherently error-prone and open to outright fraud.
