‘Human Clay’ & The 9 Other Best-Selling Albums During the SoundScan Era
Creed released their breakthrough album Human Clay on September 28, 1999. The album became a massive hit thanks to the singles “Higher,” “What If” and “With Arms Wide Open.” It…
Creed released their breakthrough album Human Clay on September 28, 1999. The album became a massive hit thanks to the singles "Higher," "What If" and "With Arms Wide Open." It also happens to be one of the biggest-selling albums of the SoundScan era, which officially began March 1, 1991.
Per a feature piece from Billboard, "SoundScan, which is now known as MRC Data, measured album sales as they happened — stores scanned bar codes at the checkout register — and over the next few months [after its launch] it upended the conventional music business wisdom about what sold, as well as when and how. It revealed the popularity of several genres — alternative rock, country, hip-hop, harder metal — that had been seen as commercially marginal compared to bread-and-butter pop-rock bands."
Basically, SoundScan provided real-time data of what was actually selling at record stores and other retailers. Needless to say, it was a game-changer for the music industry.
Human Clay is among very unique company on the list of the biggest-selling albums of the SoundScan era. Scroll through the gallery below to see which titles join them in the top ten.
10. Creed - 'Human Clay'
UMG11,690,000 copies sold.
9. Santana - 'Supernatural'
Arista11,850,000 copies sold.
8. Adele - '21'
XL Recordings12,100,000 copies sold.
7. Whitney Houston - 'The Bodyguard' Soundtrack
Arista12,140,000 copies sold.
6. Backstreet Boys - 'Millennium'
Sony12,300,000 copies sold.
5. Bob Marley and the Wailers - 'Legend'
Island12,300,000 copies sold.
4. The Beatles - '1'
UMG13,000,000 copies sold.
3. Alanis Morissette 'Jagged Little Pill'
Rhino15,200,000 copies sold.
2. Shania Twain - 'Come on Over'
Mercury15,730,000 copies sold.
1. Metallica - 'Metallica'
Blackened Recordings17,300,000 copies sold.
