We came across this animation on Facebook which shows what artists sold the most records from 1969 to the present day. Because we're suckers for an intuitive data visualisation, we wanted to share it with you all.
What's more, is we noticed a lot of these artists are still some of the biggest touring acts of the day, even the ones from the 70s. We published said findings here, and the 80s here, and now it's time for the 90s to get their day in the sun.
Of course if you want to see all the artists from the 1990s who are still touring, you can visit the 90s page on our new product, Bucketgigs, to explore what's coming up near you from the time we got truly exposed to some serious grrrl power.
The 90s is the Diva Decade. What's interesting about our decades up until this points the only women artists are in Fleetwood Mac, ABBA and both as part of a band, and then Barbra Streisand. It's not until the 80s we get Madonna, and she really did change the game as the first female artist to top the list. In the 90s we see the continued rise of Whitney Houston, and then Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey start dominating in the charts.
Still carrying over from the 70s are Queen, Elton John who is absolutely killing it in the 90s, and then of course The Beatles and Elvis Presley. From the 80s we still have present AC/DC and Metallica, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson and Madonna obviously, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, George Michael and Whitney Houston.
We've mentioned the new entries of the divas, but also the 90s are when we have artists like Garth Brooks, Eric Clapton, Eminem and Nirvana hitting the mainstream. And finally, near the end, the sign of what's coming in the early 00s, Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys show up strong.
To get in the mood, why not listen to the Best of 1990s playlist, which includes all the artists though.
Not on Tour
- Eminem's Rapture tour ended in 2019.
- Britney Spear's highly successful run in Las Vegas went on indefinite hold earlier this year.
- Nirvana dissolved in 1994 after the tragic death of its lead singer, Kurt Cobain.
What's remarkable is every artist mentioned here is still a part of our culture, now 20-30 years later. These artists have provided the soundtrack of many of our lives while maintaining a huge audience this entire lifetime.
If you or your parents or your partner or your peers are a fan of these, now is the time to get tickets for these living legends. Maybe put it in a Christmas stocking for them?
Alternatively, keep track of your favourites in your very own Bucketgig list. Learn more here.
