Why do I keep reading Garth Brooks is outselling The Beatles etc?

This site
http://tsort.info/music/faq_album_sales.htm
and several others do not support that at all...

 

I remember in the early 1990's, at the peak of his career, Brooks going up to then-Liberty Records (his label at the time) head Jimmy Bowen demanding what he termed a "Michael Jackson contract," Bowen telling him he wasn't selling as much as Jacko (and by this point, even MJ wasn't selling as much as he had in his heyday), and Garth then going over his head and going to EMI honcho Jim Fifield to get the contract he wanted. While Brooks made out very nicely indeed, EMI ended up in shambles.

 

Well Garth is second to the Beatles in RIAA certified US album sales and since he's come out of retirement and is back out on the road and has launched his own online music sales platform he might be selling briskly again. He's probably not close to the Beatles in global sales.

 

He was getting close at 1 time, I think with the Anthologies and Beatles 1, they are way ahead again. Pretty sure the Beatles are more of a worldwide success too.

 

I am personally not really a country music fan. But there is a huge market for it. In this country. It doesn't surprise me a bit he sold in such numbers.

 

Here's a list for worldwide sales.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists

 

good press agent...he could sell a trillion and it wouldn't matter to me. Beatles/Brooks? not even in the same universe.

 

Garth was in the sound scan era when country artists were selling mega amounts like Shania Twain selling cd's with 10,000,000 sales. Then Garth did some gimmicky stuff like repackaging his albums in a box set at a ridiculously low price to try to catch the Beatles. He never did and then the Beatles came out with 1 which was massive and the anthologies and they aren't even close. 60's artists were notoriously short changed by their record companies with regard to sales so they wouldn't have to pay royalties. The Beatles got ripped off by Capitol who also ripped off the Beach Boys. We will never really know how many albums the Beatles sold in the US or worldwide but I am 99.9% sure they sold more than any other artist ever in both.

 

That’s a cool Wikipedia page, thanks. Hype aside, Garth Brooks is in good third-tier company for monster sales alongside U2, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Billy Joel, and the Eagles.

Unless someone figures out a new way to sell records in the future, no one’s ever gonna touch the godlike top tier:

• 
  The Beatles
  
  
  
• 
  Elvis Presley
  
  
  
• 
  Michael Jackson
  
  
  
• 
  Madonna
  
  
  
• 
  Elton John
  
  
  
• 
  Led Zeppelin
  
  
  
• 
  Pink Floyd
  

 

Do people even still buy Garth Brooks records?

I'm surprised he's even in the third tier.

 

It's a brave hipster who dares mock Garth.

 

He'd have to be outselling The Beatles by a ton in the US to make up for the rest of the world

 

Just the USA

Beatles

• US: 212.150 million[6]

Garth Brooks

• US: 137.4 million[6]

Canada was the only other place Garth made much traction, selling over 5 million.

 

Yes I remember that well. He packaged 6 CDs together and sold them for the price of 1.

Reports were that he did it specifically to get "units" to catch The Beatles sales.

As you said the came 1 and the rest including the 2009 teamsters and it was all over..

 

There was a time when he did beat them but I don't think it lasted that long

Garth Brooks Named Best-Selling Artist of Soundscan Era
By Brittany Joy Cooper January 21, 2012 11:01 AM
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Adam Bettcher, Getty Images
With 2012 just beginning to unfold, Billboard and the Nielsen Company compiled their annual year-end music industry report, providing a top 10 list of the best-selling artists of the entire Soundscan era. Sitting atop the list is Garth Brooks with a whopping 68.5 million sales, more than 3 million over the number two artist on the list — The Beatles with 63.3 million.
Since Billboard has only been using Soundscan since 1991, the list doesn’t provide data about the best-selling music of all time, but it does give a clear window into the past 20 years and the artists who dominated those decades.
Coming in third in the ranks was Mariah Carey with 53.6 million, followed by Metallica who sold 53.1 million albums. Several country stars made the list, including George Strait, Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson, in that order.
See the complete list below to find out just how many records the top 10 best-sellers got into the hands of their fans since 1991.
Top 10 Best-Selling Artists of the Soundscan Era
1. Garth Brooks (68,561,000)
2. The Beatles (63,299,000
3. Mariah Carey (53,612,000)
4. Metallica (53,170,000)
5. Celine Dion (51,492,000)
6. George Strait(43,310,000)
7. Eminem (41,166,000)
8. Tim McGraw (40,169,000)
9.Alan Jackson (38,860,000)
10. Pink Floyd (37,228,000)


Read More: Garth Brooks Named Best-Selling Artist of Soundscan Era | http://tasteofcountry.com/garth-brooks-best-selling-artist-of-soundscan-era/?trackback=tsmclip

 

Only since 1991. when soundscan started.

 

Its the stats wars!

 

Wow, I don't know any of his songs. Am I missing out on something special?

 

Brooks was hot in the early 90's. Country was big on the pop charts, and he was the hottest of the hot. I bought that box set. I had to do a double take to make sure that it actually had 6 CDs because it was priced so low. I enjoy listening to it, but artistically the Beatles (and quite a few Country artists) have nothing to worry about. But so many Brooks CDs were low-priced you had to buy them. The live set fit that description too.

 

If you think Garth Brooks sells good, Chris Gaines sells even better!

 

SoundScan introduced more accurate sales figures to the music business. And that very thing puts so many modern day superstars ahead. Though you and I know that the Beatles and likely Elvis are in real terms ahead.

 

I'm always amazed by how closed minded so many "music" fans are. Like it or not, there are now two full generations that could care less about the Beatles. Brooks might not be some listeners' cup of tea, but fact is he is a tremendous performer and if you haven't seen him live, it is truly your loss. His recent two shows in New Orleans (hardly a country music town) sold out in 20 minutes and they added a third which immediately sold out just as quickly (as do all of his shows for years when he's toured). Most of his albums are very good both in content and sound. His music is not the normal modern country radio drivel.

As to album sales, numbers are manipulated at will. One thing I always respected Brooks for was that he was really the first Country artist I ever remember acknowledging that his influences were the same as so many of us typical suburban teens of the 70's. I always wanted to gag hearing all the new faces of the day trying to tell us how Web Pierce, Hank Snow, and Faron Young were their heroes as they felt was necessary to win over the Nashville mafia. Brooks almost single handedly brought country to the truly big stage and that's no small accomplishment.

 

Kind of like:
The Number One New Comedy on CBS!

 

Have you ever had some off brand macaroni and cheese out of a box?

Okay, now imagine that going through your ear hole.