Madonna albums discography
Best-selling female recording artist with 15 studio albums.
Madonna, an American singer, holds the Guinness World Records title as the best-selling female recording artist ever, with estimated sales between 300 million and 400 million records. Her discography includes 15 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, six live albums, nine compilation albums, and 12 limited releases. In 2006, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reported that her albums alone had sold over 200 million copies worldwide. The Recording Industry Association of America ranks her as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the fourth highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 65.5 million album units.
She signed with Sire Records, a Warner Bros. subsidiary, in 1982. Her first release, the self-titled Madonna (1983), reached number eight on the Billboard 200 and earned a five-times platinum certification from the RIAA. The follow-up, Like a Virgin (1984), became her first number-one album in multiple countries and received a diamond certification. Her third studio album, True Blue (1986), topped charts in a record 28 countries and was named the best-selling album by a woman in the 1992 edition of Guinness World Records. In 1987, she put out two platinum-certified albums in the US: the Who's That Girl soundtrack and her first remix compilation, You Can Dance. With Like a Prayer (1989), she became the woman with the most Billboard 200 number-one albums in the 1980s, second overall only to Bruce Springsteen.
The 1990s began with I'm Breathless (1990), featuring songs from and inspired by the film Dick Tracy, and her first greatest hits collection, The Immaculate Collection (1990). That compilation earned her second diamond certification in the US and remains the best-selling compilation by a solo artist, with over 30 million units sold globally. In 1992, she launched her own label, Maverick Records, as a joint venture with Time Warner, receiving a $60 million advance and 20% royalties from music sales—one of the industry's highest rates at the time, surpassed only by Michael Jackson's 25%. Her Maverick releases included the studio albums Erotica (1992) and Bedtime Stories (1994), as well as the ballad collection Something to Remember (1995), all of which achieved multi-platinum status in the US.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Madonna albums
- Studio
- 15
- Soundtrack
- 3
- Live
- 6
- Compilation
- 9
- Option
- 12
- Option name
- Other charted albums
Facts from the source article.
Background
Madonna signed a recording contract with Sire Records in 1982. Her self-titled debut album, Madonna (1983), peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified five-time platinum by the RIAA. She followed with Like a Virgin (1984), which became her first chart-topper in various countries and was certified diamond by the RIAA. Her third studio album, True Blue (1986), reached number one in a record-breaking 28 countries and was once named the best-selling album by a woman of all time by the 1992 edition of Guinness World Records. During 1987, she released two albums that reached platinum status in the United States: the Who's That Girl soundtrack and her first remix compilation, You Can Dance. Madonna's fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989), made her the woman with most Billboard 200 number-one albums of the 1980s (second overall, behind only Bruce Springsteen).
Madonna entered the 1990s with I'm Breathless (1990) and her first greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection (1990), which became her second diamond-certified album in the US and remains the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist with global sales of over 30 million units. In 1992, she founded Maverick Records as a joint venture with Time Warner, receiving a $60 million advance and 20% royalties. Her releases under Maverick included Erotica (1992), Bedtime Stories (1994), and Something to Remember (1995), all reaching multi-platinum status in the US. She scored her best-selling studio album of the decade with Ray of Light (1998), which sold over 16 million copies worldwide.
After charting five albums at number two on the Billboard 200 during the 1990s, Madonna returned to the top with Music (2000), selling over 11 million copies worldwide. She continued her chart-topping streak with American Life (2003) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), the latter becoming a number-one album in 40 countries. In 2007, she signed a 360 deal with Live Nation for $120 million. Her remaining contract with Warner Bros. ended with Hard Candy (2008) and Celebration (2009). Through Live Nation, she signed a three-album deal with Interscope Records in 2011, releasing MDNA (2012), Rebel Heart (2015), and Madame X (2019). In 2021, Madonna announced her return to Warner Music Group in a global partnership granting the label her entire recorded music catalog.
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