Madonna albums discography
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Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
has released 14
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s, three
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
s, six
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s, seven
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
s, and 38 other limited releases. Recognized as the world's best-selling female recording artist of all time by the ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'', Madonna has accumulated a total
record sales Record sales or music sales are activities related to selling music recordings (albums, single (music), singles, or music video#Commercial release, music videos) through physical record shops or digital music store. Record sales reached the peak ...
of more than 300 million units worldwide. In their 2006 press release, the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI) confirmed that Madonna's albums alone had sold over 200 million copies worldwide. She is ranked by the RIAA as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and third highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 64.5 million album units. She holds the all-time record for the most number-one albums by a female artist in major music markets such as Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In 1982, Madonna signed a recording contract with
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...
, a label owned by
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. The first release under the label was her self-titled debut album, ''
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
'' (1983). It peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified five-time
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...
by the RIAA. She followed the debut album 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 ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
''. 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 ''You Can Dance'' is the first remix album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 17, 1987, by Sire Records. The album contains remixes of tracks from her first three studio albums—''Madonna (Madonna album), Mad ...
''. 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 Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
). Madonna entered the 1990s with the release of ''
I'm Breathless ''I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy'' is an album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on May 22, 1990, by Sire Records to accompany the film '' Dick Tracy''. The album contains three songs written by ...
'' (1990), which contained songs from and inspired by the film ''
Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...
'', and her first greatest hits compilation, ''
The Immaculate Collection ''The Immaculate Collection'' is the first greatest hits album by American singer Madonna, released on November 13, 1990, by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles recorded throughout the 1980s, as well as two brand new tracks, ...
'' (1990). The latter 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, Madonna founded her own record label,
Maverick Records Maverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Madonna, Frederick DeMann, and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev, and formerly owned and operated by Warner Music Group. It included a record label (Maverick Records), a film production ...
, as a joint venture with
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...
. She was paid an advance of $60 million and received 20% royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in the industry at the time, equaled only by that of
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. Her next releases under Maverick were the studio albums, ''
Erotica Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use a ...
'' (1992) and '' Bedtime Stories'' (1994), as well as ''
Something to Remember ''Something to Remember'' is a compilation album by American singer Madonna, released by Maverick Records on November 3, 1995. The album was conceived after a highly controversial period in Madonna's career, during which many critics speculated ...
'' (1995), a collection of Madonna ballads. All of them reached multi-platinum status in the US. Madonna scored her best-selling studio album of the decade with ''
Ray of Light ''Ray of Light'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released in early 1998 by Maverick Records. A stylistic and aesthetical departure from her previous work, ''Ray of Light'' is an electronica and techno-pop reco ...
'' (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 of the chart with ''
Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
'' (2000). The album sold over 11 million copies worldwide, of which four million were sold within the first ten days. She continued her chart-topping streak with studio albums ''
American Life ''American Life'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Madonna. It was released on April 21, 2003, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. The album, produced by the singer and Mirwais Ahmadzaï, features references to many parts of Ame ...
'' (2003) and ''
Confessions on a Dance Floor ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 9, 2005, by Warner Bros. Records. A complete departure from her previous studio album '' American Life'' (2003), ...
'' (2005); the latter became a number-one album in 40 countries with global sales of over 10 million copies. In 2007, Madonna signed a 360 deal with
Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
for $120 million. Her remaining contract with Warner Bros. ended with her eleventh studio album, ''
Hard Candy A hard candy (American English), or boiled sweet (British English), is a sugar candy prepared from one or more sugar-based syrups that is heated to a temperature of 160 °C (320 °F) to make candy. Among the many hard candy varietie ...
'' (2008), and her career-spanning greatest hits compilation, '' Celebration'' (2009). Through her Live Nation partnership, Madonna signed a three-album deal with
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
in 2011. '' MDNA'' (2012) was her first release with the label, which marked her fifth studio album to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. It was followed with ''
Rebel Heart ''Rebel Heart'' is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released by Interscope Records on March 6, 2015. She worked on the album throughout 2014, co-writing and co-producing it with various musicians, including Di ...
'' (2015) and ''
Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen twelve times over sixty-five ...
'' (2019), the latter being her ninth chart-topper on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 2021, Madonna announced her return to Warner Music Group in a global partnership which grants the label her entire recorded music catalog, including the last three Interscope releases. Under the contract, Madonna will launch a series of catalog reissues beginning in 2022, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her recording career.


Major releases


Studio albums


Soundtrack albums


Live albums


Compilation albums


Limited releases


See also

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List of artists by number of UK Albums Chart number ones The UK Albums Chart is a weekly record chart based on album sales from Friday to Thursday in the United Kingdom (the chart week ran from Sunday to Saturday until 2015). It listed only physical album sales until 2007, after which it has also incl ...
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List of best-selling music artists in Finland These are the lists of the music artists that have the highest certified record sales in Finland (and/or sales explicitly confirmed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland in their database). The lists consist of albums and singles (vinyl, CD, d ...
* List of highest-certified music artists in Germany *
List of highest-certified music artists in the United States This is the list of the highest-certified music artists in the United States based on certifications of albums and digital singles (but not physical singles) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). RIAA certifications are based ...
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List of best-selling albums This is a list of the world's best-selling albums of recorded music. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and the album must have sold at least 20 million copies. This list can contain any types of al ...
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List of best-selling albums of the 21st century This is a list of the best-selling albums of the 21st century to date based on IFPI certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the alb ...
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List of best-selling albums by women The following albums, recorded by female solo artists and all-female groups, have sold at least 10 million copies. This list can contain any types of album, including studio albums, extended plays, greatest hits, compilations, soundtracks, an ...
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List of best-selling remix albums A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 20 ...
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List of best-selling albums in Argentina This is a list of the best-selling albums in Argentina based on CAPIF certification. Albums are listed in order of certification (highest to lowest), and order of release date (earliest to most recent). This list contains any type of album, includ ...
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List of best-selling albums in Australia This is a list of best-selling albums in Australia that have been certified by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Since the 1970s, ARIA certified an album platinum for a shipment of 50,000 copies across Australia. In 1983, the ...
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List of best-selling albums in Austria This is a list of the best-selling albums in Austria that have been certified by the IFPI. Since January 1, 2013, BVMI certifies an album platinum for the shipment of 15,000 copies across Austria. All albums in this list must have been certified f ...
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List of best-selling albums in Belgium Albums in Belgium are certified since 1995 by Belgian Entertainment Association. From 1995 to May 2007, gold/platinum levels for domestic albums were 15,000/30,000 while for international album 25,000/50,000. Since May 2007 to today gold/platinu ...
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List of best-selling albums in Brazil The following is an independently list of best-selling albums in Brazil. This list can contain any types of album, including studio albums, extended plays, greatest hits, compilations, various artists, soundtracks and remixes. The list is divid ...
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List of best-selling albums in Chile The following is an independently list of best-selling albums in Chile. Some of these figures are reported by national newspapers such as ''El Mercurio'' and ''La Tercera'', forwarded by entities that includes Feria del Disco and Musimundo (the ...
* List of best-selling albums in Europe *
List of best-selling albums in France This is a list of the best-selling albums in France that have been certified by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique The National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (french: Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique; SNEP) ...
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List of best-selling albums in Germany Germany is the third largest music market in the world, and the largest in Europe. This is a list of the best-selling albums in Germany that have been certified by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). Since January 1, 2003, BVMI certifies an a ...
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List of best-selling albums in Italy The following is an independently list of the best-selling albums in Italy. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or related publishers does not provide an official list but news and mainstream media usually have provided albums sales cla ...
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List of best-selling albums in Mexico Mexico is the second-largest Spanish-speaking music market in the world, slightly behind Spain, based on retail value. Although long plagued by piracy, the domestic market has strengthened in recent years due to strong growth from digital and str ...
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List of best-selling albums in Turkey The following is an independently list of best-selling albums in Turkey. This list can contain any types of album, including studio albums, extended plays, greatest hits, compilations, various artists, soundtracks and remixes. The figures given d ...
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List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom The best-selling album in the United Kingdom is ''Greatest Hits'', a compilation album by the British rock band Queen that was first released in 1981. , it has sold more than 7 million copies, of which approximately 124,000 have been from d ...
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List of best-selling albums in the United States This is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States based on RIAA certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the album mus ...
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List of diamond-certified albums in Canada The following diamond-certified albums in Canada have sold at least one million units (individual CDs, tapes or LPs) as determined by Canadian Recording Industry Association, the national music recording sales certification agency. The first ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

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External links

* * * * {{Featured list Discographies of American artists Pop music discographies
Albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
Lists of albums by artist