The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling
independent music 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 and
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. s (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
and published weekly by ''
Billboard'' magazine.
It is used to list artists who are not signed to
major labels
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
. Rankings are compiled by point-of-purchase sales obtained by Nielsen, and from legal
music downloads from a variety of
online music stores. The chart began in the week of February 5, 2000.
[''Billboard''. Feb 5, 2000]
/ref>paid subscription
The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, an ...
to Billboard.biz.
Best-selling top independent albums by year
Since 2002, Billboard.biz has annually published an end-of-year list of the top 50 best selling independent albums. ''Billboard'' also independently announced the highest selling album for 2001. Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz have topped this chart three times since its inception, twice with their 2002 album '' Kings of Crunk''.
*2001 (see 2001 in music): Baha Men - '' Who Let the Dogs Out''Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller is an American neoclassical new-age music ensemble founded and directed by percussionist/composer Chip Davis in 1974. The group is known primarily for its '' Fresh Aire'' series of albums, which blend classical music with ...
- '' Christmas Extraordinaire''2008 in music
This topic covers notable events and articles related to 2008 in music. This year was the peak of record sales in the United States, with sales declining year on year since then.
Specific locations
*2008 in British music
* 2008 in Canadian m ...
): The Eagles - '' Long Road out of Eden''Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...
- '' Wide Open''2012 in music
This topic covers notable events and articles related to 2012 in music. This year was the peak of music downloads sales in the United States, with sales declining year on year since then.
Specific locations
* 2012 in African music
*2012 in Ame ...
): Mumford & Sons - '' Babel''2013 in music
This topic covers notable events and articles related to 2013 in music.
Specific locations
Specific genres
Albums released
Highest critically reviewed albums (Metacritic)
Awards
Bands formed
* Band-Maid
* Beach Slang
* Bi ...
): Mumford & Sons - ''Babel''Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
- '' Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences''2015 in music
This topic covers notable events and articles related to 2015 in music.
Specific locations
Specific genres
Albums released
*List of 2015 albums
Awards
Bands formed
* 3776
* 1Punch
* Akishibu Project
* April
* Bastarz
* Big Bra ...
): Jason Aldean - '' Old Boots, New Dirt''2016 in music
This topic covers notable events and articles related to 2016 in music.
Specific locations
Specific genres
Albums released
Significant performances
* March 25 – British rock and roll band, The Rolling Stones become the second ...
): Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
- '' A Moon Shaped Pool''2017 in music
This topic covers notable events and articles related to 2017 in music.
Specific locations
* African
*American
* Asian
*Australian
* Brazilian
*British
*Canadian
* Chinese
* Danish
* European
*Finnish
*French
*German
* Icelandic
*Indian
*Irish ...
): Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
- '' Hardwired... to Self-Destruct''Rearview Town
''Rearview Town'' is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Jason Aldean. It was released on April 13, 2018 via Broken Bow Records. It debuted at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, becoming Aldean's fourth consecutive num ...
''
References
External links
''Billboard'' Independent Albums''Billboard''
{{Billboard
Billboard charts