List of best-selling singles in the United StatesThis list compiles the best-selling singles in the United States, based on reported sales figures. Some of the singles have been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In music, a single is a song considered commercially viable enough by the artist and record company to be released separately from an album, usually featured on an album as well. For more information, see single.
Music recording certificationMusic recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory . Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after precious materials (gold, platinum and diamond).
Album-equivalent unitThe album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of songs streamed and songs downloaded equal to one album sale. The album-equivalent unit was introduced in the mid-2010s as an answer to the drop of album sales in the 21st century. Album sales more than halved from 1999 to 2009, declining from a $14.6 to a $6.3 billion industry, partly due to cheap digitally downloaded singles.
Flo RidaTramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low" was number 1 for ten weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital download sales at the time of its release. Flo Rida's debut album, 2008's Mail on Sunday, reached number 4 in the U.S. The album was succeeded by R.O.O.T.S., the next year.
Recording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization representing the United States recording industry. Its members include major record labels and distributors, which the RIAA states "create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately 85 percent of all legally sold recorded music in the United States". The RIAA is headquartered in Washington, D.C.The RIAA was formed in 1952.
Record salesRecord sales or music sales are activities related to selling music recordings (albums, singles, or music videos) through physical record shops or digital music stores. Record sales reached their peak in 1999, when 600 million people spent an average of $64 on records, achieving $40 billion in sales of recorded music. Record sales started declining in the 21st century, which made artists rely on touring for most of their income.
Where Them Girls AtFlo Rida singles chronologyNicki Minaj singles chronology"Where Them Girls At" (originally titled "Where Dem Girls At?") is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta featuring American rappers Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj. The track was released on 2 May 2011, via Virgin Records, serving as the lead single from Guetta's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat.
This Is What You Came For2016 single by Calvin Harris and RihannaRihanna singles chronologyMusic video"This Is What You Came For" on YouTube"This Is What You Came For" is a song by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna. Released as a standalone single on 29 April 2016, by Sony Music UK and Westbury Road, the song was included on Harris' first compilation album, 96 Months (2024).
Calvin HarrisAdam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris (and sometimes under the stage name Love Regenerator), is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer and songwriter. His debut studio album, I Created Disco (2007) was preceded by the singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls", both of which achieved commercial success in Europe and Australia.
YouTubeVideo-sharing platformYouTube is an American online video-sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen, all of whom were former employees at PayPal. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, it is the second-most-visited website in the world, after Google itself.
Billboard (magazine)Billboard (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is a Manhattan-based multinational music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The publication group and miscellaneous media corporation provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to the music industry.
Luminate (company)Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. It was established in 2020 as a joint venture, by Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music), and Variety Business Intelligence (formerly TVtracker).*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.