On March 20th, Paul Grein at Chart Watch published an interesting list about American Idol artists. There are 15 former contestants that have sold 500,000 or more albums. Of the top five, only three won the crown of American Idol. The following is the list of top Idols in sales of albums.
| 1. | Kelly Clarkson | 9,836,000 |
| 2. | Carrie Underwood | 9,408,000 |
| 3. | Clay Aiken | 4,896,000 |
| 4. | Daughtry | 4,413,000 |
| 5. | Ruben Studdard | 2,487,000 |
| 6. | Fantasia | 2,309,000 |
| 7. | Jordin Sparks | 1,053,000 |
| 8. | David Cook | 1,029,000 |
| 9. | Kellie Pickler | 990,000 |
| 10. | Josh Gracin | 780,000 |
| 11. | Bo Bice | 735,000 |
| 12. | Taylor Hicks | 719,000 |
| 13. | Jennifer Hudson | 669,000 |
| 14. | David Archuleta | 665,000 |
| 15. | Elliott Yamin | 630,000 |
There are many more Idols that have recorded albums. Many have had moderate success and some have sold less than 5,000
There are some interesting facts that show up when you see a list like this.
Clay Aiken has sold more albums than any other male singer in Idol history. He has also sold more albums than any other singer that didn’t win the competition.
Country artists seem to have had more overall success than any other genre.
Idol contestants have sold LOTS of albums and there are a lot of very talented young artist that have come through the the Idol Machine.
Congratulations to each musical star. They are seeing their dreams come true.
I am very proud of Clay. He Has worked his tail off and the numbers show that. He has branched out to acting has made many powerful friends in the entertainment industry-Tyra Banks, Mike Nichols among others. He has a very long career ahead of him. He has also found time to bring attention to so many worthwhile causes- BAF, Broadway Fights Aids, Unicef to just mention a few. He is an example for others in the business to follow in my opinion.Thanks sp much for the article.
Considering the fact that RCA/19 has never supported Clay Aiken with his albums, his numbers are unbelievable. If he had 1/4 the support some have, he would have even sold more.
It’s good to see Clay at third place, I am very proud of him. He is so much more then a record artist, all the good he has done for Unicef, And so much more, he is a beautiful person, with a golden hearth!
The success of all those who have been on AI should be celebrated. I am not a fan of the show and Clay is the only one from that show that I really follow. But, I do realize that AI has discovered some amazing talent–especially Clay Aiken.
I, too am very proud of all that he has accomplished and look forward to whatever comes next in his career.
I am very proud of Clay Aiken for coming in #3. He worked very hard to sell what he did..as he did not receive the promotion like most of the others did. The best is yet to come…and I will be right here waiting.
Can you even imagine what Clay’s numbers would be if he had received the support and respect that he so rightly deserves from AI and RCA! Clay has done so well without their support and he will continue to soar! I am very proud of him!
To be #3 with little support from your record label…is amazing…
(I still say the figures they posted are not right. I have heard numerous times that Clay has sold over 6 1/2 million units, but that would include singles and EP)
However, I find it amazing…I have no doubt those numbers would have been so much higher with radio play… I’m hoping and praying that now that Clay is no longer with RCA, that things will turn around for him, and he will get the promotion he deserves… I miss seeing him, but fortunately we will be seeing him soon, on tv.
Hugs,
Judy
Clay’s numbers would be much higher if they’d have included his singles and the EP.
Clay is amazing. I don’t think anyone could have sold what he did with 0 radio play. Also RCA never took one step to promote him overseas and he still has many Canadian,and Asian fans.
Just imagine the albums Clay would have sold if he had been promoted overseas and had the radio airplay that everyone else has had. So considering his handicaps I would say he should be in the #1 spot.