Singer Rihanna has set a new digital sales record. This is currently the absolute record for sales in digital formats.
Singer Rihanna has set an all-time record for digital music sales, becoming the best-selling artist of the digital era at the time the data was published. According to statistics from Nielsen SoundScan and Billboard, released on Friday, January 6, the total digital sales of her songs reached 47.5 million copies.
This achievement became a landmark not only for Rihanna’s own career, but also for the music industry as a whole, especially considering that her professional journey began relatively recently — in 2005. In a short time by music business standards, the singer managed to become one of the key drivers of the digital market.
The balance of power in digital sales
Second place in the ranking was taken by The Black Eyed Peas, whose digital sales amounted to 42.4 million copies. Third place went to Eminem with 42.2 million, confirming his sustained influence on the digital audience.
Fourth place was claimed by Lady Gaga (42 million), while the top five was rounded out by Taylor Swift, whose strength traditionally lies not only in singles, but also in album sales and the loyalty of her fan base.
Top 10 artists of the digital era
Positions six through eight were taken by Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, and Beyoncé.
The top ten also included Kanye West and Britney Spears, whose careers span several stages of the music market’s transformation — from physical media to streaming.
The singles paradox: the leader is not always the champion
Interestingly, if the ranking were recalculated by best-selling digital singles, the leader would be The Black Eyed Peas with the track I Gotta Feeling, which at the time was the best-selling digital single in history with 7.68 million copies.
At the same time, none of Rihanna’s individual singles made it into the top 10 best-selling digital tracks, highlighting a key feature of her success: the consistency and scale of her catalog, rather than one massive hit. It was precisely the combined impact of many successful releases that allowed her to top the overall ranking.
What this record means
Rihanna’s record marked a shift in eras — from the dominance of physical formats to a model in which digital sales and mass accessibility of tracks define an artist’s status. This result clearly demonstrates how consumer habits have changed and how artists of the new generation were able to integrate most effectively into the digital ecosystem.
Rihanna did not just top the list — she set a new benchmark for success in the digital music industry, one that will long remain a reference point for analysts and musicians alike.
