Most records sold by an indie artist

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I know indie rockers dont care about the money and all, but which one album, release on an independent label, has sold the most. Or at least the highest selling one you can think of.

If you know, please do tell.

― David Allen, Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Is it still the Offspring's Ignition?

― Xibalba (xibalba), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:38 (twenty-three years ago)

I can just about guarantee you it's a hip-hop album.

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:39 (twenty-three years ago)

If you're going to restrict it to indie-rock, then it might be an Offspring or a Green Day album or Bleach. Matador's biggest selling album is Exile In Guyville. Their second biggest selling is (or was) Whip-Smart. Slanted & Enchanted is number three.

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I wouldn't be surprised if Edwyn Collins's Gorgeous George is up there, sadly just cos of "A Girl Like You" - I say sadly, cos I fear most people won't have actually given the rest of the album much of their time, even though it's brilliant.

― Charlie (Charlie), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:42 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm pretty sure it's Offspring's Smash. No Tommy Boy or Profile rap release ever sold over 8 million to the best of my knowledge.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Did Jive count as an indie before they got bought?

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:45 (twenty-three years ago)

What about Apple? Were they indie? T*e Beatles sold loadsa records.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Britney the Indie Chick!

― Curt (cgould), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:52 (twenty-three years ago)

what about no limit??? i bet they sell massive records, or have...

― ron (ron), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Apple was a subsidiary of EMI, as Reprise, Paisley Park and Maverick were/are of Warner Bros.

Top 3 selling indie artists: N'Sync, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys - who says ILM don't love indie?

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 04:58 (twenty-three years ago)

It certainly isn't Bleach or Gorgeous George - to my knowledge neither has cracked a million. "A Girl Like You" sold way, way more than the album did.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 05:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Isn't it Moby (Play)? Before Mute was bought by EMI, that is.

― Sean@tangmonkey (Sean M), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 05:02 (twenty-three years ago)

This thread's going to get derailed by the American-British indie divide I fear.

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 05:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, Britney is only indie in America.

But what about Ani Difranco?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 06:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Blue Monday?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 08:24 (twenty-three years ago)

"This thread's going to get derailed by the American-British indie divide I fear."

Hmmmm. What labels are/were Joy Division/New Order, The Smiths and Depeche Mode on in the US?

"Blue Monday?"

Well it is (or at least used to be) the biggest selling 12" on an indie certainly....

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 09:47 (twenty-three years ago)

JD/NO were on Qwest in the States (distributed by Warners), the Smiths were on Sire.

― Damian (Damian), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 09:56 (twenty-three years ago)

In the "indie-rock" sense of the word:

1. Pearl Jam
2. Green Day
3. Nirvana

― JoB (JoB), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 12:37 (twenty-three years ago)

do you know about actual figures?
i'm curious about slanted and enchanted.

― joan vich (joan vich), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 12:58 (twenty-three years ago)

"indie band"...like, record released on an independent label? or an "indie band" style band?

If the former, I hate to say it, but every single one of the gazillion and a half Creed albums sold have ALL been released through the same independent label. I wanna hate everything about them, but the fact that they're not on a major label kinda makes me smile a little.

If the latter, I don't think you get more "indie band" sounding than REfuckinM, who have sold, like, trillions of albums.

― nickalicious, Tuesday, 19 November 2002 15:06 (twenty-three years ago)

OK, I'm American so I'm talking about American sales here. I'm pretty sure Jive and Wind-Up (home of Creed) have always had major label distribution. Most indie rock releases here would be smashes selling a million copies, rap selling 4. Offspring sold 8 million off of Epitaph. No No Limit, No Moby and CERTAINLY no Matador release could compete.

You brits can bicker it out, but I'm pretty sure about the U.S. here.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 17:14 (twenty-three years ago)

I just had the notion that this thread should concern indie-label musicians / CEOs trudging down to the local CD shack to try & pawn off XX copies of their own releases to pay rent / buy burritos / rent porn (which is CLEARLY what matters to all burgeoning media moguls).

Don't forget the Baha Men!

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 17:19 (twenty-three years ago)

...washing dishes in a restaurant once i stumbled outside for a smoke, i witnessed jon spencer dangling his head out of a stretch limo burning 100 dollar bills and smashing bottles of expensive champage all over the place. what a pig.

― kephm, Tuesday, 19 November 2002 22:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Kylie Minogue, when she was on PWL.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 22:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I watched Moulin Rouge again last night and discovered that Kylie Minogue plays the absynthe-fairy near the beginning of the movie.

― nickalicious, Tuesday, 19 November 2002 22:40 (twenty-three years ago)

PWL is also major distro'd

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 23:49 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't really know how you could determine the right answer for this but I think matador is (was?) probably one of the most succesful indie labels and their highest grossing album was liz phair followed by s&e i believe

― coelcanth, Wednesday, 20 November 2002 03:04 (twenty-three years ago)

yes, kylie wins!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 13:06 (twenty-three years ago)

three years pass...

The Offspring's SMASH

― William Wallace, Sunday, 14 May 2006 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

Matador wasn't strictly an indie when Exile finally went gold in the late 90s, right? Regardless, Roadrunner's gold/platinums for Slipknot, Type O Negative, King Diamond? and whoever still bust that spot. Nine Inch Nails had multiplatinums for TVT. Metal indie Megaforce sold millions of records for Metallica & Anthrax, but they were licensed early on, so... I guess the answer is Fugazi or Ani DiFranco or NWA.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Sunday, 14 May 2006 22:50 (nineteen years ago)

You have to define "indie" because there are many huge labels that are independently owned and operated but who benefit greatly from major distro. Wind Up, with multi-million sellers such as Creed and Evanescence, is an indie but has distro with BMG. I think that there's a big distinction between Wind Up and, say, Dischord, for this reason (well, many more too, but that's another issue).

I think that for the purposes of this excersise, it should be limited to releases on indie labels who went out through indie distro exclusively. That seems more in the spirit of things.

For the longest time, Joe Satriani's Surfing With The Alien was atop this list because back when it came out Relativity and their distribution arm (then Important, now RED) were not associated with Sony. That disc was certified Gold in 1989 and Platinum in 1992.

Offspring's Smash has been certified 6x Platinum in the US and Epitaph is independently owned and was always distributed by indies to my knowledge. That's a pretty big number and very few acts in hip-hop - the area that has a lot of indie successes - has reached that level. Straight Outta Compton is only Double Platinum in comparison, and I don't recall who distributed Priority in the late '80s.

Even Epitaph is hard to figure with this one because they went out through RED after Sony bought 50% of the company (they eventually bought all of the company) and they go through ADA (Alternative Distribution Alliance) which is owned by WEA.

Ani DiFranco and Fugazi have no RIAA awards to speak of in spite of their successes.

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Sunday, 14 May 2006 23:37 (nineteen years ago)

Apple must have counted as an 'indie' as they wouldn't let the Beatles have their records on the label/numbering sequence.

Even solo stuff was limited to "The Plastic Ono band", Ringo solo albums, George's wibbly experimental/soundtrack album, and no Paul sttuff, while the beatles existed.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 15 May 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

Nine Inch Nails had multiplatinums for TVT

some or all of those were also Interscope, though. but I'm pretty sure TVT's platinum albums with Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins were entirely independent.

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Monday, 15 May 2006 12:20 (nineteen years ago)

No facts and figures to back this up but my guess would be Depeche Mode.

― ant, Monday, 15 May 2006 12:21 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think any of his releases have outsold Offspring, but don't forget that Tim McGraw is on Curb, which I am pretty sure is an indie.

― Vornado, Monday, 15 May 2006 12:31 (nineteen years ago)

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