from Madonna.com :
With the completion of Madonna’s final show in Sao Paulo Brazil last evening – one of eleven record-breaking performances in South America – the ‘Material Girl’s’ ‘Sticky & Sweet’ Tour reigns supreme by becoming the Number One Largest Grossing Tour in history by a solo artist, it was confirmed today by Live Nation, the tour’s international producer. Her 58 shows in Europe, the US, Canada, Mexico and South America played for a staggering 2,350,282 million fans and sold over (USD)280,000,000 in tickets.
“Madonna has yet again demonstrated her true global appeal as a live performer whether in stadiums or arenas. Not only will this tour be the top selling tour of all time for a solo artist and a female artist (eclipsing her own record), but it will position her as one of the top selling touring artists of all time” said Arthur Fogel, Live Nation’s Chairman of Global Music and CEO of Global Touring.
Along with record breaking ticket sales in South America with a total 650,000 tickets sold, the ‘Sticky & Sweet’ Tour sold 72,000 tickets at Zurich’s Military Airfield Dubendorf – the largest audience ever assembled for a show in Switzerland. In London, where she performed in front of 74,000 fans with over 12 million dollars in ticket sales, Madonna surpassed all previous records at both the old and new Wembley Stadiums. In New York City, Madonna’s four sell-outs at Madison Square Garden shows added up to a record breaking 23 sold out performances since 2001 at that venue – a record for most appearances for a single artist in this decade.
Madonna’s multi Grammy-nominated CD “Hard Candy” debuted at number one early this year in over 37 countries.
Sticky & Sweet 
Tom Munro 
Revolver 
Hope For Haiti 
Sticky & Sweet 
Madonna - Celebration 
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration
Madonna - Celebration 
I Am Because We Are 
Filth and Wisdom 
I Am Because We Are 
Miles Away 
Sticky & Sweet 
Madonna Confessions 
Madonna 2009 
Give It 2 Me 
Give It 2 Me 
Hard Candy 
Hard Candy 
4 Minutes 
4 Minutes 
Shardy said it right.
At the end of the day, what determines the success of a song is whether or not a song is remembered long after its airplay chart history and whether or not a song continues to sell and reach the audiences via many different music outlets- mediums/ channels.
Madonna’s Hung Up was the best selling record when it came out, it continues to sell, be played and create excitement to this day. Compare that to Mariah’s poor heart broken me songs. Who remembers Mariah’s songs? As far as I am concerned they mostly sound the same. Ask people to name Mariah’s number one songs, then you will see that hardly anybody remembers her songs. But everybody remembers Hung Up and many other Madonna songs regardless of their chart positions. Everybody knows, Borderline, Everybody, American life, Give it To Me,,,,,,,
What makes Madonna great is her ability to make great and unforgettable songs. Madonna’s albums are always filled with great songs.
This shows what a Phenomenon Madonna is, and the magnitude of her success!
CONGRATULATIONS MADDY!
Well to me Madonna’s record sales in US are ripped off either by her label or by the distributors, under political commands. I don’t believe it for a second
Madonna’s album Confessions On A Dancefloor sells 1.7 million in US and the tour that promoted it Confessions Tour is a sellout in US, with huge ticket prices.
Mariah’s album TEOM supposately sells sells 6 million and her tour is a flop, she can’t even fill up small arenas in US, her main market, though having much lower ticket prices, much lower.
WHERE WERE MARIAH’S FANS, SUPPORTING HER NO MATTER WHAT, THE QUALITY OF THE SHOW ETC.? WHERE?
WHEN YOU SUPPOSATELY HAVE THE BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM OF THE YEAR IN US-2005, IT IS VERY WEIRD, TO SAY THE LEAST, IT’S UNHEARED OF TO NOT FILL A SMALL ARENA.
ANOTHER THING, WATCH CAREFULLY THOSE 2 ALBUMS TRAJECTORIES ON THE BILLBOARD CHART…MADONNA’S ALBUM HAS THE MORE NATURAL TRAJECTORY, SELLS A LOT IN THE 1ST WEEK, THEN IT DESCENDS GRADYUALLY WITH EVERY WEEK WHEREAS MARIAH’S ALBUM TEOM HAS THE BIGGEST SALES IN A WEAK AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS SINCE THE RELEASE, WHICH IS ABSURD
SALES CAN BE INBENTED ACTUALLY, FOR EXAMPLE A STORES CHAINS REPORTS BIGGER NUMBERS THAN THE REAL ONES, IF IT’S INTERESTED OR STIMULATED TO DO SO
THINK ABOUT IT IT S POSSIBLE
perhaps you may have heard of pariah scarey’s
ex husband and record label ceo (Tommy Mattola..?)
there was supposedly a payola scandal involving
pariah scarey’s previous albums including her last one
payola has evolved into a far more complex and elusive
system given the digital age of music is here to stay
i find it quite odd that M’s music supposedly doesn’t get
much airplay, or “record breaking sales” yet is more easily recognized in the mainstream, while pariah scarey’s dog-whistle like “music” which is to have “sold more” than M’s music is not really recognized be the general U.S. population…?
in any case…
i dig M’s sound and message far more than most
other U.S. “pop stars”…and FAR more than ANY
of pariah scarey’s sappy, redundant, “heartbreak songs”
just sayin’…
seem to
the story of which all disappeared soon after it was reported
sony, now ex Mariah and Celine Dion’s label, was involved in a payolla scandal several years ago in US. Police taped executives from sony giving money, presents to radio DJs, buying chart positions for Whoriah and Creepine Dion.
World Music Awards is bought by Sony Bmg, they only promote their artists, falsely. Till whoriah left from Sony, she was proclaimed best selling ever, when she left then Celine was proclaimed so. 2000 Whoriah wins at WMA best selling female of the millenium, which is a lie, Madonna was the biggest selling of the last “millenium”, century. Now they do the same with Creepine dion, watch on Youtube “Celine Dion best selling female artist ever” and see how WMA and other media-like Leno, Oprah, ET etc all introduce Creepine as the biggest selling, which is false and a lie, Madonna has sold more worldwide etc. Prince Albert etc endorses these lies, meaning meaning bigger forces are fighting to sell this lie and to establish Creepine dion as the best selling, through payolla, lies, and faking sales for Celine. Her last album had no big hit and supposed;y sold 1 million in US-yeah right. Selling a product, advertising it under false pretend is illegal, Celine Dion is selling now her music claiming on every TV Show she’s the best selling FEMALE EVER, and THIS IS ILLEGAL, to sell your product claiming your nr 1 when you’re not. Nobody’s doing nothing, Warner Madonna’s label doesn’t protect Madonna, moreover they delete 150.000 videos of Madonna from youtube, all her big successes on YT- 4 Minutes …52 million views, etc.
watch on Youtube “Celine Dion best selling female artist ever”, and see that false propaganda being spread even on CNN, at Larry King show. Now CNN belongs to Warner time, like Warner Music Group did at that time when it happened, and what firm protects his product-Madonna- by accepting to present another product- dion as the most successful, a\WHEN THEY KNOW FOR CERTAIN, ALL IN THE INDUSTRY, KNOW, THAT MADONNA SOLD MORE ALBUMS, MORE SINGLES, MORE RECORDS IN THE WORLD THAN DION.
4 MINUTES SELLS 2.3 MILLION IN us–HARD CANDY ONLY 0.7 MILLION?????
TOUCH MY BODY–SELLS 1.2 MILLION AND THE ALBUM 1.2 MILLION?????
TALKING CHANCES–THE SINGLE SELLS NOTHING???? AND THE ALBUM SUPPOSEDLY OBER 1 MILLION IN US
SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT
MADONNA’S RECORDS ARE RIPPED OFF IN US–THERE ARE 2 OR 3 WAYS TO DO SO….CHAIN STORES LIKE WALTMART REPORTING FALSE NUMBERS, OR NILESEN SOUNDSCAN REPORTING FALSE NUMBERS, INFLATING NUMBERS FOR DION OR MARIAH AND DEFLATING THEM FOR MADONNA
IT’S QUITE EASY IF YOU THINK
IF DION REALLY WERE THE BEST SELLING THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN OK, BUT SHE’S NOT AND WHAT SHE’S DOING-FALSE CLAIMS- SHOW SHE’S NOT A ARTIST AND WHO’S THE REAL BITCH AND BUISNESS WOMAN–CREEPINE
#1 selling tour for a solo artist in history…
(was there any ever doubt?)
i am well aware M’s record sales sometimes wane a bit
here in the U.S in the past years…
however,
if the U.S. economy is that awful,
yet M still manages to sell as many concert tickets,
and now with this fresh new accomplishment, it proves
that when all is said and done, M makes a solid case for
all the negatives that are said or written about her
Congrats to M!
Well Done!
Unfortunately people in Detroit area are being laid off in mass numbers, many can’t even keep their homes and have problem paying their bills. However the Madonna’s show in Detroit was almost sold out even though the stop in Detroit was announced very late and many fans in that area had already bought tickets for her Toronto show.
Oh well, at least the disastrous presidency of Bush is over. Better days are yet to come with president elect Obama.
Anyway, a quarter of Madonna’s record breaking ticket sales came from USA. Madonna still rules across the universe including USA. All of that in just 4 months.
Those numbers don’t lie.
Fabulous at 50
She proved the haters wrong again, by earning more than she ever did, as well as out earning everybody else in the music business. Great going Madonna.
International
Nr 1 album
Nr 1 song
Number 1 tour
All of that more than a quarter of a century after her rule began.
There is one Queen of Universe and that is Madonna.
We continue to celebrate her MaDjesty.
She must be only popular in Europe and Latin America. She couldn’t even sell out her hometown of Detroit.
best grossing tour ever, per show
2nd biggest tour ever
amazing, in just 4 months, not 2 years, like Rolling Stones
STICKY & SWEET!
True queen of universe.
The Queen!
I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!OOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGG.I’M SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY.!!!!!!!ICAN’T DESCRIBE HOW I FEEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!U F’PK JLSVH UN YFGT
I agree with you they buy the chart and radio DJs that’strue