The Hot 100's Top Artists of All Time
As part of Billboard's celebration of the 60th anniversary of our Hot 100 chart this week, we're taking a deeper look at some of the biggest artists and singles in the chart's history. Here, we revisit the ranking's 100 biggest artists of all-time.
On Aug. 4 1958, Billboard launched the Hot 100, forever changing pop music -- or at least how it's measured. Sixty years later, the chart remains the gold-standard ranking of America's top songs each week. And while what goes into a hit has changed (bye, bye jukebox play; hello, streaming!), attaining a spot on the list -- or better yet, a coveted No. 1 -- is still the benchmark to which artists explore, from Ricky Nelson on the first to Drake on the latest. Which brings us to this hottest-of-the-hot list: the 100 most massive artists over the charts six decades.
1. The Beatles
2. Madonna
3. Elton John
5. Mariah Carey
10. Rihanna
12. Paul McCartney
13. Bee Gees
14. Usher
15. Chicago
16. The Supremes
17. Prince
19. Rod Stewart
21. Drake
22. Aretha Franklin
23. Marvin Gaye
24. Taylor Swift
25. Katy Perry
26. Phil Collins
27. Billy Joel
28. Diana Ross
29. The Four Seasons
30. The Temptations
31. Donna Summer
32. The Beach Boys
33. Lionel Richie
34. Bruno Mars
35. Neil Diamond
36. Carpenters
37. Maroon 5
38. Boyz II Men
39. The Jacksons
40. Connie Francis
41. Beyoncé
42. Brenda Lee
43. Kenny Rogers
44. Barbra Streisand
45. Bryan Adams
46. Cher
47. George Michael
49. P!nk
50. Bobby Vinton
51. John Mellencamp
52. Three Dog Night
54. Gloria Estefan
55. Bon Jovi
56. Chubby Checker
57. Ray Charles
58. Foreigner
59. Chris Brown
60. Kool & The Gang
62. Ricky Nelson
63. Duran Duran
65. Commodores
66. Eagles
67. Lady Gaga
68. TLC
69. Paul Anka
70. Barry Manilow
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71. Dionne Warwick
72. Heart
73. Nelly
75. Bobby Darin
76. R. Kelly
77. James Brown
78. Paula Abdul
79. Eminem
80. Alicia Keys
81. Kelly Clarkson
82. Linda Ronstadt
83. Richard Marx
84. Starship
85. Destiny's Child
86. Kanye West
87. Céline Dion
88. Jay-Z
89. The Miracles
90. Bob Seger
91. Fleetwood Mac
92. Neil Sedaka
93. Justin Bieber
96. John Denver
97. Four Tops
99. 50 Cent
100. The 5th Dimension
Methodology: The Greatest of All-Time 60th Anniversary Billboard Hot 100 Songs and Artists rankings are based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (from its inception on Aug. 4, 1958, through July 21, 2018). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods. Artists are ranked based on a formula blending performance, as outlined above, of all of their Hot 100 chart entries.
This article originally appeared in the Aug. 4 issue of Billboard.
