Ten iconic albums from 1976, ranked by sales

Business Insider ranks the best-selling albums turning 50 this year using RIAA certification data.

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Oct 8, 2026

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Ten iconic albums from 1976, ranked by sales

Business Insider ranks the best-selling albums turning 50 this year using RIAA certification data.

In brief

Business Insider ranks the best-selling albums turning 50 this year using RIAA certification data. Business Insider ranked ten iconic albums from 1976 by sales using RIAA certifications, which measure commercial success through gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond awards. Originally reported by Business Insider.

Fifty years of iconic music

Nineteen seventy-six produced some of music's most enduring albums. Many remain among the best-selling of all time, with artists continuing to benefit from their lasting success.

How RIAA measures album success

Business Insider used certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA, whose Gold and Platinum database measures commercial success. Gold albums sold five hundred thousand units, platinum one million, and diamond ten million.

Ranking the best sellers from 1976

Ranking the best sellers from 1976

Business Insider ranked ten iconic albums from 1976 by RIAA-certified units sold. Awards and broader cultural impact were considered, but greatest-hits albums and live records were excluded from the list.

The big picture

Business Insider ranked ten iconic albums from 1976 by sales using RIAA certifications, which measure commercial success through gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond awards.

Read the original on Business Insider

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