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The Top 5 Digital Music Downloads of All Time

The Top 5 Digital Music Downloads of All Time

When the first iPod was released just a little over a decade ago, few could afford them and it was unusual to see the now ubiquitous white earphones out on the street. The affordability of personal mp3 players has changed drastically over the years though and is has been forcing the music scene to change with it. When once you would have had to buy a CD and rip the tracks off of it to listen to on your iPod, now a huge proportion of music sales happen digitally and digital downloads have a massive impact on the success of a song. 

Knowing this you might be wondering who kings and queens of digital downloads are and we’re here to answer just that. The following list details the top five digital downloads of all time, along with the other accolades each single has received.

1. The Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
14.6 million downloads
Released in 2009, I Gotta Feeling picked up the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards and deservedly so. Not only did it top the charts in over 20 countries across the world, but it was also one the first song in history to sell over 7 million digital copies in the US.

2. Ke$ha – TiK ToK
12.8 million downloads
The ultimate non-stop party song, TiK ToK landed in summer of 2009 and stormed the charts in the US and across the globe, becoming 2010’s best-selling single and being certified 5x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, 5x platinum in Australia and a mammoth 7x platinum in Canada.

3. Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are
12.5 million downloads
The debut single from Mars and his first entry into record-making history, Just the Way You Are won Mars the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Just the Way You Are took the number one spot in 10 charts worldwide upon its release in 2010 and has been certified platinum in six countries.

4. Bruno Mars – Grenade
10.2 million downloads
Not satisfied with having one song in the top five best-selling digital singles of all time, Grenade is Mars’ second entry in the chart and was his third consecutive number one hit in the US and UK. The song took the top spot in 18 countries and was nominated for a string of Grammy awards.

5. Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean – Hips Don’t Lie
10 million downloads
Trailing behind Grenade by only a few hundred thousand sales, Hips Don’t Lie is the only Latin influenced song to achieve this level of sales. Taking the number one position in at least 25 countries upon its released in 2006 and breaking records for the most radio plays in a single week in the US, Hips Don’t Lie can also lay claim to having one of the fastest selling ringtones of all time, shifting over 100,000 units in Mexico alone.

Funnily enough, out of the top five selling digital artists of all time, only one appears in the above list – The Black Eyed Peas are the second highest selling digital artist since records began, according to Nielsen Soundscan, but none of the other five even charts: Eminem, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and in top position Rihanna.

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