Who is bigger, Elvis or Taylor Swift? How the 2 artists stack up

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

Who is bigger, Elvis or Taylor Swift? How the 2 artists stack up

Bob Mehr
Memphis Commercial Appeal

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/ ... 945949007/

It used to be that folks would ask who was bigger: Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson? But over the last decade, Taylor Swift has entered the conversation, as she continues to shatter sales, chart and box office records.

As with most comparisons of this kind, there is no clearcut answer to the question.

Looking at the sales numbers — and those are not entirely reliable — it has been widely reported that Elvis has sold in excess of 1 billion albums worldwide. Swift, meanwhile, has reportedly sold some 200 million albums globally.

Looking at the respective U.S. chart performance between Presley and Swift, it’s much more competitive. Elvis had 114 Top 40 hits during his career, the most of any artist — at least until Swift came along. She has now has notched 177 Top 40 hits. Though it should be noted that Memphis-connected rapper Drake actually has the most overall, with 217 Top 40 entries (though the nature of charts and charting tracks has changed dramatically since Presley’s day).

Additionally, Swift broke Presley’s longstanding record for the most weeks spent atop the Billboard 200 album chart by a solo artist. She set a new mark of 68 total weeks in 2023 for her album, “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” And this past fall, Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” album became her 14th No. 1 record on the UK charts, breaking her tie with Presley for the act with the most No. 1 albums.

Beyond their recording work, Presley starred in more than 30 hit movies that earned millions at the box office, certainly besting Swift, whose appearances in films like “Cats” and “Amsterdam” haven’t quite had as much impact or success. However, Swift’s concert film, “The Eras Tour,” was a massive phenomenon, earning more than $261 million at the box office, far outstripping any of Presley’s concert films.

In terms of performing, while Elvis was one of the most successful touring artists, he never played outside North America, while Swift has staged many massive international tours. Her "The Eras Tour" shattered all previous records, generating more than $2 billion in ticket sales.

The competition between Presley and Swift becomes harder to judge when it comes to influence and impact. Certainly, Presley remains the most seminal figure in rock history, but Swift has only just hit her professional and cultural peak, so there’s more of her story yet to be written.

Regardless of how you figure it, Presley and Swift are two of the biggest artists of all time.

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

Elvis was alive when the world's population was smaller

so artists now can sell a 100 million and that is less impressive with a global population that has doubled