The following is an independently-determined list of best-selling albums in Turkey, divided in all-time best-selling albums, by year and by foreign artists. This list can contain any types of album, including studio albums, extended plays, greatest hits, compilations, various artists, soundtracks and remixes. The figures given do not take into account the resale of used albums or illegal copies (including in some external reports).
To ensure the highest level of fact checking, sales figures are supported by reputed sources, for example: international music-related magazines such as Music & Media and Billboard, national newspapers or Turkish music organizations like Mü-Yap, an IFPI member which represents the music industry in the country. Other sales figures were provided by MESAM (from Turkish: Türkiye Musiki Eseri Sahipleri Meslek Birliği and in English: Turkish Musical Work Owners Professional Association), a copyright collective music organization established in 1986. According to British ethnomusicologist Martin Stokes, the first efforts to establish official figures by MESAM took place in 1990. Various albums sold more than 1 million in Turkey. Mü-Yap have awarded many domestic artists with a Diamond certification since the award inauguration in 2003, signifying certified units of 300,000, although many of these albums reached slightly higher actual sales according to their yearly reports.
Various artists have multiple entries, with İbrahim Tatlıses, Tarkan and Sezen Aksu having the highest claims with at least one release reaching 3 million units across the nation. Furthermore, Tarkan is one of the few artists with a release with more than a million copies sold in the country in both 20th and 21st centuries. Allah Allah-Hülya (1987) by İbrahim Tatlıses became one of the fastest-selling albums to reach the million mark, in a lapse of one and a half month according to Milliyet.
Leyend ColorsStudio albumsGreatest hits and compilationsExtended playsLive albums
Best-selling albums
+ Best-selling albums in Turkey (at over 800,000)Year Artist Album Claimed sales Ref. 1985İbrahim Tatlıses3,200,0003,100,0001997TarkanÖlürüm Sana3,000,0002,600,0001991Sezen AksuGülümse3,000,0002,500,0001990Coşkun Sabah2,800,0002,700,0001984Orhan Gencebay2,700,0002,600,0001999Barış Manço2,600,0001998Mahsun Kırmızıgül2,600,0001994TarkanAacayipsin2,000,0002003TarkanDudu1,500,0001994Mahsun Kırmızıgül12'den Vuracağım1,240,0001987İbrahim Tatlıses1,000,0002001Hande YenerSen Yoluna... Ben Yoluma...1,000,0001989Sezen Aksu845,0002004Serdar OrtaçÇakra812,5002004Mahsun KırmızıgülSari Sari Başroldeyım811,0001989İbrahim Tatlısesİnsanlar800,000
Best-selling albums by year +According to Mü-Yap Year Album Artist Sales 2004 Çakra Serdar Ortaç 812,500 2005 Bahane Sezen Aksu 421,200 2006 İsmail YK 540,000 2007 Bulamadım İbrahim Tatlıses 420,500 2008 Çok Sevdim İkimizi Ferhat Göçer 303,000 2009 Yağmurla Gelen Kadın İbrahim Tatlıses133,891 2010 Adımı Kalbine Yaz Tarkan 355,000 2011 Ajda Pekkan 175,000 2012 Orhan Gencebay 419,985 2013 Beni Durdursan mı? Gülşen466,646 2014 Yeni Ay Sıla158,041 2015 Pırlanta Demet Akalın105,000 2016 Ahde Vefa Tarkan272,500 2017 10 Tarkan390,000
Best-selling albums by international artists
YearArtistAlbumClaimed salesRef.1991MetallicaMetallica300,0001998Ricky MartinVuelve200,0001989MadonnaLike a Prayer151,0001986MadonnaTrue Blue100,000
Foreign albums certified by Mü-Yap Since their certification program established in 2003, at least 8 albums by foreign artists have obtained Platinum or Gold certification from Mü-Yap, the national music certifying body founded in 2000.
Rel. yearArtistAlbumCertificationCertified salesYearRef. 2007Dany BrillantHistoire d'un amour Gold 5,000 2008Pink MartiniHey Eugene! Platinum 10,000ShantelNorah JonesNot Too Late 2008MetallicaDeath Magnetic Gold 5,000 2009ColdplayViva la VidaMadonnaHard Candy 2006Amy WinehouseBack to Black
List of Turkish artists by claimed sales Artist Claimed sales Image İbrahim Tatlıses 33 million30 million Orhan Gencebay 28 million Ferdi Tayfur 27 million Sezen Aksu 27 million Ahmet Kaya 26 million Tarkan 14 million
Notes
See also List of best-selling albums List of best-selling albums by country List of best-selling singles by country§Turkey Music of Turkey Arabesque Turkish pop music
References