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List of best-selling music artists

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following list of best-selling music artists includes those music acts from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. This information cannot be listed officially, as there is no organization that has recorded global music sales.

The tables are listed with each artist's claimed sales figure(s) and their total independently certified units and are ranked in descending order by claimed sales. If two or more artists have the same claimed sales, they are then ranked by certified units. The claimed sales figure and the total of certified units (for each country) within the provided sources include sales of albums, singles, compilation-albums, music videos as well as downloads of singles and full-length albums. Sales figures, such as those from SoundScan, which are sometimes published by Billboard magazine, have not been included in the certified units column.

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  • Best Selling Music Artists 1950-2022 | Top 50 in Equivalent Units
  • Best-Selling Music Artists 1960~2020

Transcription

Definitions

Gold/Platinum certifications issued after 2016, especially on singles, are in some cases more than 50% streaming generated. Some of the 20th century artists can also have significant amount of streaming based certifications. The certified units of the newer artists may sometimes be higher than their listed claimed figures. This is because Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and almost all other certifying bodies count streaming towards Gold and Platinum thresholds required for Digital Single Award certification.[1][2][3] For this reason, some singles and even albums get over certified by hundreds of thousands of units. The over certified figures, however, are often in millions of units for RIAA certifications, one such example is Rihanna's single "We Found Love", which is certified at nine times Platinum by the RIAA, yet during the time of the certification, it had sold 5.4 million downloads.[4][5]

The certified units for some artists/bands who have multi-disc albums can be higher than their listed claimed figures due to the RIAA counting each unit within set as one unit toward certification. The certified units also can be inflated by the redundancy of certifications, because each of tracks downloads and streams contributed to the certifications of both of the single and the respective album. The RIAA counts 10 downloads of individual track as well as 1,500 audio/video streams as an equivalent to one unit of album, including those from singles released prior to the album release.[6] Theoretically, if one song were streamed 1.5 billion times on YouTube, the single would receive Diamond and the whole album could be certified Platinum,[7] thus creating a combined total of 11 million certified units without any sales. Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo achieved Platinum without selling a single copy and was only available for streaming.[8]

Issued certifications for songs which have been recorded by multiple artists including featured artists are added to each artist's total amount of certified units, as all the artists would have played a significant part in a song. For example, "This Is What You Came For" and "Where Them Girls At" include Rihanna and Flo Rida, Nicki Minaj as featured artists respectively, so the certifications issued for these songs are added to the total amount of certified units for all involved artists. However, the certifications issued for songs that have been recorded by four or more artists are not included as the artists involved would have played minor roles, examples of such songs are Kanye West's "Monster" and/or "All Day".[a]

Standards

  • To ensure the highest level of fact checking and editorial control, this list sources sales figures to news organizations and highly regarded music industry related organizations such as Billboard.
  • The figures of total certified units within the tables below are based on certified units of albums, singles (including digital downloads) and videos.
  • Markets' order within the tables is based on Retail Value: each market generates respectively, the largest market at the top and smallest at the bottom.[9][10]
  • The column for certified sales includes markets, the databases of which contain certifications representing figures of 100,000 and more.

Artists by reputed sales

250 million or more records

Artist Country Period active Release-year of first charted record Genre Total certified units
(from available markets)[b] 		Claimed sales
The Beatles United Kingdom 1960–1970[11] 1962[11] Rock / pop[11]

292.7 million
 600 million[43][44]
500 million[45]
Elvis Presley United States 1953–1977[46] 1956[46] Rock and roll / pop / country[46]

233.9 million
 500 million[56]
Michael Jackson United States 1964–2009[57] 1971[57] Pop / rock / dance / soul / R&B[57]

284.8 million
 400 million[70]
Elton John United Kingdom 1962–present[71] 1970[71] Pop / rock[71]

210.1 million
 300 million[75][76]
250 million[77][78]
Queen United Kingdom 1971–present[79] 1973[79] Rock[79]

185.2 million
 300 million[82][83]
250 million[84]
Madonna United States 1979–present[85] 1983[85] Pop / dance / electronica[85]

183.5 million
 300 million[92][93]
250 million[94]
Led Zeppelin United Kingdom 1968–1980[95] 1969[95] Hard rock / blues rock / folk rock[95]

142.6 million
 300 million[99][100]
200 million[101][102]
Rihanna Barbados 2003–present[103] 2005[103] R&B / pop / dance / hip-hop[103]

358.8 million
 250 million[107][108]
230 million[109]
Pink Floyd United Kingdom 1965–1996, 2005, 2012–2014[110][111] 1967[110] Progressive rock / psychedelic rock[110]

124 million
 250 million[115][116]
200 million[117]

200 million to 249 million records

Artist Country Period active Release-year of first charted record Genre Total certified units
(from available markets)[b] 		Claimed sales
Eminem United States 1996–present[118] 1999[118] Hip-hop[118]

330.25 million
 220 million[119]
Mariah Carey United States 1988–present[120] 1990[120] R&B / pop / soul / hip-hop[120]

215.9 million
 220 million[124]
Taylor Swift United States 2006–present[125] 2006[125] Pop / country / rock / folk / alternative[126]

264.2 million
 200 million[127]
170 million[128]
Beyoncé United States 1997–present[129] 2002[129][130] R&B / pop[129]

237.9 million
 200 million[134]
160 million[135]
Whitney Houston United States 1977–2012[136] 1984[136] R&B / soul / pop / gospel[136]

163.5 million
 200 million[140]
Eagles United States 1971–1980, 1994–present[141] 1972[141] Rock[141]

153.2 million
 200 million[143]
Celine Dion Canada 1981–present[144] 1981[144] Pop / Rock[144]

143.85 million
 200 million[149]
175 million[150]
AC/DC Australia 1973–present[151] 1975[151] Hard rock / blues rock / rock and roll[151]

130.9 million
 200 million[153]
The Rolling Stones United Kingdom 1962–present[154] 1963[154] Rock / blues rock[154]

102.9 million
 200 million[156][157]

120 million to 199 million records


Artist Country Period active Release-year of first charted record Genre Total certified units
(from available markets)[b] 		Claimed sales
Drake Canada 2001–present[158] 2009[158] Hip-hop / R&B / pop[158]

446.14 million
 170 million[159]
Garth Brooks United States 1989–present[160] 1989[160] Country[160]

165.3 million
 170 million[162]
Kanye West United States 1996–present[163] 2003[163] Hip-hop / electronic / pop[163]

273.3 million
 160 million[165]
Billy Joel United States 1964–present[166] 1971[166] Pop / rock[166]

134.6 million
 160 million[168]
Justin Bieber Canada 2008–present[169] 2009[169] Pop / teen pop / dance pop[169]

291.9 million
 150 million[170]
Ed Sheeran United Kingdom 2004–present[171] 2011[171] Pop / folk pop[171]

253.2 million
 150 million[172]
Bruno Mars United States 2004–present[173] 2010[173] Pop rock / R&B[173]

204.9 million
 150 million[176]
Bruce Springsteen United States 1972–present[177] 1973[177] Rock[177]

128.1 million
 150 million[179]
U2 Ireland 1976–present[180] 1980[180] Rock[180]

115.1 million
 150 million[184]
Aerosmith United States 1970–present[185] 1973[185] Hard rock[185]

105.2 million
 150 million[187]
Phil Collins United Kingdom 1980–2011, 2015–present[188] 1981[188] Rock / progressive rock / adult contemporary[188]

100.3 million
 150 million[191]
Barbra Streisand United States 1960–present[192] 1963[192] Pop / adult contemporary[192]

98.6 million
 150 million[193]
ABBA Sweden 1972–1982, 2016–present[194] 1972[194] Pop / disco[194]

70.395 million
 150 million[203]
Julio Iglesias Spain 1968–present[204] 1968[204] Latin[204]

51.7 million
 150 million[207]
Frank Sinatra United States 1935–1971, 1973-1995[208] 1940[208] Pop / swing / easy listening[208]

41 million
 150 million[210]
Katy Perry United States 2001–present[211] 2008[211] Pop[211]

178.1 million
 143 million[212]
Chris Brown United States 2005–present[213] 2005[213] R&B / hip-hop / pop[213]

218.3 million
 140 million[214]
Jay-Z United States 1996–present[215] 1996[215] Hip-hop[215]

149.7 million
 125 million[216]
Metallica United States 1981–present[217] 1983[217] Heavy metal / thrash metal[217]

105.6 million
 125 million[219]
Lady Gaga United States 2005–present[220] 2008[220] Pop / dance / electronic[220]

165.81 million
 124 million[221]
Lil Wayne United States 1996–present[222] 1999[222] Hip-hop[222]

194.1 million
 120 million[223]
Maroon 5 United States 1994–present[224] 2002[224] Pop rock / funk rock / dance-pop[224]

146.4 million
 120 million[225]
Adele United Kingdom 2006–present[226] 2008[226] Pop / soul[226]

143.7 million
 120 million[227]
Red Hot Chili Peppers United States 1983–present[228] 1987[228] Funk rock / alternative rock[228]

100.2 million
 120 million[230]
Fleetwood Mac United Kingdom
United States 		1967–present[231] 1968[231] Rock / pop[231]

97.5 million
 120 million[234]
Bon Jovi United States 1983–present[235] 1983[235] Hard rock / glam metal[235]

89.3 million
 120 million[238]
Rod Stewart United Kingdom 1964–present[239] 1969[239] Rock / pop[239]

84.9 million
 120 million[242]
Bee Gees United Kingdom
Australia[243][244] 		1963–2003
2009–2012[245] 		1963[245] Pop / disco[245]

75.1 million
 120 million[248]

100 million to 119 million records

Artist Country Period active Release-year of first charted record Genre Total certified units
(from available markets)[b] 		Claimed sales
Nicki Minaj Trinidad and Tobago 2008–present[249] 2010[249] Hip-hop / pop[249]

166.3 million
 100 million[250]
Coldplay United Kingdom 1997–present[251] 1999[251] Alternative rock / pop rock / pop[251]

135.6 million
 100 million[253]
Linkin Park United States 1996–present[254] 2000[254] Alternative rock / nu metal / rap rock[254]

105 million
 100 million[255]
George Strait United States 1981–present[256] 1984[256] Country[256]

108.8 million
  • US: 108.150 million[12]
  • CAN: 745,000[18]
 100 million[257]
Pink United States 1995–present[258] 2000[258] Pop / pop rock / R&B[258]

92.5 million
 100 million[259]
Britney Spears United States 1998–present[260] 1998[260] Pop / dance / dance-pop[260]

90.7 million
 100 million[262]
B'z Japan 1988–present[263] 1988[263] Rock / pop rock / hard rock[263]

86.2 million
 100 million[264]
Shania Twain Canada 1993–present[265] 1993[265] Country pop[265]

86 million
 100 million[266]
Guns N' Roses United States 1985–present[267] 1987[267] Hard rock / heavy metal[267]

81.3 million
 100 million[269]
Backstreet Boys United States 1993–present[270] 1995[270] Pop[270]

79.4 million
 100 million[274]
Eric Clapton United Kingdom 1962–present[275] 1970[275] Rock / blues[275]

71.6 million
 100 million[277]
Neil Diamond United States 1966–present[278] 1966[278] Pop / rock[278]

71.3 million
 100 million[280]
Prince United States 1976–2016[281] 1978[281] Funk / R&B / pop / soul / rock[281]

67.4 million
 100 million[282]
Journey United States 1973–present[283] 1975[283] Rock / soft rock[283]

65.2 million
 100 million[285]
Paul McCartney United Kingdom 1960–present[286] 1970[286] Rock[286]

67.2 million
 100 million[288]
Janet Jackson United States 1982–present[289] 1982[289] R&B / pop[289]

65.3 million
 100 million[290]
Kenny Rogers United States 1958–2020[291] 1975[291] Country / pop[291]

64.7 million
 100 million[293]
Santana United States 1966–present[294] 1969[294] Rock[294]

62.8 million
 100 million[295]
Simon & Garfunkel United States 1956–2004[296] 1964[296] Folk rock[296]

62.1 million
 100 million[297]
George Michael United Kingdom 1981–2016[298] 1984[298] Pop[298]

54.3 million
 100 million[300]
Dire Straits United Kingdom 1977–1995[301] 1978[301] Rock[301]

53 million
 100 million[302]
The Doors United States 1965–1973[303] 1967[303] Psychedelic rock[303]

50.5 million
 100 million[304]
Foreigner United States
United Kingdom 		1976–present[305] 1977[305] Rock / hard rock[305]

50.4 million
 100 million[306]
Chicago United States 1967–present[307] 1969[307] Rock / pop[307]

48.5 million
 100 million[309]
Bob Dylan United States 1959–present[310] 1963[310] Folk / rock[310]

48.3 million
 100 million[311]
The Carpenters United States 1969–1983[312] 1969[312] Pop[312]

46.7 million
 100 million[314]
Meat Loaf United States 1968–2022[315] 1977[315] Rock / hard rock[315]

46.6 million
 100 million[316]
Earth, Wind & Fire United States 1969–present[317] 1971[317] Funk / R&B / soul[317]

44.7 million
 100 million[320]
Cher United States 1964–present[321] 1965[321] Pop / rock / dance / folk[321]

43.7 million
 100 million[327]
Def Leppard United Kingdom 1977–present[328] 1979[328] Hard rock / heavy metal[328]

42.6 million
 100 million[330]
David Bowie United Kingdom 1962–2016[331] 1967[331] Art rock / glam rock / pop[331]

42.5 million
 100 million[332]
Genesis United Kingdom 1967–1999
2006–present[333] 		1969[333] Progressive rock / pop rock[333]

40.3 million
 100 million[334]
Stevie Wonder United States 1961–present[335] 1962[335] Funk / R&B / soul[335]

40.4 million
 100 million[336]
Gloria Estefan United States 1975–present[337] 1984[337] Latin pop / dance pop[337]

37.6 million
 100 million[339]
Tina Turner United States 1958–2009[340] 1960[341] Rock / pop[341]

37.6 million
 100 million[342]
James Taylor United States 1968–present[343] 1970[343] Rock / pop[343]

36.5 million
 100 million[344]
Olivia Newton-John Australia 1966–2022[345] 1966[345] Pop[345]

36.1 million
 100 million[347]
Linda Ronstadt United States 1967–2011[348] 1968[348] Rock / folk / country[348]

33.2 million
 100 million[349]
The Beach Boys United States 1961–present[350] 1962[350] Rock / pop / surf rock[350]

32.7 million
 100 million[351]
Donna Summer United States 1968–2012[352] 1974[352] Pop / disco / R&B[352]

31.5 million
 100 million[353]

80 million to 99 million records

Artist Country Period active Release-year of first charted record Genre Total certified units
(from available markets)[b] 		Claimed sales
Shakira Colombia 1988–present[354] 1995[354] Latin pop / pop / pop rock[354]

82.3 million
 95 million[355]
Alicia Keys United States 1996–present[356] 2001[356] Hip-hop / R&B / pop[356]

96.5 million
 90 million[357]
Christina Aguilera United States 1993–present[358] 1998[358] R&B / pop / rock[358]

78.1 million
 90 million[359]
Lionel Richie United States 1968–present[360] 1981[360] Pop / R&B[360]

43.4 million
 90 million[362]
Johnny Cash United States 1954–2003[363] 1956[363] Country / rock and roll / gospel[363]

32.2 million
 90 million[364]
Justin Timberlake United States 1992–present[365] 2002[365] Pop / R&B / neo soul[365]

85.5 million
 88 million[366]
Ariana Grande United States 2008–present[367] 2013[367] Pop / R&B[367]

155.9 million
 85 million[368]
R.E.M. United States 1980–2011[369] 1983[369] Alternative rock[369]

45.3 million
 85 million[370]
Post Malone United States 2013–present[371] 2015[371] Pop / R&B / hip-hop[371]

222.2 million
 80 million[372]
Flo Rida United States 2007–present[373] 2007[373] Hip-hop / hip house /EDM[373]

85.2 million
 80 million[374]
Usher United States 1991–present[375] 1994[375] R&B / pop[375]

78.4 million
 80 million[376]
Tim McGraw United States 1990–present[377] 1994[377] Country[377]

72.3 million
  • US: 80.650 million[12]
  • UK: 200,000[15]
  • CAN: 1.535 million[18]
 80 million[378]
The Black Eyed Peas United States 1995–present[379] 1998[379] Hip-hop / R&B / dance[379]

70.9 million
 80 million[380]
Van Halen United States 1978–2020[381] 1978[381] Hard rock / heavy metal[381]

65.2 million
 80 million[382]
Ayumi Hamasaki Japan 1998–present[383] 1998[383] J-pop / pop / dance / electronic[383]

64.5 million
 80 million[384][385]
Tom Petty United States 1976–2017[386] 1977[386] Rock[386]

36 million
 80 million[387]
Johnny Hallyday France 1957–2017[388] 1960[388] Rock / pop[388]

28.9 million
 80 million[390]

75 million to 79 million records

Artist Country Period active Release-year of first charted record Genre Total certified units
(from available markets)[b] 		Claimed sales
The Weeknd Canada 2010–present[391] 2013[391] Pop / R&B[391]

228 million
 75 million[392]
Imagine Dragons United States 2008–present[393] 2012[393] Pop rock / electropop / pop[393]

145.5 million
 75 million[394]
Luke Bryan United States 2001–present[395] 2007[375] Country / country pop[375]

94.5 million
  • US: 92.5 million[12]
  • CAN: 2.040 million[18]
 75 million[396]
Tupac Shakur United States 1991–1996[397] 1991[397] Hip-hop[397]

61.8 million
 75 million[399]
Alabama United States 1972–present[400] 1980[400] Country/pop rock[400]

58 million
  • US: 56.8 million[12]
  • CAN: 1.2 million[18]
 75 million[401]
R. Kelly United States 1989–2019[402] 1991[403] R&B / soul / hip-hop[403]

56.8 million
 75 million[404]
Nirvana United States 1987–1994[405] 1990[405] Grunge / alternative rock[405]

56.6 million
 75 million[408]
Robbie Williams United Kingdom 1990–present[409] 1996[409] Pop rock[409]

56.1 million
 75 million[410]
Bob Seger United States 1961–present[411] 1967[411] Rock / Hard rock/ Pop rock[411]

55.3 million
 75 million[412]
Kenny G United States 1982–present[413] 1984[413] Smooth jazz[413]

53.9 million
 75 million[414]
Green Day United States 1987–present[415] 1994[379] Punk rock / pop punk / alternative rock[415]

58.8 million
 75 million[417]
Enya Ireland 1982–present[418] 1987[418] New-age / Celtic[418]

51.9 million
 75 million[421]
Bryan Adams Canada 1979–present[422] 1979[422] Rock[422]

50.7 million
 75 million[424]
Bob Marley Jamaica 1962–1981[425] 1975[425] Reggae[425]

46.5 million
 75 million[428]
The Police United Kingdom 1977–1986
2007–2008[429] 		1978[429] Pop / rock[429]

42.2 million
 75 million[432]
Barry Manilow United States 1973–present[433] 1973[433] Pop / soft rock[433]

36.7 million
 75 million[434]
Kiss United States 1972–present[435] 1974[435] Hard rock / heavy metal[435]

28.7 million
 75 million[436]
Aretha Franklin United States 1956–2018[437] 1961[437] Soul / jazz / blues / R&B[437]

26.8 million
 75 million[438]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Below you can get an understanding as to when certifications for songs are added to the total certified sales of the listed artists.
    • One lead artist and one featured artist. (The issued certification(s) should be added to the total of both, the lead artist and the featured artist as both will have almost equal amount of part).
    • Two lead artists.(The issued certification(s) should be added to the total of both lead artists as both will have almost equal amount of part).
    • Two lead artists and one featured artist. (The issued certification(s) should be added to the total of both lead artists as well as the featured artist. Both lead artists will play a significant part in a song and the part of the featured artist also should be significant enough).
    • One lead artist and two featured artists. (The issued certification(s) should be added to the total of the lead artist and to the total of both featured artists as almost all should have equal amount of part).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em en eo ep eq er es et eu ev ew ex ey ez fa fb fc fd fe ff fg fh fi fj fk fl fm fn fo fp fq fr fs ft fu fv fw fx fy fz ga gb gc gd ge gf gg gh gi gj gk gl gm gn go gp gq gr gs gt gu gv gw gx gy gz ha hb hc hd he hf hg hh hi hj hk hl hm hn ho hp hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib ic id ie if ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb jc jd je jf jg jh ji jj jk jl jm jn jo jp jq jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl km kn ko kp kq kr ks kt ku kv kw kx ky kz la lb lc ld le lf lg lh li lj lk ll lm ln lo lp lq lr ls lt lu lv lw lx ly lz ma mb mc md me mf mg mh mi mj mk ml mm mn mo mp mq mr ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm nn no np nq nr ns nt nu nv nw nx ny nz oa ob oc od oe of og oh oi oj ok ol om on oo op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz pa pb pc pd pe pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu pv pw px py pz qa qb qc qd qe qf qg qh qi qj qk ql qm qn qo qp qq qr qs qt qu qv qw qx qy qz ra rb rc rd re rf rg rh ri rj rk rl rm rn ro rp rq rr rs rt ru rv rw rx ry rz sa sb sc sd se sf sg sh si sj sk sl sm sn so sp sq sr ss st su sv sw sx sy sz ta tb tc td te tf tg th ti tj tk tl tm tn to tp tq tr ts tt tu tv tw tx ty tz ua ub uc ud ue uf ug uh ui uj uk ul um un uo up uq ur us ut uu uv uw ux uy uz va vb vc vd ve vf vg vh vi vj vk vl vm vn vo vp vq vr vs vt vu vv vw vx vy vz wa wb wc wd we wf wg wh wi wj wk wl wm wn wo wp wq wr ws wt wu wv ww wx wy wz xa xb xc xd xe xf xg xh xi xj xk xl xm xn xo xp xq xr xs xt xu xv xw xx xy xz ya yb yc yd ye yf yg yh yi yj yk yl ym yn yo yp yq yr ys yt yu yv yw yx yy yz za zb zc zd ze zf zg zh zi zj zk zl zm zn zo zp zq zr zs zt zu zv zw zx zy zz aaa aab aac aad aae aaf aag aah aai aaj aak aal aam aan aao aap aaq aar aas aat aau aav aaw aax aay aaz aba abb abc abd abe abf abg abh abi abj abk abl abm abn abo abp abq abr abs abt abu abv abw abx aby abz aca acb acc acd ace acf acg ach aci acj ack acl acm acn aco acp acq acr acs act acu acv acw acx acy acz ada adb adc add ade adf adg adh adi adj adk adl adm adn ado adp adq adr ads adt adu adv adw adx ady adz aea aeb aec aed aee aef aeg aeh aei aej aek ael aem aen aeo aep Certification systems have been established periodically throughout the past half century; thus, certification databases are not able to cover all sales. Some (or all) records released and sold prior to a certification system's establishment year may not be found within the available searchable certification databases. Year of establishment (from largest market to smallest based on Retail Value each market generates respectively):[9][10] Certified sales might sometimes be larger than actual sales, if stores order more albums than they are able to sell, due to certifications generally being determined by shipments and not actual sales. Often, however, actual sales are larger than certified sales, since record labels must pay a fee to obtain certifications. Record companies often apply for certifications only when a record reaches a multiple certification-levels, meaning certifications might not be visible in the databases for more than a short period of time after an album reached a certification level.[451][452] As global music sales declined in the 2000s mostly due to CD burning and downloading from unauthorized sites, certification bodies opted to reduce their certification levels.[453] See the changes in Certification-award-levels in the following markets:

References

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