YouTube channel called Data is Beautiful, run by a Ph.D. student and self-proclaimed data geek published a visualization of the most popular music artists throughout the decades.
He compiled data for the animated timeline video through several different sources. He used audio sales radio broadcasting online streaming and digital copy sales, among other things.
The timeline shows how the most popular artists changed from 1969 to 2019. They are ranked by yearly certified record sales. The chart changes as time goes, starting from the first quarter of 1969 and ending with today’s most popular artists.
“Timeline history of most popular music artists from 1969 to 2019 ranked by yearly certified record sales. Numbers are worldwide and adjusted to twelve months trailing average,” the video description reads. See it below.
