# A fight for the ages: the two classic rock bands neck-and-neck on the charts

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/a-fight-for-the-ages-the-two-classic-rock-bands-neck-and-neck-on-the-charts/
- Published: 2026-11-12T13:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T13:25:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/two-classic-rock-bands-are-neck-and-neck-on-the-charts/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- The Rolling Stones lead Pink Floyd by 290,000 equivalent album sales.
- Pink Floyd have higher studio album sales.
- The Stones have sold far more physical singles.

## Summary

The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd are almost level on a ranking of the best-selling artists of all time, with the Stones narrowly ahead in total equivalent album sales. The comparison shows how streaming has kept older music in circulation and how different measures of success can favour bands with distinct release and listening styles.

The article puts the Stones at 253,475,000 equivalent album sales, against Pink Floyd’s 253,185,000. Pink Floyd lead in studio album sales, with 177,354,000 compared with the Stones’ 117,261,000, while the Stones have sold far more physical singles: 72,770,000 versus 8,800,000. The article says streaming-based chart calculations combine streams, downloads and physical purchases, and suggests the Stones may retain their lead, while a future Pink Floyd release appears unlikely.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.