Madonna albums discography
Madonna at the premiere of her documentary I Am Because We Are at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Studio albums	11
Live albums	2
Compilation albums	6
Soundtrack albums	3
Other compilations	2
Remix albums	3

The albums discography of American recording artist Madonna consists of eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, three soundtrack albums, two live albums and three remix albums.

Madonna initially signed a singles contract with Sire Records in 1982, a label owned by Warner Bros. Records. After the success of her first two singles "Everybody" and "Burning Up", she signed an albums deal in 1983.^[1] The first LP album released by her under the label was the self-titled debut album, Madonna.^[2] The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[3][4] She followed the debut album with the sophomore release titled Like a Virgin (1984). The album topped the chart in several countries and was certified diamond by the RIAA.^[4] True Blue was released as her third studio album in 1986. The album sold 24 million copies worldwide.^[5] In 1987, she released two albums that reached platinum status in the United States: the Who's That Girl soundtrack and her first remix compilation You Can Dance.^[6] The soundtrack contains tracks by other recording artists but is considered a "Madonna" album by the Billboard 200 and Warner Bros. Records.^[7][8] Madonna's fourth studio album Like a Prayer (1989) became her third number-one album on the Billboard 200.^[3]

Madonna entered the 1990s with the release of her first greatest hits compilation, titled The Immaculate Collection. The album was Madonna's second LP to be certified diamond by the RIAA.^[4] In the United Kingdom it became the best selling album by a female artist, with sales of more than three million copies.^[9] Madonna also released the album I'm Breathless (1990), which contained songs inspired by the 1990 film Dick Tracy.^[10] After ending her contract with Sire in 1991, she signed a new $60 million recording contract and business deal with Warner Bros. and Time Warner. Madonna also founded Maverick Records, which became her main record company.^[11] The first release under Maverick was her fifth studio album Erotica (1992).^[10] Though critically panned, Erotica was certified two times platinum in the United States and sold 5.5 million copies worldwide.^[4][12] In 1994, Madonna released her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories, which was certified three times platinum by the RIAA.^[4] Something to Remember, a collection of Madonna ballads was released in 1995 and reached the top ten in many countries while selling nine million copies worldwide.^[13] Her third soundtrack album, from the musical Evita, was released in 1996. The double-disc endeavor was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, recognizing 2.5 million shipments throughout the United States (because the soundtrack is a double album and exceeds 100 minutes in length, the RIAA counts each unit sale twice).^[4] Madonna's seventh studio album Ray of Light was released in 1998 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.

In the beginning of the 2000s, Music became Madonna's fourth number-one album on the Billboard 200; it was her first number-one in 11 years, since Like a Prayer. It also topped the album charts of several European countries.^[14] American Life became Madonna's fifth Billboard 200 number-one album. However, it did not achieve multi-platinum status and became Madonna's lowest-selling studio album.^[4][15][16] In 2004, she sold her shares and interest in Maverick to Warner Music Group, after a lawsuit between both companies.^[17][18] Confessions on a Dance Floor, released in 2005, was heralded as her comeback album, opening at number one in United States and in all major music markets.^[19] In 2007, Madonna signed a $120 million, 10-year business and recording contract with Live Nation. She will be the founding recording artist for the new music division, Live Nation Artists.^[20] Her remaining contract with Warner Bros. ended with her eleventh studio album Hard Candy (2008), which became her seventh number-one album on the Billboard 200, and Celebration (2009), her third greatest hits compilation.^[21][22] Madonna has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and is listed as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century.^[23][24][25] She is ranked as the second-best-selling female artist, behind only Barbra Streisand, with 63 million certified albums in the United States.^[26] In the United Kingdom, she has become the most successful female artist, with 11 number-one albums, tying her with Elvis Presley as a solo act with most number-one albums.^[27]

Albums

Studio albums

Soundtrack albums

Compilation albums

Live albums

Notes

• A ^ Standard worldwide: 1-CD. Standard USA: 2-CD (counted as double units). RIAA counts double albums twice towards certification if over 100 minutes.^[76]
• B ^ Does not include the sales of the album prior to May 25, 1991. After that, sales were tracked by Nielsen SoundScan across United States.^[42]
• C ^ This EP is considered in some countries as a single and in others as an album.^[77][78][79]

Other compilation albums

Other remix albums

See also

• Madonna singles discography
• Madonna videography
• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom

Notes

References

• Cross, Mary (2007), Madonna: A Biography, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0313338116 {{citation}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Metz, Andrew; Benson, Carol (1999), The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary, Music Sales Group, ISBN 0825671949 {{citation}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Morton, Andrew (2002), Madonna, Macmillan Publishers, ISBN 0312983107
• Rooksby, Rikky (2004), The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0711998833
• Taraborrelli, Randy J. (2002), Madonna: An Intimate Biography, Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0743228804