10 iconic albums turning 50 this year, ranked by how many copies they've sold

Fifty years ago, vinyl records were nearing the peak of their popularity — and 1976 produced some of music's most enduring albums.

To measure that impact, Business Insider used certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), whose Gold & Platinum database is one of the industry's best-known measures of commercial success.

RIAA data places records into four categories: gold, platinum, multi-platinum, and diamond. Gold albums have sold 500,000 units, platinum 1 million, and diamond 10 million, with multi-platinum representing each million between platinum and diamond. The database is not a live sales tracker and requires an official audit request and fee from record labels to update, but it is a well-regarded metric for measuring an album's financial achievement.

For this list, we ranked albums by RIAA-certified units sold. Awards and broader cultural impact were considered when determining which albums made the list, but we excluded greatest-hits albums and live records.

Although it was one of the best-selling records in the United Kingdom at the time, "Arrival" has received less recognition in the United States than several others on this list.

"Arrival" remains certified Gold, according to the RIAA's database as of April 4, 1977, meaning it's sold upwards of 500,000 units.

"At the Speed of Sound" (or "Wings at the Speed of Sound") was their fifth studio album and was released at the peak of their fame. "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In" are two of the most popular songs on the record.

"Wings at the Speed of Sound" is certified Platinum as of May 3, 1976.

The record was first released in early 1976 but was not certified Platinum until 1995, nearly two decades later.

Now certified Multi-Platinum, "2112" has sold over 4 million units as of August 7, 2026.

Kansas has received one Grammy nomination and is still touring. Songs from their discography have also been featured in a number of television shows, films, and video games, such as "The Office," "Happy Gilmore," and Grand Theft Auto.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, the Steve Miller Band traveled alongside Def Leppard and Journey in 2024 and was set to headline a tour in 2025, though they canceled it due to a threat of extreme weather. Miller himself has come full circle and embraced his blues background in recent endeavors.