List of Billboard 200 number-one independent albums
The following is a list of
Though not clearly defined, an independent record label is generally considered to be any label that is not part of the
Some of the independently released albums to have topped the Billboard 200, such as the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden (2007), Radiohead's In Rainbows (2008), Pearl Jam's Backspacer (2009), Frank Ocean's Blonde (2016) and Kanye West's collaborative album with Ty Dolla Sign, Vultures 1 (2024) are from former major label acts who had developed strong and established fanbases from their time being signed to a major label.
In 2020, Billboard updated their eligibility rules for independent albums. As of the chart dated July 18, 2020, labels that are independently owned and control their masters, but which are distributed directly through one of the "Big Three" record companies (as opposed to a major label within one of the aforementioned companies), would be eligible for
Albums
- N.W.A – Niggaz4Life (Ruthless Records/Priority Records), 1991
- The Predator (Priority Records/EMI), 1992
- Various Artists – The Lion King Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records), 1994
- Various Artists – Friday Soundtrack (Priority Records), 1995
- Various Artists – Pocahontas Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records), 1995
- E 1999 Eternal (Ruthless Records), 1995
- Interscope), 1995
- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – The Art of War (Ruthless Records), 1997
- Long Road out of Eden(Eagles Recording Company II), 2007
- Radiohead – In Rainbows (TBD Records/ATO Records), 2008
- Pearl Jam – Backspacer (Monkeywrench Records), 2009
- Vampire Weekend – Contra (XL Recordings), 2010
- Various Artists – MTV Networks), 2010
- The Suburbs (Merge Records), 2010
- Cake – Showroom of Compassion (Upbeat Records), 2011
- Mac Miller – Blue Slide Park (Rostrum Records), 2011
- Mumford & Sons – Babel (Glassnote Records), 2012
- Broken Bow Records), 2012
- Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City (XL Recordings), 2013
- Queens of the Stone Age – ...Like Clockwork (Matador Records), 2013
- Garth Brooks – Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences (Pearl Records), 2013
- Lecrae – Anomaly (Reach Records), 2014
- Broken Bow Records), 2014
- Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color (ATO Records), 2015
- Tyrese – Black Rose (Voltron Recordz/Caroline Records), 2015
- Janet Jackson – Unbreakable (Rhythm Nation/BMG Rights Management), 2015
- The Lumineers – Cleopatra (Dualtone Records), 2016
- Blink-182 – California (Viking Wizard Eyes/BMG Rights Management), 2016
- Frank Ocean – Blonde (Boys Don't Cry), 2016
- Broken Bow Records/BMG Rights Management), 2016
- Metallica – Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (Blackened Recordings), 2016
- Brand New – Science Fiction (Procrastinate! Music Traitors), 2017
- NF – Perception (NF Real Music/Caroline Records), 2017 (considered an independent album despite the involvement of Capitol Christian Music Group, which is owned by Universal)
- XXXTentacion – ? (Bad Vibes Forever), 2018
- Broken Bow Records/BMG Rights Management), 2018
- BTS – Love Yourself: Tear (Big Hit Music), 2018
- BTS – Love Yourself: Answer (Big Hit Music), 2018
- XXXTentacion – Skins (Bad Vibes Forever/Empire Distribution), 2018
- BTS – Map of the Soul: Persona (Big Hit Music), 2019
- NF – The Search (NF Real Music/Caroline Records), 2019
- Trippie Redd – A Love Letter to You 4 (TenThousand Projects), 2019
- BTS – Map of the Soul: 7 (Big Hit Music), 2020
- BTS – Be (Big Hit Music), 2020
- Bad Bunny – El Último Tour Del Mundo (Rimas Entertainment), 2020
- Adele – 25 (XL Recordings/Columbia Records), 2021 (hit #1 on Independent Albums six years after hitting #1 on the Billboard 200, only doing so after an already-mentioned rules change)
- Various Artists – Encanto (Walt Disney Records), 2022
- Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti (Rimas Entertainment), 2022
- Bad Bunny – Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (Rimas Entertainment), 2023
- Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign – Vultures 1 (Self-released), 2024
References
- billboard.com. January 22, 2010.
- ^ Vitoulis, Alex. "Arcade Fire And Taylor Swift Sweep In With New No. 1s" Archived August 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. billboard.biz. August 11, 2010.
- ^ Siklos, Richard (February 9, 2009). "Why Disney wants DreamWorks". CNN/Money. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
- ^ "Top Independent Albums Chart Expands Inclusion Criteria With New A2IM Partnership". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 16, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2021.