American singer Madonna has released 14 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, five live albums, six compilation albums, and 35 other limited releases. In 1982, Madonna signed a recording contract with Sire Records, a label owned by Warner Bros. Records. The first release under the label was her self-titled debut album, Madonna. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified five-time platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. She followed the debut album with Like a Virgin, which became her first chart-topper in various countries and was certified diamond by the RIAA. Her third studio album, True Blue, reached number one in then record-breaking 28 countries and was featured in the 1992 edition of Guinness World Records as the best-selling album by a woman of all time. During 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. Madonna's fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, made her the woman with most Billboard 200 number-one albums of the 1980s. Madonna entered the 1990s with the release of I'm Breathless, which contained songs from and inspired by the film Dick Tracy, and her first greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection. The latter has sold more than 30 million copies, becoming the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist. It also became the second best-selling album by a female artist in the United Kingdom and her second diamond-certified album in the United States. In 1992, Madonna founded her own record label, Maverick Records, as a joint venture with Time Warner. She was paid an advance of $60 million and received 20% royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in the industry at the time, equaled only by that of Michael Jackson. Her next releases under Maverick were the studio albums, Erotica and Bedtime Stories, as well as Something to Remember, a collection of Madonna ballads. All of them reached multi-platinum status in the US. Her third soundtrack album, from the musical Evita, was certified five-time platinum by the RIAA. Madonna's seventh studio album, Ray of Light, sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. After charting five albums at number two on the Billboard 200 during the 1990s, Madonna returned to the top of the chart with Music. Her next studio albums, American Life and Confessions on a Dance Floor, also topped the chart with the latter becoming a number-one album in 40 countries worldwide. In 2007, Madonna signed a $120 million, 10-year business and recording 360 deal with Live Nation. Her remaining contract with Warner Bros. ended with her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, which became her seventh number-one album on the Billboard 200, and Celebration, her third greatest hits compilation. In 2011, Madonna announced she had signed a three-album deal with Interscope Records, who would distribute new recordings in partnership with Live Nation. The first release from this deal was her twelfth studio album, MDNA, which became her fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. However, this string was broken by her 13th studio album, Rebel Heart, which debuted at number two on the chart. Recognized as the world's best-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records, Madonna has accumulated a total record sales of more than 300 million units worldwide. In their 2006 press release, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry confirmed that Madonna's albums alone had sold over 200 million copies worldwide. She is ranked by the RIAA as the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and third highest-certified female artist in the United States, with 64.5 million album units. Her albums, The Immaculate Collection, Like a Virgin and True Blue, are among the top 100 certified albums according to the RIAA. She is the most successful female artist in Germany and the United Kingdom, with a total of 12 number-one albums in each country.
