We use Mediatraffic to determine "Global" sales, but I think we forget that Mediatraffic only receives info from a few larger countries that are often centralized in one area (like Europe).
As a result artist like Katy Perry are seemingly more global because her music appeals more to the countries which do count for sales, but I think we should take a look at how she compares to Beyoncé's sales right now by looking at where in the world their albums are top 10 at the moment.
BEYONCÉ: (25 countries in the top 10)
#1 Bermuda
#1 The Bahamas
#1 Trinidad and Tobago
#2 Barbados
#3 Belarus
#3 Kenya
#3 Lebanon
#4 Antigua and Barbuda
#4 Azerbaijan
#5 Anguilla
#5 Lithuania
#6 Dominican Republic
#6 Egypt
#6 Kazakhstan
#6 Nigeria
#6 Saint Kitts and Nevis
#6 Uganda
#6 United Arab Emirates
#7 Kyrgyzstan
#8 Botswana
#8 Bulgaria
#8 Dominica
#9 Ukraine
#10 Slovakia
#10 Turkmenistan
http://kworb.net/itunes/artist/beyoncC3A9.html
Prism: (4 countries in the top 10)
#2 Micronesia
#3 El Salvador
#3 Qatar
#7 Kenya
http://kworb.net/itunes/artist/katyperry.html
Note: I'm not trying to drag Katy, I'm just using her as a comparison to prove my point, that Beyoncé really is globally underrated.
So, do you think she might be a bit underrated in terms of global succes on this site?