+ 6,100,000 - IFPI (from Dec. 2008 through Nov. 2009)
+ 1,985,000 - US (sales since December 2009 [3,300,000 sold as of November 2009])
+ ,516,389 - South Korea (since 2010)
+ ,432,136 - US (sales in November 2008)
+ ,400,000 - Europe (including 300,000 in the UK alone [373,000 sold in 2009 in the UK] - 400K is a low estimation)
+ ,140,000 - Australia (was certified three-times platinum (210,000) in March 2010)
+ 126,475 - Others
Rihanna at the end of the day has a good handful of global smashes bigger than any Beyonce single and some dubious sales claims won't change that.
Beyonce still sold more albums in the states alone more than Rihanna did worldwide + she's a far bigger touring artist, that's what matters and some 7MB-sized M4A files sold for $1.29 won't change that.
Single Ladies wasn't a big chart hit in many international markets, but it wasn't planned for that anyway right?; If I Were a Boy was the song that was, and Single Ladies was supposed to accompany it in the US to retain the interest of urban audiences, since IIWAB was so disctinctly pop. It's a good example of a song that achieved international ubiquity without being a huge chart hit.
Beyonce still sold more albums in the states alone more than Rihanna did worldwide + she's a far bigger touring artist, that's what matters and some $1.29 jingles won't change that.
So you're telling me Single Ladies sold 373,000 copies in the UK after November 2009 when the I Am era was pretty much over?
That's exacltly what happened. Single Ladies was 373,000 in November 2009. It's now at 700k in 2013. Just like it was at 3.3 million in the U.S in 2009 and now at nearly 5.3 million.
So please. list these alleged 10 Rihanna singles that have been sold more than 9.7 million WW. I'll be waiting.