The following is a list of the most expensive
albums made with a recorded sum of over $1 million, sorted by the most money spent in
promotional campaigns and
album covers. The
recording process traditionally requires an investment in
studio time and skilled
record production labor, and the process can be expensive.[1]
In the late 1950s, the cost of producing
pop albums runs from $3,000 to $7,000.[2] The average cost of producing an album climbed to $15,000 in the 1960s.[3] Early examples of record-breaking expensive albums include Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) with a reported sum of £25,000,[4][a] alongside
Tommy (1969) and Pet Sounds (1966) each with a cost of $70,000,[6][7] as well as unfinished album
Smile whose single "
Good Vibrations" (1966) alone had a budget between $50,000 and $75,000,[b] more than most entire albums cost in those days.[9] Multiple albums were budgeted with a cost between $350,000 and $500,000 by late 1970s,[10] whereas popular
rock albums had an average of $100,000 and as high as $500,000 by the midpoint of the decade.[11][c] Some albums were produced on a $1 million budget by 1981.[10] Accountant John McClain gave an estimated cost of $2.5 million for a
Michael Jackson record in 1987.[14] Nowadays, according to
IFPI, production costs for popular albums are "generally budgeted for at least $200,000, and if much studio time is used, costs can soar well past $350,000".[1] Some artist's sponsorships covered the cost of producing the album, most notoriously
Mariah Carey between the Bahamas Board of Tourism with her album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009).[15][16]
The first album to cost over $1 million is believed to be
Tusk (1979) by
Fleetwood Mac.[17]Chinese Democracy (2008) by
Guns N' Roses, once included as the most expensive record in the Guinness World Records, probably cost over $1 million per year during its recording sessions from 1998 to 2006.[18] With a cost between $30 and $40 million, Michael Jackson's
Invincible (2001) remains the most expensive album ever produced.[19][20][21] Both Michael Jackson and
Kanye West have multiple appearances, with at least four each.
Michael Jackson's HIStory (1995) has the most extensive marketing campaign in popular music history,[70] spent by a
record label. Up to that point, a label might spent an average of $2 million in promotional campaigns for artists such as
the Rolling Stones,
Aerosmith and
Madonna, per release.[24] The lattermost, had the biggest
Warner Records promotional campaign for an album up to the release of Like a Prayer (1989) with $2 million.[71] In contrast, according to Hank Bordowitz in Dirty Little Secrets of the Record Business (2007), mounting a successful promotional campaign for radio stations can cost between $250,000 and $1 million per song.[72]
Examples of associated campaigns outside record label's efforts include Born This Way (2011) by
Lady Gaga, with a reported sum of $3 million provided by
Amazon,[73] and
Rihanna's sponsorship with
Samsung for $25 million which covered the release of her album
Anti (2016) and its
tour.[74]
Elvis Presley (1956) – reportedly was the most expensive album cover ever up to that point.[75]
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) – The cover, costing £25,000, was reportedly the most expensive cover design up to this time.[76][j] Most covers up that point had a cost of about £50.[77]
Aladdin Sane (1973) – reportedly was the most expensive album cover ever up to that point.[78]
^By this point,
Queen's A Night at the Opera (1975) began to be advertised as "the most expensive album ever made",[12] although the estimated cost was only £40,000 and such a label was later denied by the band.[13]
^
abOther sources give a total cost of $65 million.[22] Most likely divided in the reported budget of $30–40 million and $25 million for promotional purposes.
^
abOverall cost was at $20 million, which includes promotion and recording.[32]
^Recording the album alone only cost $700,000.[34]
^Recorded sum of production cost. At least $8 million was spent on the album.[43]
^
abc"Jackson". Vanity. Vol. 66. 2003. p. 447. Retrieved September 6, 2023. Sony advanced Jackson approximately $40 million to make it. In addition, Sony spent $25 million to market it
^"Jackson". King. 2008. p. 44. Retrieved September 6, 2023. Michael Jackson and Rodney Jerkins At $ 65 million , Invincible is the most expensive album ever made
^Tracy, Kathleen (1999).
Ricky Martin: Red-hot and on the Rise!.
Kensington Publishing. Retrieved September 9, 2023. the album had cost more than a million dollars to produce , but Sony believed they would make back ten times that much or more