Mariah Carey Tops Rihanna, Beyonce In TIME’s List of Most Successful & Enduring Pop Stars

Now this is a consistency game not a one off affair.

TIME Magazine went deep down into the archive to determine which pop artiste has been the most successful in the last 54 years, dating back since 1960.

According to TIME, Data comes from the Billboard archives. Points are awarded by placement in the Top Ten, from ten points for a number-one hit to one point for a number-10 song. All artists listed by name on a track are given full points for its chart performance, but groups with members who later had solo careers are still counted as separate entities. (Beyoncé, for example, gets points for “Telephone,” a Lady Gaga song in which she is featured, but does not receive points for songs attributed to Destiny’s Child, the trio that launched her career.) Points for songs are assigned to the year in which the song debuted in the top ten, even if its popularity runs into the next calendar year.

Top 17 below

1. Mariah Carey
2. Rihanna
3. Usher
4. The Beatles
5. Madonna
6. Janet Jackson
7. Whitney Houston
8. Michael Jackson
9. Katy Perry
10. Boys II Men
11. Elton John
12. Diddy
13. Ludacris
14. Beyonce
15. Bruno Mars
16. 50Cent
17. Alicia Keys