All 32 Musical Artists, ranked by 103 players
Players rank Michael Jackson #1: it wins 80.0% of its matchups (n = 255) and took the title in 28 of 103 brackets. The Beatles and Kanye West follow. Disagree? Greatest Music Artists Ranked is one tap away.
Updated hourly · last refreshed November 15, 2026
Brackets finished103
Head-to-head picks2,577
Entrants ranked32of 32
Michael Jackson title share27.2%n = 103
Title odds
Share of 103 finished brackets won
- Michael Jackson27.2% (28 of 103)
- The Beatles16.5% (17 of 103)
- Kanye West7.8% (8 of 103)
- Pink Floyd6.8% (7 of 103)
- The Weeknd3.9% (4 of 103)
- Bob Marley3.9% (4 of 103)
Greatest Musical Artists: the community tier list
Built from win rates across 2,577 picks. Tiers use the win rate steadied toward 50% for entrants with few matchups (S from 75%, A 60%, B 50%, C 40%, D 25%). Steadying pulls a small sample toward the middle, so a high raw rate can sit a tier lower and a low one a tier higher than the rate shown, which is the raw one. What does S tier mean?
Stier, win rate 75% or more
- Michael Jackson80.0%
Atier, win rate 60% or more
- The Beatles70.8%
- Kanye West63.5%
Btier, win rate 50% or more
- Queen55.9%
- Stevie Wonder55.7%
- Kendrick Lamar55.7%
- Nirvana53.8%
- The Weeknd53.6%
- Pink Floyd53.3%
- Eminem52.8%
- Radiohead51.2%
- The Rolling Stones50.6%
- Bob Marley50.3%
Ctier, win rate 40% or more
- Frank Sinatra49.4%
- Prince48.8%
- Led Zeppelin48.3%
- Drake47.7%
- Elvis Presley47.6%
- Elton John47.5%
- David Bowie47.1%
- Adele46.3%
- Beyonce40.7%
- Taylor Swift40.7%
- Madonna40.3%
- Whitney Houston39.6%
Dtier, win rate 25% or more
- Bob Dylan39.0%
- Aretha Franklin38.2%
- Jimi Hendrix36.6%
- Mariah Carey34.6%
- Billie Eilish33.1%
- Bruce Springsteen31.4%
- U231.1%
Ftier, win rate 0% or more
- Nobody yet
Standings
Every entrant with its record. Ordered by win rate, steadied for small samples; a rate shows once an entrant has 30 matchups. n is the number of head-to-head matchups behind each rate.
| # | Entry | W–L | Win rate | Against .500 | Titles | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael JacksonPop | 204–51 | 80.0% | 28 | 255 | |
| 2 | The BeatlesRock | 179–74 | 70.8% | 17 | 253 | |
| 3 | Kanye WestHip-Hop | 127–73 | 63.5% | 8 | 200 | |
| 4 | QueenRock | 95–75 | 55.9% | 3 | 170 | |
| 5 | Stevie WonderR&B/Soul | 107–85 | 55.7% | 3 | 192 | |
| 6 | Kendrick LamarHip-Hop | 98–78 | 55.7% | 3 | 176 | |
| 7 | NirvanaGrunge | 85–73 | 53.8% | 2 | 158 | |
| 8 | The WeekndR&B/Pop | 96–83 | 53.6% | 4 | 179 | |
| 9 | Pink FloydRock | 89–78 | 53.3% | 7 | 167 | |
| 10 | EminemHip-Hop | 93–83 | 52.8% | 3 | 176 | |
| 11 | 84–80 | 51.2% | 1 | 164 | ||
| 12 | The Rolling StonesRock | 90–88 | 50.6% | 2 | 178 | |
| 13 | Bob MarleyReggae | 80–79 | 50.3% | 4 | 159 | |
| 14 | Frank SinatraJazz/Pop | 81–83 | 49.4% | 3 | 164 | |
| 15 | PrincePop/R&B | 80–84 | 48.8% | 1 | 164 | |
| 16 | Led ZeppelinRock | 85–91 | 48.3% | 1 | 176 | |
| 17 | DrakeHip-Hop/R&B | 63–69 | 47.7% | 3 | 132 | |
| 18 | Elvis PresleyRock & Roll | 81–89 | 47.6% | 1 | 170 | |
| 19 | Elton JohnPop/Rock | 85–94 | 47.5% | 1 | 179 | |
| 20 | David BowieRock | 74–83 | 47.1% | 1 | 157 | |
| 21 | AdelePop/Soul | 69–80 | 46.3% | 0 | 149 | |
| 22 | BeyonceR&B/Pop | 57–83 | 40.7% | 0 | 140 | |
| 23 | Taylor SwiftPop/Country | 57–83 | 40.7% | 2 | 140 | |
| 24 | MadonnaPop | 52–77 | 40.3% | 0 | 129 | |
| 25 | Whitney HoustonPop/R&B | 59–90 | 39.6% | 1 | 149 | |
| 26 | Bob DylanFolk/Rock | 53–83 | 39.0% | 0 | 136 | |
| 27 | Aretha FranklinSoul | 47–76 | 38.2% | 2 | 123 | |
| 28 | Jimi HendrixRock | 48–83 | 36.6% | 0 | 131 | |
| 29 | Mariah CareyPop/R&B | 45–85 | 34.6% | 1 | 130 | |
| 30 | Billie EilishPop | 40–81 | 33.1% | 1 | 121 | |
| 31 | Bruce SpringsteenRock | 37–81 | 31.4% | 0 | 118 | |
| 32 | U2Rock | 37–82 | 31.1% | 0 | 119 |
Closest rivalries
Pairs the crowd can barely split. Estimated from each entrant's overall record until the pair has met 20 times.
- Stevie WondervsKendrick Lamar50–50 · estimate from overall records
- QueenvsStevie Wonder50–50 · estimate from overall records
- NirvanavsThe Weeknd50–50 · estimate from overall records
Most lopsided
- Michael JacksonvsU289–11 · estimate from overall records
- The BeatlesvsU283–17 · estimate from overall records
- Kanye WestvsU278–22 · estimate from overall records
Upsets and oddities
Patterns in 103 finished brackets.
- UntouchableMichael Jackson wins 80.0%The best record in the field (n = 255 matchups).
- ClutchAretha Franklin: 2 titlesOnly #27 on win rate, but #16 for championships.
- Always the bridesmaidQueen: 55.9% win rate#4 on record, but only 3 titles in 103 brackets.
- Still waitingAdele: no titles yetWins 46.3% of its matchups (n = 149) and has never been crowned.
Upsets need real meetings: a pair shows here once it has met 10 times and the weaker record leads.
Questions people ask
What is #1 in the Greatest Musical Artists community ranking?
Michael Jackson. It wins 80.0% of its head-to-head matchups (n = 255) and took the title in 28 of 103 finished brackets.
How is the ranking worked out?
Every pick in a finished bracket is a win for one entrant and a loss for the other. Entrants are ordered by win rate, steadied toward 50% by ten imaginary matchups so that a newcomer with a 3–0 record can't top the table. The rate shown is the real one, with n, the number of matchups behind it.
Why win rate and not titles?
Draws are shuffled, so a title can come from an easy path. Win rate counts every matchup an entrant played, which is a fairer read of how people feel about it. Title odds are shown too, as the share of finished brackets each entrant won.
How many people have ranked Greatest Musical Artists?
103 finished brackets so far, with 2,577 head-to-head picks between them. Only finished brackets count.
Can I rank all 32 myself?
Yes. Play the bracket at 8, 16, 32 entrants, free and with no sign-up. You get your own ranking and a link to share, and your picks join this page.
How often does this page update?
About every hour, as new brackets are finished.
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Your turn: is the crowd right?
Pick a winner in every matchup and see where you agree with 103 players, and where you don't.