The Glee cast has released sixteen soundtrack albums, six compilation albums and eleven extended plays (EPs), containing 754 different performances of an individual song or a mashup of two or more songs in a single performance. Of the performances on the various albums and EPs, 460 were also released as singles. Glee features on-screen performance-based musical numbers, most of which are cover versions of popular songs, with genres ranging from R&B and pop to country and show tunes. The cast consists of fifteen main characters; some actors were cast following Broadway theatre experience while others were required to audition to prove singing and dancing capabilities. Recordings of performances on the show are sold as singles the week of broadcast, available for download.
For the first season, the group's debut album, Glee: The Music, Volume 1, was released by Columbia Records in November 2009, and peaked at number one in Ireland and the United Kingdom, three in Australia, and four in Canada and the United States. The album eventually went on to earn platinum certifications in these five countries, plus double platinum in Australia and triple platinum in Ireland. Debut single "Don't Stop Believin', a cover of the 1981 Journey song, was a top ten hit, reaching number two in the UK and number four in Ireland and the US; it has since been certified platinum in the US and Australia. In December 2009, their second album, Glee: The Music, Volume 2, reached number one in New Zealand and Ireland. The EP Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna saw release in April 2010 to accompany a Madonna tribute episode, and marked the cast's first number-one debut on the Billboard 200. Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers was released in May 2010 and managed to debut in the top ten worldwide. Included on the track listing is a cover of The All-American Rejects' "Gives You Hell", which reached number one in Ireland, a first for the group. The season's releases concluded with an EP of the music from the season's final episode, Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals, which reached number one on the US and Ireland charts, number two in the UK and Canada, and number three in Australia. Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One was a compilation album, which contained all one hundred studio recordings from the first season released on the first three volumes (Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 Showstoppers) and the first two extended plays (The Power of Madonna and Journey to Regionals), including bonus tracks. All singles from the first season were also included, with the exception of "Last Christmas". The album was released to the iTunes Store on September 14, 2010.
For the second season, the first release was the EP Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show, released to accompany the Rocky Horror tribute episode; it reached number six in the US in October 2010. Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album and Glee: The Music, Volume 4 were both released in November 2010; the former accompanies the last episode of the year. These albums both charted in the top ten in Canada and the US, and are the only two albums to have been certified platinum from the season, with the former achieving that in the US, and the latter in Australia. A limited edition EP Glee: The Music, Love Songs, sold only at Target stores, was released at the end of the year, and did not chart. Three more soundtracks albums, Glee: The Music, Volume 5, Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers, and Glee: The Music, Volume 6, were released for the season in 2011, all reaching the top five in Canada and the US. The cast holds the record for most charted songs by an act in the 53-year history of the Billboard Hot 100, with 207 appearances as of October 2013. Two singles, "Teenage Dream" and "Loser Like Me", charted in the top ten in the US and Canada, and both were certified gold in the US. The cast has also put 51 singles in the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and are ahead of The Beatles as of October 2013, behind only Lil Wayne with 64, Elton John with 57 and Elvis Presley with 80. As of April 2013, the cast has sold more than 53 million songs and over 13 million albums worldwide including 48.3 million downloads, 8 million albums sold and 3.8 billion streams in the U.S. alone as of June 2024.
Albums
Soundtrack albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions CertificationsAUSCANFRAIRLMEXNLNZSWIUKUSUSGlee Cast | BillboardPeak chart positions for albums in the US credited to Soundtrack instead of Glee Cast: Glee: The Music, The Graduation Album: Glee: The Music, Volume 1Released: November 2, 2009 Label: Columbia (#754090) Format: CD, download34521379848141RIAA: Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum IRMA: 3× Platinum MC: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum Glee: The Music, Volume 2Released: December 8, 2009 Label: Columbia (#761705) Format: CD, download8574139161—231RIAA: Gold ARIA: Platinum BPI: Platinum IRMA: 2× Platinum MC: Platinum RMNZ: Gold Glee: The Music, Volume 3 ShowstoppersReleased: May 18, 2010 Label: Columbia (#770611) Format: CD, download11471922387311RIAA: Gold ARIA: Platinum BPI: Gold IRMA: Platinum RMNZ: Gold Glee: The Music, The Christmas AlbumReleased: November 9, 2010 Label: Columbia (#778567) Format: CD, download131—13774327—3731RIAA: Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Silver IRMA: Gold Glee: The Music, Volume 4Released: November 26, 2010 Label: Columbia (#779214) Format: CD, download36126128249—451RIAA: Gold ARIA: Platinum BPI: Gold IRMA: Gold RMNZ: Gold Glee: The Music, Volume 5Released: March 8, 2011 Label: Columbia (#785852) Format: CD, download13100523273—431ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold RMNZ: Gold Glee: The Music Presents the WarblersReleased: April 19, 2011 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download65—841—11—721BPI: Silver Glee: The Music, Volume 6Released: May 23, 2011 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download34—449833—641ARIA: Gold BPI: Silver Glee: The 3D Concert MovieReleased: August 9, 2011 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download1210—21389815—35162 Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2Released: November 15, 2011 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download246—46————6061 Glee: The Music, Volume 7Released: December 6, 2011 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download18——41—4725—5591ARIA: Gold BPI: Silver Glee: The Music, The Graduation AlbumReleased: May 15, 2012 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download126—14——21—1781 Glee: The Music, Season 4, Volume 1Released: November 27, 2012 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download46——43————42332 Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 3Released: December 11, 2012 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download68————————202 Glee Sings the BeatlesReleased: September 24, 2013 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download48——92————89382 Glee: The Music – Celebrating 100 EpisodesGlee: The Music Celebrating 100 Episodes Set for 3/25 ReleaseGlee: The Music Celebrating 100 Episodes Available March 25 Released: March 25, 2014 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download35————————223 "—" denotes a release that did not chart.
Compilation albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak positions CertificationsAUSIRLUKUK Glee: The Music, The Complete Season OneReleased: September 14, 2010 Label: Columbia Format: Download———83 Glee: The Music, Best of Season OneReleased: November 15, 2010 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download—274196BPI: Gold Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One CD CollectionReleased: December 10, 2010 Label: Columbia (88697839112) Format: CD box set45——— Glee: The Music, The Complete Season TwoReleased: August 28, 2012 Label: Columbia Format: Download———65BPI: Silver Glee: The Music, The Complete Season ThreeReleased: August 28, 2012 Label: Columbia Format: Download———— Glee: The Music, The Complete Season FourReleased: January 14, 2014 Label: Columbia Format: Download———— Glee Love SongsReleased: February 11, 2021 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee LGBTQIA+ PrideReleased: July 15, 2022 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Summer HitsReleased: August 19, 2022 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Christmas SongsReleased: November 11, 2022 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Season 1Released: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Season 2Released: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Season 3Released: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Sad SongsReleased: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Party PlaylistReleased: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Musical HitsReleased: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee Happy SongsReleased: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— Glee HitsReleased: March 22, 2024 Label: Columbia, Legacy Format: Streaming———— "—" denotes a release that did not chart.
EPs + List of EPs, with selected peak chart positions and certifications Title EP details Peak chart positions CertificationsAUSCANPeak chart positions for extended plays in Canada:
FRAIRLMEXNLUKUSPeak chart positions for extended plays in the United States:
The Christmas Album: Volume 4: USPeak chart positions for EPs in the US credited to Soundtrack instead of Glee Cast: Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 4: Glee: The Music, Tested: Glee: The Music, The Back-Up Plan: Glee: The Music, What the World Needs Now: Glee: The Music, Child Star: Glee: The Music, The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester: Glee: The Music, 2009: Glee: The Music, The Power of MadonnaReleased: April 20, 2010 Label: Columbia (#767681) Format: CD, download 10 1 — 5 34 93 4 1 1BPI: Silver Glee: The Music, Journey to RegionalsReleased: June 8, 2010 Label: Columbia (#772878) Format: CD, download 3 2 184 1 59 — 2 1 1BPI: Silver Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee ShowReleased: October 19, 2010 Label: Columbia (#779646) Format: CD, download 8 10 — 15 — — 23 6 1 Glee: The Music, Love SongsReleased: December 28, 2010 Label: Columbia Format: CD — — — — — — — — — Glee: The Music, Dance PartyReleased: September 6, 2011 Label: Columbia Format: CD — — — — — — — — — Britney 2.0Released: September 18, 2012 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Format: Download — — — — — —122431 Glee: The Music Presents GleaseReleased: November 6, 2012 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download 72 — — 88 — — 79 28 1 Glee: The QuarterbackReleased: October 15, 2013 Label: Columbia Format: CD, download — 5 — 28 — — 64 7 1 A Katy or a Gaga (Music from the Episode)Released: November 5, 2013 Label: Columbia Format: Download — — — — — — — 43 1 Movin' OutReleased: November 19, 2013 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: CD, download — — — — — — — 107 5 Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 4Released: December 3, 2013 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: CD, download — — — — — — — 104 9 Glee: The Music, City of AngelsReleased: March 11, 2014 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: Download — — — — — — — 122 6 Glee: The Music, New New YorkReleased: April 1, 2014 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: Download — — — — — — — 123 4 Glee: The Music, BashReleased: April 8, 2014 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: Download — — — — — — — 194 8 Glee: The Music, TestedReleased: April 15, 2014 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: Download — — — — — — — — 14 Glee: The Music, Opening NightReleased: April 22, 2014 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: Download — — — — — — — — 9 Glee: The Music, the Back Up PlanReleased: April 29, 2014 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia Format: Download — — — — — — — — 7 Glee: The Music, Old Dog, New TricksReleased: May 6, 2014 Label: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Columbia