The Breakdown Of RIAA Certifications
By now most of us are familiar with the album certification awards which are presented to albums that sell in excess a certain amount of copies; the same goes for singles or even videos. Here is a little breakdown for those who are unfamiliar or who simply don't have enough knowledge regarding the certifications. Before I go there though I must say RIAA if your unsure stands for the Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA is the association behind the certification awards but also the association behind musical piracy.
So here are the certification awards and a brief explanation of each:
Gold - An album has to ship 500,000 units to a retailer to be certified Gold. Also most albums certified Gold have sold in excess close to this amount or around that amount for example an album that sold 320,000 units can still be certified as Gold. Mariah Carey's "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel" has been certified Gold. Other artists with Gold albums include Bruno Mars, Keri Hilson, and Trina.
Platinum - An album has to ship 1,000,000 units to a retailer to be certified Platinum. As with Gold albums, Platinum albums usually sell in excess of the said amount. For example an album that sells 847,000 or 1,200,000 are considered Platinum albums; that's of course if the record company buys the award. Rihanna's "Loud" was recently certified Platinum after selling a million copies. Other artists with Platinum albums are Ashanti and Keyshia Cole.
Multi-Platinum - An album has to ship over 1,000,000 copies units to a retailer to be certified Multi-Platinum. Multi-Platinum albums also sell in excess of a 1,000,000 copies or more. 2,300,000 copies is an example of a Multi-Platinum selling album. Brandy's "Never Say Never" has been certified Multi-Platinum. Other artists to have Multi-Platinum albums are Monica, Lil' Kim, and Eve.
Diamond - An album has to ship over 10,000,000 copies units to a retailer to be certified Diamond. These days you don't see many Diamond album certifications unless their from older releases. 9,300,000 copies or more can be certified as a Diamond album. Usher's "Confessions" has been certified Diamond if I'm not mistaken as well as albums by Britney Spears and Whitney Houston.
There have been some albums over the years that have never been certified and its a known fact that the album has sold Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum(which you will read about below) status. Some albums also could use another certification but it is totally up to the record company who has to dish out the money for the award.
Most of these certification awards are awarded in a plaque form. The plaques contain a Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum (vinyl) album, cassette, or compact disc depending on what the awards represents. The awards may also feature Billboard statistics and the cover of said album, single, video, etc.
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So here are the certification awards and a brief explanation of each:
Gold - An album has to ship 500,000 units to a retailer to be certified Gold. Also most albums certified Gold have sold in excess close to this amount or around that amount for example an album that sold 320,000 units can still be certified as Gold. Mariah Carey's "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel" has been certified Gold. Other artists with Gold albums include Bruno Mars, Keri Hilson, and Trina.
Platinum - An album has to ship 1,000,000 units to a retailer to be certified Platinum. As with Gold albums, Platinum albums usually sell in excess of the said amount. For example an album that sells 847,000 or 1,200,000 are considered Platinum albums; that's of course if the record company buys the award. Rihanna's "Loud" was recently certified Platinum after selling a million copies. Other artists with Platinum albums are Ashanti and Keyshia Cole.
Multi-Platinum - An album has to ship over 1,000,000 copies units to a retailer to be certified Multi-Platinum. Multi-Platinum albums also sell in excess of a 1,000,000 copies or more. 2,300,000 copies is an example of a Multi-Platinum selling album. Brandy's "Never Say Never" has been certified Multi-Platinum. Other artists to have Multi-Platinum albums are Monica, Lil' Kim, and Eve.
Diamond - An album has to ship over 10,000,000 copies units to a retailer to be certified Diamond. These days you don't see many Diamond album certifications unless their from older releases. 9,300,000 copies or more can be certified as a Diamond album. Usher's "Confessions" has been certified Diamond if I'm not mistaken as well as albums by Britney Spears and Whitney Houston.
There have been some albums over the years that have never been certified and its a known fact that the album has sold Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum(which you will read about below) status. Some albums also could use another certification but it is totally up to the record company who has to dish out the money for the award.
Most of these certification awards are awarded in a plaque form. The plaques contain a Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum (vinyl) album, cassette, or compact disc depending on what the awards represents. The awards may also feature Billboard statistics and the cover of said album, single, video, etc.
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Now playing: Drake Ft. Lil' Wayne & Bun B - Uptown (Original Version)
via FoxyTunes
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