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Information about Music Recording Sales Certification

“Golden record” redirects here. For the two golden phonograph records placed on the Voyager spacecrafts, see Voyager Golden Record.
“Diamond Disc” redirects here. For Edison Diamond Disc phonograph records, see Edison Records.
“Diamond award” redirects here. For the award presented at the World Music Awards, see Chopard Diamond award.


Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has sold a certain number of copies.

Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond (silver is also used in some countries). The number of sales required for these awards varies depending on the population of the territory in which the album is released. Normally they are awarded only to albums released at least nationally and are awarded individually for each country in which the album is sold. Additionally, different sales levels may exist for different music media, such as albums, singles, or videos.

Originally applied to LP records, certification is now most commonly awarded for compact disc sales. Certification is usually awarded cumulatively, and it is possible for a single album to be certified silver, gold, and platinum in turn. An album that becomes platinum twice over is said to be "double platinum".

History

The original "Gold Record" awards were presented to artists by their own record companies to publicize the achievement of 1,000,000 sales. The first of these was awarded by RCA to Glenn Miller in February 1942, celebrating 1,200,000 sales of "Chattanooga Choo Choo." Another example of a company award is the gold record awarded to Elvis Presley in 1956 for 1,000,000 sales of the single "Hound Dog". This has led to controversy over how to determine the placings for the biggest selling artists of all time, and claims that some gold albums should be disregarded or even retroactively withdrawn although they were legitimately awarded at the time.

RIAA certification

Main article: RIAA certification
Several different thresholds have been in use at different times and places for both album and single awards. Some of these were based on units sold and others on the value of retail sales. The first official designation of a "gold record" by the RIAA was established for singles in 1958, and the RIAA also trademarked the term "gold record" in the United States. On March 14 1958 the RIAA certified Perry Como's hit single "Catch a Falling Star" as its first ever "gold record". Later that year, the Elvis Presley hit "Hard Headed Woman" became the first rock and roll single to earn the RIAA designation. In 1976, RIAA introduced the platinum certification with Linda Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind being one of the first albums to be certified platinum. The RIAA, previous to the 1980s when precious metals and diamonds became more expensive, used gold, platinum, and diamonds to cover the artists album as a 45. The last album to be certified Diamond was OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003.

Like many record industry awards and rankings, the measurement is usually based on wholesale shipments to all types of retail outlets, not actual retail sales or financial transactions. This means that an early award or ranking for a new release reflects a distributor's expectations for the album and their market power.

IFPI certification

The International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers (IFPI) awards the IFPI Platinum Europe Award for album sales over one million within Europe. Multi-platinum Europe Awards are presented for sales in subsequent multiples of a million. The award, which was inaugurated in 1996, is not restricted to European group artists. Time is not a factor for an album to reach platinum.

List of international sales certification thresholds

Most countries have only one threshold series, but some have different categories with different quantities to achieve a mark. Popular categorizations include:
Country Certifier Classification Thresholds Info as of Source reference
Silver Gold Platinum Diamond
ArgentinaCAPIFAll-20,00040,000250,0002006[1]
AustriaIFPIAlbums and Singles-15,00030,000-2006[2]
DVDs-5,00010,000-
AustraliaARIAAlbums and Singles-35,00070,000-2006[3]
Music Videos-7,50015,000-
BelgiumIFPINative artists-10,00020,000-2006
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Foreign artists-15,00030,000-
BulgariaIFPINative artists-15,00030,000-2006
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Foreign artists-10,00020,000-
Brazil [1]ABPDAlbums-50,000125,000500,0002006[4]
Singles-25,00050,000100,000
DVDs-25,00050,000100,000
CanadaCRIAAlbums-50,000100,0001,000,0002006[5]
Singles-5,00010,000100,000
DVDs-5,00010,000100,000
Digital Music (Legal Downloads)-10,00020,000200,000
Chile-All-7,50015,000-2007-
Colombia-All-10,00020,000-2007-
DenmarkIFPIAlbums-20,00040,000-2006[6]
Singles/Music video DVD-4,0008,000-
Entertainment DVD-20,00040,000-
Ecuador-All-7,50015,000-2007-
FinlandIFPIAlbums-15,00030,000-2006[7]
Singles-5,00010,000-
DVD-5,00010,000-
France[2]SNEPAlbums40,00075,000200,000750,0002006[8]
Singles100,000200,000300,000500,000
GermanyIFPIAlbums-100,000200,000-2005[9]
Singles-150,000300,000-
GreeceIFPIAlbums (domestic)-20,00040,000-2006
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Albums (foreign)-10,00020,000-
Singles-10,00020,000-
Music videos-5,00010,000-
Hong Kong, China[3]IFPIAll-10,00020,000-2006[10]
HungaryMahaszAlbums (domestic)-7,50015,000-2006[11]
Albums (foreign)-3,0006,000-
Jazz/world music/classic/single/spoken word releases-1,5003,000-
India[4]IMIInternational-10,00020,000-2006[12]
Classical/non-classical-10,00040,000-
Regional Basic-60,000120,000-
National Basic-100,000200,000-
IndonesiaRIIAlbums (domestic)-75,000150,000-2007
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Albums (foreign)-25,00050,000-
IsraelIFPIAll-20,00040,000-2006
CountryCertifierClassificationThresholdsInfo as ofSource reference
SilverGoldPlatinumDiamond
ItalyFIMIAlbums20,00040,00080,000400,0002006
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Singles-10,00020,000-
Music videos-15,00030,000-
Japan[5]RIAJAll-100,000250,0001,000,000[6]2005
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
MalaysiaRIMAlbums-15,00025,000-2007
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Mexico[7]AMPROFONAlbums-50,000100,000500,0002007[13]
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Music videos-10,00020,000-
Digital single downloads-1,5003,000250,000
Digital album downloads-5,00010,000250,000
Ringtones-10,00025,000250,000
NetherlandsNVPIAlbums (popular)-35,00070,000-2006[14]
Albums (classical/jazz)-15,00025,000-
Singles-40,00060,000-
New ZealandRIANZAlbums-7,50015,000-2006[15]
Singles-5,00010,000-
Music videos-2,5005,000-
NorwayIFPIAlbums-15,00030,000-2002[16]
Singles/Musicvideo DVD-5,00010,000-
Peru-All-5,00010,000-2007-
PhilippinesPRIMAAlbums15,00030,000-2007
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
PolandZPAVSingles-10,00020,000100,0002006[17]
Album (domestic pop artists)-15,00030,000150,000
Album (foreign pop artists)-10,00020,000100,000
Album (jazz/classical)-5,00010,00050,000
Album (soundtrack)-10,00020,000100,000
Music video-5,00010,00050,000
Music video (classical/jazz)-2,5005,00025,000
DVD-5,00010,000-
PortugalAFPAlbums-10,00020,000-2007
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Singles10,00020,00040,000-
Music videos-4,0008,000-
Republic of IrelandIRMAAlbums and Singles-7,50015,000-2007
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Music videos-2,0004,000-
SingaporeRIASAlbums-7,50015,000-2007
This is not an image, but rather a PDF file.
Singles-5,00010,000-
South AfricaRISAAlbums-20,00040,000-2005[18] [19]
SpainPROMUSICAEAlbums-40,00080,000-2005[8][20]
Singles/Legal Downloads-10,00020,000-
SwedenIFPISingles-10,00020,0002006[21]
Album-20,00040,000-
Classic Albums-10,00020,000-
Jazz Albums-10,00020,000-
Folk music Albums-10,00020,000-
DVD-10,00020,000-
SwitzerlandIFPIAll-15,00030,000-2006[22]
DVD3,0006,000--
TurkeyMÜ-YAPAlbums-100,000200,000300,0002006[23]
UkraineUMANative artists-50,000100,000500,0002003[24]
Foreign artists-25,00050,000200,000
United KingdomBPIAlbums60,000100,000300,000-2006[25]
Singles200,000400,000600,000-
United States[9] [10]RIAAAlbums and Singles-500,0001,000,00010,000,0002007[26]
Music Videos-50,000100,0001,000,000
Digital Music (Legal Downloads)-500,0001,000,000-
UruguayCUDAll-2,0004,000-2006[27]
Venezuela-All-10,00020,000-2007
Vietnam-All-5,00010,000-2006

See also

External links

Notes

1. ^ In Brazil, the thresholds for domestic CDs prior to January 2004 were: Gold - 100,000, Platinum - 250,000, Diamond - 1,000,000. The current thresholds for international CDs have been in effect since January 2001. DVD certifications began January 2002.
2. ^ In France, triple platinum is awarded for 750,000 sold copies, instead of 900,000 copies (which would be three times the platinum sales rank).
3. ^ IFPI suggested that the standard should be lowered as the sales of music albums in Hong Kong has decreased lately.
4. ^ In India, sales must be achieved within one calendar year of the disc's release in the country to be eligible for gold or platinum certification.
5. ^ In Japan, it is known as the "Gold Disc Award"[28]
6. ^ This category is described as "Million" rather than Diamond
7. ^ In Mexico, the thresholds for domestic and international CDs prior to 1999 were: Gold - 100,000, Platinum - 250,000, Diamond - 1,000,000. The thresholds for domestic and international CDs from 1999 to June 30, 2003 were: Gold - 75,000, Platinum - 150,000, Diamond - 500,000.
8. ^ Citing declining trends in Spanish music sales, PROMUSICAE reduced the gold and platinum sales thresholds from 50,000 and 100,000 respectively, effective 1 November 2005. (See Mariah Carey list of certifications for example)
9. ^ The RIAA certifies tracks gold recognizing 500,000 legal downloads, platinum for 1,000,000 downloads and multi-Platinum for 2,000,000 and following in increments of 1,000,000 thereafter.
10. ^ In June 2006, the RIAA changed its single certifications for the US. It had previously been 100,000 sales for a Gold certification and 200,000 sales for a Platinum certification. For this reason, songs such as "You're Beautiful" were reduced from being five times Platinum to only one time Platinum.
Voyager Golden Record is a phonograph record included in the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. It contains sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.
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Edison Records was the first record label, pioneering recorded sound and an important player in the early record industry.

Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records

Thomas A.
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The World Music Awards (founded in 1989) is an international awards show that annually honors recording artists based on their worldwide sales figures, which are provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
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The Chopard Diamond award (or simply the Diamond award) is given by the World Music Awards to artists who have sold over 100 million albums during their career. This award is occasionally confused with the previously created RIAA certification of "Diamond", which represents
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Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, usually used for the voice or for music.

The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording.
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    Gold album.
  • 1,000,000 units: Platinum album.
  • 2,000,000 units: Multi-Platinum album.
  • 10,000,000 units: Diamond album.
The following certifications are given only to recordings of which over 50% of the content is in the Spanish language
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GOLD refers to one of the following:
  • GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade).
  • GOLD (parser) is an open source BNF parser.

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4, 5, 6
(mildly basic oxide)
Electronegativity 2.28 (scale Pauling)
Ionization energies 1st: 870 kJ/mol
2nd: 1791 kJ/mol
Atomic radius 135 pm
Atomic radius (calc.
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Diamond is an allotrope of carbon. It is the hardest known natural material and the third-hardest known material after aggregated diamond nanorods and ultrahard fullerite. Its hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry.
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Silver (IPA: /ˈsɪlvə(ɹ)/) is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (Latin: argentum) and atomic number 47.
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album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on
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In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.
  • Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

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A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings.
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gramophone record (also phonograph record, or simply record) is an analogue sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove starting near the periphery and ending near the center of the disc.
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Compact Disc

The closely spaced tracks on the readable surface of a Compact Disc cause light to diffract into a full visible colour spectrum
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: Various
Capacity: Typically up to 700 MB
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RCA, formerly an acronym for the Radio Corporation of America, is now a trademark owned by Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson.
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citation, footnoting or external linking.
This article is about the jazz musician. For the college basketball coach, see Glen Miller (basketball coach).

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Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a big-band/swing song which was featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred amongst others Sonja Henie, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle and Joan Davis.
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Elvis Aaron Presley[1][2] (January 8, 1935–August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician, actor, writer, and producer. He is a cultural icon, often known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".
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    Gold album.
  • 1,000,000 units: Platinum album.
  • 2,000,000 units: Multi-Platinum album.
  • 10,000,000 units: Diamond album.
The following certifications are given only to recordings of which over 50% of the content is in the Spanish language
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In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.
  • Vinyl singles consist of one or more tracks on a traditional gramophone record.

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trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign or indicator of some kind which is used by an individual, business organization or other legal entity to uniquely identify the source of its products and/or services to consumers, and to distinguish its products or
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For the Lebanese political coalition, see March 14 Alliance.
March 14 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1920s  1930s  1940s  - 1950s -  1960s  1970s  1980s
1955 1956 1957 - 1958 - 1959 1960 1961

Year 1958 (MCMLVIII
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Pierino Ronald Como (May 18 1912 – May 12 2001) was an American crooner. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943.
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Elvis Aaron Presley[1][2] (January 8, 1935–August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician, actor, writer, and producer. He is a cultural icon, often known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".
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"Hard Headed Woman" is an American 12-bar blues written by African American songwriter Claude Demetrius. It was most notably recorded as a rock and roll song by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1958 motion picture King Creole
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Rock 'n' Roll (short for Rock and Roll), is a genre of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and quickly spread to the rest of the world. It later spawned the various sub-genres of what is now called simply 'rock music'.
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Linda Ronstadt (born Linda Marie Ronstadt on July 15, 1946 in Tucson, Arizona) is an American popular vocalist and entertainer who has earned multiple Grammy Awards, numerous multi-platinum albums, an Emmy Award, and Tony Award and Golden Globe nominations.
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