Music recording sales certification
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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 vary 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".
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[edit] 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the biggest selling artists of all time, and claims that some gold albums should be disregarded or even retrospectively withdrawn although they were legitimately awarded at the time.
[edit] 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.
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] List of international sales certification thresholds
</div>Most countries have only one threshold series, but some have different categories with different quantities to achieve a mark. Popular categorizations include:
- By release type (album/single/music videos); generally singles sell better and thus have higher scores to achieve than albums; music videos sell much less and thus have a lower score.
- By artist's country (native/foreign or international); native artists who have songs in their native language usually sell better than foreign.
| Country | Certifier | Classification | Thresholds | Info as of | Source reference | |||
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | Diamond | |||||
| Argentina | CAPIF | All | - | 20,000 | 40,000 | 250,000 | 2006 | [1] |
| Austria | IFPI | Albums and Singles | - | 15,000 | 30,000 | - | 2006 | [2] |
| DVDs | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | - | ||||
| Australia | ARIA | Albums and Singles | - | 35,000 | 70,000 | - | 2006 | [3] |
| Music Videos | - | 7,500 | 15,000 | - | ||||
| Belgium | IFPI | Native artists | - | 15,000 | 30,000 | - | 2006 | [4]PDF |
| Foreign artists | - | 25,000 | 50,000 | - | ||||
| Brazil <ref>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.</ref> | ABPD | Albums | - | 100,000 | 250,000 | 1,000,000 | 2006 | [5] |
| Singles | - | 25,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | ||||
| DVDs | - | 25,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | ||||
| Canada | CRIA | Albums | - | 50,000 | 100,000 | 1,000,000 | 2006 | [6] |
| Singles | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | 100,000 | ||||
| DVDs | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | 100,000 | ||||
| Digital Music (Legal Downloads) | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | 200,000 | ||||
| Denmark | IFPI | Albums | - | 20,000 | 40,000 | - | 2006 | [7] |
| Singles/Musicvideo DVD | - | 4,000 | 8,000 | - | ||||
| Entertainment DVD | - | 20,000 | 40,000 | - | ||||
| Finland | IFPI | Albums | - | 15,000 | 30,000 | - | 2006 | [8] |
| Singles | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | - | ||||
| DVD | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | - | ||||
| France <ref>In France, triple platinum is awarded for 750,000 sold copies, instead of 900,000 copies (three times the platinum sales rank).</ref> | SNEP | Albums | 50,000 | 100,000 | 300,000 | 1,000,000 | 2006 | [9] |
| Singles | 100,000 | 200,000 | 300,000 | 500,000 | ||||
| Germany | IFPI | Albums | - | 100,000 | 200,000 | - | 2006 | [10]PDF |
| Singles | - | 150,000 | 300,000 | - | ||||
| Greece | IFPI | Albums (domestic) | - | 20,000 | 40,000 | - | 2006 | [11]PDF |
| Albums (foreign) | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| Singles | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| Music videos | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | - | ||||
| Hungary | Mahasz | Albums (domestic) | - | 7,500 | 15,000 | - | 2006 | [12] |
| Albums (foreign) | - | 3,000 | 6,000 | - | ||||
| Jazz/world music/classic/single/spoken word releases | - | 1,500 | 3,000 | - | ||||
| India <ref>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.</ref> | IMI | International | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | 2006 | [13] |
| Classical/non-classical | - | 10,000 | 40,000 | - | ||||
| Regional Basic | - | 60,000 | 120,000 | - | ||||
| National Basic | - | 100,000 | 200,000 | - | ||||
| Indonesia | ?? | Albums | - | 75,000 | 150,000 | 1,500,000 | 2005 | [citation needed] |
| Israel | IFPI | All | - | 20,000 | 40,000 | - | 2006 | [citation needed] |
| Italy | FIMI | Albums | 20,000 | 40,000 | 80,000 | 400,000 | 2006 | [14]PDF |
| Singles | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| Japan | RIAJ | All | - | 100,000 | 250,000 | 1,000,000<ref>This category is described as "Million" rather than Diamond</ref> | 2005 | [15]PDF |
| Malaysia | RIM | All | - | 15,000 | 25,000 | 150,000 | 2003 | [citation needed] |
| Mexico <ref>In Mexico, the thresholds for domestic and international CDs prior to January 2001 were: Gold - 100,000, Platinum - 200,000, Diamond - 1,000,000. DVD certifications began January 2003.</ref> | AMPROFON | Albums | - | 100,000 | 200,000 | 500,000 | 2006 | [citation needed] |
| Music DVDs | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | 100,000 | ||||
| Netherlands | NVPI | Albums (popular) | - | 35,000 | 70,000 | - | 2006 | [16] |
| Albums (classical/jazz) | - | 15,000 | 25,000 | - | ||||
| Singles | - | 40,000 | 60,000 | - | ||||
| New Zealand | RIANZ | Albums | - | 7,500 | 15,000 | - | 2006 | [17] |
| Singles | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | - | ||||
| Music videos | - | 2,500 | 5,000 | - | ||||
| Norway | IFPI | Albums | - | 20,000 | 40,000 | - | 2002 | [18] |
| Singles/Musicvideo DVD | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | - | ||||
| Philippines | PRIMA | All | 15,000 | 30,000 | 1,000,000 | 2004 | [citation needed] | |
| Poland | ZPAV | Singles | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | 100,000 | 2006 | [19] |
| Album (domestic pop artists) | - | 15,000 | 30,000 | 150,000 | ||||
| Album (foreign pop artists) | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | 100,000 | ||||
| Album (jazz/classical) | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | 50,000 | ||||
| Album (soundtrack) | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | 100,000 | ||||
| Music video | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | 50,000 | ||||
| Music video (classical/jazz) | - | 2,500 | 5,000 | 25,000 | ||||
| DVD | - | 5,000 | 10,000 | - | ||||
| Portugal | AFP | All | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | 2006 | [citation needed] |
| Republic of Ireland | IRMA | Albums | - | 7,500 | 10,000 | - | - | [citation needed] |
| Singles | - | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | ||||
| Singapore | RIAS | All | - | 10,000 | 15,000 | - | 2006 | [citation needed] |
| South Africa | RISA | Albums | - | 25,000 | 50,000 | - | 2005 | [20] |
| Spain | PROMUSICAE | Albums | - | 40,000 | 80,000 | - | 2005<ref>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)</ref> | [21] |
| Singles | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| Sweden | IFPI | Singles | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | 2006 | [22] | |
| Album | - | 30,000 | 60,000 | - | ||||
| Classic Albums | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| Jazz Albums | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| Folkmusik Albums | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| DVD | - | 10,000 | 20,000 | - | ||||
| Switzerland | IFPI | All | - | 15,000 | 30,000 | - | 2006 | [23] |
| DVD | 3,000 | 6,000 | - | - | ||||
| Turkey | MÜ-YAP | Albums | - | 100,000 | 200,000 | 300,000 | 2006 | [24] |
| Ukraine | UMA | Native artists | 50,000 | 100,000 | 500,000 | - | 2003 | [25] |
| Foreign artists | 25,000 | 50,000 | 200,000 | - | ||||
| United Kingdom | BPI | Albums | 60,000 | 100,000 | 300,000 | - | 2006 | [26] |
| Singles | 200,000 | 400,000 | 600,000 | - | ||||
| United States <ref>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.</ref> <ref>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.</ref> | RIAA | Albums and Singles | - | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 2006 | [27] |
| Music Videos | - | 50,000 | 100,000 | - | ||||
| Digital Music (Legal Downloads) | - | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | - | ||||
| Uruguay | CUD | All | - | 2,000 | 4,000 | - | 2006 | [28] |
| Country | Certifier | Classification | Thresholds | Info as of | Source reference | |||
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | Diamond | |||||
[edit] See also
- RIAA certification
- List of best-selling albums
- List of best-selling singles
- Recording Industry Association of America
- Release (music)
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
<references/>de:Goldene Schallplatte eo:Ora disko fr:Disque d'or it:Certificazione delle vendite di dischi musicali he:אלבום זהב hu:Aranylemez ja:ゴールドディスク no:Salgstrofeer i musikkbransjen pl:Złota płyta fi:Kultalevy

