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    RIAA to Count Streaming Towards Album Certifications

    Jay Z’s ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ to benifit from revised RIAA policy. Seventeen albums immediately affected by rare rule change

    The Recording Industry Association of America has changed its rules to now factor streaming sales into its singles and albums certification process. The change has now made 17 albums either platinum or gold automatically. What are your thoughts on this new way of calculating the success of an Album?

    “For nearly six decades, whether it’s vinyl, CDs, downloads or now streams, the Gold & Platinum Program has adapted to recognize the benchmarks of success in an evolving music marketplace,” RIAA’s Chairman and CEO Cary Sherman said in a statement. “We know that music listening — for both albums and songs — is skyrocketing, yet that trend had not been reflected in our album certifications. Modernizing our Album Award certifications to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold & Platinum Awards, and doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists’ albums today.”

     In the organization’s new formula, 1,500 streams will be the equivalent of 10 single-song sales or one album sale. The new rules affect a diverse collection of albums, mostly from newer artists. Debut albums from Halsey and Fifth Harmony are now certified gold, while Shawn Mendes’ Handwritten is now platinum. Meanwhile, albums like Sam Hunt’s Montevallo and The Weeknd’sBeauty Behind the Madness have gone 2x platinum. Michael Jackson’s Thriller has reached 32x Platinum, as well.

     

    See the 17 albums affected by the new RIAA rule below.

    Alt-J, An Awesome Wave (Atlantic Records): Gold
    Big Sean, Dark Sky Paradise (Def Jam Recordings): Platinum
    Brett Eldredge, Bring You Back (Atlantic Nashville): Gold
    Coldplay, Ghost Stories (Atlantic/Parlophone): Platinum
    Elle King, Love Stuff (RCA): Gold
    Fifth Harmony, Reflection (Epic): Gold
    Halsey, Badlands (Astralwerks): Gold
    Hozier, Hozier (Columbia): Platinum
    Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope): Platinum
    Michael Jackson, Thriller (Epic/Legacy): 32X Multi-Platinum
    Miranda Lambert, Platinum (RCA Nashville): Platinum
    Romeo Santos, Fórmula Vol. 2 (Sony Latin): 11X Diamante/RIAA Latin G&P Program
    Sam Hunt, Montevallo (MCA Nashville): 2X Multi-Platinum
    Shawn Mendes, Handwritten (Island Records): Platinum
    The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness (XO/Republic Records): 2X Multi-Platinum
    Vance Joy, Dream Your Life Away (Atlantic Records): Gold
    Wale, Ambition (Atlantic Urban): Gold

     

    Source: RIAA to Count Streaming Towards Album Certifications