October 2004
From gold records to gold MP3s
By John Borland
It might not be the same as having a big gold record on the wall, but
the Recording Industry Association of America has issued its first
gold, platinum, and multiplatinum certifications for digital downloads.
The first obvious winner? Outkast's "Hey Ya!" is the only multiplatinum
single so far, with more than 400,000 downloads. Six songs qualified
for platinum, or sales of 200,000 singles, and 45 titles got gold
status, for selling 100,000 songs.
These awards "are a reflection of both the commitment of the entire
music community to consumer-friendly legitimate digital services and
fan appetite for high-quality music," RIAA Chief Executive Officer
Mitch Bainwol said in a statement.
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The awards are a sign of a maturing online music market, and a clear
message that the business has a long way to go before reaching full
mainstream status.
The standards for reaching certification are much lower online,
reflecting the fact that far fewer consumers buy music online, and that
online sales remain just a small fraction of the overall music
business.
An album ordinarily requires sales of 1 million units offline to be
certified platinum, for example. A gold album requires sales of 500,000
units.
The RIAA recently said that nearly 59 million digital singles were sold
in the United States in the first half of 2004.
Outkast accounted for three of the six platinum awards, while
Hoobastank, D12 and Maroon 5 each picked up one. Bands including
Coldplay, The Darkness, Sheryl Crow and Britney Spears all won gold
certifications.
The RIAA based its certifications on sales made through digital
download services operated by companies including Apple Computer,
Musicmatch, Napster, RealNetworks and others.
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