Album-equivalent unit: Difference between revisions

The '''album-equivalent unit''', or '''album equivalent''',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianmi.org/awards/standards/|title=Standards|publisher=[[Indian Music Industry]]|access-date=August 27, 2022}}</ref> is a measurement unit in [[music industry]] to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one [[album]] copy.<ref name="pitchfork"/><ref name="BillboardRule"/> This consumption includes [[streaming media|streaming]] and [[music download|song downloads]] in addition to traditional [[album sales]]. The album-equivalent unit was introduced in the mid-[[2010s]] as an answer to the drop of album sales in the 21st century. Album sales more than halved from 1999 to 2009, declining from a $14.6 to $6.3 billion industry.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why Album Sales Are Down |url=http://www.speeli.com/articles/view/Why-album-sales-are-down |website=Speeli|date=April 2021 }}</ref> For instance, the only albums that [[Music recording certification|went platinum]] in the United States in 2014 were the ''[[Frozen (soundtrack)|Frozen]]'' soundtrack and [[Taylor Swift]]'s [[1989 (Taylor Swift album)|''1989'']], whereas several artists' works had in 2013.<ref name="noplat">{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2014/10/16/not-one-artists-album-has-gone-platinum-in-2014/ |title=Not One Artist's Album Has Gone Platinum In 2014 |last=McIntyre |first=Hugh |date=October 16, 2014 |work=[[Forbes]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sanders |first=Sam |title=Taylor Swift, Platinum Party of One |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2014/11/05/361577726/taylor-swift-platinum-party-of-one |website=NPR |date=November 5, 2014}}</ref>