Certification Criteria
- Along with minimum sales figures, a number of other criteria accompany each title for certification. The list and table below describe what titles and types of sales can be considered for the awards.
- Each company that requests RIAA® certification must be a firm or corporation that has headquarters in the United States and is engaged in the legitimate production and sale of sound recordings.
- Recordings become eligible for certification 30 days after initial street date. Audio and music video titles may be requested for award certification starting 30 days after product is commercially available to consumers.
- Only domestic sales and sales to U.S. military post exchanges may be included. The requesting company must separate PX sales from other accounts on sales sheets. Export sales outside the United States are not included in certification.
- Club sales and club free goods may be included towards certification. Product shipped to retail, mail order, record clubs, TV marketing and other ancillary markets are combined toward certified sales. All shipments to these accounts must be verified by the label.
- Promotional radio and press copies, cut-outs, inventory sell-offs and surplus sales are not included toward certification.
- Catalog product, specifically pre-1972 album releases, are eligible for certification by meeting either the unit shipment or manufacturer's dollar requirement for each award level.
RIAA® Gold and Platinum Certification Requirements
Configuration |
Gold® Certification |
Platinum® Certification |
Multi-Platinum™ Certification |
Single |
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Shortform Album/EP |
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Full-Length Album |
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Multi-Disc Set |
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Music Video Single |
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Music Video Longform |
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Multi-Box Music Video Set |
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