GoldPaq

Gold?s stature as one of the world?s most precious metals has made it a symbol of both success and achievement. Ergo the gold medal, the golden trophy, the golden crown, and, in the music business, the gold record. Having a record go gold means an artist has made it, has reached an enviable level of success. A gold record is one of the most important achievements, from an industry standpoint, that an artist can reach.

The gold record began as a way for record companies to publicize the popularity of an artist?s recordings. The first artist to be awarded a gold record was Glenn Miller, who received a gold record from his record company, RCA, in 1942 for selling 1,200,000 copies of “Chattanooga Choo-Choo.”

In the 1950s, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) decided to sponsor an independent award to honor artists who sold large numbers of records. The RIAA trademarked the term “gold record” in the United States, and established their first official RIAA designation of a “gold record,” for singles that had reached sales of 500,000 copies. The first RIAA certified gold record was Perry Como?s single “Catch a Falling Star” in 1958, with Elvis Presley?s “Hard Headed Woman” following shortly thereafter as the first RIAA-certified gold rock and roll single. Gold records for albums followed soon behind designations for gold singles.

By 1976, with record sales shooting through the roof, the RIAA had to introduce a certification for platinum sales, which are sales of over 1,000,000. Soon after that, the RIAA began designating 2,000,000 selling albums as “multi-platinum” and 10,000,000 selling albums as diamond records. Interestingly enough, prior to the skyrocketing costs of precious metals and gems, the RIAA actually covered gold, platinum, and diamond selling albums with gold, platinum, and diamonds.

Just because an artist has sold 500,000, 1,000,000, or even more records does not mean that an RIAA gold, platinum, or diamond album is awarded. It?s up to the record label to have the sales of the record audited, which is established by tallying unit shipments, or albums to retailers, direct to the consumer through subscription based and mail order outlets, and other outlets. Not surprisingly, the RIAA has been slow to catch up with digital music sales, which are tracked by Neilsen Soundscan ratings, not used by the RIAA.

So who are the artists who have the most gold records in history? The top ten artists are:

1. Elvis Presley, with 54 Gold records, 27 Platinum records, and 8 multi-platinum records
2. Mariah Carey, 23 Gold, 10 Platinum, 2 multi-platinum
3. The Beatles, 24 Gold, 6 Platinum, 4 multi-platinum
4. Madonna, 26 Gold, 5 Platinum, 1 multi-platinum
5. Whitney Houston, 19 Gold, 7 Platinum, 1 multi-platinum
6. Janet Jackson, 21 Gold, 5 Platinum
7. Michael Jackson, 16 Gold, 9 Platinum
8. Elton John, 17 Gold, 6 Platinum, 1 multi-platinum
9. The Temptations, 17 Gold, 6 Platinum
10. Aretha Franklin, 15 Gold.

The best selling singles of all time include at least one diamond seller and several multi-platinum sellers, far surpassing the original gold designation. Some of the titles may surprise you! These singles are:

1. “Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John, over 11 million copies sold
2. “We Are the World,” by USA for Africa, over 8 million copies sold
3. “Another One Bites the Dust,” by Queen, over 4 million copies sold
4. “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” by Bryan Adams, over 4 million copies sold
5. “Hey Jude,” The Beatles, over 4 million copies sold
6. “Hound Dog”/”Don’t Be Cruel,” Elvis Presley, over 4 million copies sold
7. “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, over 4 million copies sold
8. “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, over 4 million copies sold
9. “Whoomp! (There It Is),” Tag Team, over 4 million copies sold
10. “Apologize,” Timbaland featuring OneRepublic, over 3 million copies sold.

The best selling albums of all time are all diamond sellers. The numbers many of these albums have sold are staggering; so are some of the titles. These albums are:

1. Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), The Eagles, 29 million copies sold
2. Thriller, Michael Jackson, 27 million copies sold
3. The Wall, Pink Floyd, 23 million copies sold
4. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin, 23 million copies sold
5. Back in Black, AC/DC, 22 million copies sold
6. Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II Billy Joel, 21 million copies sold
7. Double Live, Garth Brooks, 21 million copies sold
8. Come on Over, Shania Twain, 20 million copies sold
9. The Beatles, The Beatles, 19 million copies sold
10. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac, 19 million copies sold.

We doubt any of the artists will be recycling this gold. Although platinum and diamond records designate more albums sold, the gold record still holds a place of reverence in the hearts of musicians, who see it as the first sign of success on a major level.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.