RIAA to Count Streaming Toward Album Certifications ::: #Music

Kendrick Lamar
In the ever-changing word of album sales, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has changed its rules... announcing that streaming sales will now count toward singles and albums certification process.
The change has now made 17 albums either platinum or gold automatically, reports Rolling Stone.

"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."
The new rules have affected a number of albums, including The Weeknd'sBeauty Behind the Madness, which is now certified double platinum; Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly is platinum now; amd Michael Jackson's Thriller is now 32x platinum.
Despite the changes, TDE CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith refuses to acknowledge the achievement. "We don't stand behind this [RIAA] bs. Ole skool [sic] rules apply, 1 million albums sold is platinum," he tweeted. Until we reach that #, save all the congrats."

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