The Recording Industry of America has announced that streaming will, finally, now contribute to the certification of albums as Gold or Platinum. Effective immediately, the RIAA will include on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent in determining which releases get the coveted album awards, a change that follows a similar tweak in 2013 to include on-demand streams for its Digital Single Award.
"After a comprehensive analysis of a variety of factors," writes the organization in a statement, "including streaming and download consumption patterns and historical impact on the program – and also consultation with a myriad of industry colleagues the RIAA set the new Album Award formula of 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video song streams = 10 track sales = 1 album sale. Also effective today, RIAA’s Digital Single Award ratio will be updated from 100 on-demand streams = 1 download to 150 on-demand streams = 1 download to reflect streaming’s enormous growth in the two plus years since that ratio was set."
"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," said Cary Sherman, chairman and CEO of the RIAA, in a statement.
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Responding to the rule change James Donio, president of the Music Business Association said in a statement that the change "affirms the importance of streaming in today’s music business and allows for a more modern and complete sales measurement system for this iconic program."
1. "RE: RIAA Accepts Streams for Gold and Platinum Certifications" In response to Reply # 0
Should they accept all streams they can verify?
like Datpiff and LiveMixtapes? as long as the album/mixtape is also up for sale?
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
-DJ R-Tistic- Member since Nov 06th 2008 51986 posts
Tue Feb-02-16 12:45 PM
6. "I don't even know where to start, it's too difficult to even say" In response to Reply # 1
And are they counting unique streams based off IP addresses? It's just all too complicated...but I agree, it is so much different now. In the 90's, even folks like Magic Mike went Platinum, while huge rappers in the last decade such as Rick Ross never did.
14. "RE: I don't even know where to start, it's too difficult to even say" In response to Reply # 6
When did magic mike go platinum? lol
... Numbers were inflated in 90s though.. to buy a single you bought an album.. so now it makes sense that they are lower and we have mad multi-platinum singles
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
3. "RE: This effectively renders gold and platinum certification meaningless..." In response to Reply # 2
We do have to make a shift.... streaming does need to count since it is rapidly increasing...
but yea it takes the hard sales fun out of it
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
12. "RE: I mean, what streams are we counting?" In response to Reply # 5
Same streams that billboard counts I assume.. On-Demand... Youtube, Spotify, Itunes, google play, amazon
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
16. "they could avoid all issues by simply making streaming a different categ..." In response to Reply # 3 Tue Feb-02-16 01:24 PM by CyrenYoung
..altogether.
but then that would mean they'd finally have to admit that their current method of evaluating everything from record sales, spins, etc is inaccurate & outdated.
7. "nah it makes it far more accurate..." In response to Reply # 2
a major part of the reason for far less artists getting plaques is because their music is being streamed. not shifting to this model would actually make it less meaningful since it'd be ignoring the more largely used medium.
40. "RE: And all of them have radio. I'm a Spotify subscriber " In response to Reply # 26
Radio specifically DOESNT count...
It HAS to be ON DEMAND... I selected this song to listen to... only way it counts towards purchase..
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
8. "I don't think it should count" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Feb-02-16 12:53 PM by Nick Has a Problem..
because I'm stuck in the past and if people don't like your album enough to buy it, too bad. I also agree with
dangeroo kipawaa TDEVerified account @dangerookipawaa we don't stand behind this @RIAA bs. ole skool rules apply, 1 million albums sold is platinum.until we reach that #, save all the congrats. https://twitter.com/dangerookipawaa/status/694270852813094913
****************************************** Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks
15. "RE: plenty ppl will buy albums out right. " In response to Reply # 13
RIAA has to adjust or they lose relevancy...
you KNOW they arent going to allow that.. lol
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
18. "RE: this ain't a proper adjustment." In response to Reply # 17
Or shift back to really pushing single certifications like the 50s-60s-70s
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
30. "RE: this entire exchange is on par with what i hinted at in reply #16..." In response to Reply # 23
imo they shouldnt change criteria.. that runs risk of spoiling the whole thing... Platinum cant be lower than 1m imo
but we DO have multi platinum singles often and maybe they should focus on that rather than slumping album sales..
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
27. "I know so many people who no longer buy albums..." In response to Reply # 0
but do stream them via spotify, tidal (psyche, nobody use that shit) and other paid services. The way people interact with the music marketplace has changed A LOT in the past few years, and I think the certifications need to reflect that.
I do agree that there should be differentiation between paid streaming vs. radio streaming, but I don't know that it's not already the case.
--
"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."
29. "This really creates a reality where you can be platinum yet broke" In response to Reply # 0
As if it hasn't already been like that for years.
I agree that the way in which we measure things should be adjusted to match the consumption habits of your average consumer, but they should come up with a different name for it. As someone mentioned in here, J. Cole went platinum last year, the "real" way; I imagine he would felt a little slighted to have someone who sold a fraction of what he did earn the same designation.
31. "Might as well start counting radio spins" In response to Reply # 0
Shits weird. I can't say that streaming shouldn't count towards something. But I'd love to see what counts. I mean, if I stream an album once, skip through it and never come back, should that count?
32. "RE: Might as well start counting radio spins" In response to Reply # 31
150 streams on 1 song equals 1 purchase
So you need 1500 streams of 10 songs to equal TEA or 1 album
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
35. "I feel like this makes the whole system easy to trivialize" In response to Reply # 0
There's always been things going on like that infamous video of the Crooks & Castles bosses going to every major department store in town, buying up every copy of Drake's Thank Me Later and handing them out to people in their offices, but at least that still required a substantial investment of money and a register transaction.
Now, the C&C guys could pull the same stunt by simply demanding their employees to leave their Spotify apps open and streaming Drake's album 24/7 for three months. They could even keep their computers on mute and never even listen to it. Labels could build streaming bots and servers that do nothing but access those files hundreds of times a day.
I appreciate the sentiment but I feel like this makes the system easier to rig than ever before.
38. "RE: this means nobody is going wood anymore" In response to Reply # 36
Bruh... There are probably millions of people right now with a music video on youtube with like 75 views...
This aint changing that
1m plays on 1 song = 6,667 purchases
You need 1,500,000,000 plays of 10 songs to go platinum.. There are like 10 ppl with a billion plays on yt.. And they are all multi-platinum artists.. Dont fool tiurself into thinking this is easy
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
37. "so, can i make a song on youtube go plat?...asking for a friend" In response to Reply # 0
cuz if i can somehow end up with a gold or platinum plaque on my wall, no matter how meaningless, i think i'd do it for the fuck of it
then again, i (half)jokingly suggested that i stand outside a business that shared my last name in a suit and asked a friend to take a picture, to be on prominent display at my funeral
39. "RE: so, can i make a song on youtube go plat?...asking for a friend" In response to Reply # 37
if you can get 1.5 BILLION views on a song...
go the fuck ahead..
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
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