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Most gold and platinum records are actually vinyl records which have been vacuum metallized and tinted, while trimmed and plated metal "masters", "mothers", or "stampers" (metal parts used for pressing records out of vinyl) were initially used. The music in the grooves on the record may not match the actual recording being awarded. [31]
The standard certification awards given consist of Gold, Platinum, and sometimes Diamond awards, in ascending order; the UK and Australia also have a Silver certification, ranking below Gold. In most cases, a "Multi-Platinum" or "Multi-Diamond" award is given for multiples of the Platinum or Diamond requirements.
A Gold record is a song or album that sells 500,000 units (records, tapes, and compact discs). The award was launched in 1958; [ 5 ] originally, the requirement for a Gold single was one million units sold and a Gold album represented $1 million in sales (at wholesale value, around a third of the list price). [ 6 ]
Reflecting growth in record sales, the Platinum award was added in 1976, for albums able to sell one million units, while singles qualify upon selling two million units. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] The Multi-Platinum award was introduced in 1984, signifying multiple Platinum levels of albums and singles. [ 17 ]
Groupings are based on different benchmarks; the highest being for at least 20 million units, and the lowest being for multi-disc albums certified at least 10 times platinum and single-disc albums that have been certified at least 10 times platinum but with sales figures lower than 10,000,000.
Additionally, awards are presented only if and when a record company applies for certification. Therefore, the total certified units for a given artist may be incomplete or out of date. The RIAA began its certifications in 1958, therefore, popular artists from earlier eras are generally not represented on this list.
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This is a list compiling the highest certified digital singles in the United States, all of which have reached Diamond status and are kept track of by the Recording Industry Association of America. [1]