RIAA

Gold and Platinum...
The table below is based on the official RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) awards, and is probably as accurate as you can get, but it must be borne in mind that any sales figure is open to question - it's not unknown for record companies to sometimes *understate sales figures (knowingly or not), the germane example here being Pet Sounds, which is generally regarded as having sold enough to go gold some time in summer 1967. Capitol's reasoning and motives can only be guessed at. One thing must be borne in mind at all times: the record company must request* (and pay for) a certification - they aren't awarded automatically. The current RIAA certification levels are 500,000 units for gold and 1,000,000 units for platinum for singles, and the same figures for albums with additional dollar sales of at least $1 million and $2 million, based on one-third of the list price (although for multi-dics sets, each disc counts towards the award and the dollar sales are not a factor). However, to quote the RIAA, "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." Translated into English, this means that from 1958-75, the gold qualification for albums was sales of $1,000,000, whereas for a single it was one million units sold. In 1975, the criteria for albums was amended to $1 million in sales at a minimum of 500,000 units sold. The following year the platinum level was introduced, albums being $2 million at 1,000,000 copies, and a straight 2 million copies sold for singles. In 1989 the level for gold singles was reduced to 500,000 copies. Therefore, although certified gold by the criteria then in place, *Endless Summer* and "Good Vibrations" would be at least platinum records today (that *Endless Summer* was on the charts for over three years and only rates gold beggars belief...). The current criteria for DVD/video certification is 50,000 units for gold, 100,000 for platinum. British awards: In the UK, surprisingly, officially ratified awards have only existed since 1973. Before then, from 1959 to 1973 the British music paper Disc awarded silver discs (for sales of 250,000) and gold discs (for sales of 1,000,000): this applied to both singles and albums. The totals were based on information supplied by the various labels, and prior to 1973, only "Good Vibrations" (12/3/66) and "Sloop John B" (1/7/67) were awarded a silver disc. In 1973, the British Phonographic Industry took over. Less surprisingly, the award levels are somewhat lower than the US, being for singles 400,000 (gold) & 600,000 (platinum), and album being 100,000 (gold) and 300,000 (platinum), Additionally theres a lower award, silver, at 200,000 & 60,000 sales respectively. the UK awards are distinguisehed by a different colored background. The digital age: The rise of both digital sales and, more recently and much more importantly, digital streaming has of necessity seen a refining of the various qualification rules. While the basic levels remain unchanged, the method of arriving at the sales figures is more complex these days. In the US, ten digital track sales or 1,500 song streams from an album are treated as equivalent to one purchase of the album. In the UK... I'll be honest, I've read the Official Chart Company rules and I'm confused, but I think it goes like this: 100 paid streams or 600 free streams equals one sale. That's for singles. Albums ? Not a clue. Addendum 10/3/03 - *Endless Summer* was certified as triple platinum in late September. And about time too...
Award date	Level	Title
2/18/65	Gold	*All Summer Long* *Beach Boys Concert*
10/1/65	Gold	*The Beach Boys Today*
11/15/65	Gold	*Surfin' U.S.A.* *Surfer Girl*
2/7/66	Gold	*Summer Days (And Summer Nights !!)*
12/21/66	Gold	*Little Deuce Coupe* *Shut Down, Volume 2* Good Vibrations/Let's Go Away For A While
4/12/67	Gold	*Best Of The Beach Boys*
8/14/74	Gold	*Endless Summer*
10/4/74	Gold	*The Beach Boys In Concert [2LP]*
4/30/75	Gold	*Spirit Of America [2LP]*
7/1/76	Silver Gold	*20 Golden Greats* *20 Golden Greats*
8/1/76	Platinum	*20 Golden Greats*
9/1/76	Gold	*15 Big Ones*
12/10/76	Gold	*Best Of The Beach Boys, Volume 2*
1/1/78	Silver	*Holland* *15 Big Ones*
2/22/82	Gold	I Get Around/Don't Worry, Baby
4/6/82	Gold	*The Beach Boys' Christmas Album*
7/25/83	Silver Gold	*The Very Best Of The Beach Boys Vol. 1 & 2* *The Very Best Of The Beach Boys Vol. 1 & 2*
9/7/83	Platinum	*The Very Best Of The Beach Boys Vol. 1 & 2*
5/26/88	Gold	*Made In USA [2LP]*
1/10/89	Gold Platinum	Kokomo/other artist B side Kokomo/other artist B side
11/27/89	Gold	*Still Cruisin'*
8/2/90	Silver Gold	*Summer Dreams* *Summer Dreams*
9/1/90	Platinum	*Summer Dreams*
12/2/91	Platinum Platinum x2	*Best Of The Beach Boys* *Best Of The Beach Boys*
2/5/92	Platinum Platinum Platinum x2	*Little Deuce Coupe* *Best Of The Beach Boys, Volume 2* *Best Of The Beach Boys, Volume 2*
11/2/93	Gold	*Good Vibrations - 30 Years Of the Beach Boys [5CD]**
6/1/95	Silver	*Best Of The Beach Boys [2CD ]*
4/27/99	Gold Platinum Platinum x2	*20 Good Vibrations - The Greatest Hits* *20 Good Vibrations - The Greatest Hits* *20 Good Vibrations - The Greatest Hits*
2/11/00	Gold	*Pet Sounds*
4/6/00	Platinum	*Pet Sounds*
11/9/01	Silver	Very Best Of The Beach Boys**
10/25/02	Gold	Very Best Of The Beach Boys**
9/4/03	Gold	*Sounds Of Summer - The Very Best Of The Beach Boys*
9/30/03	Platinum Platinum x2 Platinum x3 Platinum Platinum x2 Platinum	*Endless Summer* *Endless Summer* *Endless Summer* *Made In USA* *Made In USA* *Still Cruisin'*
5/6/04	Platinum	*Sounds Of Summer - The Very Best Of The Beach Boys*
10/01/04	Silver	*Brian Wilson Presents Smile*
11/19/04	Gold	*Brian Wilson Presents Smile*
6/10/05	Silver	*The Platinum Collection [3CD]*
7/11/05	Gold Platinum	*Brian Wilson Presents Smile [DVD]* *Brian Wilson Presents Smile [DVD]*
11/4/05	Platinum x2	*Sounds Of Summer - The Very Best Of The Beach Boys*
12/02/05	Platinum	Very Best Of The Beach Boys**
1/17/08	Gold	*Good Timin' - Live at Knebworth 1980 [DVD]*
5/11/12	Platinum x3	*Sounds Of Summer - The Very Best Of The Beach Boys*
7/22/13	Platinum Silver Silver Silver Silver Silver	*Pet Sounds* *Sounds of Summer* *20 Great Love Songs* *Greatest Hits [1998]* *Hits of The Beach Boys* *I Love You*
4/17/15	Platinum x2	Very Best Of The Beach Boys**
3/30/16	Platinum	Good Vibrations/Let's Go Away For A While
12/23/16	Silver	*Endless Summer*
4/7/17	Silver	Good Vibrations#
4/21/17	Silver	God Only Knows#
5/18/18	Silver	Wouldn't It Be Nice#
11/29/19	Silver	*The Beach Boys with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra*
12/27/19	Gold	Good Vibrations#
4/24/20	Gold	God Only Knows#
5/15/20	Silver	Surfin' USA#
7/17/20	Silver	I Get Around#
9/11/20	Platinum x2	*Pet Sounds*
11/20/20	Gold	Wouldn't It Be Nice#
1/1/21	Silver	Little St. Nick#
7/23/21	Gold	*Endless Summer*
4/1/22	Platinum	Good Vibrations#
8/12/22	Platinum	God Only Knows#
2/3/23	Silver	Kokomo#
11/24/23	Platinum	Wouldn't It Be Nice#
12/29/23	Gold	Little St. Nick#
5/17/24	Gold	Surfin' USA#
12/13/24	Gold	Sloop John B#
x
* ** #	As noted above, to reach gold certification, this 5CD set had to sell 100,000 units - which it did in something under five months. Impressive. Not the same collection as the 1983 LPs. No, I don't understand this either. The best assumption is that it's a result of streaming and downloads.
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