When an album goes platinum, it means it has sold over 1 million units in the United States. These units can include physical album sales, permanent digital downloads, and streaming equivalents where streams are converted into album sales based on specific formulas set by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
What Counts as a Unit for Platinum Certification
- 1 unit can be 1 physical or permanent digital album sale.
- Streaming counts as well but requires many streams to equal 1 album unit. For albums, 1,500 on-demand audio or video streams of songs from the album count as 1 album sale unit.
Historical and Current Context
- Platinum certification was introduced in 1976 for albums selling 1 million units.
- The criteria now reflect the modern music consumption landscape, including streaming.
Thus, when an album reaches platinum status, it signifies a major commercial success milestone marking at least 1 million traditional and/or equivalent sales. This is a prestigious recognition in the music industry.
