The RIAA® Gold® and Platinum® Awards program was launched in 1958 in an effort to create a standard by which to measure sales of a sound recording. In the beginning, there was only a Gold® album award for the sale of 500,000 copies. As the industry grew, other awards were developed. The Platinum® award (1,000,000 sold) was created in 1976 and with the advent of the compact disc and the subsequent increase in sales, the Multi-Platinum™ award was created in 1984. On March 16, 1999, the RIAA® launched the Diamond® Awards, honoring sales of 10 million copies or more of an album or single.

History of the Awards

Spanning over 40 years, the Gold®, Platinum®, Multi-Platinum™ and now Diamond® award programs are the longest-running objective measure of achievement for sound recordings in the United States, and provide an unmatched historical perspective on the success of countless recording artists. The RIAA® has charted the entire careers of such veteran artists as Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, The Beach Boys, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and the Backstreet Boys, as well as documented the popularity of soundtracks, live albums, multi-disc sets and music videos.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) administers a silver, gold, platinum and diamond award category for a number of countries, excluding the United States. (IFPI has members in 70 countries and five continents.) While these other countries have a program similar to ours, the RIAA® Gold & Platinum® program continues to have the highest standards for sales achievements.

On March 14, 1958, the year the awards were launched, the RIAA® awarded the very first Gold plaque to Perry Como for his hit single, "Catch A Falling Star" (RCA Records). Four months later, the cast album to Oklahoma! sung by Gordon Macrae (Capitol Records) became the first official Gold® album. These events transformed the euphemism "Gold Record" into a formalized process honoring recording artists who achieve extraordinary success.

Fueled in part by the disco craze, the volume of music sales and Gold awards skyrocketed by the mid-1970s, prompting the RIAA® to introduce the Platinum® award category in 1976, for sales of one million albums. By the mid-1980s, the recording industry was enjoying another boom, this time from the introduction of the CD, and the RIAA® instituted Multi-Platinum™ awards for sales of 2 million or more.

Johnny Taylor's "Disco Lady" is the first Platinum® single. The first Platinum™ album certified by the RIAA® was The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975. And now, that album has reached over 26 million copies, becoming the best-selling album of the 20th century. Michael Jackson's Thriller, which was one of the first Multi-Platinum™ albums ever certified, held the top album slot from 1984 until his record was tied and then eventually broken in 1999.

The advent of MTV, VH-1 and other music networks brought more artists into the Multi-Platinum™ winners circle, prompting the RIAA® to establish music video awards in 1981. In 1998, the RIAA® celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Gold® album award and the more than 7,000 titles that have been certified Gold® by the RIAA® since 1958.

On March 16, 1999, the RIAA® launched the Diamond® Awards, honoring sales of 10 million copies or more of an album or single. Of all the artists in attendance, Sir Elton John best described the significance of the award when he said "I think this is the biggest accolade you can be given because it means your fans have gone out and bought your records. And that's why we make records - for our public."

The list of Diamond® titles represents some of the best and most influential recordings in history. From The Beatles to The Backstreet Boys, it is truly an audio timeline of the last 50 years. Representing all genres of music, these titles total more than 900 million in U.S. sales, and counting.

Commenting on the RIAA®'s artist of the century, Hilary Rosen (President and CEO) stated, "These artists represent the very best of popular music and deserve the highest accolades the industry has to offer. All have been major trendsetters, as well as record-breakers. Their exceptional talent has opened doors for other artists to follow."

History of the Diamond® Award

The prestigious Diamond® Award represents the next quantum achievement in the music industry - U.S. sales of 10 million units for a single title. Just like diamonds, no two Diamond® Award recipients are alike. They cover all genres of music ranging from pop, R&B, rap, rock and country to soothing instrumentals; from 21 year-old newcomers to established veterans; from a hit single to a five-disc box set. A true diamond mine of musical talent.

The 62 inaugural recipients in 1999 of the Diamond® Award span four decades of musical milestones and have played a significant role in shaping our musical landscape. The impact of these titles goes far beyond sheer sales; indeed, Diamond® titles are cultural touchstones of our times. Chief among them: Abbey Road, Tapestry, Rumours, Thriller, The Joshua Tree and Jagged Little Pill. These are the albums that managed to unite the increasingly fragmented pop audience and support the adage that music forms the soundtrack of our lives.

Consider the following:

The very first Diamond® release, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, dramatized the album’s potential as an art form, rather than just a collection of hit singles.

Carole King’s Tapestry ushered in the singer/songwriter era and demonstrated that albums could be an intimate expression of an artist’s personality.

Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin IV and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon helped give birth to the album-rock radio format.

Boston’s Boston showed the increased commercial prospects for debut albums and raised the stakes for subsequent debut albums by such acts as Meat Loaf and Van Halen.

The Bee Gees’ Saturday Night Fever capped the disco explosion of the ‘70s and showed the potential for hit soundtracks.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller broke down barriers between pop, rock and R&B, which boosted such crossover stars as Lionel Richie and Prince. Thriller also put music videos on the map, which in turn helped such MTV favorites as ZZ Top and Madonna.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-1985 showed the potential for box sets and definitive career retrospectives.

U2’s The Joshua Tree helped introduce the alternative rock scene, setting the stage for Pearl Jam’s Ten and Green Day’s Dookie.

M.C. Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em showed the huge potential of rap music. The album paved the way for such hip-hop stars as TLC.

Garth Brooks’ No Fences triggered the country explosion of the’90s and opened doors for such country crossover stars as Shania Twain.