Earlier this year, Billboard began counting YouTube streaming data toward determining a song’s position on its Hot 100 singles chart. Now, the Recording Industry Association of America has taken a similar course of action for how it certifies Gold, Platinum, and Diamond records.
As Billboard reports, the RIAA announced Thursday that it has added on-demand streams statistics from YouTube, Spotify, Rdio, MOG, and more in counting the 500,000 units required for Gold, one million for Platinum, and 10 million for Diamond.
Following a year of research, the RIAA determined that 100 streams is equivalent to one single physical purchase (e.g., one would need 100 million streams to go Platinum). The shift in metrics has already led to 56 songs being newly certified.
Update: Among the records receiving new certifications: Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”, The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy”, Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”, M83’s “Midnight City”, and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.
The formula for certification also includes digital downloads, ringtone sales, and CD sales.
