The RIAA – Recording Industry Association of America – certifies all records – singles and albums – with gold, platinum, multi-platinum, and Diamond awards for reaching sales milestones.
A gold is certified for 100,000 copies sold
A platinum is certified for 1,000,000 copies sold
An additional platinum is given for each additional million copies sold
A Diamond Award is given for 10 million copies sold.
In the age of streaming, 1,500 streams of a single song is equivalent to a single sale. An album is listed as having a single sale when it also reaches 1,500 streams.
The RIAA certifies only sales in the United States.
Currently The Eagles hold the number one spot in Diamond Awards with 38 million copies sold of their “Greatest Hits” album, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in second with 34 million, and AC/DC takes the third spot with 28 million.
But the one artist who tops the list for the most awards by the RIAA is Beyonce who takes the lead with the most awards by a female artist with 103 awards. Some three dozen of those awards are gold and two of them are for Diamond Awards with eleven million each.
In March, Beyonce released her eighth studio album “Cowboy Carter”; which has now been certified platinum.
Beyonce’s RIAA Awards:
“Renaissance” – 2X platinum
“4” – 4X platinum
“Lemonade” – 4X platinum
“B’Day” – 5X platinum
“Beyonce” – 6X platinum
“Dangerously in Love” – 7X platinum
“I Am Sasha Fierce” – 7X platinum
“Cowboy Carter” – platinum
“Homecoming: The Live Album” – gold
“The Lion King: The Gift”
“Halo” – 11X platinum (Diamond)
“Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” – 11X platinum (Diamond)
“All Night” – 2X platinum
“Baby Boy” – 2X platinum
“Break My Soul” – 2X platinum
“Check on It” – 2X platinum
“Diva” – 2X platinum
“Ego” – 2X platinum
“Me, Myself and I” – 2X platinum
“Naughty Girl” – 2X platinum
“Party” – 2X platinum
“Pretty Hurst” – 2X platinum
“Texas Hold ‘Em” – 2X platinum
“Upgrade U (with Jay-Z)” – 2X platinum
“XO” – 2X platinum
“Countdown” – 3X platinum
“Cuff It” – 3X platinum
“Dance for You” – 3X platinum
“Flawless” – 3X platinum
“Formation” – 3X platinum
“Hold Up” 3X platinum
“Sweet Dreams” – 3X platinum
“Beautiful Liar” – 3X platinum
“7/11” – 4X platinum
“Best Thing I Never Had” – 4X platinum
“Sorry” – 4X platinum
“Love on Top” – 5X platinum
“Partition” – 5X platinum
“Run the World (Girls)” – 5X platinum
“If I Were a Boy” – 6X platinum
“Crazy in Love” – 8X platinum
“Drunk in Love” – 8X platinum
“Irreplaceable” – 8X platinum
“1+1” – platinum
“6 Inch (with The Weeknd)” – platinum
“Alien Superstar” – platinum
“America Has a Problem” – platinum
“Before I Let Go (Homecoming Live)” – platinum
“Blow” – platinum
“Daddy Lessons” – platinum
“Dangerously in Love” – platinum
“De Ja Vu” – platinum
“Don’t Hurt Yourself (with Jack White)” – platinum
“End of Time” – platinum
“Freedom (with Kendric Lamar)” – platinum
“Get Me Bodied” – platinum
“Haunted” – platinum
“Listen” – platinum
“Love Drought” – platinum
“Mine (with Drake)” – platinum
“Pray You Catch Me” – platinum
“Ring the Alarm” – platinum
“Rocket” – platinum
“Video Phone” – platinum
“Shining (Beyonce and Jay-Z)” – platinum
“Top Off (Jay-Z, Future, and Beyonce” – platinum
“’03 Bonnie & Clyde (with Beyonce) – platinum
“Love in this Club Party II (Beyonce and Lil Wayne)” – platinum
“Carriages” – gold
“Ave Maria” – gold
“Black Parade” – gold
“Blue (with Blue Ivy)” – gold
“Broken Hearted Girl” – gold
“Church Girl” – gold
“Cozy” – gold
“Energy (with Beam)” – gold
“Freakum Dress” – gold
“Grown Woman” – gold
“Heated” – gold
“Heaven” – gold
“I Care” – gold
“I Miss You” – gold
“I Was Here” – gold
“I’d rather Go Blind” – gold
“I’m that Girl” – gold
“Jealous” – gold
“Move (with Grace Jones and Tems)” – gold
“No Angel” – gold
“Plastic Off the Sofa” – gold
“Pure/Honey” – gold
“Resentment” – gold
“Sandcastles” – gold
“Schoolin’ Life” – gold
“Summer Renaissance” – gold
“Superpower (with Frank Ocean)” – gold
“Thique” – gold
“Virgo’s Groove” – gold
“The Closer I Get to You” – gold
“II Most Wanted” – gold
“Brown Skin Girl” – gold
“Already” – gold
“Walk on Water (with Beyonce)” – gold
“Family Feud” (with Beyonce)” – gold