Image via Complex Original
Just days after Rihanna's ANTI almost instantaneously went platinum, the Recording Industry Association of America announced it would now factor streaming data in the equation determining whether an album has reached gold or platinum status. "Modernizing our Album Award to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold & Platinum Awards," said CEO and Chairman, Cary Sherman. "Doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists’ albums today."
With this decision came an immediate upgrade to 17 albums who owe part of their success to streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music. The list is about as diverse as could be expected, with acts ranging from hip-hop, country, and indie. Notably, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly and Big Sean's Dark Sky Paradise attained platinum certifications. The Weeknd and Sam Hunt both received multi-platinum certifications for their latest studio albums, and Michael Jackson's Thriller broke even more records, moving from 30X platinum to 32.
Check out the entire list of albums that got the RIAA upgrade treatment below, and see if any of your favorites made the cut.
Alt-J, An Awesome Wave
Label: Atlantic
Released: May 25, 2012
Certification: Gold
Big Sean, Dark Sky Paradise
Label: G.O.O.D. Music, Def Jam
Released: Feb. 24, 2015
Certification: Platinum
Brett Eldredge, Bring You Back
Label: Atlantic Nashville
Released: Aug. 6, 2013
Certification: Gold
Coldplay, Ghost Stories
Label: Atlantic, Parlophone
Released: May 16, 2014
Certification: Platinum
Elle King, Love Stuff
Label: RCA
Released: Feb. 13, 2015
Certification: Gold
Fifth Harmony, Reflection
Label: Epic
Released: Jan. 30, 2015
Certification: Gold
Halsey, Badlands
Label: Astralwerks
Released: Aug. 28, 2015
Certification: Gold
Hozier, Hozier
Label: Columbia
Released: Sep. 19, 2014
Certification: Platinum
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly
Label: Top Dawg, Aftermath, Interscope
Released: March 15, 2015
Certification: Platinum
Michael Jackson, Thriller
Label: Epic, Legacy
Released: Nov. 30, 1982
Certification: 32X Multi-Platinum
Miranda Lambert, Platinum
Label: RCA Nashville
Released: June 3, 2014
Certification: Platinum
Romeo Santos, Fórmula Vol. 2
Label: Sony Latin
Released: Feb. 25, 2014
Certification: 11X Diamante/RIAA Latin G&P Program
Sam Hunt, Montevallo
Label: MCA Nashville
Released: Oct. 27, 2014
Certification: 2X Multi-Platinum
Shawn Mendes, Handwritten
Label: Island
Released: Apr. 14, 2015
Certification: Platinum
The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
Label: XO, Republic
Released: Aug. 25, 2015
Certification: 2X Multi-Platinum
Vance Joy, Dream Your Life Away
Label: Atlantic
Released: Sept. 5, 2014
Certification: Gold
Wale, Ambition
Label: Atlantic Urban
Released: Nov. 1, 2011
Certification: Gold