Can an Artist can get a certified Gold & Platinum single with (legal) downloads???

[adrianex]

Hi slutz

A client just asked me this question... " If I put a song on ITunes and it gets...let say 500.000 download...Its that a Gold single, isn't??..."

It sounded like a good question to share (because I really don't know )

Thanks

Adrianex

[Merk]

good ?

i don't know but i believe it is determined by the number of units scanned by soundscan so the question is does soundscan have a online tracking device implemented with the major online retailers for online sales. i don't know like i said but i am going to now look into it on there site and see what it says.

[Disco D]

its 100k for gold and 200k for plat

[robmix]

In the USA it's 500,000 for gold and 1,000,000 for platinum.

[Offender]

seeing as downloading is worldwide....shouldnt 1,000,000 be gold?

[adrianex]

I agree that if dowloading retailers are worlwide like Itunes or mp3.com, etc. Then, it should be at least a 1,000,000 for gold.

I don't know if thats get awarded now, but I believe it should anyway, for me its the same basics... People buying music...If they like to do it online or in a retail store, its just the consumer's preference.

But I looked at RIIA web page and they don't have anything about it. But I did found that they don't only use the soundscan to determine sales...
http://www.riaa.com/gp/certification/default.asp

Hopefully somebody will have an answer

Adrianex

[Disco D]

its not that high for singles anymore. its 100k for gold and 200k for platinum.

http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/hot100.jsp

look at the bottom

Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) certification for net shipment of 100,000 paid downloads (Gold).
RIAA certification for net shipment of 200,000 paid downloads (Platinum), with additional 200,000 indicated by a number following the symbol.

[rickrock305]

Originally Posted by Disco D

its not that high for singles anymore. its 100k for gold and 200k for platinum.

http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/hot100.jsp

look at the bottom

Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) certification for net shipment of 100,000 paid downloads (Gold).
RIAA certification for net shipment of 200,000 paid downloads (Platinum), with additional 200,000 indicated by a number following the symbol.

more backwards thinking from the RIAA. lol. why would it be less if its WORLDwide? Doesn't make much sense.

[Ol' Betsey]

Hmmm. Not sure if it's a worldwide chart total YET.

For instance: I can't buy a single via iTunes here in the UK if it's only been released in the States. Therefore sales here can't be used in a worldwide calculation for each and every release.

Sidenote: Downloads are included in UK chart calculations. I think I remember some hoohaw about the Gorillaz 'Dare' download being eligible for for the charts before it was even in the shops.

R.

[Disco D]

its not worldwide. its by territory. they just changed it in the states because no one buys singles here any more, thats less the case in europe still.

[robmix]

Originally Posted by Disco D

its not that high for singles anymore. its 100k for gold and 200k for platinum.

http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/hot100.jsp

look at the bottom

Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) certification for net shipment of 100,000 paid downloads (Gold).
RIAA certification for net shipment of 200,000 paid downloads (Platinum), with additional 200,000 indicated by a number following the symbol.

Ahh, never saw that before. That seems to be for downloads only, not actual CD sales.

[Maddstone]

I havent actually checked that in a while, the singles gold and platinum status that is.I wonder what the reason for the regression in certification could be due to to.Possibly the spate of piracy that could have made them reassess things, coupled with the fact that singles are no longer sold in the US in "hardcopy" format.I think it may change as digital downloading increases.I mean, if Elton John's Bernie Taupin (Candle in the wind) re-write was released during this time, it would have gone diamond a few times over, at least.Thanx for the info D.

Btw, Robmix, I just ventured to ur site very kwikly.See you finished up work with Matthew Kennedy.I believe he's texas-based, but I didnt know he was actually from SA.Is he now permanently residing in the US?Think he worked with KOOS TURENHOUT (member of 1931 Raygun-trip hop band) on a project once.

[Ol' Betsey]

Not sure if this is what you mean but basically they have to keep scaling back sales requirements because we're not selling as many albums these days and in order to keep being able to use the Gold/Platinum status as marketing "notch's" in artist/company belts they have to make the targets realistic.

R.

[Maddstone]

Originally Posted by Ol' Betsey

Not sure if this is what you mean but basically they have to keep scaling back sales requirements because we're not selling as many albums these days and in order to keep being able to use the Gold/Platinum status as marketing "notch's" in artist/company belts they have to make the targets realistic.

Yep, thats whats I meant.Thanx cuz.

[robmix]

Originally Posted by Ol' Betsey

Not sure if this is what you mean but basically they have to keep scaling back sales requirements because we're not selling as many albums these days and in order to keep being able to use the Gold/Platinum status as marketing "notch's" in artist/company belts they have to make the targets realistic.

R.

It looks like albums are still 500,000 and 1,000,000 for gold and platinum. So this new lower standard is just for downloads ?

[Maddstone]

Originally Posted by robmix

It looks like albums are still 500,000 and 1,000,000 for gold and platinum. So this new lower standard is just for downloads ?

I have a feeling it is just for the downloads.But as I gestured, ever so slightly, that I suspect as the (legal) downloading era really starts taking off, the download certification will change up.Its expanding rapidly already, and ppl are buying into the downloading idea more and more as time goes on.I guess I'm still old school as I enjoy reading the liner notes to see who was involved in the track's production, as well as other bits and pieces.

[Disco D]

its def just for downloads

[Maddstone]

I was wondering if downloads have an impact on album charts too as I notice some services offer full album downloads too.Does anyone know if this is ackowledge as yet, by the industry as a whole?I dont think it is as yet, but just curious to know if there is a move toward this, in progress.

[adrianex]

Thanks for all your help.. Sorry I was Away, (Wilma stoped by...No power until today)

I agree that its a little bit low to get a gold or platinum status, considering that people are buying more IPOD or MP3 players than Cd Player. But I do believe it will be raise later.

I know that a lot of band sale their singles for $1 (or $.99) and add the option to download the album for between $7 and $10 (most of the time for half of what would cost teh CD)... Do the downloads of the album will be certified seperate from the albums sold on retail stores?

I didn't know that Itunes was regional...thats good to know..

Thanks again for all your input

Adrianex

[MarkusColeman]

Originally Posted by adrianex

But I do believe it will be raise later.

Yup. I just read a report about China´s 300 million mobile phone users. Crazy. Germany´s Telekom (they are also getting bigger and bigger states-side) will offer 50 and 100MBit internet access by the end of this year for 40$ (they will also broadcast all games of the soccer world-championship in HD format). UK and France will follow by 2007. Crazy. I think online music-channels and MP3 (or any other digital format) is the future.
Bad times for majors, great time for local and regional musicians. thumbsup

[XHipHop]

By the way, has anyone here been involved with marketing an online single? Do you have to approach the marketing/advertising differently?

[Silas Holmes]

Originally Posted by XHipHop

By the way, has anyone here been involved with marketing an online single? Do you have to approach the marketing/advertising differently?

I would be interested in this also. So far I have not found anything really convincing.

From my understanding it is most important to work with the available search engines, since this is what your prospective customers will be using to access their content.

For example, you could do a cover-version of a track that is in the iTunes Top10, so everytime somebody is entering "because of you" into the search field your track would also be in the search results. If it is cool, somebody might buy it - it' only 99 cents!

Or you could just name your track the same, but still do an original song with no connection besides the title.

I think online advertising and marketing works this way (via google, for example).

http://www.futureofmusicbook.com/

The Future of Music

[djui5]

Originally Posted by MarkusColeman

Germany´s Telekom (they are also getting bigger and bigger states-side) will offer 50 and 100MBit internet access by the end of this year for 40$

Imagine streaming .wavs

The mp3 era could be over, replaced with higher quality audio. Hard drive space keeps getting bigger with tiny units/flash drives....

It could happen.

[ILL]

Maybe not wavs but lossless compression for sure...

[MarkusColeman]

Originally Posted by ILL

Maybe not wavs but lossless compression for sure...

For a single Wavs-stream you need at least a T1 downstream (1,5 MBit/s or 90MBit/minute). Wavs is 10MB or 80MBit/minute. So that´s not a big deal or unrealistic.
Internet2 was used to stream DVD-quality (both audio and video) 2 years ago...but it´s structure is for scientific use only.

[Maddstone]

First science, then commercialization.Thats the general trend.I mean the net used to be strictly for military uses and the like so now everyone has access to it.But then again, makes u wonder what the heck they using now.

[ILL]

An army of remote controlled beavers with mind reading capabillities...

[Bob Olhsson]

In the US, gold used to mean a million dollars worth of retail income from a single or an album while platinum meant 1000,000 albums sold. It was less in other countries.

I haven't looked into this in ages so it may have changed.

[Maddstone]

Bob, ur right there.It was and still is less in other countries and in some cases, considerably less.It may range from 500K down to 50K for a platinum plaque.Its all about how the infra-structure of the industry is setup for the particular country.

[adrianex]

Well, I Know a lot of local artists that I've worked with, they went with CD Baby, for what they told me CD baby get your song in Itunes, Napster, mp3.com, etc and they get 9% of the cut (after Itune or however make their cut)...so at the end I know they get like $.50 and $.70 per download (depending where it was downloaded...every company has a different rate) and I know one of them they got already 50K downloads...at an average of $.60 per download its $30K...Its not a bad deal IMO for a local artist.

On the sales part...I'm from Venezuela but I live in FT.Lauderdale now and just to let you know in Venezuela its 10K for gold and 20K for plat (last time I checked)..You have to consider that its only 20 million people and piracy its illegal, but not punished , and thats the scene I believe pretty much in all south america.

Best Regards

Adrianex