Just been thinking back a few hours ago, how certification figures differ between country to country for the same levels.

 

In Japan a platinum album is 250,000 shipments, while in the UK it's 300,000. Japan is a bigger selling country of CD's than the UK, yet has lower qualification levels, while gold albums are the same of 100,000. Do you think they should be swapped round so the UK has the 250,000 and Japan 300,000, as if you think about it am I correct in saying that the USA market is 4 times bigger than that of the UK?, if so it would be perfect. (4*250,000=1,000,000- the USA platinum qualification level). In Japan however international artists do not sell anywhere near as well as domestic ones, could this be why the 250,000 for platinum is lower than the UK level requirement?.

 

If you look at the USA end of year, you have to go up to something like #48 to find the first million seller, maybe #55 ish. In the UK it was quite similar for the first 250,000 seller.

Just been thinking back a few hours ago, how certification figures differ between country to country for the same levels.

 

In Japan a platinum album is 250,000 shipments, while in the UK it's 300,000. Japan is a bigger selling country of CD's than the UK, yet has lower qualification levels, while gold albums are the same of 100,000. Do you think they should be swapped round so the UK has the 250,000 and Japan 300,000, as if you think about it am I correct in saying that the USA market is 4 times bigger than that of the UK?, if so it would be perfect. (4*250,000=1,000,000- the USA platinum qualification level). In Japan however international artists do not sell anywhere near as well as domestic ones, could this be why the 250,000 for platinum is lower than the UK level requirement?.

 

If you look at the USA end of year, you have to go up to something like #48 to find the first million seller, maybe #55 ish. In the UK it was quite similar for the first 250,000 seller.

 

IMO handing out sales awards based on shipments is anachronistic - actual sales are easily tallied nowadays, so it should be based on those instead.

 

Wonder how they would compare to the UK certifications in the 60s & 70s

 

Then the certifications in the UK were - 250,000 = Bronze - 500,000 = Silver - 1million = Gold

There was no Platinum then.

 

The certifications in the UK in 1978 at the same time as the chart expanded to a Top 75

In Japan, up to a million it goes in 250Ks for platinum, however, after that every other million = platinum.

 

For example, the biggest selling album [utada Hikaru - First Love] sold 10 million copies. 1 million = 4x platinum, then the other 9 million equal a platinum shipment each.

Wonder how they would compare to the UK certifications in the 60s & 70s

 

Then the certifications in the UK were - 250,000 = Bronze - 500,000 = Silver - 1million = Gold

There was no Platinum then.

 

The certifications in the UK in 1978 at the same time as the chart expanded to a Top 75

you keep posting this occasionally and I keep correcting you. I can only assume you never come back and read replies when you make a post as this must be the fifth time in a few months I've pointed this out.

 

there were NO official certifications in the 60s, they began in 1973. All that existed before 1973 was a pretend awards system started by Disc magazine and adopted by some record labels. There were no bronze awards that I was ever aware of (that's not to say none were awarded), and those other levels are incorrect too - silver was set at 250,000 to mimic the US certification standard of 1,000,000 and given that the UK market is a quarter of the size, the level was set at 250,000. Someone came up with the bright idea of making it a silver disc rather than the US Gold disc. Eventually a Gold disc was awarded for higher sales, usually 500,000 but sometimes labels would press up their own discs as a promotional thing if an act sold over a million. Or even less than a million. There was also no proper auditing so Disc magazine would just take labels at their word.

 

In 1973 the current awards system began, for singles the sales award levels were higher than now and were changed to their current levels in 1989. Those levels are 1973 - 1988 levels (1989 changes in brackets):

 

Platinum: 1,000,000 (600,000)

Gold: 500,000 (400,000)

Silver: 250,000 (200,000).

 

For albums, the original certification levels in 1973 were based on shipment values in £'s rather than units shipped. From 1973-77 the shipment value levels changed (due to ever increasing prices, with inflation at 25% in 1975 alone). By 1978, when the system changed to a the current unit based one, a platinum album was awarded for shipment sales values of £1,000,000. On 07/01/78 this was changed to the exact same units system and levels we have now:

 

Platinum: 300,000

Gold: 100,000

Silver: 60,000

 

the level was set at 300,000 for platinum for no other reason than the average cost to retail of a chart album in late 1977 was about £3.30, so £1m divided by £3.30 was not far over 300,000. Gold was set at one third of this, and silver seems to have been plucked out of the air.

 

Next time I have to post this I think I'll just copy and paste...

 

you keep posting this occasionally and I keep correcting you. I can only assume you never come back and read replies when you make a post as this must be the fifth time in a few months I've pointed this out.

 

there were NO official certifications in the 60s, they began in 1973. All that existed before 1973 was a pretend awards system started by Disc magazine and adopted by some record labels. There were no bronze awards that I was ever aware of (that's not to say none were awarded), and those other levels are incorrect too - silver was set at 250,000 to mimic the US certification standard of 1,000,000 and given that the UK market is a quarter of the size, the level was set at 250,000. Someone came up with the bright idea of making it a silver disc rather than the US Gold disc. Eventually a Gold disc was awarded for higher sales, usually 500,000 but sometimes labels would press up their own discs as a promotional thing if an act sold over a million. Or even less than a million. There was also no proper auditing so Disc magazine would just take labels at their word.

 

In 1973 the current awards system began, for singles the sales award levels were higher than now and were changed to their current levels in 1989. Those levels are 1973 - 1988 levels (1989 changes in brackets):

 

Platinum: 1,000,000 (600,000)

Gold: 500,000 (400,000)

Silver: 250,000 (200,000).

 

For albums, the original certification levels in 1973 were based on shipment values in £'s rather than units shipped. From 1973-77 the shipment value levels changed (due to ever increasing prices, with inflation at 25% in 1975 alone). By 1978, when the system changed to a the current unit based one, a platinum album was awarded for shipment sales values of £1,000,000. On 07/01/78 this was changed to the exact same units system and levels we have now:

 

Platinum: 300,000

Gold: 100,000

Silver: 60,000

 

the level was set at 300,000 for platinum for no other reason than the average cost to retail of a chart album in late 1977 was about £3.30, so £1m divided by £3.30 was not far over 300,000. Gold was set at one third of this, and silver seems to have been plucked out of the air.

 

Next time I have to post this I think I'll just copy and paste...

 

I was given this information after contacting the BPI

 

it sounds like someone at the BPI doesn't know their facts then! I'm surprised that a trade organisation can give out such obviously incorrect information, especially as it was they (the BPI) that took pride in being the body that established the official certification system in 1973.

 

When did they tell you this? If recently I think someone needs to drop them an email to correct them about their own facts and figures!

Edited January 12, 200817 yr by Robbie