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AC/DC shines in RIAA's January certifications
AC/DC, Garth Brooks , Shaggy and Dido each picked up multi-platinum awards from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in January, while Rage Against the Machine, Xzibit, Linkin Park and Jaci Velasquez garnered single-platinum honors. The late John Coltrane , meanwhile, scored his first-ever gold award.
The new certification numbers for 14 of AC/DC’s albums raises the Australian rock act’s total certified sales from 46.5 million units to 63 million. The group’s 1980 release, "Back In Black," was certified for sales of 19 million copies, making it the sixth-highest certified album of all time. The group now ranks as the fifth-highest certified band in the U.S., behind the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Eagles, according to the RIAA.
Other AC/DC albums that moved up the scale during the recent round of certifications were: "Ballbreaker" (2 million), "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" (4 million), "The Razor's Edge" (4 million), "Who Made Who" (5 million), "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (6 million), "Highway to Hell" (6 million), "Live" (3 million), "Live: Collector's Edition" (2 million), "'74 Jail Break" (1 million), "Bonfire" (1 million), "Flick of the Switch" (1 million), "Fly on the Wall" (1 million) and the group’s most recent release, "Stiff Upper Lip" (1 million). The band will launch the latest leg of a U.S. tour in support of the latter album beginning in March.
"Double Live,” the 1998 release from recently retired, country veteran Brooks, was certified for sales of 14 million, making it the best-selling live album in history, according to the RIAA.
Shaggy’s “Hotshot” jumped up to triple-platinum status, while Dido’s “No Angel” hit the double-platinum mark.
Single platinum certifications were doled out to Rage Against the Machine (“Renegades”), “Xzibit” (“Restless”), Linkin Park (“Hybrid Theory”) and Jaci Velasquez (“Heavenly Places”).
Jazz legend John Coltrane’s 1964 album “A Love Supreme” was certified gold in January, some 37 years after its release, and nearly 34 years after Coltrane’s death. It is the saxophonist’s first gold album, according to the RIAA.
On a related note, the “Ken Burns Jazz: The Story of American Music” box set was also certified gold in January. The set is the musical companion to Burns’ 10-part PBS documentary, which aired frequently throughout the month.
Box sets from the Eagles ("Selected Works: 1972-1999”) and Stevie Ray Vaughn (“SRV”) also received gold certifications.
The RIAA awards its gold (500,000 units shipped) and platinum (1,000,000 units shipped) certifications after an independent audit is conducted by the accounting firm Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman. Record companies typically must pay a fee to the RIAA before the audit is conducted, so an album's certification level doesn't necessarily track sales levels exactly.
Unlike other tracking services like SoundScan, which tracks retail sales, the RIAA's certification process counts all units shipped--including those distributed through record clubs--minus returns and promotional copies.
