New RIAA Certifications🏆
Journey, Pierce The Veil, jxdn + the rest of 2021's additions thus far
A fair amount of hard rock, metal, and punk(ish) records certified gold, platinum, and even diamond (!) in recent weeks, so it felt like a great time for a roundup.
As a refresher: gold is 500,000 units; platinum is 1 million units; multi-platinum is 2 million and in increments of 1 million thereafter; diamond is 10 million units.
The RIAA defines a “unit” as: each permanent digital album or physical album purchased; 10 permanent track downloads count as 1 album unit; 1500 on-demand audio and/or video streams from the album count as 1 unit for certification purposes.
JOURNEY
Escape (1981)
Columbia
DIAMOND
40 years after its release, Journey’s Escape is now DIAMOND, for over 10 million equivalent units. This is the record with “Don’t Stop Believin'’” (shoutout, Sopranos!), “Open Arms,” “Who’s Crying Now,” and “Stone in Love” on it. Guitarist Neal Schon, who co-founded the band in 1973, said via a statement: "This is such a truly gratifying achievement for all the work we did together. Congratulations to all.”
Keyboardist Jonathan Cain, the only other classic-era member still in the band (he joined in 1980), added: “On behalf of all that helped to make our album 'Escape' a diamond award achievement, we say thank you. To our fans, to our bandmates who took part in recording this album, to our label, to all in radio, and finally to the distributors who believed in this music, we are deeply humbled and honored to accept this prestigious award."
The Journey catalog includes:
Evolution (1979) Columbia - 3x Platinum
“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” (1979) - Gold
Departure (1980) Columbia - 3x Platinum
Captured (1981) Columbia - 2x Platinum
Escape (1981) Columbia - Diamond
“Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981) Legacy - 6x Platinum
“Who’s Crying Now” (1981) Columbia - Gold
“Open Arms” (1982) Columbia - Gold
Evolution (1983) Columbia - 6x Platinum
Raised on Radio (1986) Columbia - 2x Platinum
Greatest Hits (1988) Columbia - 15x Platinum
Greatest Hits Live (1988) Columbia - Gold
Time (1992) Columbia - Gold
“When You Love a Woman” (1996) Columbia - Gold
Revelation (2008) Nomata - Platinum
The Essential Journey (2001) Columbia - 2x Platinum
I owned Escape on cassette at some point as a kid. Fantastic album.
PIERCE THE VEIL
“Bulletproof Love” (2010)
Equal Vision Records
GOLD
Music Video: 26M views
Spotify: 64M streams
PIERCE THE VEIL
“Caraphernelia” (2010)
Equal Vision Records
GOLD
Music Video: 51M views
Spotify: 54M Streams
Pierce The Veil is one of my favorite modern bands. Both of these songs appear on PTV’s second album, Selfish Machines. They join two prior RIAA certifications:
“King for a Day” (2012) PLATINUM
Collide with the Sky (2012) GOLD
Fearless Records
For the unfamiliar, Misadventures (2016) is a great place to start.
Here’s a roundup of new hard rock, metal, and punk(ish) RIAA certifications in 2021 thus far:
ALL TIME LOW
“Monsters” (2020)** GOLD
“Damned If I Do Ya” (2009)* GOLD
“Dear Maria, Count Me In” (2007)* 2x PLATINUM
(*Hopeless Records, **Fueled By Ramen)
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
Hail to the King (2013) 2x PLATINUM
“Shepherd of Fire” (2013) PLATINUM
Nightmare (2010) PLATINUM
“Nightmare” (2010) 2x PLATINUM
Avenged Sevenfold (2007) PLATINUM
“Bat Country” (2005) PLATINUM
"Unholy Confessions" (2003)* GOLD
Waking the Fallen (2003)* PLATINUM
(Warner Bros., *Hopeless Records)
BUCKCHERRY
“Sorry” (2007) 2x PLATINUM
“Crazy Bitch” (2006) 4x PLATINUM
15 (2006) 2x PLATINUM
(Atlantic Records)
GYM CLASS HEROES
“Cupid’s Chokehold” (2006) 3x PLATINUM
(Atlantic Records)
HELLYEAH
Hellyeah (2007) GOLD
(Epic)
JXDN
“Angels & Demons” (2020) GOLD
(DTA Records)
MACHINE GUN KELLY ft. Blackbear
“My Ex’s Best Friend” (2020) 2x PLATINUM
(Bad Boy / Interscope)
NO DOUBT
“Spiderwebs” (2001) PLATINUM
“It’s My Life” (2001) PLATINUM
“Underneath It All” (2001) GOLD
“Hella Good” (2001) GOLD
“Hey Baby” (2001) GOLD
“Don’t Speak” (1992) 2x PLATINUM
“Just a Girl” (1992) PLATINUM
(Interscope Records)
OF MICE & MEN
“Second & Sebring” (2010) GOLD
(Rise Records)
PANIC! AT THE DISCO
“High Hopes” (2018) 5x PLATINUM
“Hey Look Ma, I Made It” (2018) 2x PLATINUM
“Roaring 20s” (2018) GOLD
Fueled By Ramen
PAPA ROACH
“Help” (2017) GOLD
Better Noise Music
PARAMORE
After Laughter (2017) GOLD
Riot (2007) 3x PLATINUM
Fueled By Ramen
POP EVIL
“Footsteps (2015) GOLD
“Trenches” (2013) GOLD
eOne
PORTUGAL. THE MAN
“Feel It Still” (2017) 6x PLATINUM
“Live in the Moment” (2017) GOLD
Atlantic Records
QUEEN
The Platinum Collection (2002) 5x PLATINUM
Hollywood Records
THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS
“Face Down” (2006) 4x PLATINUM
“Your Guardian Angel” (2006) PLATINUM
“False Pretense” (2006) GOLD
Virgin
RUSH
Moving Pictures (1981) 5x PLATINUM
Mercury
STORY OF THE YEAR
Page Avenue (2003) PLATINUM
Maverick
T. REX
Electric Warrior (1971) GOLD
Rhino
THEORY OF A DEADMAN
Scars & Souvenirs (2008) 2x PLATINUM
The Truth Is… (2001) GOLD
Roadrunner Records
TOOL
10,000 Days (2006) 2x PLATINUM
Lateralus (2001) 3x PLATINUM
Undertow (1993) 3x PLATINUM
YUNGBLUD
“Parents” (2019) GOLD
Geffen Records
Source: RIAA