- History of how the Diamond Disc emerged
- Birth of the RIAA
- Diamond Disc Creation
- Differences between the Diamond Disc and the other discs
- Singers and bands that have the Diamond Disc
- Other artists with Diamond Disc
- Why has winning the Diamond Disc lost relevance?
- Diamond blade measurement system by country
- Reggaeton and its relationship with Discos de Diamantes
- References
The Diamond Record is one of the most important awards in the music industry, as well as one of the most difficult to achieve. To achieve this it is necessary, depending on the country, to have accumulated a number of record sales to which only the most valued artists choose.
For example, in the United States, the country where this award arises, an artist must accumulate 10 million copies sold - in a certified way - to achieve this distinction. However, each country has stipulated a series of sales caps to grant the award.
Norman Bruderhofer
The one in charge of delivering this certification is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), a group of music organizations, which make decisions about what generates the most profits and enhances the market.
History of how the Diamond Disc emerged
Birth of the RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of the United States (RIAA) was born in 1952, quickly gaining prestige within the industry due to the fact that it managed to sign great professionals of the time.
A success that has been maintained over time, since it is estimated that approximately 85% of the musical products produced for the US market go through the hands of the association.
Diamond Disc Creation
The RIAA in the sixties already had a large volume of business and also had the ability to stipulate the number of record sales in a verified and certified manner.
For this reason, he decided to create the Diamond Record, as a way to significantly impact the industry and give recognition to those artists who have achieved more than remarkable success.
Fame and worldwide success go hand in hand with this award. Names like Michael Jackson, Madonna or Elvis Presley have achieved this award, not being the only ones as we will see below.
It should be noted that, years later, the Uranium Disc appears in Spain, delivered by the Hispavox record company for the first time to the singer of romantic ballads Raphael.
Differences between the Diamond Disc and the other discs
To obtain the Diamond Disc, 10 million copies must be sold (in the US case), while other awards require the following verified copies:
- Golden album: it needs 500 thousand copies to be awarded.
- Platinum Album: delivered upon reaching one million copies.
- Double Platinum Album: delivered after 2 million copies.
Singers and bands that have the Diamond Disc
Marc E.
Obtaining the Diamond Record can be considered quite a feat within the music industry. Some of the most outstanding soloists to achieve this have been:
- Britney Spears
- Mariah Carey
- Ed Sheeran
- Elvis Presley
- Madonna
- Adele
- Bob Marley
- Michael Jackson
- Bon Jovi
Other artists with Diamond Disc
Among other important soloists in the industry with this recognition are: Amy Macdonald, Phil Collins, Stevie Nicks, Elton John, Eminem, Amy Winehouse, Ro Stewart, David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Kary Perry, Camilo Sesto, among others.
If we talk about iconic and recognized bands with this award, we will find names like: Metallica, Abba, The Notorious, Nirvana, The Weeknd, Guns N 'Roses, Queen, Oasis, among others.
Regarding rock bands, the most notorious to have achieved it have been:
- U2
- AC DC
- Aerosmith
- The Doors
- Rolling Stones
- Pink Floyd
- Led Zeppelin
- The Beatles
Why has winning the Diamond Disc lost relevance?
To this day, the recognition of the Diamond Disc has more a value of respect and recognition than a monetary value. This is because the way of consuming music has radically changed in the 21st century and especially from 2005 onwards.
The arrival of portals such as Spotify, Youtube, iTunes and other digital platforms has meant that the physical (CD for example) has gradually fallen into oblivion.
However, in order not to lose relevance, the RIAA currently also awards recognitions for reproductions on digital and music platforms.
Diamond blade measurement system by country
In view of the competitiveness that currently exists in the music industry, coupled with the boost that each country wants to give its representatives, all of them currently use different figures to recognize a musician with the Diamond Record recognition.
Next, we will present the countries and the copies that must be sold to be cataloged in this way:
- USA: 10,000,000
- United Kingdom: 3,000,000
- Japan: 1,000,000
- Spain: 1,000,000
- Canada: 800,000
- France: 500,000
- Brazil: 300,000
- Italy: 500,000
- Mexico: 300,000
- Colombia: 200,000
- Turkey: 150,000
- Poland: 150,000
- Argentina: 100,000
- Chile: 100,000
Reggaeton and its relationship with Discos de Diamantes
The RIIA has respected the statistics currently handled by reggaeton in the music industry. Such has been the opening of urban music -and mostly Latin- that by 2018, the song 'Despacito' (performed by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber), reached the category of Diamond by having more than 10 million views in the United States.
References
- RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America- (2019). The program defines success in the recorded music industry.
- Billboard (2016) - All 92 Diamond-Certified Albums Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic's Take.
- Fandom (2017) Music recording sales certification.
- All Music (2019) AllMusic-Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
- Clizbeats (2012) Adele earns RIAA Diamond Award for «21».
- Where (2019) Gold / Platinum / Diamond Record Awars: Certification Process
- Billboard (2018) Despacito 'Honored With RIAA Diamond Award for More Than 10 Million Streams and Sales