Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Gold means 500,000 units and platinum a million, a rule fixed in the 1970s. The figure is taken from Grammy Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Gold and platinum awards count units sold

Gold means 500,000 units and platinum a million, a rule fixed in the 1970s The RIAA gave its first gold record in 1958, when the award meant a million dollars of retail sales. In 1975 the criterion changed to 500,000 units shipped, and platinum arrived in 1976 for a million. Multi-platinum and diamond awards, the last for ten million, followed as sales grew. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Grammy Museum

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: charts, awards, sales

Gold and platinum awards count units sold: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Gold means 500,000 units and platinum a million, a rule fixed in the 1970s. The figure is taken from Grammy Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.