RIAA EXAMINES DECADE-END WINNERS

Hey, you guys remember the RIAA?

They give out the gold and platinum albums, used to bust bootleg pirates back in the day. This week, they revealed their list of the biggest sellers from 2000-2009.

Even Chairman/CEO Mitch Bainwol took some time out of prosecuting illegal file-sharers to issue a quote. “We’ve seen a decade of major music milestones and extraordinary artist achievements as part of our historic gold and platinum program. The names, songs and albums on our list are the decade’s best and are etched in our music DNA.”

“As the way fans access and enjoy music continues to evolve, so has and will the G&P program in recognizing the highest commercial and artistic success,” added Bainwol. “As a community, we’ve endured our share of challenges, but the new decade brings reasons for hope and optimism. The appetite for music is stronger than ever and the breadth of innovation is amazing. In this ever-evolving landscape, we’re grateful that the RIAA’s Gold and Platinum program continues to be the music industry’s recognized brand for success.”

The RIAA’s gold and platinum program was officially launched in 1958. In 2004, the RIAA formally expanded that program to include a Digital Sales. Two years later, in 2006, the Master Ringtone Sales Award was established.

The decade’s big winner was NSYNC’s 2000 No Strings Attached album, the first to earn an RIAA diamond award, marking more than 10 million in U.S. sales, an honor also achieved by Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Shania Twain’s Up!, Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory, Usher’s Confessions and Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me, among others.

The following are the decade’s highest gold and platinum award achievements:

Most total certifications (includes cumulative album, digital song, master ringtone and music video certifications):

Group: The Eagles—48 (WMG)
Male solo artist: Michael Jackson—44 (Sony/Epic)
Female solo artist: Beyonce—64 (Sony/Columbia)

Most album certifications:
Group: Nickelback—25 (Roadrunner)
Male solo artist: George Strait—29 (UMG/MCA Nashville)
Female solo artist: Britney Spears—23 (Sony/Jive)

Most digital song certifications:
Group: Linkin Park—13 (WMG)
Male solo artist: Kanye West—19 (UMG/Def Jam)
Female solo artist: Taylor Swift—25 (Big Machine)

Most master ringtone certifications:
Male solo artist: T.I.—15 (WMG/Atlantic/Grand Hustle)
Female solo artist: Beyonce—19 (Sony/Columbia)

HIGHEST CERTIFIED RELEASES

Highest certified album:

Group: *NSYNC’s No Strings Attached (Sony/Jive, 2000) 11x Platinum/OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (LaFace/Jive, 2003) 11x Platinum
Male solo artist: Usher’s Confessions (LaFace/Jive, 2004) 10x Platinum
Female solo artist: Shania Twain’s Up! (UMG/Mercury Nashville, 2002) 11x Platinum

Highest certified digital song:
Group: Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” (EMI, Capitol, 2008) 3x multi-platinum and The Fray’s “How to Save a Life” (Sony/Epic, 2006) 3x multi-Platinum
Male solo artist: Flo Rida’s “Low” (Warner/Atlantic, 2008) 5x multi-Platinum
Female solo artist: Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” (UMG/Interscope) 4x multi-platinum and Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” (Big Machine, 2008) 4x multi-platinum

Highest certified master ringtone:
Group: D4L’s “Laffy Taffy” (Atlantic, 2006) 3x multi-platinum; Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel” (Universal Records, 2006) 3x multi-platinum, and Shop Boyz’ “Party Like a Rockstar” (Universal Records) 3x multi-platinum
Male solo artist: Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” (Universal/Cash Money) 5x multi-platinum (Universal/Cash Money, 2008)
Female solo artist: Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” (Sony/ Columbia, 2006) 3x multi-platinum