Yesterday evening, Pepsi darling Nicki Minaj celebrated the news that her sophomore LP ,’Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded‘, had been certified Platinum in the US.
However, as the love fest between she and her ‘Barbz’ went on on Twitter, the news came under intense scrutiny from the Rapper’s critics.
Critics, who did not understand how an LP which is yet to move 600,000 units in the US was able to be certified Platinum (1 million copies).
So, ever eager to address the issues you care most about, That Grape Juice dedicates today’s ‘Hot Topic’ to the system that is an RIAA certification.
Full explanation below…
Believe it or not, certifications do not reflect an album’s sales but rather how many copies of that album have been shipped by its label to its outlets.
So, for an album to receive a certification in the US a record label must provide all relevant legal documentation to the Recording Industry Association of America, who will verify if the label has shipped as many copies as they say they have.
Once verified (and once the label has paid for the certification) the album can then enjoy their ‘Gold’, ‘Platinum’ or ‘Diamond’ status.
As it stands, the criteria for RIAA‘s albums certifications are as follows:
- 500,000 units: Gold album
- 1,000,000 units: Platinum album
- 2,000,000 or more units: Multi-Platinum album
- 10,000,000 units: Diamond album
Of course, considering the cost of manufacturing and distributing physical copies, labels are often wary of ‘over shipping’ of a project.
This, in case supply exceeds demands forcing the outlets to ship the albums back which is not only bad for the label’s finances but also for the artist on a PR tip.
Despite this , it is impossible to ‘over-certify’ an LP seeing as there’s nothing stop a record company shipping 2 million copies for an album which is unlikely to sell half of that. On the flip side though , it is possible for an LP to be ‘under-certified’.
For example, if Beyonce‘s ‘4′ went onto shift 5 million copies more than Rihanna‘s ‘Loud‘ , the latter could pick up more certifications if Rihanna’s label made the RIAA application and Columbia didn’t.
So, what do you think?
![New Song: Nicki Minaj - 'FTCU (Sleeze Mix)' [featuring Sexyy Red, Chris Brown, & Travis Scott]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/nicki-minaj-thatgrapejuice-2024-ftcu-remix-sleeze-sexyy-red-chris-brown-travis-scott-464x260.jpg "New Song: Nicki Minaj - 'FTCU (Sleeze Mix)' [featuring Sexyy Red, Chris Brown, & Travis Scott].")
Beyonce the queen
Queen?
Did you say Queen?
More like fraud, isn’t her court date coming up soon?
Rih is talentless . TTT FLOPPED
@ I Judge…
Yep we know deery shes a 53 million dollar
talentless artist who is the only artist to sell
the 02 arena full ten times, first ever to do it!
your favorite made 53 million and went on world tour why beyonce stayed home and made 43 milliion #QUEEN
SHE COULD SELL OUT 100 U2S AND SHE WOULD STILL SING AND DANCE LIKE S***.
She is a gimmick, a manufactured artist that Beyonce’s hubby created from the ground up. Cudos to him!
SHOUT OUT TO NICKI.. KILLIN THOSE NUMBERS FOR FEMALE RAP
true
LMFAO I LOVE UR NAME!!!!!!! NICKI SLAYS LIL KRIM YET AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLLA IN ABOUT 3 ALBUMS (NICKI SAYS SHE’S DOING 5!!!!!!!!) THEN THESE HATERS WILL RECOGNIZE SHE IS THE TRUE QUEEN OF RAP
Right…. roll eyes… I guess you idiots never researched Lil Kim, Foxy, Salt N Pepa and Missy!!! NICKI STOLE ALL THERE S***, NICKI S*** HAS BEEN SWAGGER JACKING SINCE 1994- 2004, SO LITTLE KIDS DO YOUR RESEARCH, MORONS!!!
THEIR***
& HOW CAN LIL KIM BE INNOVATIVE WHEN SHE STOLE FROM SALT N’ PEPA SWEETIE? SHE WAS A PUT TOGETHER GIMMICK BY BIGGIE THE HO DIDN’T EVEN WANNA BE A RAPPER,SHE WANTED TO SING……
Thanks for explaining what I’v e been saying to these idiots all along. Can’t believe they actually thought certifications were based on actual customer sales. Certification is based on shipping.
h** sit…she sold 12 copies
Like I said in a previous post about Onika’s mess of an album, Super Walmart’s across America will send that sh*t right back the YM Records and demand to be paid for shipping costs. This whole shipment “platinum” certification crap was a ploy to keep her hot air balloon ass in the news cause it damn sure ain’t the actual music that’s doing it.
P.S. Onika’s black? Who knew with all that albino make up and over production of lights she has them keep on her….
Lolololololololololollll@ENOUGH ONIKA
They can only send back like 1/4 of the shipment. They coulda already sent it back. Its not fair, but the industry ain’t fair.
this.
All of this!!!
THIS!!!!!
Shipping is based on projected ultimate sales anyway. Why do people have to get so technical now a days? When albums went platinum back in the day no one questioned whether it was based on sales or shipping certification. People are critical of everything related to artists now.
NOBody Questioned because back in the day PEOPLE ACTUALLY BOUGHT ALBUMS!! ALBUMS SOLD WAAY BETTER. BACK IN THE D AY!!!
people really didnt care then thats why. Internet got us wanting to know too much. People should just support the music they like and thats that. what does knowing how much they sold matter anyway.
BECAUSE THEIR FAVES ARE FLOPS & THEY CANT TAKE THAT ONIKA IS GAINING ON THAT BIG MOLE CRUSTY HASBEEN!!! SHE’S LOSING LEVERAGE TO THAT FLOP OF A CAREER & THEY CANNOT TAKE!!!!!!!!
Whats that you say Sam? Femme Fatale part 2? Oh….
I say DO NOT CERTIFY THESE B****** UNLESS THEY SELL IT.
NICKI HAD TO SUCK SOMEBODY AT RIAA D*** TO GET THAT CERTIFICATION.
IT’S JUST A THING RECORD LABELS DO TO SAVE FACE SO THAT THEIR ARTIST DON’T HAVE TO BE FLOPS.
NICKI IS A F****** FLOP AND SHE MAKES ME SICK.
SHE IS A DESPERATE ASS H** TO BE RELEVANT. F*** THAT B****.
PINK FRIDAY SOLD WELL
PINK FRIDAY ROMAN RELOADED FLOPED. CASE CLOSED.
OH AND LET’S ALL TAKE A MINUTE TO LAUGH ABOUT THIS “ARENA TOUR” SHE IS PLANNING. LMFAOOO
not everyone loves to s-ck c**** like you you furry mouth b-tch,did anyone say she sold platinum,it was certified platinum you f-cking b-tch judge you busted hard life,you talking cr-p about people who can buy you you pathetic piece of sh-t.
You mad.
You’re going a bit too hard on Onika
*DEAD AND BURIED*
do u realize when the stores have it, its sold. Its up to the stores to get it sold for their benefit.
It works like any other mainstream product. These people are not selling music out of their trunks.
Dead, y’all better read Lil Kim too because although “Hardcore” has shipped 2mil & has been certified 2x platinum (in shipments), it has yet to actually sell 2mil in the US…and Hardcore was certified back in 2001, so basically 11 yrs later it’s still hasn’t sold 2million copies…
So pretty much universal SHIPPED A MILLION TO OUTLETS, SUCH AS TARGET, BESTBUY, ETC IN HOPES THAT IT WAS GONNA SELL IN DROVES… IT DIDNT… SO TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD, THE FILLED OUT THE PROPER PAPERWORK WITH THE RECEIPTS OF SHIPMENTS OF THE ALBUM TO GET THE #SHIPPED” NOT SOLD PLATINUM CERT. SOUNDCAN TALLEY’S TOTAL SELLS WHICH IS WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO ARTISTS HENCE BILLBOARD TOP 200. RIHANNA’S PEOPLE DID NOT RELY ON RIAA SHIPMENT SALES, ON SOUNDSCAN. UMG P.R STUNT IS NOT WORKING… NICKI FLOPPED, BECAUSE MANY ARTIST ( MAJOR) SHIPS A MILLION..BUT RELY ON SOUNDSCAN!
You sound dumb. CERTIFICATIONS go by shipped not sold by the people. He blogged the information for you right above and you dumb h*** still don’t get it.
@Grape Thanks for this article i find it very deep & informative and
a eye opener to how it works, thanks for the write up!!
LMFAO, We got this we just didn’t care Nicki flopped anyway. And we get it Rihanna was a hot mess during that performance (her 7th in a row) you have posted it and “Hero” 1 thousand times, get out of her p****.
wheres rihanna number one album though
Rih had two albums #1 World Wide,, BeyHive!!
LMFAO where are her US #1 albums ?
@BEE AND I JUDGE Rih is driving yo assses
raggedy as always!!
WHAT #1 ALBUM
if it sold 900k-950k and was certified platinum i wouldnt be bothered. but less than 600k? this is obviously cash money buying the shipments
Why would they do that? That does not make sense.
to secure a platinum certification, the general public dont really care about music quality, more about how much it sells. e.g most people who listen to radio wont like an artist who flopped.
C:\Users\Owner\Pictures\2vrx37cjpg.gif #ThatIsAll
Whoops! This: http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/1029/2vrx37cjpg.gif
Shout out to Jia! Lol
Nicki and Rih….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n71KUiWn1I
Is the plane in the video suppose to represent Nicki’s career?!? Good call LAX! Your first meaningful post that involved Rihanna!!! WOW!
this sounds like something BeyBabyBumpSay would do to make herself look good.
Im shocked she hasnt told her daddy to ship 10 million copies just so she can go diamond cos we all know her ass wishes she was adele.
Beyonce wishes she was Adele? 16 Grammys, 4 #1 albums, net worth of over 300 million, married rap royalty, & a beautiful child. B**** please.
oh s*** i always thought it was based on sales. OOP NICKI not only are you a flop but you’re a cheating flop too.
OOP SOMEONES MAD EH??????
how did she cheat, when this is the process everyone has to go by. This is the RIAA’s process.
smh at these dumb asses.
Rihanna excellent performance and she covers three songs
she does some dancing on second clip “Whats Your Name”
and she worked it in the second and third clip she worked
those little tosstles on that scarf she has tied around her
Booty!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1Ba4N2zCQQ&feature=related
LAX enough of your sh*t about Rihanna! Damn! Do you get that psychologist yet?!
Articles like this can apply to all of the Artist!!
people might get mad at Nicki, but she is at
least working her ass off and thats what counts!!
I believe Rihanna’s people doing the same thing. lol
EVERYBODY DOES IT. iTS THE WAY THE SYSTEM WORKS AND ALWAYS WORKED.
DAMN SMH AT THESE DUMB ASSES. ONE DUMB ASS AFTER ANOTHER.
FLOP city b**** flop flop city bitchhh *Tyga voice*
I remember reading some place where Michael watched
many artists and he had a canny way of making his own
work even more amazing and interesting. He practiced,
practiced and he stayed ready with something new and
exciting for his fans and that lives on to this day. He came
to this world made a big impact across all demographics!
The other female rapper had better get off their ass and get busy like nicki is doing., and cut that bitching all the way out!
The fact remains that labels don’t just ship record for nothing. There’s a process behind it, only if the label is satisfied that ppl will buy those albums will they ship.
It’s a concept of demand and supply. Nicki WILL sell more than a million in the states over time. Pink Friday moved 1.8mil in the states with 2 hit singles, very little promo + no tour… PFRR will still have it’s chance to be great… Because your faves may sell 500k in week 1 but they end up with the greatest drop from week 1 to week 2. So deal …
“Pink Friday moved 1.8mil in the states with 2 hit singles, very little promo + no tour…”
Ummm…. Nicki was all over the TV, magazine covers and radio. She did the Femme Fatale tour with Brit which helped her, not to mention a sh*t load of collabs with hot artists. And she released like 6 singles not 2.
If you go to RIAA’s page and search for Nicki’s ‘PF:RR:’ you’ll see that the album was certified gold and platinum on the same day. This can’t happen! I think it’s probably because the album includes 2 discs, so the sales are multiplied by 2 for the certification.
That’s what I suspect, because the album has barely scraped the 500k sales mark, so it’s impossible to be platinum. No label ships an additional 500k of an album that’s out of the top 20. Even if the label wanted to, no store would take it!
Still, even if that’s the case, why didn’t Christina or Beyonce get that privilege as well for ‘Back To Basics’ and ‘IASF’ respectively?
Actually, I don’t know if it’s a double disc in the US as well, but I’ve heard it’s been released as a double-disc package in other countries, so I assumed it was that way in the States as well. I might be wrong, though.
In order for a double disc to count, it has to be a certain amount of minutes.
B****, THE ALBUM CAN’T SKIP FROM NOTHING TO PLAT., U HAVE TO GO GOLD FIRST!!!!!!!!! DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!! S*** U HATERS KILL ME WHERE’S THE RAID?!!!!!!!!
Ppl are so upset cause its nicki had it been any other artist they would not care that just goes 2 show they she doing her thing cause if she was really a flop as yall say it wouldnt matter what she is really doing flop but she has the 4 highest selling 1st week sales this yr flop but she has sold more then double any other urban artist this yr flop cause none these other rap b****** is putting out music still claiming the coming but aint produce yet keep pushing the s*** back and making false promises 2 there fan and if she should get then plz some body call missy and ask her 2 sent back 3 of the 6 plaque shes recieve after she was certified and hasnt sold a million on those albums(so addicttive,this is not a test,and the cookout) all got certified and havent still seen a mill but no1 take her 6 platinium albums from her so save and nick keep doing u.
HUSH with that long ass, run-on sentence. Young b****** these days…smh
BE-HO SAY BEEN USING PAYOLA WITH HER UGLY ASS DADDY FOR YEARS & NO ONE GAVE A F*** BUT WHEN IT’S BEAUTIFUL QUEEN ONIKA THEY WANNA HATE CUZ SHE SHITS ON LEGENDS……… PERIOD.
Btw, the article doesn’t make much sense.
“Despite this , it is impossible to ‘over-certify’ an LP seeing as there’s nothing stop a record company shipping 2 million copies for an album which is unlikely to sell half of that.”
_________________________________________
If there’s nothing to stop a record label from shipping 2 million copies, then we conclude that it IS possible to over-cerify an LP.
And also,
“For example, if Beyonce‘s ‘4′ went onto shift 5 million copies more than Rihanna‘s ’Loud‘ , the latter could pick up more certifications if Rihanna’s label made the RIAA application and Columbia didn’t.”
_________________________________
Why would a label NOT apply to RIAA. Certifications are important to build the artist’s profile and it makes the job easier for the artist’s PR team. It doesn’t make sense to say that a label would ignore RIAA, especially if they had a monster seller in their hands.
erm shows how much you know, plenty of labels ignore the RIAA, it took britneys label two years to apply for a plat cert for blackout.
That’s because Britney’s label is S***, which is why it shut down and merged with RCA. Shows how much you know 🙂
‘Blackout’ is the only example you got. The label didn’t need the certification because the promotion for the album was done and the label didn’t even want the album to be released in the first place because it was too “dark” for them. They didn’t care about ‘Blackout’, but ‘Circus’ and ‘FF’ got all their certifications because they were approved by the label, unlike ‘Blackout’. If you have any other example of labels not applying to RIAA, I’d be glad to reconsider. Until then ➡
“Why would a label NOT apply to RIAA. Certifications are important to build the artist’s profile and it makes the job easier for the artist’s PR team.”
Do you know that labels need to pay RIAA for these certifications? I really don’t believe people buy albums and singles based on certifications. Actually, people don’t give a f*** about sales, they just want to buy what they listen on radios. Certification is quite pointless.
Labels don’t need RIAA to know how many albums they shipped, because they’re the one who ship albums!!! They need RIAA just to make it official and reliable.
Lables only need RIAA for successful albums, so the money is no concern. I bet they’re not paying THAT much. And that’s why RIAA only certifies albums and singles that have sold more than 500k, because they know no label will care about an album that’s sold less than that.
Certifications do help boost the artist’s profile. It makes promotion easier, it makes interviews better and it confirms to the masses that the record is a success because, just like you said, nobody checks the sales figures, so it’s convenient to have certifications to let the general public know.
This is further complicated by the fact tthat many of Nicki Minaj’s albums were sold as downloads, likely more than half of the total ~600k sold. I wouldn’t be surprised if her label shipped 600k CDs and only sold 200k (or less), with the balance being sold online. To make it worse, with CD sales declining, many of these CDs will be returned before retailers get stuck with them. Nicki and Cash Money got the certs, but these returns will kill the bottom line when it’s time to divvy up royalties.
EXACTLY!!!!!!!! NICKI SAID ON THE INTERVIEW W/ FLEX THAT A COUPLE MILLION SINGLES IS EQUIVALENT TO THOUSANDS OF ALBUM SALES THATS HOW THE RIAA DOES IT… LMBO @ THESE HATERS MAD @ GAGGING OVER THE QUEEN’S SUCCESS… ICYUMAD.NET
That Pound the Alarm performance was a hot mess plus that crowd was not having it. Im ready for the Minaj era to be over. She’s embarrassing!
OH??????? BUT U IN A THREAD ABOUT HER??????
I dont go by riaa certification. I go by soundscan. Cause soundscan certification are based on actual alumb sales. RIAA cerification are based on shipment. Soundscan said she only went gold. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005UOQWMQ/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1340820156&sr=8-1
TOO BAD THATS NOT HOW ALBUMS ARE CERTIFIED, F**
ANOTHER DUMB ASS
SMH
SOUNDSCAN DOES NOT do certifications.
IM TALKING GOLD, PLATINUM, DIAMOND CERTIFICATIONS. IDIOT STOP TALKING.
LEAVE NICKI ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think this article is BS. i’m so sorry ! and certifications should be based on actual sales , not shipments.
and what if the album have 2 “discs” ?!!!!
that s*** will be multiplied by 2x as dear @ASAP said ?!!!
that will be a major straight cheating IMO , i’m sorry.
i don’t think her album is a success , it is a major FLOP as @TheGreatlacefronce said , u sold out to the pop folks and still U flopped Nicki ! now Bye.
*Play adele’s 21* which is certified double DIAMOND with no PROMO and no wigs and not even a nip-slip !!
hey flipflopper, who do you stan for nowadays.
I don’t know if it was a double disc in every country. I read some European blogs making rants about Nicki’s decision and saying a double disc package would affect her certifications against other artists. I think it’s a simple 1-disc album in the States, though, so I take that theory back.
@Queenofthenavy:
i STAN for your Mother’s Juicy P**** right now.
@ASAP :
anyway , we all know this b**** will cheat anyway to make her self look good after her s*** flopped. you think she will admit she’s flopping after she talked s*** about almost everybody ?!
HA!
i have the album tho ‘ sadly i bought it 🙁 ” , but it SOUND like 2 different discs , like the 2nd disc start from “starshits” till the end ……… ! maybe her label bought some copies to garner interest and make it sound as if the album is good to the point it was certified platinum.
“and what if the album have 2 “discs” ?!!!!”
There are some rules about it. IASF and Back To Basics had 2 discs and they were treated like regular albums.
Outkast’s 2-disc Speakerboxxx/The Love Below album is certified Diamond because of this rule (even though it sold 5.5 million.)
That was my concern too. I don’t live in the US, so I don’t even know if her album is a double disc. I’ve only heard rumours from european blogs back in April that the album was going to be sent to the stores as a double disc and that’s why I assumed it was the same format all over the world. I don’t know for sure, though.
And yeah, even IF it is a double album, there are many artists who tried that format before her and they got no special treatment, so you’re right. It’s sneaky. I only assumed it was a double disc because, according to RIAA, the album was certified gold and platinum on June 22nd…in ONE day. A double disc pack is the only reasonable explanation
@Gilberto :
“Treated like regular albums” ..
who decide if an album is treated like a single disc or treated like a double disc ?!!
i’m just asking , cuz just like @ASAP , i don’t live in US and i don’t give 2 shits about certifications , if i like the songs in the album i buy it , i’m old school when t comes to it. i only use actual sales to decide if an album is a flop or a smash . so …
“who decide if an album is treated like a single disc or treated like a double disc ?!! ”
RIAA do. This is just a rule. Billboard and Soundscan have several rules as well. Actually, any chart has rules.
A double-disc album needs a running time of over 100 minutes to be counted twice.
This works only in US. In other countries, like I said, the rules are completly different, for example: some countries count a re-release as a different album; others don’t let singles chart on charts if there isn’t a physical release of the single itself.
“according to RIAA, the album was certified gold and platinum on June 22nd…in ONE day. A double disc pack is the only reasonable explanation”
I don’t think so. Actually, it is very common thing to happen. Her album’s lenght is less than 100 minutes, so it isn’t allowed to recieve that special treatment we discussed.
They probably requested RIAA for both certifications on the same day – you can’t go Platinum without going Gold first. For example, Beyoncé has got 2x Platinum, Platinum and Gold in the same day for her I Am Tour DVD.
ANOTHER ONE SMH
IF CERTIFICATIONS SHOULD JUST GO BY THE PEOPLE. WTF DO THEY USE THE STORES FOR?
THE STORES BUY THE ALBUMS TO SELL TO PEOPLE. LIKE ANY OTHER PRODUCT THEY ORDER. ITS A PART OF INVENTORY.
THE RULES CANT CHANGE BECAUSE YOU HATE NICKI.
Album sales = Soundscan.
Certifications = RIAA.
They’re completly different. You can sell one single copy of your album and still get a Platinum certification.
hahaha , true. 😆
All the stores I go to like Target and Best Buy are overstocked with Roman Reloaded nobody is buyin that s***.
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
karma is a b****.
OBVIOUSLY HER ALBUM IS SELLING WELL ENOUGH FOR HER LABEL TO THINK IT’S SAFE TO SHIP MORE COPIES. HER TOUR IS COMING TO THE U.S. AND THOSE SHELVES NEED TO BE STOCKED. IT’S BETTER TO BE OVER STOCKED THAN UNDER STOCKED…DON’T YOU THINK? B****** DON’T KNOW THE HALF LIKE THEY FLUNKED AT MATH —> Y’ALL SOME DUMB MUTHAFUCKAS!!
@WELL DAMN: You seem a bit pressed, hon.
LMAO AT YOU CHECKIN THAT DEEP
BUT QUESTION
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT WASNT A NEW BATCH OF DISCS?
IF THE DISC IS NOT ON THE SHELVES. THEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. CUZ THE STORES DONT WANT THEM.
I SAW ADELES CD EVEN IN RITE AID AND DUANE READE LOL.
Btw, her “platinum” certification is already on every blog and even on Wikipedia, so cheating or no cheating, the label pulled it off 🙂
Now let’s hope her next singles do well enough to help the album sell at least 900k in the States to justify the certification. Because even Britney sold 850k of ‘FF’ in the end, so whoever was complaining about her pre-mature platinum status shut up in the end. We’ll see…
She isn’t cheating. It’s completly legal to get this certification.
If the album has sold about 550k so far, that means the label has shipped an additional amount of 450k. I’m not saying they did something illegal, I’m just saying they need to go all out with the promotion if they want the album to be a satisfactory seller or else big outlets will just send the merchandise back to the label. The label can’t risk that. Just saying…
FINALLY A SMART PERSON.
THANK YOU TO @GILBERTO
I don’t know , but something fishy is happening. no way this s*** is certified platinum , usually it is reflected in the singles performance , so ….
No way buddy !!
something is happening …. like this b**** bought all of her VMAS , this b**** buy her s*** to make herself look good. her trusty label do it for her everytime.
Well, even if she pays a diamond certification, nothing can change the fact that her album was a disappointment. I hope she sells a million to justify the platinum status, but her label had better not have any plans about multi-platinum certifications, cause that ain’t gonna happen 😉
Starships has already sold more than 3 million copies. Young fan base – singles sell and albums usually don’t.
what blogs? are these blogs that matter because TGJ has not validity…they are worse that the national enquirer…
Blog and Wikipedia????????????? LOOOOOL you know that Wikipedia can be edited by ANYONE right? I am sure sam and TGJ hit up her Wiki page with this bullshyt
Noone cares about reliable sources these days. Nicki got herself some buzz today with her “platinum” album, conveniently a couple of weeks before she releases her next single. That’s all that matters for the label. Most of her target audience get all their information from Wiki, ATRL and blogs, so the job is done 😎
ASAP you are so right. whether people like it or not, blogs like tgj are reputable. I used to hate this site but it dawned on me that they never lie. they may be a little bias to their faves but they actually never lie so most fans get their news from here, wiki and the pop forums.
so even though the certification is stupid nicki wins all around because everyone has now accepted thealbum is platinum
No, ppl razzed on Britney’s Platinum certification too! It had also sold about 600k at the time. I bet Usher Raymond receives a certified platinum nod from his new family RCA just wait and see! He is to receive a Star on the Hollyweird Walk of fame. You know he will be certified soon! #i’mjustsaying
LMAO Usher & Chris is on the same label. The fact Usher sells was very low will have to be wtched. Sorry people but Usher’s album is a disappointment to say the least.
JHud on RCA and she gettin a star too…and her last album was certified Gold even though it stopped in the 300ks…RCA is a funny, messy, screwed up label…
@Darren Yeah RCA smdh already! They did promote Usher though and even pushed back Chris’ CD (among other tricks) to boost Usher’s star. I don’t knw why it didn’t work for him. The media loves Usher almost as much as they do Bieber!
@yeyay Britney was under JIVE who was recently purchased – sometime this yr – by RCA ! It was JIVE certfied Britney’s Platinum CD! But you are right, RCA is a hot mess I can already see that! I’m going to need Chris to finish this contract which I think ends with the Fortune CD abd roll the hell on to a more supportive record company!
If she had sold about 800k then i would get the certification, but she’s just under 550k. It seems like her label overshipped the album to make it appear more successful than it actually is. Having said that, her album sales have actually increased this wk, and she’ll be releasing many more singles. So platinum won’t be a stretch anyway.
probably because Nickis team put together a very attractive package to get the stores to buy the album
The fact that she has a few singles already on billboard with no release, a tour coming where they can help with marketingthe cd for the stores to get their funds.
maybe they were outselling in places and needing to reorder.
the stores have to have a reason to want these cds stocked on their shelves.
sound scans process s very complicated and difficult to be accurate
I don’t think this is very fair, but it is a reasonable explanation. I do believe the album will eventually sell the million but probably in another year or so… As to everyone saying it’s a flop, I wouldn’t call it that. “Hot” artists are struggling to move 100K units, so for her to have sold 500K is still a testament to her popularity. People just look for reasons not to like this chick and this is just another notch in your belt. People are UBER critical of artists these days. But more often than not, we over criticize the few who are popular. These people are human and they put on their pants one leg at a time JUST LIKE YOU. So imagine that worldwide someone is critiquing your every move. “Oh, she flipped her hair to the right. Who does she think she is? Only Beyonce does that!” “She’s wearing platform sneakers, she’s copying Lady Gaga.” “She wears wigs. Is she trying to be Nicki Minaj?” Like GET OVER IT. All your FAVORITE artists got their certifications the EXACT same way. Get mad at the rule, not the one who got over on it. *end rant*
Wow you broke it down
I think the TGJ is trying to make their fav look good…nicki sold 500k and that is what we are counting…why in the hell would i could the other 500k that are sitting on the shelves collecting dust…please…#SIT
so what are the stores that are selling the albums? are they not consumers of her product.
GTFOH
Every record label can say that one of their artists has sold millions and millions but where is the prove?. I’m surprised, they didn’t say her album outsold Adele’s “21” haha.
I swear, if they did the charts it would be MADNESS, LOL!
This just in Nicki Minaj debuts at #1 with 1million copies shipped, but only 270k purchased.
She tops higher than the other releaser who sold 500k but only shipped 550k. Also he didn’t pay us for our certification of #1 so he didnt make the chart!
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was certified Gold when 508,000 copies were sold, so you’re telling me that it’s certified Platinum now because 1,000,000 copies were shipped? I’m not sure if I understand or this is just beyond weird..
You’re spot on. That’s exactly how it works. It’s always worked like that for every artist.
so happy sam did this post because i thought everyone knew this.
Oh, so when 500,000 copies are sold it’s certified Gold but when 1,000,000 copies are shipped it’s certified Platinum? Thanks for clarifying.
No it should have just been a Gold plaque given if she actually sold 500k. Certifications are given for shipping only. Bridman iis a swindler he would give a plaque to boost an artist that sold 100k of bottled water!
the album is certified after the proper paperwork is filed and the RIAA investigates and then the label pays for it.
Its not based on albums sold by the people. Thats whats confusing so many of you.
The fact that her album sold 500,000 through soundscan doesnt matter.
when they shipped the 500,000 to stores that really is what matters to the label.
People are like the 3rd party. We buy from the retail outlets not directly from the artist
See what technology has done? Everybody thinks they know it all when it come to Behind the scene music sales…smh ..technology has created Stan wars
your quite right. im a little horrified people didnt know this. stans think they know it all but dont.
I JUDGE FLOPS IS A FLOP! EVERY SINGLE ARTIST IS A FLOP TO HER/HIM.
Rihanna, Beyonce, Nicki, Chris, Justin Beiber, Ever post I see he/she calls them a flop. WHO isn’t a flop?
Shipping 1 million copies so that a CD get’s to be called platinum even if only certified is an old marketing trick! This is done by record company for those artists they try to push no matter what! You will soon see this with Justine Bieber after all media outlets – including EVERY URBAN BLOG SITE 0_o??? – reported on his sells figures today! As for Nicki, I think she peaked early & during a time where she had no competition! In the coming yrs she may find it a tad more difficult to sell as much as her 1st CD now that the “newness” has worn!
its not a marketing trick. more popularity makes the stores want the product on their shelves.
They will nt get a project that theythink will collect dust.
This is an accomplishment for Nicki whether you like her or not.
If these sales dont generate, her next cd could suffer though.
+ + + + + + + +
OFFICIAL NEWS!!!
“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN” #5 FOR THIS WEEK ON BILLBOARD HOT100
“HOW WE DO (PARTY)” JUMP FROM #85 TO #68
+ + + + + + + +
WHYB is doing better in US than in the rest of the world. It is already out of the top 10 almost everywhere. I honestly expected more from it, I mean, I didn’t expect it to be as big as WFL, but I expected her to repeat the success of Don’t Stop The Music. And it didn’t help the album at all either. I think TTT era is pratically over because there isn’t nothing left on her album to make it rebounce on the charts.
It’s because EVEN CHICKEN can learn from the first FLOP and RihTry can’t.
Flop That Flop already wrapped in the sheets with “FLOP Under the Sun”, “A FLOP Like Me”, “Rated FLOP” and “B*******” now.
Remember how “Irreplaceable” helped “B’Day”???
It sold 7-8M
Nobody told Rihanna to pull the DANCE-POP tricks on her R&B album for major singles. What was she expecting?
Didn’t she see what happened to “Sorry For Party FLOPPING” and “Pink Friday: Roman FLOPPED”?
I hate RUN THE Wold but I LOVE her performances of it!
I’m just wondering why Beyonce can SING LIVE LEAD VOCALS OVER AN OBVIOUS BACKTRACK wihout a person saying a DAMN THING? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They ignore it….just like they do her lip synchn….That b**** is good!
I DID think that was fishy. So the album didn’t SELLbplatinum. My, how times have changed, wasn’t platinum 1.5 million ?
Man i dodn’t see rihanna with a platium with over 900.000
copies sold because if she got certified, many would literally have a Duck!!
I think these cheaters should be put on blast. This s*** should not be allowed to happen. I mean now I wondering about Lil Wayne.Drake.Nicki,Jay,Kanye, Rihanna. Now it all makes sense Jay pushing Rita Ora. Ha! soon her cd or single will go platinum or double platinum lol.
@Darren
the difference is with jay kanye and rihanna all of their albums that are certified platinum, have actually sold over a million copies, the info is courtesy of soundscan.
Nicki is hanging with the right folks in music and shes
going places really fast!!
I think your right for the short term, she just wont have longevity IMO! Generic music of today simply doesn’t last. Cars by Newman is a classic Euro-Dance track along with Blondie’s Call Me. Those songs are very old & very generic but they had staying power. I just don’t see Starships having the same appeal! IMO
Nicki keep right on getting those great money
big endorsements, too.
I have often wondered why many of the female rappers
never get to many of the huge money making music
or other endorsement deals, queen is the one who
has out did so many with her acting, endorsements
and different ventures shes off into that or money
makers!! Real Talk.
Nicki keep up your work, keep doing you and keep it in
yo mind that the sky is the limit and just because many
others came before you just know that you can make it
if you keep doing what you or doing a great job of and
that is you have got many mouths swaggering.
Nicki grab you a movie role and by all means get you some more
endorsements deals, because remember just like i tell rih’s haters
Money don’t care who owns it.
I know for a fact, that Taylor’s last album has been certified quadruple platinum based on actual sales in the sales… Your favs… well they can dream…
offtopic: nicki minaj is ugly in that pic! her hairline and face – omg -.- she used to be pretty
WHY ARE THESE IDIOTIC ASS MISFIT’S MAD?… IT ANGERS THEM THAT SHE ALWAYS EXCEEDS THEIR EXPECTATIONS. HER SO CALLED 15 MINUTES OF FAME HAS LASTED OVER 2 YRS WITH 2 PLATINUM ALBUMS AND PEOPLE ARE ANGRY. BUT WHY? IF THE RIAA SAID SHE’S PLATINUM THEN WHATS THE PROBLEM? UMMM… AM I MISSING SOMETHING? YOU’D SWEAR THEY KNOW NICKI PERSONALLY AND SHE DID SOMETHING TO THEM…JEEEZUS… OH WELL SHE’S STILL WINNING NONE THE LESS. PINK FRIDAY ALMOST= 2X PLATINUM… PINK FRIDAY: ROMAN RELOADED= PLATINUM… SUPER BASS= 4X PLATINUM… STARSHIPS= 2X PLATINUM… CONGRATS NICKI MINAJ!!…. W I N N I N G….. HATERS STAY TUNED….
BCUZ THEY MAD….LOL
Tayors new album will sell 1,000,000 units and be a Platinum selling album in its first week!!
Damn you’re too girlish…
or ghoulish? Who cares what Taylor Misfit will sell. Isn’t their a country western website for ppl who follow her music? #i’mjustsaying
And Im juust saying Taylor sells music. I love how You call Taylor a miss fit and yet shes selling millions.
She must be a really loved misfit:)
stop hating on the b****! i’m pretty sure that she will sell 1kk by the end of the year anyway
New name of this site NickiPussyJuice.Net
Corny topic.
It’s no secret that shipments account for certifications, not sales. It’s *always* been that way. And why shouldn’t they? It takes time and money to press out a shipment of an artists CD at the request (I repeat: request) of retailers — who actually pays for them. Record labels can’t and don’t just give them out to stores free of charge; so ultimately those albums ARE still bought. If a label gets 1 million requests from record stores everywhere for them to take time to press and ship an artists album, then the label has every legitimate reason to claim a certification. And if those shipment of albums don’t sell out, then that’s more the fault of the retailers than the label/artist. If you order too much food and find yourself too stuffed to eat all of it, it’s not the restaurant or chefs fault…and you’re still paying for all of it. This is business. Supply and demand (and in this case, the demand is from record stores — not the public.)
The RIAA never stipulated or even implied that certs meant sales. The idiot public who knows s*** about the music business just ignorantly assumes that and wants to cop an attitude about it when they don’t match. As if you’re some umpire who gets to call foul. You clowns work at Burger King, Foot Locker and as supermarket baggers, really who are you to sit and try and scrutinize this? Just shut up and listen to Nicki and Rihanna’s wack ass music like only a dumbass would. Don’t try to be a scholar.
@czarm
oh my, I found a gem.
Truth has been set free.
100% right
now that they know this, and its nicki, its cheating, they want to change rules and the system.
these dumbasses dont know how marketing, distribution, and merchandising works.
so quick to holler flops as if they arent flopping in life.
LOL Y ddnt yall use one of Rih’s horrible performances from Hackney? LOL I know y!
I’ve known for a while now that certifications are based on shipments and not sales. Some people are acting as if it is new news that certifications are based on shipments. And for anyone wondering whether or not an album is actually platinum status there is only one true reliable source for that, and it is from the RIAA itself, the link is below.
Your welcome
http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database
Minaj first album was successful yes. Why wouldn’t the label ship enough albums for P F RR in the first place. I smell b*******. It’s it funny that since Flex said nicki’s album flopped on Summer Jam and they had there little tiff on the radio all of a sudden…she goes platinum? Is this blog telling me that her label only shipped enough albums for her to sell 275k in the first week? I’m sure YMCMB made sure that pfrr was everywhere especially since nicki does pop music and was all over the charts the year prior. Not to mention the b**** bragged that she added extra songs to her LP that would cost her in the long run. She and her label were banking on a Massive Attack of sales and didn’t get it. Do we not trust sounds an now? There are artist that go platinum in a day. Where is iTunes and Amazon included since that’s how most people buy music? Or am I totally lost?
youre b*******
Shipping an album to a retailer is a mutual agreement.
the retailer has to want the product.
you try creating a cd or any project and seeing if its that easy to get it in a store. lol
Think if you own a store, would you order something to stock that you don’t believe will move off the shelf?
everything is pretty much a gamble in the corporate world.
I love nicki and bey,
heres a video i made (:
http://youtu.be/QXdRzwD1_pg
So, what about iTunes sales, do those not count at all as riaa certifications? This is a real question and anyone who knows, please let me know!!
Digital records have shipment too.
Sorry! I forgot to answer you question properly. Yes. Digital and physical’s shipments are counted together the certification.
Excellent Question!!
I often wondered how digital sells factor into all of this mess? Are they counted as part of the 1st week sells or are these associations only talking about physical copies? With the high amount of digital sells shouldn’t there be some way to factor that information into this equation? And what about pre-orderd CD count? Are they also factored?
The only difference between of the digital market and the physical one is the way music is consumed and distributed.
“Are they counted as part of the 1st week sells or are these associations only talking about physical copies?”
Digital and physical copies are counted together to make the album charts since they are available for purchase.
“With the high amount of digital sells shouldn’t there be some way to factor that information into this equation?”
A digital album coast as much as a physical copy. Billboard changed their rules to not allow really cheap albums (like 99-cent Born This Way) to be counted on the overall sales figures.
“And what about pre-orderd CD count? Are they also factored?”
Yes, they’re counted on the first week sales. When you pre-order something you buy a product that isn’t released yet, but, after its release, you’ll get a copy like anyone else.
Man I can’t believe how many fools on here are acting like this is some rare case and that it’s unusual for an album to be certified platinum without having sold the same amount of albums. The funny thing is all of your faves are in the same position. Several Mariah carey albums for example have sold a couple million less than their certification.
And lil Kim fans should be the last to open their mouthes. They love to mention she has a multi-platinum album. This is true and it’s a great accomplishment. But as of 2007 “Hatdcore” the album was at 1.4 million sold. “pink Friday” on the other hand is Platinum and has sold 1.8 million less than 2 years after release. Just sayin.
Not one person mention Lil’ Kim in this post or comments. Except you and now me. B**** are you pressed? SIT THE F*** DOWN!
No, she’s stating a valid point. Ppl are b*tching about Nicki being certified without having actually sold a certain amount, when just about every artist is in that position at some point. Kim just happens to be a great example. Hardcore got certified 2x platinum 11 yrs ago & still hasn’t sold that.
this is the digital age, what an album has shipped is irrelevant. Since digital downloads could be certified by SALES in 2005, the industry standard for a GOLD or PLATINUM album or single is one that SELLS 80% the requirement for the certification.
An album that sells 400k is considered a GOLD album. An album that sells 800k is considered PLATINUM. The “official RIAA” certificaitons don’t mean anything in the digital age as nearly all music is available digitally and is instantly certified once it meets the criteria
F*** the digital age.
just to be a shady b**** i would like to point out that 11 weeks out and pf rr has sold 26,000 this week world wide, while talk that talk on its 30th week has sold the same amount world wide.
I have waited patiently for all of this, certain stans shouldn’t count their eggs before they hatch!!!!
@X Y Z you said nicki was to replace rihanna???? um the numbers don’t lie hunny, and by the looks of it she isn’t replacing anyone, and don’t try the female rapper thing, because the album is half pop/dance. but your delusion was very entertaining.
Rihanna and nicki are two totally different genres
What people fail to realize is that Nicki is in a very unflattering genre market wise these days. Nobody is giving female rappers a blink of an eye. Nicki had to conform a little but I admire her strategic planning because to be a female rapper these days is not the business. Just saying.
both girls are doing their thing though.
Exactly!
People who didn’t know that certification is for shipments are just stupid. It has been that way ever since. There is a reason why huge shipments happen: on expectation that demand will be high. Whether the expectation is justified is the store’s call.
With the amount of stupid comments here, i say you people get a job & do something with your brains, rather than post stupidies while housed on the projects.