Beyonce received the highest Gold & Platinum album certification of any artist in January

Sasha's Fierce in '09

Year-end Releases Certify Strong in January

WASHINGTON – Columbia songstress Beyonce received the highest Gold & Platinum album certification of any artist in January, according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) monthly count. Her double-identity release I Am…Sasha Fierce sold more than two million copies in only two months, earning the bold songstress double-Platinum honors. Additionally, her current hits “If I Were A Boy” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” were certified Platinum.

Not far behind were certifications for two Davids from American Idol season seven. Season winner David Cook’s self-titled RCA release went Platinum while runner-up David Archuleta’s David Archuleta (Jive) turned Gold. Both certifications are the first ever for the idolized solo artists whose debut albums dropped in November.

Two Island bands – post-punk revivalists The Killers and alternative rockers Fall Out Boy – received Gold grade for their respective November and December debuts Day & Age and Folie A Deux. Also earning an RIAA-certified Gold record were Def Jam rappers Kanye West and Ludacris. Their respective albums 808s & Heartbreak and Theater of the Mind have already sold more than 500,000 copies since November.

Britney Spears has scored some serious brass since releasing her first album ten years ago. Her sixth studio album Circus (Jive) glimmered Gold within a month of its release this January. This is Spears’ first certified album since her 2003 double-Platinum accolade for In the Zone. Congratulations to Ms. Britney who has sold more than 32 million albums to date and continues to do it again.

Also in January, two popular movie soundtracks procured Platinum status: the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Alvin and the Chipmunks (Razor & Tie) and High School Musical 3 (Walt Disney). Kudos to the Emmy Award-winning, hallway-dancing Disney stars who’ve brought all three HSM soundtracks Platinum prestige. Currently, the soundtracks to High School Musical 1 and High School Musical 2 are 4x and 3x Platinum respectively. And we can’t leave out the little guys – congrats to Alvin, Simon and Theodore on their success. It’s safe to say these are the only Platinum-certified chipmunks in the history of the universe. We hope they’re not the last.

More kudos to teen rockers Metro Station for their dance floor favorite “Shake It,” certified 2x Platinum with a Gold mastertone to boot. “Shake It,” off the Columbia quartet’s debut album, has proved a huge hit for the group that was popularized in part by their relation to two Hannah Montana stars: Metro Station’s two vocalists Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso are the older siblings of the popular Disney series’ actors Miley Cyrus and Mitchel Musso.

And as fans awaited The Fray’s self-titled February album release, the album’s overture “You Found Me” gained Gold honors in January. While the headlining track went on early sale November 1st, its televised debut at the American Music Awards later that month helped fans find this favorite.

Congrats to Miami-based producer and radio personality DJ Khaled who earned his third Gold single nod for “Out Here Grindin’” on Koch. The track featured appearances from American hip-hop superstars Akon, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Lil Boosie, Trick Daddy, Ace Hood and Plies.

And with their own Midas touch, a first Gold single certification went to twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, aka The Veronicas, for their Sire song “Untouched.” The siblings wrote the track with help from popular songwriter Toby Gad who also penned Beyonce’s Platinum-certified hit “If I Were a Boy.”

Ringing in the new year, songs from yesterday and today earned RIAA-certified mastertone awards. Veteran rock n’ roller Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” (Epic) went 2x Platinum while fellow legends AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” (Columbia), Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’’’(Legacy) and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” (Legacy) each procured Platinum honors.

And while he’s no stranger to recognition, Columbia recording artist Wyclef Jean received his first ringtone certification for “Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill),” authorized Gold. Additionally, fans carried around a little bit of Clint Eastwood in their pockets as the distinctively drum and whistle-heavy theme song from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” by Hugo Montenegro filled phones to reach Gold mastertone status. The 1966 epic film is also called by its Italian name: “Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo.”

In January, the RIAA awarded a total 19 albums, 20 digital singles and 22 ringtones. All certifications are calculated by Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman. Complete lists of all album, single, mastertone and video awards can also be accessed at www.riaa.com.

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The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members' creative and financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA® members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States. In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect intellectual property rights worldwide and the First Amendment rights of artists; conducts consumer, industry and technical research; and monitors and reviews state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The RIAA® also certifies Gold®, Platinum®, Multi-Platinum™, and Diamond sales awards, as well as Los Premios De Oro y Platino™, an award celebrating Latin music sales.

Contact:
Jonathan Lamy
Cara Duckworth
Liz Kennedy
202/775-0101