surfy
Diamond Member
Irreplaceable
learning and growing
Joined: September 2013
Posts: 18,149
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Post by surfy on Jul 27, 2014 12:01:55 GMT -5
I knew that not paying would be easier... I meant not paying to get a certification, I don't see the point in paying! A certification costs $350. Cheap! Oh... that's it? |
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CookyMonzta
Platinum Member
Joined: March 2006
Posts: 1,362
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Post by CookyMonzta on Jul 27, 2014 14:33:53 GMT -5
The RIAA awards are historical. They go back to 1958. They are also a measure of good will between the label and their recording act. I'm sure artists hate being given an RIAA plaque! (sarcasm) A Gold album cert is importnat to new acts. Kacey Musgrave's album was certified Gold last week. And old acts. George Strait just got his 39th Gold album last week. I'm sure the recording artist does unltimately pay for the certification and plaque. I've tweeted Fantasia many times about Back To Me being eligible for Gold. Nothing has happened. RCA doesn't want to pay. There are already more RIAA album certifications this year than this point in 2013.I'll bet a large percentage of those certifications are for albums that are known to have sold more than 500,000, but have sat on the shelves of their respective record companies for years. Then again, there are labels like Rhino, or some independent label, that pick up the rights to classic or out-of-print albums that are known to have sold 500,000 (or come very close), and they perform their own sales audits before registering these albums for certification. $350 for certification? I figured it was more than $1,000. But then again, how much are the artists getting per album sold these days? I'm pretty sure that a wide majority of touring expenses (small venues, big venues, clubs, etc.) are out-of-pocket affairs for the artists; and for some, that takes priority over a certification fee. They got to eat and pay living expenses, too. Fantasia could probably afford the $350 for her 3rd certification, and do what RCA is too stingy to do. But then again, she ain't making Beyoncé money! I'm sure she'd be just as ecstatic to get a certificate from SoundScan for officially passing 500,000 for Back To Me, if that in fact happens. That is certification enough. How much, if any, did the artists and/or labels have to pay the RIAA back in 1958? |
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