In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards. Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label must first request certification. The audit is conducted against net shipments after returns, which includes albums sold directly to retailers and one-stops, direct-to-consumer sales and other outlets.
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory.
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to some of Canada's leading independent record labels and distributors.
A music download is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a personal computer, portable media player, MP3 player or smartphone. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyrighted material without permission or legal payment. According to a Nielsen report, downloadable music accounted for 55.9 percent of all music sales in the US in 2012. By the beginning of 2011, Apple's iTunes Store alone made US$1.1 billion of revenue in the first quarter of its fiscal year. Music downloads are typically encoded with modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) audio data compression, particularly the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format used by iTunes as well as the MP3 audio coding format.
Luke Boyd, better known by his stage name Classified, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.
"Shake That" is the second and final single taken from American rapper Eminem's first compilation album, Curtain Call: The Hits (2005), following "When I'm Gone". Featuring Nate Dogg, it is one of three new songs featured on the album.
American singer Gwen Stefani has released four studio albums, two extended plays, 33 singles, five promotional singles, one video album, and 28 music videos. She has sold more than nine million albums as a solo artist. Stefani is also the lead singer of the rock band No Doubt, with which she has released several albums.
The discography of Yellowcard, an American pop punk band from Jacksonville, Florida, consists of ten studio albums, eleven singles, two live albums, two extended plays, one video album, and two compilation albums.
American singer Kesha has released five studio albums, one compilation album, two extended plays, 32 singles, 11 promotional singles, and has made seven other guest appearances. As of 2017, she has sold over 41 million tracks and streams in the United States alone, and over 87 million tracks and streams worldwide. As of 2019, she has also accumulated approximately 7 billion on-demand streams and has sold over 14 million album equivalents worldwide bringing her record sales to stand at over 100 million equivalents worldwide. She is also one of the highest certified digital singles artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 35.5 million certified units as a lead act. She is also certified for 5 million albums in the country alone, bringing her total record certifications to stand at 40.5 million as a lead act. Including features, she is certified for 18 million digital singles, further bringing her total record certifications to 59 million overall in the country.
"Just a Dream" is a song by American rapper and singer Nelly, released as the lead single from his sixth album 5.0 in 2010. The song was written by Mitch J, Nelly, Rico Love, Jim Jonsin and Frank Romano with Jonsin and Love producing the song. The song was released on August 16, 2010, to iTunes Stores around the world for digital download. It was released alongside the promotional single, "Tippin' In da Club". On October 6, 2010, the song was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
Storms is the fourth full-length studio album by Canadian pop rock band Hedley. It was preceded by the release of two top-20 singles, including lead single and second track "Invincible" in August 2011. The album was released in Canada on 8 November 2011 through Universal Music Canada. A critical and commercial success, the album debuted at No. 2 on the Top Canadian Albums chart. In May 2012, Storms was re-issued with a modified track listing that includes a third single and sixteenth track "Kiss You Inside Out".
"Starships" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj, released as the lead single from her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). It was released on February 14, 2012, by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Republic as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Minaj, Nadir Khayat, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Bilal Hajji, and Wayne Hector, and it was produced by RedOne, Yacoub, and Falk.
"Wicked Games" is the debut single by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was recorded at Site Sound Studios and mixed at Liberty Studios in Toronto. Producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo co-wrote the song and performed all instrumentation. Originally recorded for The Weeknd's 2011 mixtape House of Balloons, the song was remastered and released as the lead single for his 2012 compilation album Trilogy. It was released as a digital single on October 22, 2012, by XO and Republic Records. Upon release, the single received widespread acclaim from music critics. On May 9, 2013, "Wicked Games" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of 2,000,000 units in the United States. The song was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Southpaw, the soundtrack's executive producer being American rapper Eminem who went on to produce a remix with The Weeknd on his later song "The Hills".
"Inner Ninja" is a song by Canadian hip hop recording artist Classified, featuring David Myles. It was released in November 2012 as the lead single from his album, Classified. The song reached number 5 in Canada and was certified 5× Platinum. The organizers of the 2015 Pan American Games licensed the Inner Ninja to serve as the theme song for Pachi the porcupine, the Games' sports mascot.
"Berzerk" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song, released on August 27, 2013, is the first single from Eminem's eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song was produced by Rick Rubin and samples Billy Squier's "The Stroke", as well as the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right", taken from their 1986 debut album Licensed to Ill, which Rubin had also produced, and Naughty by Nature's "Feel Me Flow". The song was heavily downloaded in its first week of release, resulting in the song debuting at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"I Mean It" is a song by American rapper G-Eazy featuring fellow American rapper Remo. It was released on May 13, 2014, as the fifth single from the former's debut studio album These Things Happen (2014), The song was written and produced by the artists alongside Christoph Andersson. Despite peaking at number 98 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it was still certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on February 8, 2018. A remix was released featuring an additional verse by Rick Ross.
The discography of British singer Liam Payne consists of one studio album, two EPs, twelve singles, nine music videos, and a guest appearance. His debut EP, First Time, was released on 24 August 2018 via Capitol Records. His debut single "Strip That Down", which features American rapper Quavo, is his most successful single to date. Released in early 2017, the song charted at number 3 in the United Kingdom, 2 in Australia and Ireland, 4 in New Zealand and Belgium and 10 in the United States. It was certified single platinum in the UK, Germany, New Zealand and Sweden, triple platinum in the United States and quadruple in Australia, alongside a gold certification in France. His second single, a collaboration with German DJ Zedd, was certified silver in the UK. It charted in the top 50 of countries including the UK, Australia, Ireland and Sweden. His third single, "Bedroom Floor", reached number 21 in the UK and was certified silver there and gold in Australia. "For You", Payne's fourth single which features vocalist Rita Ora, was certified gold in five countries and platinum in Australia. It was included on the Fifty Shades Freed album soundtrack for the film of the same name. The song became his first number-one single after it topped the German chart, placed at number 2 in France and number 3 in Switzerland. His subsequent singles in 2018, "Familiar", "First Time" and "Polaroid", featured collaborators such as J Balvin, French Montana, and Jonas Blue, respectively. As of 2021, Payne has sold more than 23 million singles and over three million albums.
Freshman Year is the debut album of Canadian country music duo the Reklaws. It was released on August 27, 2019, via Universal Music Canada. It includes their #1 hit "Feels Like That", as well as the singles "Hometown Kids", "Long Live the Night", "I Do Too", and "Old Country Soul".
