In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) award 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.
American country music singer-songwriter Garth Brooks has released sixteen studio albums, two live albums, and fifty-one singles. He has sold estimated over 170 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in history. According to RIAA, Brooks is the top-selling solo artist of all time with 157 million certified albums in the US. American Music Awards honored him the "Artist of the 90s Decade" and iHeartRadio Music Awards also honored him the "Artist of the Decade".
Barbadian singer Rihanna has released eight studio albums, two remix albums, one reissue, seven box sets and three extended plays. Since the beginning of her career in 2005, Rihanna has sold 60 million album units and 215 million digital tracks worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. All of her albums have been certified platinum and multi-platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and have totalled sales of over 10 million copies in the country.
American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson has released ten studio albums, eight extended plays, one compilation album, one remix album, and 54 singles. In 2002, she won the inaugural season of the television competition American Idol and was immediately signed to a recording deal with 19 Recordings, and RCA Records. She made her chart debut in September 2002 with the double A-side single "Before Your Love"/"A Moment Like This", latter of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually became the year's best-selling single in the United States. Her debut album, Thankful, was released in April 2003 and entered the US Billboard 200 chart at number one. Thankful produced the hit lead single "Miss Independent" and was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
American rock band Bon Jovi has released 15 studio albums, three live albums, five compilation albums, five EPs, 66 singles, 14 video albums, and 71 music videos. Bon Jovi has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. As of 2018, the band has sold 21.8 million albums in the US Nielsen SoundScan era. Billboard ranked Bon Jovi as the 45th Greatest Artist of all time, achieving 6 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 & 4 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Bon Jovi has sold 34.5 million albums in the United States.
Joe Diffie was an American country music artist. His discography comprises 12 studio albums, six compilation albums and 38 singles. Among his albums, 1993's Honky Tonk Attitude and 1994's Third Rock from the Sun are his best-selling, having been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of one million copies. His singles include five Number Ones on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Home", as well as "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun", "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles".
The discography of Brad Paisley, an American country music singer, consists of 12 studio albums, three compilation albums, and 46 singles. All but two of Paisley's singles have hit the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, with all but six reaching the top ten. He has 21 number ones, including a streak of ten consecutive, starting with the 2005–06 Dolly Parton duet "When I Get Where I'm Going". When "Waitin' on a Woman", reached number 1 in late 2008, Paisley set a new record for the most consecutive number ones (10) by any country artist since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990. This streak lasted until mid-2009's number 2 single "Welcome to the Future".
The discography of American country and bluegrass singer Alison Krauss consists of fourteen studio albums—five solo, six with her group Union Station, and three collaboration albums. She has also released four compilation albums, one live album, and over 30 singles. Her most successful album, Live, has been certified 2× Platinum.
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band founded in 1984. Their discography comprises 18 studio albums, one live album, and five compilation albums. Of their albums, three have been certified gold by the RIAA: 1992's The Dirt Road, 1993's Outskirts of Town and 1995's Greatest Hits 1990-1995. The latter two are certified gold by the CRIA, as is their 1990 Greatest Hits album, while 1989's The Boys Are Back is certified platinum by the CRIA.
Mark Chesnutt is an American country music singer. His discography comprises eighteen studio albums, five compilation albums, and 48 singles. Although Chesnutt's first release was Doing My Country Thing in 1988 on Axbar Records, he did not break through until his second album, 1990's Too Cold at Home, on MCA Nashville. This album and the two that followed — Longnecks & Short Stories and Almost Goodbye, from 1992 and 1993, respectively — are all certified platinum by the RIAA, as is his 1996 Greatest Hits. 1994's What a Way to Live, the first of four albums that he released on Decca Records, is certified gold.
The discography of Rosanne Cash, an American singer-songwriter, consists of 14 studio albums, six compilation albums, and 39 singles. The daughter of Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash recorded her self-titled debut album in 1978 under the German label Ariola. After signing with Columbia Records in 1979, Cash's second studio album Right or Wrong was released. Its lead single "No Memories Hangin' Around" reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Cash's third studio release, Seven Year Ache (1981), gained major success when the title track peaked at number one on the Billboard Country chart. It was then followed by "My Baby Thinks He's a Train" and "Blue Moon with a Heartache," which also reached the top spot. The album's follow-up effort, Somewhere in the Stars (1982) produced three Top 20 hits on the Billboard chart.
The discography of American country music artist Lorrie Morgan contains 18 studio albums, nine compilation albums, two video albums, one live album, one extended play, 51 singles and 21 music videos. Morgan early releases were singles that reached lower-charting positions on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Morgan's 1988 single, "Trainwreck of Emotion", was her first to reach the Billboard country top 20. It was followed by her debut studio album in 1989 named Leave the Light On. It reached number six on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. The disc spawned three more top ten singles: "Dear Me", "Out of Your Shoes" and "He Talks to Me". Its fourth single, "Five Minutes", topped the Billboard country chart. Her second album was released in 1991 titled Something in Red. It reached number eight on the country albums chart and number 13 on the Canadian RPM Country Albums chart. In addition to certifying platinum by the RIAA, the disc included three top ten Billboard and RPM country songs: "We Both Walk", "A Picture of Me Without You" and "Except for Monday".
The discography of American country music artist Gretchen Wilson consists of twenty-three singles and seven studio albums.
Haunted Heart is the second studio album by American country music singer Sammy Kershaw, released on March 9, 1993, through Mercury Records. It produced four singles: "She Don't Know She's Beautiful", the title track, "Queen of My Double-Wide Trailer", and "I Can't Reach Her Anymore". "She Don't Know She's Beautiful" was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for Kershaw in 1993, while the other three singles reached the top ten on the same chart. Like his debut album, Haunted Heart was certified platinum by the RIAA. "Cry Cry Darlin'" was previously recorded by several other artists, including Bill Monroe, Hank Williams Jr, and Dolly Parton.
American singer Demi Lovato has released eight studio albums, two video albums, two soundtrack albums, one remix album, five extended plays (EPs), 53 singles, and 13 promotional singles. According to Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Lovato has achieved 51 million certified units. As of August 2023, she has sold 9.7 million albums and 23.9 million song downloads and her songs have registered 7.7 billion on-demand streams in the United States. She has a total of 39 chart entries on the US Billboard Hot 100, including four top-ten songs.
American country music singer Jason Aldean has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, and forty solo singles. All of his music has been released through BBR Music Group, with Michael Knox as his sole record producer.
American singer Kesha has released five studio albums, one compilation album, three 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.
The discography of Don Henley, singer and drummer for the rock group The Eagles, consists of five studio albums, two compilation albums, and 27 solo singles.
The singles discography of Elvis Presley began in 1954 with the release of his first commercial single, "That's All Right". Following his regional success with Sun Records, Presley was signed to RCA Victor on November 20, 1955. Presley's first single with RCA, "Heartbreak Hotel", was a worldwide hit, reaching the No. 1 position in four countries and the top 10 in many other countries. Other hit singles from the 1950s include "Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", "Love Me Tender", "Too Much", "All Shook Up", "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear", "Jailhouse Rock", "Don't", "Hard Headed Woman" and "A Big Hunk o' Love". On March 24, 1958, Presley entered the United States Army at Memphis, Tennessee, and was stationed in Germany. He left active duty on March 5, 1960.
