#MichaelJackson was the first Black artist to be #RIAA certified for #Thriller in 1984. Today, and is also on display at National Museum of African American Music. #BlackHistoryMonth.

“In the U.S., when a single is said to have “gone gold” or whenever someone states that an album has been certified platinum, it means that an organization called the RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America) has done its research and confirmed that the piece of music in question, which could be one song or a full-length record (to state just the two most commonly-known formats), has, in fact, moved a certain number of units. That used to mean it sold a certain figure, though now that streaming is factored in, it’s all about equivalent units.

Throughout the years the RIAA has been doling out certifications, some titles have obviously performed better than others, and there are a handful that are leading the way. Of the hundreds of albums that have been certified platinum (which equals one million “units”), multi-platinum or even diamond (which is the same as 10-times platinum), only nine have ever managed to earn double diamond status, which remains a threshold that is nearly impossible to reach.

Michael Jackson leads the way with the biggest success of his career (of anyone’s career, actually), Thriller, which is millions ahead of any other title. The RIAA has certified the title 33-times platinum for equivalent sales of at least 33 million copies, making it the only collection to go three-times diamond.”

Source : Forbes