RIAA certification

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 (see music recording sales certification). Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label must request certification. The audit is conducted against net shipments after returns (most often an artist's royalty statement is used), which includes albums sold directly to retailers and one-stops, direct-to-consumer sales (music clubs and mail order) and other outlets.

Description and qualifications

Presently, an American RIAA-certified Gold record is a single or album that has sold 500,000 units (records, tapes or compact discs). Originally, the requirement for a Gold single was one million units sold and a Gold album represented $1 million in sales (at wholesale value). In 1975, the additional requirement of 500,000 units sold was added for Gold albums. Reflecting growth in record sales, the Platinum award was instituted in 1976 for albums selling one million units and singles selling two million units. The Multi-Platinum award was instituted in 1984, signifying multiple Platinum levels of albums and singles. In 1989, the sales thresholds for singles were reduced to 500,000 for Gold and 1,000,000 for Platinum, reflecting a decrease in sales of singles. In 1992, RIAA began counting each disc in a multi-disc set as one unit toward certification. Reflecting additional growth in music sales, the Diamond award was instituted in 1999 for albums or singles selling ten million units. Because of these changes in criteria, the sales level associated with a particular award depends on when the award was made.

Recording Industry Association of America

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says "create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legally sold recorded music in the United States." The RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D.C.

The RIAA was formed in 1952. Its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations. Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve, the format of the stereophonic record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3 rpm, 45 rpm, and 78 rpm records.

The RIAA says its current mission includes the following:

Top Dawg Entertainment

Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by chief executive officer (CEO) Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Dave "Miyatola" Free is the president of TDE. There are currently seven artists signed to the label, SZA, Isaiah Rashad and including the flagship artists, Black Hippy members Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. The label also houses a production division that includes Digi+Phonics, THC and King Blue.

History

1997–2009

In 1997, Anthony Tiffith began managing producers, who had produced for rappers such as The Game and Juvenile, among others. In 2003, Tiffith found a then 15-year-old Kendrick Lamar, a Compton native, who at the time went by K-Dot and had just released his first mixtape, which gained recognition and earned the young rapper a buzz in his local area. Tiffith saw so much potential in Lamar, he signed him off the strength of his first mixtape. It wasn't until 2005 that TDE started to gain success with another California-based rapper, Watts' own Jay Rock. Following Rock's signing, TDE signed joint venture deals with Warner Bros. and later Asylum Records. However, following the merger, TDE began planning an exit strategy after the labels failed to handle Rock's debut Follow Me Home properly.

Fifth Harmony

Fifth Harmony is an American girl group formed on the second season of the The X Factor USA in July 2012. The group consists of members Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane, Camila Cabello, and Lauren Jauregui. They signed a joint deal with Syco Music, owned by Simon Cowell, and Epic Records, L.A. Reid's record label, after finishing in third place on the show. Since then, they have released an EP and a full-length album.

Following their exit from The X Factor, they released their debut single "Miss Movin' On". Their debut EP, Better Together was released in 2013 with a first week position of number six on the U.S. Billboard 200. The following year, they won the Artist to Watch award at the MTV Video Music Awards. The group released their debut studio album, Reflection in February 2015. It debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, selling 62,000 copies in the first week and was supported by the group's first major headlining tour, The Reflection Tour. The album included the singles "BO$$", "Sledgehammer" and the U.S. triple platinum "Worth It". The latter also became the group's first top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top 10 in eight countries. Fifth Harmony has emerged as the most successful alumni from the X Factor U.S. franchise.