Music Certifications

Music certifications are awards given to recognize that a song (single), EP or album has achieved a certain level of sales or streaming. They are essentially milestones indicating commercial success and popularity.

How to find out if music is eligible for a Music Certification or Plaque

Music certifications are awarded by various music industry bodies and companies around the world to mark sales milestones and achievements in different countries.

Certification plaques are typically awarded by the IFPI (international), BPI (UK) or RIAA (USA).

Music Streaming Awards have lower eligibility requirements are typically used by independent artists to celebrate streaming milestones with awards like the 1 million streams plaque.

Both plaques and awards are something to celebrate and a reminder of the hard work which goes in to producing and marketing a great record. It is up to the label / artist who gets awards, they are typically offered to artists, managers, distributors and anyone involved in the making or promotion of a record.

To find out if you might be eligible for a plaque or award use the tool below:

Music Sales Awards Eligibility Checker

Why do music certifications matter?

Recognition: They are a prestigious honour for artists, songwriters, producers, and record labels.
Marketing: Certifications are powerful marketing tools used to promote artists and their music, highlighting their popularity. They also make amazing social media content!
Benchmark: They serve as historical benchmarks of commercial success within the music industry.
Fan Engagement: Fans often celebrate when their favourite artists achieve these milestones. Like Spotify wrapped, on steroids!

If you are eligible for certification with a trade body, your distributor or label will be able to help you apply for certification and you will be able to buy plaques. If you are eligible for a Music Streaming Award, you will be able to order your award instantly.

Launch Music Sales Awards Eligibility Checker

Not quite there yet? Learn About Music Promotion and Advertising for Music.

While getting a music certification like a platinum record is a big dream for a lot of artists – these sorts of achievements can take a long time and a lot of hard work! If you are still on the grind working towards the big numbers check out some of the song promotion tools and resources below which may help.