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Audit requirements

Album Certification

Single Certification

Certification Application Process:

1. All audit requests can be submitted through the RIAA Quick Request Portal link below. Certifications are not automatic – sales and streaming data must be provided by the requestor for the audit. All supporting documentation must be provided to the RIAA when submitting the RIAA Certification Request.

Supporting Documentation includes the following:

• Sales Report
• Directly from the Sales System – Domestic Shipments Only, Net of Returns
• If Excel data is provided as the sales support, please also provide a screenshot of the Sales System. In general, our auditing team will be looking for on-demand, non-UGC, consolidated reports of sale that show release info/date/ISRC/unit/store/format type (download/stream/interactive or noninteractive) and filtered by US territory only. *Sales Reports may be subject to additional testing at the auditor’s discretion
• Label copy for all UPCs (album requests) or ISRCs (single requests). Sometimes referred to as a ‘one-sheet,’ white sheet,’ ‘product report,’ or ‘product metadata,’ this report should include every UPC/ISRC containing information about the album or single: Artist, Title, Version Description (e.g.  Album, Radio Edit, Remix, Live, Acoustic, etc.), Product Number (UPC/ISRC), Runtime, Credits, etc.
• Copy of the physical product (if applicable) OR digital files of singles/albums sent via email, if requested by the auditor.
• Any other information requested by the auditing team.

2. To confirm if a title has been certified previously,  please reference the riaa.com/gold-platinum database. Please note, any certifications your label has asked to keep hidden will not appear until the label contact requests them to go live. Please select YES in the Hidden column when applying if you would like the new certification to remain hidden from  the RIAA website upon completion of audit.

3. A non-refundable audit fee is required for certifications:

• RIAA Member Company $350 per title: Multiple titles for certification may be included on one request submission to receive a bulk discount. This only applies to titles that have the same billing contact, are submitted on one request, and can be on one invoice.
• Non-Member Company $450 per level: Fee must be pre-paid and bulk discounts are not available.
• Any requests that do not meet the Gold & Platinum Program requirements below will still be charged the full audit fee. * All audit requirements must be provided within 30 days of the date of application or the certification application may be denied.
• Please note:
  • US sales and streams/downloads and/or physical sales are eligible for certification.
  • All streams and downloads must be on-demand and non-UGC.
  • Please note that Luminate, Spotify Discovery Mode, Pandora Radio/Plus, YouTube (except for streams on the official artist or label channels) and most social media services (i.e, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook) are not accepted for RIAA certification).  
  • RIAA units are not equal number of streams. To determine the calculation for streams only, please see “Do streams equal RIAA Certification Units?” in FAQ.
  • Please make sure to review Criteria and complete all audit requirements listed in How to Apply.
  • Please review the Quick Submit Portal Facts (If title details are not correct or audit documents are not submitted, the request will be denied and the information submitted will not be saved. Please see Gold & Platinum – RIAA for a current listing of certified titles. Sales/streaming documents will be reviewed once the fee has been paid and submissions are officially in audit. 

If title details are not correct or audit documents are not submitted, the request will be denied and the information submitted will not be saved. Please see Gold & Platinum – RIAA for a current listing of certified titles. Sales/streaming documents will be reviewed once the fee has been paid and submissions are officially in audit. 

Apply to Program

Auditing Teams

Once all required documentation is provided, the RIAA will approve your request for certification by emailing you and our GR&F auditors to proceed with the audit process.

Have questions? Please email certifications@riaa.com. 

All RIAA Awards dating back to 1958 are available to view at riaa.com/gold-platinum.