How many copies does an album need to sell for a gold record in the US?

Music medium Data from 2024

Guess before you scroll — the answer is below

Answer in copies. Shorthand like 9m or 1.2bn works.

The answer

500,000 copies

Roughly 500K.

Gold is 500,000 units in the United States and platinum is a million. Since 2016 streams count towards it: 1,500 streams equal one album sale, which is why records now go platinum without anyone buying a physical copy.

Where this number comes from

Source Recording Industry Association of America
Figure refers to 2024
Last checked
Unit copies

Numbers move. If this one has drifted from its source, let us know.

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