CMT News

George Jones' 50 Years of Hits has been certified gold by the RIAA for total shipments of 500,000 copies to retailers. However, Jones points out that each of the three discs in the compilation released last year is counted toward the total. Artists in all genres, including country superstars Garth Brooks, George Strait and Shania Twain, have benefited from the RIAA guideline. Jones says, "I never heard of counting each disc towards gold, but they tell me this is how all the newer artists seem to have sales of 20 or 30 million in what I consider relatively short careers. This new math could change the course of my own career."