Taylor Swift Receives Avalanche of Platinum Certifications
Taylor Swift is now actively pursuing a career in the pop world, but her country connection has resulted in an avalanche of new platinum certifications from the RIAA, according to a report released Tuesday (Sept. 9).
Platinum singles are awarded based on a combined total of 1 million units based on figures for digital sales and song streams.
Swift's "Love Story" tops the list with a seven-times platinum certification. "You Belong With Me" hit the 6 million mark, followed by "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (5 million), "Our Song" (4 million), along with "Mean" and "Mine" (3 million each) and "Fifteen," "Back to December," "Picture to Burn" and "Safe & Sound" (2 million each).
She was also awarded platinum singles for "The Story of Us," "Crazier" and her collaboration with Ed Sheeran on "Everything Has Changed." A gold single came her way for "Enchanted" for a tally of 500,000 units.
Additionally, Swift and Keith Urban were featured on Tim McGraw's "Highway Don't Care," which was declared double platinum.
A platinum single went to The Band Perry for "Done" and Keith Urban's "We Were Us" (featuring Miranda Lambert).
Several noteworthy entries are noted in the gold single category.
Jason Aldean's "Burnin' It Down," Kenny Chesney's "American Kids" and "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" (the latter featuring the Wailers), Colt Ford's "Drivin' Around Song," Florida Georgia Line's "Dirt," Dustin Lynch's "Where It's At," Justin Moore's "Lettin' the Night Roll," Kacey Musgraves' "Follow Your Arrow" and Brad Paisley's "River Bank."
Perhaps indicating the continued decline of album sales, few titles made it to the gold and platinum certifications.
The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over, released in 1994, reached another multiplatinum milestone on sales of 9 million units. Nickel Creek's self-titled debut album, released in 2000, was certified platinum, and the Avett Brothers' 2009 project, I and Love and You, was certified gold.