The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legally sold recorded music in the United States".[1] The RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D.C.[2][3]
The RIAA was formed in 1952.[4] Its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations.[5] Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve,[6] the format of the stereophonic record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm records.[7]
The RIAA says its current mission includes:[1]
Since 2001, the RIAA has spent upwards of $6 million annually on lobbying in the United States.[8] The RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles in the United States.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legally sold recorded music in the United States".[1] The RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D.C.[2][3]
The RIAA was formed in 1952.[4] Its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations.[5] Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve,[6] the format of the stereophonic record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm records.[7]
The RIAA says its current mission includes:[1]
Since 2001, the RIAA has spent upwards of $6 million annually on lobbying in the United States.[8] The RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles in the United States.
The RIAA says its current mission includes:[1]
Since 2001, the RIAA has spent upwards of $6 million annually on lobbying in the United States.[8] The RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles in the United States.
The 25-member board of directors is composed of these record executives:[9]
The RIAA represents over 1,600 member labels, which are private corporate entities such as record labels and distributors, and collectively create and distribute about 90% of recorded music sold in the United States. The largest and most influential of the members are the "Big Three":
The RIAA also represents other major record labels such as Atlantic, Capitol, RCA, Warner Bros., Columbia, and Motown.[10]
The RIAA reports that total retail value of recordings sold by their members was $10.4 billion[11] at the end of 2007, a decline from $14.6 billion in 1999. Estimated retail revenues from recorded music in the United States grew 11.4% in 2016 to $7.7 billion.[12]
The 25-member board of directors is composed of these record executives:[9]
The RIAA represents over 1,600 member labels, which are private corporate entities such as record labels and distributors, and collectively create and distribute about 90% of recorded music sold in the United States. The largest and most influential of the members are the "Big Three":
The RIAA also represents other major record labels such as Atlantic, Capitol, RCA, Warner Bros., Columbia, and Motown.[10]
The RIAA reports that total retail value of recordings sold by their members was $10.4 billion[11] at the end of 2007, a decline from $14.6 billion in 1999. Estimated retail revenues from recorded music in the United States grew 11.4% in 2016 to $7.7 billion.[12]
The RIAA operates an award program for albums that sell a large number of copies.[13] The program originally began in 1958, with a "Gold Award" for singles and albums that reach $1,000,000 i
The RIAA also represents other major record labels such as Atlantic, Capitol, RCA, Warner Bros., Columbia, and Motown.[10]
The RIAA reports that total retail value of recordings sold by their members was $10.4 billion[11] at the end of 2007, a decline from $14.6 billion in 1999. Estimated retail revenues from recorded music in the United States grew 11.4% in 2016 t
The RIAA reports that total retail value of recordings sold by their members was $10.4 billion[11] at the end of 2007, a decline from $14.6 billion in 1999. Estimated retail revenues from recorded music in the United States grew 11.4% in 2016 to $7.7 billion.[12]
The RIAA operates an award program for albums that sell a large number of copies.[13] The program originally began in 1958, with a "Gold Award" for singles and albums that reach $1,000,000 in sales. The criterion was changed in 1975 to the number of copies sold, with albums selling 500,000 copies awarded the Gold Award. In 1976, a "Platinum Award" was added for one million sales. In 1989, new criteria were introduced, with a "Gold Award" for singles that reach 500,000 in sales and a "Platinum Award" for singles that reach 1,000,000 in sales; and in 1999, a "Diamond Award" for 10 million sales was introduced.[14] The awards are open to both RIAA members and nonmembers.[15]
Since 2000,[16] the RIAA also operates a similar program for Latin music sales, called Los Premios de Oro y De Platino. Currently, a "Disco De Oro" (Gold) is awarded for 30,000 units and a "Disco De Platino" is awarded for 60,000 units, with "Album Multi-Platino" at 120,000 and "Diamante" for 10 times "Platino" (600,000).Since 2000,[16] the RIAA also operates a similar program for Latin music sales, called Los Premios de Oro y De Platino. Currently, a "Disco De Oro" (Gold) is awarded for 30,000 units and a "Disco De Platino" is awarded for 60,000 units, with "Album Multi-Platino" at 120,000 and "Diamante" for 10 times "Platino" (600,000).[17] The RIAA defines "Latin music" as a type of release with 51% or more of its content recorded in Spanish.
In 2004, the RIAA added a branch of certification for what it calls "digital" recordings, meaning roughly "recordings transferred to the recipient over a network" (such as those sold via the iTunes Store), and excluding other obviously digital media such as those on CD, DAT, or MiniDisc. In 2006, "digital ringtones" were added to this branch of certification. Starting in 2013, streaming from audio and video streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube also began to be counted towards the certification using the formula of 100 streams being the equivalent of one download, RIAA certification for singles, therefore, no longer represents true sales.[18][19] In the same year, the RIAA introduced the Latin Digital Award for digital recordings in Spanish.[17] As of 2016[update], the certification criteria for these recordings are:[20]
Digital awards:
The units are defined as:
Latin digital awards:
In February 2016, RIAA updated its certification criteria for album to include streaming and track sales using the formula for album-equivalent unit.[21]
For certification purposes, each unit may be one of:[22] Digital awards:
The units are defined as:
Latin digital awards:
Latin digital awards:
In February 2016, RIAA updated its certification criteria for album to include streaming and track sales using the formula for album-equivalent unit.[21]
For certification purposes, each unit may be one of:[22]
For certification purposes, each unit may be one of:[22]
In 1999, Mitch Glazier, a Congressional staff
In 1999, Mitch Glazier, a Congressional staff attorney, inserted, without public notice or comment, substantive language into the final markup of a "technical corrections" section of copyright legislation, classifying many music recordings as "works made for hire", thereby stripping artists of their copyright interests and transferring those interests to their record labels.[55][56] Shortly afterwards, Glazier was hired as Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Legislative Counsel for the RIAA, which vigorously defended the change when it came to light.[57] The battle over the disputed provision led to the formation of the Recording Artists' Coalition, which successfully lobbied for repeal of the change.[58][59]
On October 23, 2020, the code repository GitHub (owned by Microsoft) released a DMCA request from the RIAA. This request listed the open-source software project youtube-dl (and forks of the project) as copyright violations. The request cited the United States law Title 17 U.S.C. §1201.[60] Critics of this action say that the software library can be used by archivists to download videos of social injustice.[61] According to Parker Higgins, former Director of Copyright Activism at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), this takedown request was a "throwback thread" analogous to the DeCSS controversy.[62]