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Justin Bieber's 'Baby' Top RIAA Single of All Time

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B

botty

Banned
Justin Bieber's 'Baby' With New Streaming Data Beats Out Elton John For RIAA's Top Platinum Single of All Time

Bieber's song "Baby" featuring Ludacris becomes the highest-certified single in history now that the RIAA incorporates on-demand streaming numbers into its Gold and Platinum certifications for digital singles. Elton John's double-sided hit "Candle in the Wind"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" was previously the top song in history with a certification of 11-times platinum all the way back in 1997. Bieber's "Baby," which has 3.9 million track sales and over 857 million views on Vevo, is now 12-times platinum.

A gold or platinum certification that incorporates activity on streaming services is an accurate representation of the world consumers live in today. On-demand streaming services have become such a popular way to experience music that YouTube is often called "the new radio." For track certifications the RIAA counts streams only from services that compensate record labels. Among them are video services YouTube and Vevo and audio services Spotify, Muve Music, Rhapsody, MOG, Xbox Music and Slacker.

The digital-era songs with the highest certifications are some of the most popular videos. "Baby" is the second-most-watched video on YouTube. Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" featuring Rihanna, now 11-times platinum, is fourth all-time at YouTube with over 560 million streams globally (for certification purposes, only streams originated in the U.S. are counted). Now 10-times platinum, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" is eighth with nearly 519 million streams. Two spots below "Bad Romance" is Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," which rose to nine-times platinum.

The addition of streaming data meant there are 11 Gold, 18 Platinum and 27-multi-Platinum new Digital Single Awards. Eleven of those songs received their first Digital Single Awards. Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" and The Weeknd's "Wicked Games" were among the six new Gold certifications. The new platinum certifications included Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and Andy Grammer's "Keep Your Head Up." Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" rose to double-Platinum.

Adding streaming numbers to certifications was "easy to decide as a matter of principle" but much more complicated from a procedural standpoint, says RIAA Chairman and CEO Cary Sherman. The organization gathered a group of label marketing, business and data-analysis executives for a yearlong effort to decide exactly how streaming numbers should be integrated into certifications.

Sherman explains that the Gold and Platinum certification program has always been based on "the consumer saying he or she wants a particular piece of music." For decades that demand was represented by purchases, but today can vote with both their pocketbooks and their clicks. But the RIAA decided to count streams only from "pull" services like subscription service Spotify because the intent behind them is similar to a purchase. Streams from "push" services, or non-interactive Internet radio services like Pandora, are excluded because they don't reflect the same consumer intent.
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M

Milchjon

Member
Their way of incorporating streaming sounds dumb. People listened to songs on the radio before the advent of internet streaming... Sure, it's on demand, but it's still a slippery slope.
 
R

royalan

Member
My thoughts from the PopGAF thread:

royalan said:
I hate the way these types of articles try to make it seem like this new generation of artists are "out-performing" the veterans, when in reality the potential audience for music has just grown so much bigger AND become way more accessible than ever before. Those pre-streaming/pre-download records still stand imo because back then huge sales like that were so much more difficult to achieve.

Congrats to The Superior (not that that's saying much) Justin, though.
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C

cory64

Member
Milchjon said:
Their way of incorporating streaming sounds dumb. People listened to songs on the radio before the advent of internet streaming... Sure, it's on demand, but it's still a slippery slope.
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They're being pretty careful about counting services that involve individual intent because that generates direct money.
 
I

IceCold

Member
Kinda seems unfair. Artists who made music before the internet didn't have as many opportunities to provide their music to people. So now we up with crappy songs like this being #1.
 
M

McNei1y

Member
I can honestly say that I've never listened to this song all the way through. I feel like I'm missing a piece of history.
 
A

Aguila

#ICONIC
Courage said:
I'd take Biebs over Lana. Biebs has a clear image of what he wants to be, unlike the muddled image known as Lana Del Rey.
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And what image does Bieber have exactly?

The character Elizabeth Grant has created in Lana Del Rey is far more unique than anything Beaver will ever do in his life.
 
D

Dr. Malik

FlatAss_
IceCold said:
Kinda seems unfair. Artists who made music before the internet didn't have as many opportunities to provide their music to people. So now we up with crappy songs like this being #1.
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Artist who made music before the internet didnt have to worry about people pirating their music, back then they could actually sale albums

both generations have their advantages and disadvantages, adding streaming to the mix brings some balance to the certifications but its still not well since some of those views came from outside the US
 
C

Courage

Member
Artemisia said:
I didn't realize songs had to have substance to be good.
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I don't mind stupid songs, but even those have their own type of "substance" and set out to achieve something specifically. Lana Del Rey is trying to be so many things she will never be.
 
B

Broder Salsa

Banned
Courage said:
I'd take Biebs over Lana. Biebs has a clear image of what he wants to be, unlike the muddled image known as Lana Del Rey.
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I don't really care. Half her album was very enjoyable to me, even if it falls completely apart half way through. Video Games was probably my favorite song of 2012.

If she lied about her past, changed her name or how much botox she got in her upper lip doesn't mean shit to me, how the music sounds to me does. Will leave that to the demented pop gaf.
 
M

Mumei

Member
Crumpet Trumpet said:
I just don't understand these streaming rules
iD33WWtgiHV9e.gif
Doesn't it have like 3 billion hits, how is it not clocking La Niña Justine out the game
iD33WWtgiHV9e.gif
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I don't see why they use the total numbers when those are global viewers and the RIAA is supposed to be certifying American sales. Or why they'd use streaming at all when it is something that we know has been manipulated in the past.

macuser1of5 said:
a revelation that will cause the downfall of popgaf
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Some of them believe Christina will make a comeback. Never underestimate the power of delusions!
 
S

SaintZ

Member
Aguila said:
Slay
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And Young and Beautiful is joining soon.

lanavougeukz7r63.gif

Courage said:
How is Lana Del Rey even relevant?
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I can see you not liking her music or saying it is not your cup of tea but really... asking that question? It's obvious that a lot of people like her music. She writes it, edits her videos (well, when it is a big single she writes its treatment/story) and has an unusual voice. Plus she's an angel to her fans and has a very nice personality.

You can remain bothered at her success tho.

lanastoiclaugh8rseo.gif
 
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