Times Of Swaziland: RISA’S SHOCKING DROP IN  GOLD & PLATINUM SALES

RISA’S SHOCKING DROP IN  GOLD & PLATINUM SALES
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BY FAITH MNGOMETULU on 01/10/2015 04:15:00


MBABANE – The digital era, where music lovers no longer rely on hard copy
CD’s to listen to their favourite tracks, has prompted Recording Industry of
South Africa (RiSA) to reduce the Gold or Platinum status sales.
The status sales has been reduced by a whooping 10 000 due to the growing demand
for music downloads, as more people prefer tapping into the extraordinary
singing skills of their favourite musicians. The executive committee of (RiSA)
has announced that from December 1, 2015, the number of copies sold to attain
Gold or Platinum status will be dropped.
The latest development was communicated through emails that were sent to RiSA
members by David du Plessis, who is the Operations Manager at the establishment.
According to their release, RiSA has over the past year given consideration to
whether the current certification levels are a true reflection of exceptional
performance in sales.
As part of the exercise, a survey was conducted to establish levels in South
Africa compared to other territories. The survey revealed that countries with an
industry turnover of a comparable size had lower gold and platinum sales
certification than South Africa.
With Gold certification in South Africa set at 20 000 since August 2006, it was
agreed by the executive committee of RiSA to reduce the Gold certification level
for albums to 15 000. Platinum certification for albums will likewise be
adjusted from 40 000 to 30 000.