Pac & Dre

[Sir Petey]

how can they calculate first week sales when we was sellin them shits two weeks before release dates?

[Jimmy H.]

how can they calculate first week sales when we was sellin them shits two weeks before release dates?

You're still getting your inventory from the label/distributor. They're still dispensing royalties to all the neccessary parties. Think about it like any retail situation. You've already paid for the product and had it delivered. If you put it on the floor ahead of street date, you're still ordering from the same people when you run out. I don't know the exact specifics behind it but I'm guessing if those second-week orders come in and they're shipping far less, the equation adds up to inventory still sitting on the shelf.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

A Gold album doesn't have to be certified by the RIAA.  For example, Suge said those Chronic and Doggystyle albums sold more than what the RIAA has on them and also Kurupt's Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha is Gold but it's not certified.  If you don't send the paperwork in to the RIAA then it's not going to be certified and you have to keep getting it recertified as the album sells over time by sending in more paperwork.  Remember, Gold means 500k units, it doesn't mean the RIAA has to certify it, it just has to scan 500,000 units at stores and the internet to be Gold.  The RIAA is one organization, they aren't the definitive authority.

That is incorrect.

The RIAA is the organization who officially certifies an album as being gold, platinum or multi-platinum.  You are right about them not doing certifications unless you request it (which of course involves an application and a fee), then they track down the exact sales numbers.  However, for an album to be certified, it doesn't necessary refer to over-the-counter sales (which is what SoundScan is), as it refers to the units ordered and shipped from the distributor to whatever stores.  So albums that are sitting on retail shelves count toward RIAA certifications.  But gold, platinum and multi-platinum are certifications by the RIAA, as no one else really does it, though sometimes larger numbers are used if the record label things that they've reached a certain number, typically if the certification is pending but they are putting out a press release or something and want to talk about an album's success.  Similarly, the Death Row Greatest Hits had a few of the Death Row albums with higher numbers than what the RIAA reported, but it's because Death Row probably hadn't requested an RIAA update.