John Mellencamp - RIAA Gold and Platinum Albums

Certification Process
Each title submitted by record companies undergoes a certification process through the RIAA before it is eligible for an award.  The process entails an independent sales audit, which calculates the quantity of singles or albums shipped for sale, net after returns.  The audit surveys shipments to the entire music marketplace, including retail, record clubs, television sales, Internet orders and other ancillary markets.  Based on the certification of these shipments, a title is awarded Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum or Diamond status.

Gold Award
The acclaimed Gold Award is bestowed upon artists who have sold 500,000 units of a single, full-length album or multi-disc set.  More than 8,000 titles have been certified Gold by the RIAA.

Platinum Award
Fueled in part by the disco craze, the volume of music sales skyrocketed by the mid-1970s, prompting the RIAA to introduce the Platinum Award category in 1976.  Platinum singles and albums are awarded for the certified sale of one million units.

Multi-Platinum Award
By the mid-1980s, the recording industry was enjoying another boom -- this time from the introduction of the CD.  The RIAA instituted Multi-Platinum Awards in 1984 for certified sales of two million or more units.

Diamond Award
On the advent of the Millenium, the prestigious Diamond Award represents the next quantum achievement in the music industry - U.S. sales of 10 million units for a single title.

Check out the Recording Industry Assocation of America for more information.

TITLE

RELEASE DATE

AWARD

CERTIFICATION DATE

John Cougar

Gold

2/17/95

Nothin' Matters and What If It Did?		Gold	2/15/95
		Platinum	7/14/95

American Fool	4/12/82	Gold	7/6/82
		Platinum	8/26/82
		Multi Platinum 2.00	10/12/84
		Multi Platinum 3.00	4/7/86
		Multi Platinum 4.00	1/27/95
		Multi Platinum 5.00	5/23/96

Uh-Huh	10/1/83	Gold	12/16/83
		Platinum	12/16/83
		Multi Platinum 2.00	10/25/84
		Multi Platinum 3.00	1/27/95

Scarecrow	7/31/85	Gold	10/24/85
		Platinum	10/24/85
		Multi Platinum 2.00	10/30/85
		Multi Platinum 3.00	4/7/86
		Multi Platinum 4.00	1/27/95
		Multi Platinum 5.00	10/29/01

The Lonesome Jubilee	8/24/87	Gold	10/22/87
		Platinum	10/22/87
		Multi Platinum 2.00	1/14/88
		Multi Platinum 3.00	1/27/95

Big Daddy	5/9/89	Gold	7/10/89
		Platinum	7/10/89

Whenever We Wanted	10/8/91	Gold	1/6/92
		Platinum	1/6/92

Human Wheels	9/7/93	Gold	11/10/93
		Platinum	11/10/93

Dance Naked	9/8/94	Gold	11/14/94
		Platinum	11/14/94

Mr. Happy Go Lucky	9/10/96	Gold	12/3/96
		Platinum	5/7/97

The Best That I Could Do	11/18/97	Gold	12/15/97
		Platinum	7/20/98

John Mellencamp

10/2/98

Gold

11/4/98

Rough Harvest

8/17/99

Cuttin' Heads

10/16/01

John Mellencamp - RIAA Gold and Platinum Singles

TITLE	AWARD	CERTIFICATION DATE
Jack and Diane	Gold	10/29/82
Hurts So Good	Gold	10/8/82