Classic Beatles albums to receive gold and platinum discs for the first time

More than a dozen classic albums by The Beatles are to receive gold or platinum awards for the first time following a change of procedure at the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Last month (August) the BPI decided to award gold discs for 100,000 sales and platinum discs for 300,000 sales automatically as soon as an album passes the necessary sales threshold. Previously, a record company would have to contact the BPI to request a gold or platinum award for a particular album.

Following the change, 13 Beatles albums including ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, ‘Abbey Road’ and ‘Revolver’ are to receive new gold or platinum awards, Music Week reports.

However, because the back allocation of awards only stretches back to 1994 when the Official Charts Company was founded, the awards won’t necessarily reflect the total sales figures of many Beatles albums. For example, ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ will be certified triple-platinum for 900,000 sales since 1994, but the album is estimated to have sold around 5.1 million copies in the UK since its release in 1967.

Classic albums by Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and Marvin Gaye will all receive platinum awards for the first time too.

Source: NME