Classic albums from the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and Marvin Gaye will be given Platinum or Gold status for the very first time after changes to certification procedures made by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), reports Music Week.
No less than thirteen Beatles albums will be certified Platinum by the BPI following alterations to the way the discs are awarded which came into force last month.
Since August, albums which shift 100,000 copies are now automatically given Gold status, with 300,000 immediately bringing Platinum honours. In the past, record companies were required to request the awards directly before an album was considered.
However, despite selling an estimated 5.1 million copies since its release in 1967 – the biggest total for any studio album in the UK – The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band‘ will ‘only’ be awarded triple-platinum status by the BPI as it is merely sales registered since 1994 which are taken into account.