RIAA Announces Inclusion of Digital Streams to Gold & Platinum Awards

The days of multi-platinum numbers might be back, as the RIAA have decided to add digital streaming to the mix for their Gold, Platinum and Diamond certifications. Following Billboard‘s recent decision, the RIAA will include on-demand streaming services like MOG, Muve Music, Rdio, Rhapsody, Slacker, Spotify, Xbox Music and take into account the video streaming numbers of MTV.com, Yahoo! Music, YouTube and VEVO, among others. Not only will this go into effect for future releases, but it will also retroactively apply to already-certified songs, with the RIAA releasing this statement:

On-demand streams on digital music services that are authorized by and reported to the record labels, whether paid for by the consumer through a subscription or free to the consumer through ad-supported services, will be accepted for RIAA certifications.

Chairman & CEO of RIAA, Cary Sherman had this to say about the decision to include streaming:

Including music streaming in Gold & Platinum awards marks the continued evolution of the industry’s premier program for recognizing artistic achievement, and it reflects the wide spectrum of ways consumers enjoy music from their favorite bands. The music business, along with its incredible array of digital service partners, is offering fans more access to music than ever before. We’re thrilled that our awards will now more fully recognize artists’ commercial success today.

What impact do you think this new development will have on the music industry?