The beginning of July means that 2018 is halfway over, which is the perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the noteworthy achievements from the past six months, including Gold certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Of the more than 40 songs from all genres of music that were released in 2018 and have been certified Gold (500,000 units) or Platinum (1 million units) by the RIAA, only three were country songs.
Any guesses?
Nope, it’s not Dierk’s Bentley’s “Woman, Amen,” Blake Shelton’s “I Lived It” or Carrie Underwood’s “Cry Pretty,” although each song could earn the certification in the future.
The three country songs released in 2018 that have been certified Gold by the RIAA for 500,000 units are:
- Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” – Released Jan. 10 – Certified May 22
- Jason Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” – Released Jan. 26 – Certified May 4
- Brett Young’s “Mercy” – Released Feb. 20 – Certified May 3
While “You Make It Easy” and “Tequila” have already topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart, “Mercy” is currently No. 10 after 21 week.
If you were wondering, the RIAA defines one “unit” as one permanent digital download or 150 on-demand audio/video streams.
