It may be hard to believe, but only now are 13 classic Beatles albums being certified as platinum discs in the United Kingdom, where they were recorded and first released. That very belated recognitionâ€"the Beatles broke up in 1970â€"is the result of changes announced by the British Phonographic Industry, the music industry trade group responsible for awarding gold and platinum status to best-selling records in the U.K.
As a result, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band†will finally gain official status as a platinum disc, as will “Revolver,†“Rubber Soul†and the rest of the Beatles early catalog, dating back to 1963. That is admittedly odd, because “Sgt. Pepper’s†is estimated to have sold more than five million copies in the U.K. since its release in June 1967, entitling it to platinum status several times over.
But according to the BBC, the gold and platinum disc system has been in place only since 1973, and until now has relied on record companies to request such an award for an artist, instead of it being awarded automatically. Furthermore, the BBC reported, “the number of sales can only be counted from 1994, when the Official Charts Company began keeping records.†That’s what you call “Fixing A Hole.â€
