Music streaming now included in Canada’s historic Gold/Platinum certification program

New award and branding revealed at CCMA Awards

Toronto, ON – September 12, 2016

With the introduction of a new Single Award, Music Canada’s Gold/Platinum certification and awards program will now include streams towards digital track certifications. Over 50 new Single certifications were revealed today, with 10 artists receiving their first Canadian certifications.

“Today’s announcement signifies a pivotal moment in Canada’s evolving digital music marketplace,” says Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “By accepting on-demand streams for track certifications, Music Canada can continue to acknowledge the success of Canadian and international artists, as well as the subscription-based streaming platforms currently thriving in our market. The new Single Award helps maintain the integrity of our Gold/Platinum program, which has historically recognized the active choice consumers make when building their personal music libraries.”

During County Music Week in London, ON, rising country stars Brett Kissel and Chris Lane were presented with the first Single Award plaques leading up to Sunday’s 40^th CCMA Awards broadcast.

.@BrettKissel just scored a gold record for #Airwaves @WesternFair @CCMAofficial #LetsPlay #CCMA40 pic.twitter.com/rsQtCiJ3eu

— Country 104 (@Country104) September 10, 2016

“We are thrilled that Music Canada is now accepting streams with its new Single Award,” says Steve Kane, President of Warner Music Canada, who presented Kissel with his plaque for the Gold Single ‘Airwaves’ at Saturday’s CCMA FanFest. “Canadian music fans have welcomed the arrival of streaming subscription services with open arms, and are now consuming more music than ever before. We are excited to honour new milestones for our artists who have flourished on this new path, and whose fanbases continue to grow as streaming increases in popularity.”

The new Single Award will combine on-demand audio streams from subscription services with digital download and CD single sales. Streams can be used toward certification using a conversion formula of 150 streams equaling 1 unit towards certification. This 150:1 ratio is consistent with other major global counterparts. Streaming data from YouTube/VEVO videos will not be accepted towards certification upon launch.

The Single Award launch also coincides with the reveal of new bilingual branding for the program, which has certified over 16,000 releases in its 41-year history.

Music Canada’s Gold/Platinum Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts are live with the new branding. For more information, visit www.musiccanada.com/gold-platinum.