Why A2IM Started an RIAA-Style Sales Certification Program for Indie Artists

Since he began working with the indie folk bandWilderado,Braden Merrick— partner, president and A&R at Bright Antenna Records — has seen the group’s members build a loyal fan base, quit their day jobs and even buy homes —all without reaching the level of mainstream visibility that’s traditionally associated with music industry success.Butthey’dnever received official industry recognition for their achievements.

Thatfinally changed last summer.In June, the band was awarded acertification from the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) as part of the organization’s recently unveiled Star Certification initiative,an RIAA-style program that awards indie acts for reaching specific consumption thresholds for albums and singles. InWilderado’scase, the group received the A2IM “One Star” certification — given out for albums and singles that reach more than 50,000 equivalent album units — for its 2021 self-titled debut album.

“To get the award is a big talking point,” Merrick says. “It allowed us to go to people [who have said], ‘Call me when you’ve soldX,’ or,‘Call me when you have something to talk about,’ because there are gatekeepers out there, and you’re trying to get to each one at the right time during an artist’s campaign or career. …The awardbasicallyvalidatedall the work the team had done. And the band, it made them go, ‘Whoa, this is a recognition of our hard work.’ And it gave ussort ofanelevated view within the industry.”

A2IM’sStar Certification initiative, launched in June in partnership with Luminate,is a response tothe lack ofrecognitionavailable for smaller acts and labels who may not have the reach to hit the RIAA’s traditional thresholds for certification, including Gold (500,000 units), Platinum (1 million units) and Diamond (10 million units).A2IM’s programincludes three tiers: One Star, for 50,000 units; Two Star, for 100,000 units; and Three Star, for 300,000 units. According to Richard James Burgess,who served as A2IM CEOfor a decadethrough the end of last year and shepherded the Star Certification project from the very beginning,those thresholds were designed to be “achievable for independents” whohave racked up impressive sales and streaming numbers on a smaller scale.

Sincelaunch, a total of 71 albums and singles have been certified under the initiative, including releases from such prominent indie acts as Cigarettes After Sex (Partisan Records), Thundercat (Brainfeeder), Grizzly Bear (Warp Records) and MUNA (Saddest Factory Records).

To receive a certification,as with RIAA honors,labels and artists can request a review of an album orsingle’sconsumption numbers via the A2IM website. Once a month, the organization goes to Luminate with the requests and certifies those that qualify. The cost for the request itself is $25 for A2IM members and $150 for non-members; if certified, labels and artists canpurchasea One Star, Two Star or Three Star plaque for $290. Burgess says “almost all” of that money goes to the manufacturer of the discs that adorn the plaques, with “a small margin” going to A2IM to cover administrative costs.

ForMatt Brinkworth, director of global sales atOmnianMusic Group—which has so far received A2IM certifications for releases by DIIV, Wild Nothing and Home Shake—the cost is worth it.

“I think what I like most about this initiativeisthe independent music industrymeasuressuccess differently than the major labels,”hesays. “I thinkit’s valuable to have a certification that can actually reflect what achievement looks and feels like in our part of the industry.”

Conversations about starting a certification program for independents began “pretty soon” after Burgess began at A2IM a decade ago, he says, but it started to solidify once Luminate came aboard. For about a year and a half prior to announcing Star Certifications, Burgess says A2IM also conducted “a lot of test runs” for the initiative.

As A2IM was working on the program, Burgess notes he “had a conversation with the RIAA” to ensure it was “comfortable” with the idea of a similar initiative to its gold and platinum program being introduced. Turns out, heneedn’thave worried.

“Every chance to acknowledge achievements across the music community is something to celebrate, and ​we’re supportive of A2IM’s Star Certification to recognize the accomplishments of independent artists and their label partners,” RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier says in a statement sent to Billboard. “Programs that shine a light on milestones like these help underscore how music continues to reach fans in new ways, shaping culture and strengthening connections across our entire ecosystem.”

Notably, Star Certifications are open to artists from all eras, even if they hit one of the benchmarks decades in the past. Case in point: Cymande’s self-titled album, released in 1972 on Janus Records and reissued by Partisan Records in 2022, received a One Star certification last July. Other older titles certified thus far include Beenie Man’s 1997 albumMany Moods of Moses, released by VP Records (Two Star);PharoaheMonch’s 1999 single “Simon Says,” released byTrescadecaphobiaMusic (Three Star); and The Magnetic Fields’ 1999 album69 Love Songs, released by Merge Records (Two Star).

The certifications are also open tomajor label artists, including those who have far exceeded the Star certification thresholds.Those certified so far includeT.I.(Three Star certification for the 2008 single“Live Your Life,” released by Atlantic Records);Calle 24, Chino Pacas &FuerzaRegida(Three Starfor the 2023 single “QUE ONDA,” released by Warner Records); and Diplo & Morgan Wallen, who received a Three Star certification for their hitsingle “Heartless,”released by Columbia Records,which peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hasalsobeen certified diamond by the RIAAformore than 10 millionequivalent album units.

Now, A2IM is hoping to encourage more indie labels to realize the benefits of certification — which Burgess admits can be a challenge. “I think one of the big problems we face in the independent sector is people are so busy, nose to the grindstone, just trying to get the next record out, with usually not enough people, that it takes them a while to kind of catch on to something new like this,” he says. One possible benefit of the certification process, according to Burgess, is that it can uncover registration errors, allowing artists and labels to tapuncollected royalties.“It’s kind of a nice double check,” he says.

Another obstacle to getting buy-in to the initiativeis that indie artists also tend to be less comfortable with touting themselvesand their achievements.“I thinkit’sone of those things that sometimes people [aren’t] used to being told, ‘Hey, you can be excited about something that might come across as bragging,’” saysBrinkworth. “I guess itdepends on the type of person you are, but I knowthat inindie music in particular, people are a lotmore humble. Andsothe idea of getting a big plaque…maybe they never thought they ever would.”