# Worldwide Album Sales?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-album-sales/6600>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 27, 2000, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-album-sales/6600 "2000-01-27T10:21:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2000, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-album-sales/6600/1 "2000-01-27T10:21:00Z")

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does anyone know how they track album sales worldwide and where i can find out sales figures , maybe on some website?  
thanks,

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Chief’s Domain - [http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi](http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi)

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2000, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-album-sales/6600/2 "2000-01-27T12:20:00Z")

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Worldwide sales is tough. Album sales are not tracked in Uganda typically. Its the major countries that keep track. I would say go to [www.billboard.com](http://www.billboard.com) and dig a bit, you might have some luck.

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“Solos Dios basta” . . . but a little pizza won’t hurt.

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**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-album-sales/6600/3 "2000-01-27T21:02:00Z")

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well, as far as i know , [billboard.com](http://billboard.com) is for the US only… right?

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Chief’s Domain - [http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi](http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi)

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**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2000, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-album-sales/6600/4 "2000-01-28T00:08:00Z")

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billboard measures soundscan, which doesn’t even monitor small mom n pop shops…  
but then you’ve got to worry about sales, as in actually units sold to consumers, or sales, as in units shipped to retailers. units shipped is the basis on gold (200,000 i think) platinum (500,000) and diamond (1 million), but only in the us. gold in england is 100,000 i think, platinum is 250,000, IIRC.

so, in short, i have no clue how to figure out the sales. occaisionally billboard (the print edition) will have special sections on markets in other countries that have sales, but that’s rare, and i don’t think it’s online.

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**Author:** ![Catch22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Catch22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catch22)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2000, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-album-sales/6600/5 "2000-01-28T13:34:00Z")

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The Recording Industry Association of America tracks it in the United States, and according to their site ([www.riaa.com](http://www.riaa.com)) the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry tracks it abroad using organizations similar to the RIAA. 70 countries have organizations in the IFPI. Don’t know about a link, I got the information from the RIAA FAQ.

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“Don’t take life too seriously: you’ll never get out alive”