Certification Levels

INTRODUCTION

This document has been drafted according to international standards, taking into consideration that the South African market does differ.  RISA certification is open to member recording companies only and our third-party auditors are tasked to review all applications to ensure that each certificate issued has qualified based on mandatory sales requirements such as requisite sales and streaming levels, as further outlined in this document.

Along with sales and streaming figures, a number of other criteria accompany each title considered for certification. This document describes what titles and types of sales and streams can be considered for certification of Gold and Platinum Awards.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

1. Requests for certification of Gold and Platinum Awards must be made to RISA by mail or fax containing all the required details listed below.
2. The application must be made on a company letterhead.
3. The letter must be signed by the Financial Director AND the company MD.
4. The letter must contain the following details:

A. Record company name.

B. Label.

C. Distribution company.

D. Artist/s name.

E. Title of Album.

F. Release date.

G. Record / CD /Video catalogue number.

H. Configuration:  Album / Single / EP / Multi-box audio set / Music video.

I. Level Requested:  Gold / Platinum / Double Platinum / Multi-Platinum.

J. New/Update Certification: what type of request is this title for (New Request or Update Request).

K. Current Level: current certification, if relevant.

L. The exact number of units sold must be noted.

M.       Supporting documents i.e. excel documents and screen shots of Sales Reports.

1. The required information as per paragraph 4 above can be completed using the certification request form available on the RiSA website at https://www.risa.org.za/website/certification/certifications/ and then appended to the aforementioned cover letter.

CONFIGURATION

The configurations are:

1. Albums
   
2. Singles/EPs
   
3. Multi-box audio sets
   
4. Music videos
   
5. DVD’s
   
6. Mobile Sales
   
7. Digital Sales

3 MULTI-BOX AUDIO SETS

Gold = 12 500 units (for 3 or more units per box)

Platinum = 25 000 units (for 3 or more units per box)

(For Double or Multi-Platinum Awards, increase by 25 000 units).

4 MOBILE SALES

22 Master Tones or Ringback Tones = 1 Single; and

220 Master Tones or Ringback Tones = 1 Album

5 MUSIC VIDEOS

Gold = 5 000 units

Platinum = 10 000 units

(For Double or Multi-Platinum Awards, increase by 10 000 units).

6 DVD’S

Gold = 10 000 units

Platinum = 20 000 units

(For Double or Multi-Platinum Awards, increase by 20 000 units)

7 DIGITAL SALES

Digital Singles:

1 Permanent Download = 1 Single

10 Permanent Downloads = 1 Album

Streaming:

120 Streams = 1 Single

1200 Streams = 1 Album

Gold = 15 000 units

Platinum = 30 000 units

NB: The following should be excluded.

Streams:

• Exclude non-interactive streams (e.g. Pandora, Webcasting, etc.);
• Exclude UGC content;
• Exclude tethered downloads/temporary downloads;
• Exclude mobile products (ringtones, ringback tones, personalization etc.);
• Exclude all cloud service activity (including locker music services);
• Exclude iTunes Radio (iRadio);
• Video Streams Income: Income from video streams or tethered/temporary downloads monetized via ad-supported or subscription models;
• Income from video – on –demand services (e.g. YouTube Red, VEVO);
• Treatment of promotional items (e.g. Google Play/Apple Music items that are given away free to consumers but have a value attributed);
• Exclude items being full give-away (Ro payment from consumer, Ro payment to record company) in line with other promotional sales; and
• Only include promotional items that have a value attributed for the content owner / record company.

QUALIFICATIONS

A. Double albums and cassettes are regarded as 1 (one) unit. Please note, Multi-box audio sets with 3 or more units per box = 1 unit.

B. Compilations qualify for certification.  However, awards may only be presented to the record companies and NOT the artist(s) or producer(s).

C. For Budget-price and Mid-price products (LPs, cassettes, CDs), qualification is based on the total number of units sold, and the price of the product is of no consequence.

D. Only sales based on royalty and copyright paid product and firm invoiced sales to the trade at market prices, qualify.  No zero invoices are applicable.

E. As certification is made on firm invoiced sales, products may qualify for certification prior to being available in the trade.

F. Promotional radio, press or free copies DO NOT QUALIFY and may not be included in total number of units sold.

G. Official RISA certified awards may only be issued to artists, producers, engineers and record companies.

CERTIFICATION

1. Upon notifying RISA, a period of 48 hours is required to establish certification approval.  RISA will confirm telephonically and in writing with the record company making the application.
2. All supporting documents are then submitted to independent / third party auditors for verification – certification audit requirements are:
   1. Copy of the product (CD or digital).
   2. Label copy for all configurations.
   3. Retail prices for all configurations (computer printout or catalogue).
   4. Product release date.
   5. Internal sales summary report reflecting only domestic commercial sales (total invoiced). The report must not include export sales or any promotional or free distributions.
   6. Streaming/downloading sales reports, if applicable.
   7. RISA may request additional documentation to support the certification(s) requested, including, but not limited to, internal sales detail reports, sales invoices, royalty statements rendered to artists, manufacturing records and distribution statements rendered by the Digital Service Providers (e.g. Spotify, Deezer, etc.).
3. RISA will notify the relevant record company should a dispute regarding the number of units sold arise during the third party audit process. No certification will be issued until the dispute has been resolved.
4. RISA certification entitles the authorised record company / artist to purchase official RISA award plaques bearing the trademarked RiSA hologram seal from RISA’s licensed plaque manufacturers.
5. These seals and certificates will be individually numbered and RISA will maintain a strict register of all awards issued.
6. The RISA seal should appear within the framework of the award and be clearly visible.   
7. RISA will maintain a register database of certifications made throughout every year and these details will be published in a RISA document at the end of each year. RiSA will also maintain a register of RiSA award plaques purchased throughout every year.
8. Once certification has been approved by RISA, a certificate will be issued to the record company in question, confirming the registered RISA seal number and all relevant details pertaining to the award.
9. Please note, the RISA hologram seal is manufactured from a high quality self-adhesive gold and silver foil.

GENERAL

A. Should any queries / disputes arise from an application, RISA reserves the right to verify sales figures with the publishers of the record company in question, and/or any other source deemed necessary.

B. When an album achieves Gold or Platinum status, it will be flagged on the official South African chart.

C. All requests for RISA Gold and Platinum Awards should be sent to reception@risa.org.za or, alternatively, faxed to (011) 886-4169.

D. Once all required documentation has been provided, RISA will approve the request for certification by email and our independent auditors will be instructed to proceed with the audit process.

For further information, please contact RISA at:

Tel:  (011) 886-1342

Fax:  (011) 886-4169

P O Box 367

Randburg

2125

reception@risa.org.za