Australian Recording Industry Association facts for kids
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| Founded | 1970s |
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales |
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Australia |
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a group that represents the music recording industry in Australia. It was started in the 1970s by six big record companies. These companies included EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA, and Universal. ARIA took over from an older group called the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers (AARM), which began in 1956.
ARIA's main job is to manage and give out money from music licenses and royalties. This means they make sure artists and record companies get paid when their music is used. The association has over 190 members. These members range from small music labels run by a few people to very large companies that work all over the world. A board of directors, made up of leaders from different record companies, runs ARIA.
Contents
History of ARIA
In 1956, the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers (AARM) was formed. This group was made up of Australia's biggest record companies at the time. In the 1970s, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) replaced AARM. ARIA was started by six major record companies that were active in Australia. These included EMI, Festival Records, CBS (now Sony Music), RCA (also part of Sony Music), WEA (now Warner Music Group), and Polygram (now Universal).
Later, smaller record companies that represented independent artists and labels also joined ARIA. By 1997, the six main labels were responsible for 90% of all music recordings made in Australia. Today, ARIA is still managed by a board of directors. These directors are senior leaders from both large and small record companies.
ARIA Music Charts
The ARIA Charts are the official music sales charts in Australia. The Australian Recording Industry Association releases these charts every week. They show which singles (individual songs) and albums are selling the most. The charts include sales data from both physical copies (like CDs) and digital downloads. This information comes from music stores across Australia.
The very first national top 50 chart was printed and available in record stores. It was called the Countdown chart and was dated for the week ending July 10, 1983. ARIA started putting together its own charts in-house from June 13, 1988. This new chart became the official Australian chart, starting with the printed top 50 chart for the week ending June 26, 1988.
ARIA Music Awards and Certifications
ARIA Certifications: How Music Gets Gold or Platinum
ARIA gives out special awards called certifications to show how many copies of a song or album have been sold or sent to stores. A music single or album gets a platinum certification if 70,000 copies are sent to retailers. It gets a gold certification for 35,000 copies.
In November 2015, the diamond certification was created for 500,000 sales or shipments. For albums, the diamond award can also include sales of individual songs from that album. This counts 10 song sales as one album sale, for music released after July 1, 2014. A silver certification for albums was introduced in November 2024. This silver award is only for albums by Australian artists released no earlier than 2021. The album needs to reach 20,000 units within three years of its release.
For music DVDs, a gold award means 7,500 copies were sent to stores. A platinum award for music DVDs means 15,000 units were sent.
| Format | Current accreditation levels | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | Diamond | |
| Album | 20,000 | 35,000 | 70,000 | 500,000 |
| Single | N/A | 35,000 | 70,000 | N/A |
| Music DVD | N/A | 7,500 | 15,000 | N/A |
Older Certification Levels
Before 1977, awards were based on how much money the music made, not how many copies were sold. Only gold awards were given out back then.
| Format | Accreditation levels used until 1976 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | |||
| Album and single | $50,000 | ||
On January 1, 1977, ARIA changed its award system. Awards were then based on the number of units sold. A gold record meant 50,000 singles, 30,000 EPs (Extended Plays), or 20,000 albums sold. At the same time, the platinum award was introduced. Platinum awards were given for 100,000 singles or 50,000 albums sold.
| Format | Accreditation levels used from 1977 until 1983 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Platinum | |
| Album | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| Extended plays | 30,000 | N/A |
| Single | 50,000 | 100,000 |
ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards
The ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards started in 2002. These awards celebrate Australian music artists who reach the number one spot on the ARIA albums, singles, or music DVDs charts. A similar award, the Australian Chart #1 Awards, began in August 2024. This award also recognizes artists who top the Australian Albums Chart and Australian Singles Chart.
ARIA Music Awards: Celebrating Australian Music
The ARIA Music Awards are a series of annual events that celebrate the Australian music industry. These awards have been held every year since 1987. They include awards for different music styles and popular categories, known as the ARIA Awards. There are also awards for fine arts, technical achievements, and special Lifetime Achievement Awards. The ARIA Hall of Fame also honors Australian musicians who have made a big impact.
Before ARIA started its own awards, an Australian TV show called Countdown had its own music awards. ARIA helped with some of the voting for these awards. However, after an incident at the 1985 Countdown awards ceremony, ARIA decided to create its own awards.
Since March 2, 1987, ARIA has managed its own ARIA Music Awards. These awards are voted on by people in the music industry. They are given to "recognize excellence and new ideas in all types of Australian music." The ARIA Hall of Fame was started in 1988. It celebrates Australian musicians whose achievements have had a major influence in Australia or around the world.
Criticisms of ARIA
Like many groups that represent the music industry, ARIA has faced some criticism. This often relates to how they protect music rights. In Australia, ARIA has used strong advertising campaigns, especially in movie theaters, to remind people about copyright.
In February 2004, ARIA took legal action against a file-sharing service called Kazaa. They claimed that Kazaa was allowing many copyright breaches. This means people were sharing music illegally. ARIA took steps to gather evidence for the trial.
ARIA has also been criticized by Ian Dickson, a former judge on the TV show Australian Idol. He felt that ARIA did not give enough recognition or nominations to contestants from Australian Idol in the ARIA Awards.
See also
In Spanish: Australian Recording Industry Association para niños
