Sgt. Pepper’s Certified Platinum After All These Years

There’s nothing like getting an award, even if it is many years after you earned it! And the Beatles can now attest to this.

Their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was awarded Platinum status in the UK, just a short 46 years after it was released! The announcement was made this week that the album would receive Platinum certification in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry.

Due to a change in the way the BPI awards sales certification, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well as albums from Bob Dylan and Marvin Gaye, will be awarded Platinum certification. Until recently, labels had to request the official documentation once the albums reached the sales milestones. Now the BPI will distribute the awards automatically once an album reaches the sales threshold.

The awards will only be distributed based on sales since 1994 however, even though the BPI has been certifying record sales since 1974. Even with this technicality, Sgt. Pepper’s will be designated 3xPlatinum.

Interesting side note, Sgt. Pepper’s has been certified Platinum in 7 countries now. It is certified 11xPlatinum by RIAA in the US with sales of over 11 million and 3xPlatinum in the UK by BPI with sales since 1994 of over 900,000 and total sales in the UK of over 5 million (which by BPI standards would make it 16xPlatinum if they were look at total sales).

And for your enjoyment, here is the title track from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: