It's something I've read a bit about before, but sometimes I am staggered in the difference between RIAA numbers and SoundScan. It seems to have happened mostly in the 90s with big album sellers like Garth Brooks and Boyz 2 Men.
After reading that Garth Brook's "The Chase" (1992) has sold 5.1 million copies (
http://www.billboard.com/#/column/ch...05452152.story) I checked the RIAA Certification, and it is 9 times platinum. 9 TIMES! It is not a double album.
How are the RIAA numbers so big!? I know that its shipments, not sales.
The only thing I can think of is some retailers not using SoundScan, which from memory includes theatres and gas stations. Maybe 4 million Garth Brooks fans bought the album at a gas station on the way to a rodeo or something.
Its strange because other 90s albums are under certified. Dr. Dre's "2001" has sold 7.5m copies according to SoundScan, but is only 6 times platinum (RIAA).
I think Aftermath are lazy with the certifications though, as Recovery only just got certified as 3x Platinum, after it has sold 4 million.