The Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) was released 50 years ago today, on Feb. 17, 1976. To celebrate the anniversary and the new RIAA certification, the band has released a crystal-clear, 180-gram vinyl edition of the album.
Take it easy … and go quadruple diamond. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is the bestselling album of all time in the U.S. and has officially sold over 40 million units.
It was also announced that the band’s 1976 record Hotel California has been certified 28x platinum, maintaining its position as the third bestselling album in the U.S.
The RIAA tracks U.S. sales and streaming equivalents. Certifications must be applied for and go through a third-party audit.
RIAA’s diamond status was once equivalent to selling 10 million albums or songs, but in 2013 the company began incorporating streaming from YouTube, Spotify and other digital music services to determine certification. Now 1,500 streams of an album is equivalent to an album sale.