AC/DC is one of the world’s best-selling rock acts of all time—especially in the United States. The band has receipts to prove its accomplishment, and they currently have one of the most prized and outstanding prizes in the music industry, proving their enormous popularity.
“Thunderstruck” becomes the Australian group’s first diamond-certified single. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) certifies tracks and albums whenever they reach certain consumption benchmarks, and the smash was recently designated a diamond hit.
In the United States, albums and individual songs can be certified diamond after selling 10 million equivalent units. That figure now includes both straight sales and streaming activities.
“Thunderstruck” was AC/DC’s first diamond-certified hit in America. Surprisingly, the song had not received a single certification before going diamond. The RIAA gave it gold (half a million), platinum (one million), and diamond all at once.At the same time that “Thunderstruck” achieved diamond status, six additional AC/DC singles received their first or new certifications. Five more songs by the band, including “T.N.T.,” “Hells Bells,” and “Highway to Hell,” among others, received new RIAA honors.
“Thunderstruck” easily stands out as AC/DC’s highest-certified single in the United States, although others are catching close as it approaches diamond status. “Back In Black” is presently the band’s second-highest-certified song, having gone platinum seven times.
Four of AC/DC’s most successful albums received new certifications from the organization as their singles evolved. Back In Black, their best-selling album, has been certified 26 times platinum, tying it with one of the Eagles’ projects for one of the best-performing titles in US history.
