The ultimate diva (and proud of it), Beyoncé has emerged victorious once again as the top-selling artist of the decade, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The organization released a compilation of its awards from 2000 through 2009 and the multi-Grammy winning artist, and former Destiny's Child frontwoman, led the pack with a whopping 64 certifications for albums, ringtones, and music videos. The Eagles also soared above the rest, topping all other groups in total gold and platinum awards, while the late Michael Jackson led male solo artists with 44 certifications. A gold award is presented for sales of at least 500,000 albums or ringtones, while platinum status is granted once an artist reaches the 1 million mark. A music video, which was first recognized by the RIAA in 1981 after the launch of MTV, goes gold at 25,000 units, platinum at 50,000, and multi-platinum for every 50,000 units thereafter. "We've seen a decade of major music milestones and extraordinary artist achievements," the chairman and CEO of RIAA said. "The names, songs and albums on our list are the decade's best and are etched in our music DNA." Sounds like the ring Beyoncé put on us is forever.
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