Colter Wall Once Again Does The Remarkable with RIAA Certs

When the song “Feathered Indians” by Tyler Childers was officially Certified Gold by the RIAA on February 21st, 2020, it symbolized a new era in country music when non mainstream-supported artists could generate enough economic activity on their own to end up with those Gold and Platinum records you see in studios and museums.
“Feathered Indians” ended up just being the very starting point of this paradigm shift, ultimately opening up the flood gates for Tyler Childers, then Cody Jinks, then Whiskey Myers and now a host of independent-minded country artists earning not just Gold, but Platinum, Double Platinum, and even Triple Platinum certs from the RIAA. At this point, we aren’t even shocked when a song or an album earns such an achievement. It rarely even makes the news.
But Cowboy & Western artist Colter Wall earning RIAA Gold and Platinum certifications feels like it takes the phenomenon to an entirely new level. On May 10th, the RIAA didn’t just certify one of Colter Wall’s songs Gold. He earned five Certified Gold songs, another Gold certification on his debut album Imaginary Appalachia (2015), while his song “Sleeping On The Blacktop” was Certified Platinum.
To see this level of commercial success on songs that are no stretch to call old cowboy songs and Western reels is what makes all of this just that much more remarkable. And it’s not like Colter Wall is out there tearing across the United States on endless tours to promote his music. He’s likely to play less than 25 shows this year, while spending the vast majority of his time in rural Saskatchewan working on the ranch.
The song “Cowpoke” is an old Stan Jones song originally recorded in 1951. Stan Jones died in 1963. And here Colter Wall is making it into a Certified Gold hit in the age of A.I. and electric cars. But most of Colter’s new certifications are for his early original songs, including “The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie,” “Caroline (feat. Belle Plaine),” as well as the aforementioned “Sleeping on the Blacktop” going Platinum, all from Imaginary Appalachia.
Colter also receives a Gold record for the murder ballad “Kate McCannon,” as well as “Fraulein (feat. Tyler Childers) off of his 2017 self-titled album. Gold certifications are for sales and streaming equivalents totaling 500,000, and Platinum certifications mark 1 million in sales and streaming equivalents.
Expect this to be just be the start of Colter Wall’s RIAA certs. He already has multiple other songs that are right on the brink of Gold certification, while a song like “The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie” is already knocking on the door of Platinum status with nearly 124 million plays on Spotify alone.
In a previous era, the powers that be in country music would tell you that there was no appetite for old Western songs, or a young guy who sounds like he’s in his 70s. But it’s Colter Wall’s passion for the music, and his authenticity that has made him such a folk hero in the contemporary era. In a world of cosplay cowboys, Colter is the real deal.
Congratulations to Colter and his label LaHonda Records.

May 18, 2024 @ 9:31 am
Go Colter!
This is well deserved, and confirmation that we actual listeners matter more than a bunch of music executives deciding who’ll be on ACM, CMA, etc. “award” shows.
May 18, 2024 @ 10:06 am
Maybe im out of touch or just dont have a clue about such things but songs getting streamed a million times or more just doesnt seem like that big of a deal anymore. Most people walk around with a device all the time that has the ability to stream music with a subtle swipe, sometimes not even that. I get the fact his type of music style makes it a little more impressive but still with easy access to most everyone, it just doesnt seem that big of a deal. Kind of like how taylor swift and others have at one time or another had like almost the whole top 25 songs to themselves. It all just isnt that impressive to me as it was back before cell phones, streaming, and easy access. Like i say maybe im just out of the loop.
May 18, 2024 @ 10:15 am
I think a lot of artists would still love to achieve that milestone. Although there may be more music consumption, there’s also tons more artists doing things independently due to the technology making DIY easier, and a lot more competition to get your stuff heard. Colter shouldn’t be seeing mainstream numbers with this type of music.
May 18, 2024 @ 10:18 am
A million streams does not count for Platinum status. It takes 150 “on-demand” streams to equal one sale tied to the physical sale of an album, or a paid-for download from iTunes. For example, “Sleeping on the Blacktop” has 232 MILLION streams just on Spotify alone. That’s pretty damn impressive.
Also, “on-demand” streams are different than overall streams. That means fans have to go directly to that song or the album it’s on and press “play.” If a song is played through a playlist, it does count toward RIAA Certification and equivalent sales, but it is measured slightly less. The same thing applies if a song plays after another, or after you streamed an album if you’re listening online. Don’t ask me what that formula is because it’s complicated. But this helps restrict songs from being placed on big playlists and earning big distinctions like this through no direct appeal. Those plays also generate less revenue.
May 18, 2024 @ 2:35 pm
Thanks for that info. I wasnt trying to downplay any accomplishment, it just seems easier now but reading what you wrote, makes me appreciate it more. I learned a little biy from an article i read about taylor swift and her accomplishments vs other all time artist. It said something about album sales that surprised me. It said that if a certain number of songs from an album are streamed enough, it gets counted as a album sale. Seems kind of wrong to me. Album sales should just be that, album sales. I get most people dont buy whole albums anymore but shouldnt change how album sales are counted. It just seems like manufactured numbers, not real. But i guess its thev age we live in.
May 20, 2024 @ 4:33 am
You should make a platinum record
May 18, 2024 @ 11:01 am
Very impressive and a huge accomplishment. Hoping “Saskatchewan In 1881” gets good streaming numbers, it’s my favorite song by him!
May 18, 2024 @ 11:08 am
So Happy for him!
Way to Go, Colter!