Chris Daughtry’s debut sold 5 million copies. Why is it certified for 6 million?

What the music figures mean

• Reported U.S. album sales

  Unit: albums sold.

  A contestant-level total of albums sold in the United States, counted as pure sales: physical and digital album purchases as tracked by Nielsen SoundScan (now Luminate). Streams and track-equivalent units are excluded.

• RIAA-certified album units

  Unit: certified album units.

  The sum, over the contestant's own albums, EPs, compilations and live albums, of the latest RIAA certification of each release. A certification is a threshold that the release passed on a date. It is not a measured sales total, and since 2016 it includes streaming-equivalent units.

• RIAA-certified single units

  Unit: certified single units.

  The sum, over the contestant's own singles, of the latest RIAA certification of each single. Single units are never added to album units, and the total is not a count of records sold.

• Reported Spotify song streams

  Unit: Spotify streams.

  Cumulative Spotify streams for a named song, reported by Spotify or a named artist, label or publisher. The date is the date of the report, which can confirm a threshold reached earlier. A billion-stream milestone is a lower bound.

• Reported global streams

  Unit: streams.

  A published total of global music streams for the named artist. The source can combine services without listing them.

One album, two numbers

For 37 albums, the site has both a reported U.S. sales figure and an RIAA certification. The two figures come from different dates and count different things. Five of the certifications are dated February 2016 or later, so their units include track-equivalent and streaming-equivalent units.

• Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood: 7,500,000 albums sold as of July 27, 2017, and certified for 9,000,000 units in October 2021. The certification is dated February 2016 or later, so its units include track-equivalent and streaming-equivalent units.
• Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson: certified for 6,000,000 units on May 23, 2007, and 6,355,000 albums sold as of September 10, 2017. A certification is a level that the album had passed on its date, so a later sales report can be higher.

A singer's totals: sales and certified units

21 contestants have a reported U.S. album sales total. Each total is a snapshot of its own date, from 2011 to 2020, so the table gives the date of each. Certified album units and certified single units are two separate sums of certifications.

Contestants with reported U.S. album sales and their certified units

Contestant	U.S. album sales (reported)	Certified album units (RIAA)	Certified single units (RIAA)
Kelly ClarksonS1 · Winner	14,600,000as of February 25, 2020	12,500,000	19,000,000
Carrie UnderwoodS4 · Winner	14,578,000as of January 14, 2014	23,000,000	68,000,000
Chris DaughtryS5 · Eliminated 4th	7,062,000as of January 14, 2014	8,000,000	12,500,000
Clay AikenS2 · Runner-up	5,019,000as of January 14, 2014	3,500,000	1,500,000
Fantasia BarrinoS3 · Winner	3,176,000as of January 14, 2014	1,500,000	500,000
Ruben StuddardS2 · Winner	2,584,000as of January 14, 2014	1,500,000	500,000
Scotty McCreeryS10 · Winner	2,012,000as of January 14, 2014	2,000,000	11,000,000
Kellie PicklerS5 · Eliminated 6th	1,514,000as of January 14, 2014	500,000	1,500,000
David CookS7 · Winner	1,478,000as of January 14, 2014	1,000,000	2,000,000
Jennifer HudsonS3 · Eliminated 7th	1,347,000as of January 14, 2014	1,000,000	No RIAA certification found
Jordin SparksS6 · Winner	1,297,000as of January 14, 2014	1,000,000	2,000,000
Phillip PhillipsS11 · Winner	1,255,000as of January 14, 2014	1,000,000	5,000,000
Adam LambertS8 · Runner-up	1,242,000as of January 14, 2014	500,000	500,000
David ArchuletaS7 · Runner-up	1,156,000as of January 14, 2014	500,000	No RIAA certification found
Josh GracinS2 · Eliminated 4th	804,000as of January 14, 2014	500,000	500,000
Taylor HicksS5 · Winner	768,000as of January 14, 2014	1,000,000	500,000
Bo BiceS4 · Runner-up	757,000as of January 14, 2014	500,000	500,000
Katharine McPheeS5 · Runner-up	475,000as of January 14, 2014	No RIAA certification found	500,000
Lauren AlainaS10 · Runner-up	424,000as of January 14, 2014	No RIAA certification found	2,500,000
Kris AllenS8 · Winner	393,000as of January 14, 2014	No RIAA certification found	1,000,000
Crystal BowersoxS9 · Runner-up	205,000as of October 21, 2011	No RIAA certification found	No RIAA certification found

Stream figures

A song figure covers one song on one service, and an artist total can combine services.

• Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson: at least 1,000,000,000 Spotify streams, as of December 2, 2025, reported by Rolling Stone.
• Because of You by Kelly Clarkson: at least 805,000,000 Spotify streams, as of December 2, 2025, reported by Rolling Stone.
• Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson: at least 805,000,000 Spotify streams, as of December 2, 2025, reported by Rolling Stone.
• Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson: at least 805,000,000 Spotify streams, as of December 2, 2025, reported by Rolling Stone.
• POSSESSION by Melanie Martinez: at least 10,000,000 Spotify streams, as of February 4, 2026, reported by Atlantic Records.
• Whiskey Glasses by Morgan Wallen: at least 1,000,000,000 Spotify streams, as of November 12, 2025, reported by Spotify.
• Last Night by Morgan Wallen: at least 1,000,000,000 Spotify streams, as of November 12, 2025, reported by Spotify.
• Melanie Martinez, all songs: at least 30,000,000,000 streams worldwide as reported, as of February 4, 2026, reported by Atlantic Records.