January 25, 2008

By By Mark Worden, Milan

Italian industry body FIMI has confirmed that requirements for gold, platinum and diamond records have been lowered, as of January 1. Gold, which was previously 40,000 units shipped, has been reduced to 35,000, while platinum drops from 80,000 to 70,000 units, and diamond drops from 400,000 to 350,000 units. The figures for the singles charts, which officially became digital-only in Italy on January 1, remain 10,000 for gold and 20,000 for platinum.

The Italian charts are prepared for FIMI by Nielsen Soundscan International. FIMI last lowered Italy's sales award requirements in 2005: until then gold was 50,000 units and platinum 100,000.

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