Justin Bieber overtakes Sir Elton John to have the highest-certified single in history but still gets booed at an awards ceremony.
Justin Bieber's Baby has become the highest-certified single in music history, overtaking Sir Elton John's tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales.
The teenage pop star's hit climbed above the double-sided Candle In The Wind/Something About The Way You Look Tonight after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) changed the way it measures gold and platinum success.
Internet streaming of songs has been included for the first time, with 100 streams being treated as equivalent to one download, meaning Baby has been certified as 12-times platinum.
The track has sold 3.9 million copies in America and been viewed more than 858 million times on music video website Vevo.
Sir Elton's 1997 hit sold more than 33 million copies worldwide but remains 11-times platinum because it has no streaming data.
Cary Sherman, chairman and CEO of the RIAA, said: "Including music streaming in gold and platinum awards marks the continued evolution of the industry's premier programme for recognising artistic achievement, and it reflects the wide spectrum of ways consumers enjoy music from their favourite bands."
Streaming on audio services Spotify, Muve Music, Rhapsody, Xbox Music, Slacker and MOG are also counted in addition to the video streaming services YouTube and Vevo.
Despite his latest accolade, BIeber was booed on stage at the Billboard Music Awards, where he won in two categories.
The Beauty And The Beat singer was accepting the milestone award when the crowd seemed to erupt in boos.
Looking confused, he said: "I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously, and all this other b******* should not be spoken of."
It was not clear what Bieber was referring to in his acceptance speech, but he has had a number of bad public relations moments of late, having lost his temper with the paparazzi in London and arrived late for a series of gigs.
Bieber beat a number of other artists, including Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift, for the award. He also took home top male artist.
Sky News
Internet streaming of songs has been included for the first time, with 100 streams being treated as equivalent to one download, meaning Baby has been certified as 12-times platinum.
The track has sold 3.9 million copies in America and been viewed more than 858 million times on music video website Vevo.
Sir Elton's 1997 hit sold more than 33 million copies worldwide but remains 11-times platinum because it has no streaming data.
Cary Sherman, chairman and CEO of the RIAA, said: "Including music streaming in gold and platinum awards marks the continued evolution of the industry's premier programme for recognising artistic achievement, and it reflects the wide spectrum of ways consumers enjoy music from their favourite bands."
Streaming on audio services Spotify, Muve Music, Rhapsody, Xbox Music, Slacker and MOG are also counted in addition to the video streaming services YouTube and Vevo.
Despite his latest accolade, BIeber was booed on stage at the Billboard Music Awards, where he won in two categories.
The Beauty And The Beat singer was accepting the milestone award when the crowd seemed to erupt in boos.
Looking confused, he said: "I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously, and all this other b******* should not be spoken of."
It was not clear what Bieber was referring to in his acceptance speech, but he has had a number of bad public relations moments of late, having lost his temper with the paparazzi in London and arrived late for a series of gigs.
Bieber beat a number of other artists, including Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift, for the award. He also took home top male artist.
Sky News
