IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - Q3 2008

Westlife dominate IFPI Platinum Awards

October 2008

Irish band Westlife pick up IFPI Platinum Awards for three separate albums in the third quarter of 2008. Albums achieve an IFPI Platinum Award when they first cross the million sales mark in Europe and for each additional million sales they rack up.

Westlife originally formed in 1998 and its current line-up consists of Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan. The band achieved an IFPI Platinum Award for their ninth studio album Back Home and another for The Love Album, which contained the band's 14th UK number one The Rose.

In addition, their greatest hits compilation Unbreakable scored its second IFPI Platinum Award as it crossed the two million sales threshold across Europe.

Heavy metal veterans Metallica scored an IFPI Platinum Europe Award for their album Death Magnetic within a month of its release in September. The album also charted at number one in the US, making the band the first to have five studio albums debut at number one in the history of the Billboard Top 200.

Other albums picking up an IFPI Platinum Europe Award include the soundtrack to the smash hit film Mamma Mia featuring the songs of ABBA, One Chance the debut album from Paul Potts, winner of Britain's Got Talent, and Siempre from international operatic pop act Il Divo.

Leona Lewis picks up an IFPI Platinum Europe Award for her debut album Spirit, which includes the track Bleeding Love which topped the charts in 34 countries. The album topped the charts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland, as well as becoming the fastest selling debut album since records began in the UK.

Coldplay’s international hit album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends picks up its second IFPI Platinum Europe Award of the year. The critically acclaimed Viva la Vida won a Q Award for best album of the year in October and has topped the charts in 36 countries worldwide.

Singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse collects an amazing sixth IFPI Platinum Europe Award for her album Back to Black. The album contains a slew of hit singles including Rehab, You Know I'm No Good, Tears Dry on Their Own and Love is a Losing Game.