SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Seton Hall’s WSOU 89.5 FM received a celebrated plaque from the band Hellyeah on the occasion of its first and most famous album “Hellyeah” being classified as gold after selling more than 500,000 copies. Hellyeah’s album success marks another milestone for WSOU, following in the footsteps of its most recent album award, for the single “In Between,” by the band Beartooth, in April.
The Recording Industry Association of America provides music certifications to albums and singles that meet certain thresholds. For music to be considered a gold hit, it needs to reach at least 500,000 shipped, sold or streamed units. WSOU’s latest awarded plaques from the bands Hellyeah and Beartooth represent a remarkable accomplishment in radio airplay, accrediting the station’s legendary status.
“WSOU has a decorated history of receiving gold and platinum plaques from the artists that we play, which is a testament to the impact that the station has on the hard rock/metal music industry,” said Leanne Applin, WSOU’s music director in 2007-08. “The fact that WSOU continues to receive these plaques from artists proves that the station is one of the most influential in the largest radio market.”
Traditionally, record awards were presented by the artist’s company to publicize an achievement. However, in recent years, the Broadcast Data Systems, an airplay tracking service for stations across the nation, launched a plaque award program for outstanding radio stations. WSOU, with its legendary reputation, has contributed to the gold status of the album “Hellyeah” and the single “In Between,” by Beartooth.
During WSOU’s more than 65 years of history, the station’s continuous broadcast of heavy metal and rock music has earned it a platform of over 80,000 listeners a month. With bands such as Fall Out Boy to Aerosmith airplaying, WSOU also airs 12 hours of programming designed to serve the information and entertainment needs of underserved audiences directly each week.
“We support well-established bands, promote new collaborations from seasoned artists, and are usually one of the first to give up-and-coming artists radio play, and it’s great to be repeatedly recognized for contributing to the artists’ success,” Applin said. “Receiving this most recent gold record from Hellyeah means just as much to the station as the previously received records, because it truly shows the professionalism that the student-run station has maintained for decades — which is no small feat!”
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