Kanye West's 2016 album The Life Of Pablo is apparently the first album to achieve platinum status from online streaming, according to his label Def Jam.

The album, which was initially released as a Tidal exclusive, has only been available via online streaming, however it has been pointed out that the album was briefly made available for sale online via West's official site upon its release last February. The album reached the number one spot in the US Billboard 200 after 70 per cent of its first week sales came about from streaming, equivalent to selling 94,000 units.

The album was streamed three billion times worldwide in total. West's site is now selling digital downloads of the album however. It is currently unclear if digital download sales have been included in the certification with the RIAA declining to break down the information. The album notably went through many changes upon its release with West tweaking a number of the album's tracks post-release and updating the versions available on various streaming services as a result.

The news follows the recent revelation that streaming overtook US digital music sales for the first time last year, as reported by Nielsen Music.