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IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - July & August 2006 Keane, Shakira, Coldplay and Madonna scoop summer Platinum Awards September 13, 2006

The summer has proved a sales hit for a variety of acts as Keane's second album picks up its first Platinum Europe Award, both of Shakira's recent albums clock up their first million, and industry superstars Coldplay and Madonna each have albums selling more than four million copies across Europe.

Keane's hotly anticipated second album Under The Iron Sea gained its first Platinum Europe Award a month after its June release, as sales surpassed the one million mark across Europe this July. The British band won a string of awards on the back of their 2004 debut offering Hopes and Fears, which has sold over two million copies in the UK alone. The three-piece from East Sussex have cemented their popularity with the success of this follow-up album, which includes the recent hit singles Is It Any Wonder? and Crystal Ball.

Columbian songstress Shakira achieves two Platinum Europe Awards this summer. Her album releases of 2005 - Fijacion Oral Vol 1 and the second, English-language instalment Oral Fixation Vol 2 - both crossed the million threshold of European sales. The singer-songwriter recorded her first album at the age of 15, but it was her first English-language offering, Laundry Service, that brought her to the attention of a global audience in 2001. The 29-year-old won six Latin Billboard Awards this year, and her recent collaboration with Wyclef Jean, Hips Don't Lie, has been No.1 in the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Coldplay's debut title Parachutes has now sold over four million copies across the continent. This brings the group's tally of Platinum Europe Awards to 12, as all three of their studio albums have sold in excess of four million in Europe. Parachutes - which includes the international breakthrough single Yellow - shot to the top spot in the UK album chart on release in July 2000, and stayed in the Top 10 for a staggering 33 weeks. This was an indication of future triumphs for the UK band, as their most recent album X&Y was the biggest selling title worldwide in 2005.

Enduringly popular 'Queen of Pop' Madonna has seen sales of her latest album Confessions On A Dancefloor go from strength to strength, as it also gains its fourth Platinum Europe Award since its release last November. The disco-inspired album is the eleventh studio offering from the American, who has sold over 200 million albums worldwide throughout her illustrious career. Madonna is currently on the European leg of her Confessions world tour, still wowing her army of fans with show-stopping performances after more than two decades in the business.