K-pop "manipulates" the physical album market

Selling a million albums is no small feat in the age of digital streaming and YouTube. A million albums has traditionally been considered the primary measure of a powerful fandom in the K-pop music market, but the sudden growth in 2023 took many by surprise. It's not uncommon for Korean bands to sell three or four times that number.

According to Hanteo Chart, in 2023 alone, 29 K-pop artists' albums sold more than one million copies in just one week after their release. Of these, five albums sold two million copies, two sold three million copies, two sold four million copies, and one even surpassed the five million mark. All statistics were calculated within one week of release.

K-pop "manipulates" the physical album market

Girl group aespa performing during their world tour "SYNK: HYPER LINE". Photo: SM.

Among the K-pop acts to watch in 2024 are the top 20 groups and albums that will compete for awards at the upcoming Golden Disc Awards. The event will take place on January 6 at the Jakarta International Stadium in Indonesia. There are 20 artists nominated for Album of the Year, including (G)I-DLE, aespa, Agust D (or BTS's SUGA), Ateez, Enhypen, EXO, ITZY, IVE, BTS's Jungkook, Le Sserafim, NCT, NCT 127, NCT Dream, NMIXX, Seventeen, Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together, Treasure, Twice, and ZeroBaseOne.

Of the nominated artists, 14 sold over a million copies of their albums in just one week. Notably, Seventeen's 11th EP "Seventeenth Heaven" broke the all-time K-pop album sales record with 5.09 million copies. Meanwhile, Stray Kids, NCT Dream, Jungkook, and Tomorrow X Together all achieved impressive sales.

Boy groups continue to dominate as 14 of the top 20 artists are boy groups, double the number of girl groups nominated.

Boy band Stray Kids. Photo: JYP ENTERTAINMENT.

The rivalry between the two biggest K-pop management groups, HYBE and Kakao, is reflected in the competition from their top stars. The two companies have joined forces after Kakao bought shares of SM Entertainment, but the competition is still going strong through the participation of top artists from both groups in the nomination list.

2023 marks the emergence of fourth and fifth generation groups, such as NewJeans, Le Sserafim, aespa, IVE, Tomorrow X Together, Enhypen, and many more. Of the 20 nominees, 13 are from the fourth generation, including (G)I-DLE, aespa, Ateez, Enhypen, ITZY, IVE, Le Sserafim, NMIXX, Stray Kids, Treasure, and Tomorrow X Together, along with ZeroBaseOne.

The Golden Disc Awards promises to be a glittering event, celebrating the outstanding contributions of K-pop artists over the past year. The event will see top artists compete and fans vote for their favorite artists.

Source: https://danviet.vn/k-pop-thao-tung-thi-truong-album-vat-ly-20231216221059994.htm