Why does SM have so many album stock issues?

    Or do they really?

    One could argue that they produce according to demand.

    I mainly see this issue with EXO and Red Velvet. Fans swearing that they could sell more, if their albums were in stock. I’m talking about both old and recent albums.

    Does SM simply not care? Is it distribution issues?

    Both groups don’t seem to reach their full sales potential. Doesn’t SM like their groups to sell more?

    idk about new ones but I can answer about the older albums


    They constantly changed their publishers and distributors over the years. Some of the companies they worked with in the past are no longer in business. It takes too much effort to make new contracts for publishing and distributing older albums with new companies and it might not be even profitable if it's not guaranteed to sell some minimum amount.

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    Insightful 1

    You can guarantee that there are fans that claim their bias would sell more albums if a Company would restock, while that could be true, Kpop Companies can't restock Albums that Retailers have not ordered.


    As Album Sales have risen dramatically over the past few years, Online Retailers don't have the luxury of stocking Albums above the pre-orders as Warehouse space is limit. The same is true for Kpop Companies that won't do Production over runs and be left with Albums that Retailers won't order.


    Having said all that, SM Entertainment does seem to limit Album Reprints more so than JYPE, both Companies' Idols are distributed by DreamUs, although I'm wondering if it's just EXO

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

Register Yourself Login