IU proves chinese fans are more important than korean fans for album sales

  • When she was popular only in Korea she failed to reach 100k album sales mark many times with Modern Times, Chat Shire and Palette


    Now she have a pretty healthy international fandom plus some new she will pull over 300k lol


    Chinese fans really have a big spending power


    Overall now I say the ranking of the most important fandoms are:


    1) Jfans

    2) Cfans

    3) Kfans


    What do you think

  • I agree. But wasn’t this always the case for female idols/groups? If you have a fandom in both Korea and China. The Chinese fandom contribute more ex:Snsd?? I’m not sure tho..


    But I wonder what will happen when the ban ends. Cfans will probably dominate the scene

    Your average ggs enthusiast...

  • Seems right, but I also think Kfans are more important for male solo's and BG's.


    Otherwise for female solo's and GG's is def Japan and China fans right now with Korean's n 3rd.

  • No matter how much K-companies salivate over western (particularly American) clout, C-fans and J-fans is where the real money's at. Has been ever since the beginning of Hallyu wave and will be unless there are some major shifts in the industry (no, groups getting somewhat popular with teens in America isn't that).


    Like, Lee Sooman even said out loud that if you want to make real money, you need China.


    I'd say Chinese fans are even more important numbers-wise than Japanese fans, but the problem with touring gives Japan an edge for the time being.


    If Hallyu ban is ever truly lifted - at least to the point that groups can do arena tours - then China will definitely take the mantle of the most important market.

  • I agree. But wasn’t this always the case for female idols/groups? If you have a fandom in both Korea and China. The Chinese fandom contribute more ex:Snsd?? I’m not sure tho..


    But I wonder what will happen when the ban ends. Cfans will probably dominate the scene

    SNSD was not from China, at their time China fans power weren't this massive. It was Jfans that carried SNSD


    Also to OP topic, yep agreed Japanese are still the most reliable, they're supportive, generally supports the group as a whole, minimal drama. China fans are rich but man do they bring severe solo stans problem, then Korean fans are only good because the idols themselves are Korean and they want to have a career in their home country.

  • SNSD was not from China, at their time China fans power weren't this massive. It was Jfans that carried SNSD


    Also to OP topic, yep agreed Japanese are still the most reliable, they're supportive, generally supports the group as a whole, minimal drama. China fans are rich but man do they bring severe solo stans problem, then Korean fans are only good because the idols themselves are Korean and they want to have a career in their home country.

    What about their latest albums?

    Your average ggs enthusiast...

  • China might not be one of the biggest markets. But if they want they can place a lot of orders. IU's chinese fanbase placed at least 156k album orders (105k from one and 50k from another one).

  • South korea is up there thanks to the c-fans(among others), as they buy physicals directly from korea and are counted there. This is basically true for all countries with a few exceptions. Basically every single sold korean album will be counted for south korean market.

  • South korea is up there thanks to the c-fans(among others), as they buy physicals directly from korea and are counted there. This is basically true for all countries with a few exceptions. Basically every single sold korean album will be counted for south korean market.

    Ahhh...didn’t know that. Thanks!

    ღ Sulli

  • But IU fandom in China has been big for a very long time.

    It is not like her C-fans get big recently.


    IU is very popular in Korea and China for a long time.

  • But IU fandom in China has been big for a very long time.

    It is not like her C-fans get big recently.


    IU is very popular in Korea and China for a long time.


    IU has big fanbase in China tho


    Since The Producers, me think.

    Whilte its true it wasnt really until 2018/2019 that the hardcore fandom had grown so much that they started to get truly organized like other chinese bars. This can be seen when the c-fandoms bought 120k+ albums of love poem in the first week, when previous album from 2017 sold about 80k in total in two years, most of which were korean sales.

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