Do you think kpop success might actually lead to sales increasing for western artists ?

1st Official Post

    I've seen so many fans crying about BTS being #1 again.


    And yet all I can think of is that there is plenty of US artists with a fanbase just as big - if not bigger - than BTS. The only reason these fans don't buy is because they embraced the streaming culture, and they don't feel the need to support their artists in any way, beside giving them a few streams on Spotify and AM.


    For now, it's only BTS wiping the floor with them, but considering how dead the sales are in the US, I don't think it's impossible that we see more and more kpop groups with actual support from their fanbase challenging GP-darlings. I wonder if western fans will finally wake the fuck up and start putting their money where their mouth is ?


    It would sure be interesting, and definitely good for artists.


    What do you all think ? :/

    Title should be BTS' success.


    Answer is no, you cannot cultivate a fandom like Army. Even other Kpop groups steeped in fandom culture have not been able to do that for their faves, what will western artists achieve?

    Quote from paradis

    Title should be BTS' success.


    Answer is no, you cannot cultivate a fandom like Army. Even other Kpop groups steeped in fandom culture have not been able to do that.

    That's fair, if we consider BTS as an outlier then nothing is changing indeed.

    no.


    this is not a kpop culture but also those or some big acts have bigger fans as well cannot sell out concerts or cannot sell out as fast as bts in their own home country or sell online concerts very well... curious.

    Quote from amalyas

    here is plenty of US artists with a fanbase just as big - if not bigger - than BTS

    i can't say how true this actually is. bts has bigger u.s tours than a lot of u.s artists... meaning other artists CANNOT fill the same amount seats as them. if western fandoms were as big as armys or as organized, they would already be doing what we do for bts on the charts. but they can't and they don't. i've seen arianna, niki, selena, taylor stans hosting mass buying projects, but it will never have the same effect bc their fanbases are 1) not as big and 2) not as dedicated. big western artists have more general interest, but not huge fandoms. taylor's fandom is the only one even slightly on par with armys and they are heavily strung along by taylor and her multiple versions and remixes/remasterings she's been releasing for everything

    who's your favorite artist?

  • AllKill VIP
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    • Official Post
    Quote from omnimorphism

    Album sales in the US are carried by Rock bands. I.e., probably older fans.

    Screenshot-2021-01-07-at-20.15.03-836x828.jpg

    So what Western artists really need to do is appeal to older fans. There's a reason why Adele sells so much whenever she releases, she has the older demographic on lock.


    The Western industry is completely different from the KPOP industry in terms of marketing, promotion, etc so I don't think pure sales will really increase unless the Western industry gets Kpopified. Vinyls are becoming popular these days(especially among the younger generation) but it won't cause pure sales to rise to the point it was pre-streaming.

    + the bundle rule caused Western artists to sell significantly less so there's that.

    • Official Post

    For psychical sales to make a comeback in the US, there would have to be a huge overhaul. As mentioned above, older rock fans drive the psychical market largely because they still put value in physical media. They still own CD players and sound systems and are more likely to use them over streaming/digital in the long run.


    The value for psychical media here is just in the toilet. The only people I know who still buy DVDs are hardcore anime collectors and people with kids. I feel like kpop fans are the same. Like I don't buy the albums because I need them to access the music, but because I feel like I get a good value for $15-30 and I want to support the groups financially.

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    Quote from quark12395

    For psychical sales to make a comeback in the US, there would have to be a huge overhaul. As mentioned above, older rock fans drive the psychical market largely because they still put value in physical media. They still own CD players and sound systems and are more likely to use them over streaming/digital in the long run.


    The value for psychical media here is just in the toilet. The only people I know who still buy DVDs are hardcore anime collectors and people with kids. I feel like kpop fans are the same. Like I don't buy the albums because I need them to access the music, but because I feel like I get a good value for $15-30 and I want to support the groups financially.

    I think that's an interesting answer.


    Western fans don't feel like physical albums have value anymore. And I guess it's true that you don't need to purchase an album to access the music. Artists need to sell something else with an album, beside music. And I'm not talking about bundles.


    When ARMY - or another kpop fan, I guess - buy an album, they don't only purchase the music. They purchase their favorite artist rising in the charts. They purchase pissing off fans from other fanbase. They purchase more creative freedom for their favorite band. They purchase power, which I think is not something that western fans think about. Not like that at least.

    Quote from itiswhatitisss

    So what Western artists really need to do is appeal to older fans. There's a reason why Adele sells so much whenever she releases, she has the older demographic on lock.


    The Western industry is completely different from the KPOP industry in terms of marketing, promotion, etc so I don't think pure sales will really increase unless the Western industry gets Kpopified. Vinyls are becoming popular these days(especially among the younger generation) but it won't cause pure sales to rise to the point it was pre-streaming.

    + the bundle rule caused Western artists to sell significantly less so there's that.

    No young people buy Adele’s music too.. plus Adele two albums were released before the streaming era 100% took over.


    Plus even then 25 wasn’t released on streaming services until a year after release.

    Quote from icyruios

    Why is this though? Like I thought it's a boomer thing

    Because, if you buy albums in the purpose of supporting the artists you like and owning a physical copy of an album you like, and not because you need it to listen to the music, then vinyl records look sexier than plain small CDs. You can enjoy the huge cover art, the disc itself is just as big... It's kinda prestigious. It's a collector's item.

  • AllKill VIP
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    Quote from icyruios

    Why is this though? Like I thought it's a boomer thing

    Similar to KPOP albums, it's kind of like a collector's thing. There are many different vinyls you can sell, like a blue vinyl, green vinyl, etc. The LP artwork might have something to do with it too, you can sell vinyls with many different covers. Plus songs sound different on a vinyl compared to a CD or a streaming service.


    However there are like only 2 companies in the world who produce vinyls so 💀

    Most cars and laptops don’t even have CD players anymore.. vinyls are resurging their backloaded because of lack of liquer production. If vyinls could be produced quicker we’d see a huge resurgence of pure sales physically

    Quote from Alex_Murphy

    Because, if you buy albums in the purpose of supporting the artists you like and owning a physical copy of an album you like, and not because you need it to listen to the music, then vinyl records look sexier than plain small CDs. You can enjoy the huge cover art, the disc itself is just as big... It's kinda prestigious. It's a collector's item.

    I have a friend who just purchases vinyls to put them on her walls, lol.


    It's kind of pretty, make for a nice decoration tbh.

    To your question, No.


    Before making fans buy artist's physical albums, it is more needed to sell stadium tour & like this situation online concert.


    And looking at the paid concert viewers, BTS 1.33 Million

    A huge Wall





    Others 200K -300K


    Even in Kpop artists, they can't sell a decent amount of paid online tickets in comparison of BTS though their fans boast & claim they are huge in quantity & in dedication. And we can all agree For having the consent to see Your fav's concert, you don't need obsession & no person with brain will mock you.

    Quote from amalyas

    I have a friend who just purchases vinyls to put them on her walls, lol.


    It's kind of pretty, make for a nice decoration tbh.

    Yes exactly. I'm considering purchasing vinyls too these days. I buy physical albums for kpop groups but I'm not doing the same for metal bands I'm listening to (I used to but stopped when I switched to streaming platforms). So I think I'm gonna resume purchasing metal albums, but vinyls not CDs. Cover arts are just so cool in the metal genre.

    Albums can be downloaded too and many western stans won't even do that. Physical albums aren't the only form of albums.

    Also kpop albums r similar to bundles. Most buy it for photocards and photobooks.

    ➶➶➶➶➶ YIREN ➷➷➷➷➷

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    Quote from jenniesbtch

    Honestly, Adele has every demographic on lock. I'd argue she's one of the most universally liked artists.

    Yeah there's a point to be made here. Even at the Grammys she always manages to sweep because every voter from every category takes a liking to her. I think it's cause her music is pretty universally loved, harmless, she's talented, has a relatable personality, and no one made/is making music like her atm. I don't really know any other artist on her level in terms of such domination :deadbanana:


    OT: No unless there's a massive revamp in the industry. Everyone would have to 1) Appeal to older artists or 2) Kpopify themselves for that to happen.

    Kpop is doing ok sales wise because it has become a subculture, like rap, metal, punk. There's a sense of belonging which drive fans to do what fans are supposed to do. And in the kpop subculture, you purchase albums to support your favorite artists. In other subcultures, going to concerts and music festivals, wearing your faves' colors could be viewed as more important.


    Western pop though is not really a subculture, it is the mass culture. So people don't have a sense of faithfulness towards it. They listen to it because they like it but they feel no obligation. For the longest time people purchased albums because they didn't have a choice: you want to listen to this group in your home, in your car? You need a physical copy. Then the internet happened, bandwidth went higher and higher so piracy became the new norm. Now streaming platforms have taken over.


    So no, I don't think k-pop is gonna change anything in that regard. K-pop is still niche. BTS is the only act that is doing really great (and mostly in the US; Europe is not as enthralled).

    Vinyls have been making a comeback for years. Western fans buy vinyls.


    Maybe not the industry pushed popstar fans as much, since they dont really need to support their artists.


    Also, what kpop success? BTS success. Other kpop groups havent managed to make their western fans buy significant amounts of albums despite companies desperately trying for years now.

    I mean BTS sells what 4 mil and can sell 1mil in tickets.


    Groups that sell 1-1.5mil sell ~300k. Correlates for me. This stat doesn’t really say much.


    Kpop stans are all similarly dedicated. Some have less fans than others.

  • AllKill VIP

    No, cause kpop fans move differently than western fans as they are part of different cultures. Like someone has mentioned, Kpop is a subculture and with it comes different priorities. The Kpop culture is very competitive and fans extremely dedicated to make their faves break records.


    BTS is benefiting the most from it at the moment, at least in the US. They have a big fan following over there, but their fans still adopted the Kpop fans competitiveness. Holding streaming parties, bulk buying, checking out charts, finding ways to increase numbers etc. Western fans do it too, but not even close to that extent. This hasn’t been the case for decades now.

    So no, Kpop won’t change the decline of physical album sales in the west. Like others already mentioned, it’s mostly the older generation that still buys physical albums, especially vinyls.


    A lot of Kpop Groups just lack fans in the west, cause a lot are already outselling western artists who were #1 on BB200, in Korea.


    About the concert. I don’t think we can really compare western Acts having a concert in their country to a foreigner having a concert in their country. If you live in the US and you are for example a fan of Ariana, Taylor etc. you know that you might get several opportunities to see your faves live at least once, if it’s not a concert than maybe at an award show, or event or even talk show, so you won’t be that eager to buy a ticket, cause there could be a next time. But if your a fan of a foreign act, who might never visit your country again, you will definitely not hesitate to buy a ticket. This might be the only opportunity you will ever get to see them live. The same goes for western acts who have a concert in another country, they usually have much better ticket sales and sold out venues compared to their hometown.


    I say this cause I’m speaking from experience. There is a German Act I’m a huge fan of, but when they had a Germany tour their dates didn’t really favor me, so I said next time. But when it was announced that BP will be in Germany…. Oh lord I didn’t even though twice to buy that ticket the moment they were available, cause I thought this would probably be my only chance to ever see them live.

    I don't think so but you never know...

    if western artists starts having multiple copies of an album with photocards and stuff then maybe...

    Quote from Tic_tac_toe

    I mean BTS sells what 4 mil and can sell 1mil in tickets.


    Groups that sell 1-1.5mil sell ~300k. Correlates for me. This stat doesn’t really say much.


    Kpop stans are all similarly dedicated. Some have less fans than others.

    I can literally give you examples of some groups who are million sellers, sold 1M++ albums & their fans are two loud but one sold only 75000 & the other 100k+ some online tickets. This stat says much. Isn't it?


    Sold 1M+ albums but sold 75000 & 100k+ online concert tickets only.1/10 th 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔Dedication.......


    Once The pandemic shit will over & tour will start, some people will have great meltdown. :yesr:

    Quote from epiphanyjinnie

    I can literally give you examples of some groups who are million sellers, sold 1M++ albums & their fans are two loud but one sold only 75000 & the other 100k+ some online tickets. This stat says much. Isn't it?


    Sold 1M+ albums but sold 75000 & 100k+ online concert tickets only.1/10 th 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔Dedication.......


    Once The pandemic shit will over & tour will start, some people will have great meltdown. :yesr:

    Um idk what or who you’re talking about are you talking about Baekhyun the solo artist who sold 100k In tickets? Love that for him. But anyway I’m always right as usual. It’s best for you to not reply to me since I always win and you’ll embarrass yourself.

    Quote from epiphanyjinnie

    I can literally give you examples of some groups who are million sellers, sold 1M++ albums & their fans are two loud but one sold only 75000 & the other 100k+ some online tickets. This stat says much. Isn't it?


    Sold 1M+ albums but sold 75000 & 100k+ online concert tickets only.1/10 th 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔Dedication.......


    Once The pandemic shit will over & tour will start, some people will have great meltdown. :yesr:

    Is your only purpose to shade and start fights with everyone not BTS? Cause that's all you do.

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