Where are the increased sales coming from?

More people listening to KPOP

More sales.....

More competition

More sales.....

To Win on Music Shows

More sales.....

For Bragging Rights

More Sales.....

To Bring Exposure

More Sales.....

To Chart Higher

More Sales.....

There has been a boost in streaming though? Various groups are breaking their own records + gaining listeners on different platforms...

Combination of both I think.

I do think bulk buying has increased recently, but the market has also expanded.

There will be boost in streaming both because kpop market is expanding and the streaming market is also becoming bigger especially in Asian countries.

Maybe the distribution of albums has also helped?

I don't know if groups released these many versions before either, some people are saying groups are releasing 10+ versions idk much about it.

New fans + old fans + angry fans + crazy fans

It's the absence of offline concerts, I think. Fans who used to buy tickets (which is a lot more expensive than albums) can spend more on albums instead. Then with that increase, it became more trendy to buy albums and probably encouraged those who never bought albums before to join the trend because 'everybody is doing it'

Honestly the pandemic kinda boosts the album sales since live concert was not possible plus I guess many people discovered kpop during quarantine?

Mostly China.

Everything BTS needs is on the ground

Surely kpop has grown alot in the last year or so. Kpop has been growing steadily since "2nd gen" and started growing rapidly with BTS "western validation" as is evident in the graph.

Because of quarantine many new people have discovered kpop last year. So it might be effect of all these things.

But I think these are the 2 main reasons behind huge boost in album sales this year.

1. Touring stopped : Now fans are spending their money mainly on albums rather than saving for concerts.

2. Online Fan sign events : During offline fan signs, only people who could attend the event used to buy albums in huge quantities. With online fan signs, everyone around the world has a chance to interact with their faves so everyone who can buy albums is doing so.

I don't know what future holds because physical sales are decreasing everywhere (even in Japan) except kpop but I think as we get rid of Covid 19 , I think sales might go stagnant if not decrease.

I wonder how you feel about the sales of IU mostly came from China?

I forgot, broke fans 🤭

Because Blackpink released HYLT after first half of 2020

old fans got employed

interesting...

Quote from selfmate

interesting...

from now ,i will call you "interesting sir"

Quote from onlyfacts

2. Online Fan sign events : During offline fan signs, only people who could attend the event used to buy albums in huge quantities. With online fan signs, everyone around the world has a chance to interact with their faves so everyone who can buy albums is doing so.

This makes so much sense. I didn't know online fan meetings needed the same requirement as the old offline FMs.

Quote from Panpriyah-lice

from now ,i will call you "interesting sir"

I like the sir!!!!

but back on topic...OP you provided new information which i found interesting hence the interesting...I really don't know so I can't answer your question lol

company gimmicks have also increased a ton lately

10+ versions (standard, limited, jewel case, kihno, whatever else) are becoming the norm. If it can be sold as an album, the company will do it. Have an extra version a couple of weeks after release with a new photobook. I'm sure they're studying how to encourage fanbase spending very closely.

more fans, easier to get albums than before etc etc and the culture of buying multiple albums per fan is spreading like wildfire

maybe combination of any below

a. increase fans - evidenced or supported by increase in stream numbers, youtube views, etc.

b. old fans - mass buying

c. competition - goal to break records or what not

d. company gimmicks - numerous versions or bundling with merch

the bulk of the sales are obviously from China.

isnt it obvious

1) More fans due to global appeal (that include more western and chinese fans + bulk buy practice)

2) more gimmicks and inclusions in albums, e.g. limited edition photocards, badges etc

3) Multiple versions. If you notice, most of the big sellers have multiple versions of same album. I think this was popularised with EXO (correct me if im wrong)

Trinidad and Tobago probably

Quote from KpopVeteranARMY

Sajaegi.

Jkjk (well only kinda tbh, some 4th gen bgs who don't even have 1 hit song yet kinda make me wonder but who knows...)

Basically what everyone else said.

Plus in a few words: extreme globalization of K-POP in the past 2-ish yrs + expansion of global distribution of K-pop albums, increase in goods included w/albums + increasingly effective (/honestly kinda desperate: aka video call raffle) marketing tactics.

+ Pandemic since we have nothing else to do except collect merch cuz we can't rly go to their concerts or anything.

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Which boy groups? And physical sales don't depend on hit songs. Also all of the boy groups don't have a hit song.

Quote from KpopVeteranARMY

Do I have to say, you know who they are w/o me telling you.....

Yeah true bg stans only care about looks not music generally....

No, I don't. I'm really curious who you think does the sajaegi.

Quote from KpopVeteranARMY

I like my life being free from 24/7 harassment by crazy K-pop stans who cry when they miss a V-Live so no ty....if you can't figure it out, I'm not telling you. Lookit the physical charts.

Then don't imply shady shit when you can't even clarify and substantiate it.

As to your other claim, I'm a bg fan and I care about the music.

Quote from KpopVeteranARMY

I can substantiate it if I wanted to, I just don't want over 9000 psycho fans eating my ass bc I said I was sus about their oppars sales lmao.

This is why ppl only say whar they rly think on Anon lol.

Yeah that's because you're ARMY lol. BTS is one of the few popular bgs nowadays that don't release "experimental" music and expect their fangirls to eat it up anyway. Their albums are pretty much always cohesive since day 1 (w/the exception of MOTS:7....I have nothing to say about that one lmao 😭).

I miss 2nd gen when companies went 100% for every comeback for both the general public + fans, both the song + MV if they had the money to lol. Nowadays everyone both K-gp + I-fans are always wondering about title track choices, saying B-sides are better & having heated discussions about noise music.

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Why be shady and vague then... Keep it to yourself.

You haven't listened to a lot of 4th gen groups then because I love all of my 4th gen bg faves title tracks and in no way are they noisy. And I hate 2nd gen music.

Quote from KpopVeteranARMY

Idk, bc someone should say it? It's definitely a possibility lol.

To each our own then, lol. My sis is a 3rd/4th gen stan, but she agrees w/me as well that 2nd gen is more talented, but she doesn't like 2nd gen music either. Probably bc it no longer has "trendy" sounds lol. Ppl's music tastes change w/the times.

To me, a 2nd gen stan, 2nd gen is always more classic & cohesive-sounding; there was always a strong melody & catchy signature "hook" everyone loved & could sing all the English words to. But I like new gen K-pop groups to some degree too, just not as much as 2nd gen at the end of the day. Even BTS, I prefer 2NE1 & SNSD to. They'll always be my UB. I'm sure you'll feel the same way about your current biases in the future too, lol.

It's a pretty serious accusation and you have no proof.

It's not about the trends, 2nd gen music is noise mostly or just terrible. 2nd gen is the reason I thought k-pop is shit. Thank God for 3rd and 4th gen, they really propelled k-pop to new heights.

From the warehouses they are sitting in collecting dust

Quote from KpopVeteranARMY

Why would I have proof, am I a newspaper or sth?? Lol I'm just an ordinary layman not a journalist.

Uhh okay w/e noise-music-generation-loving 4th gen stan.... U keep doing U. 💗

For me, 4th generation noise music is the reason everyone keeps saying "K-pop is dying" or "needs to be saved" or w/e & definitely the reason why GP interest completely died off in Korea (which I know everyone hates Korea for some reason despite being K-Pop stans so this argument is prolly moot), but we obviously have our differences & Idc if you like 4th gen better personally in anyway since it doesn't affect me at all in anyway since I still like 2nd gen music better and your opinion won't affect that...

Because to accuse someone of something you need to have a basis maybe?

Your taste won't affect my opinion either but claiming 2nd gen music was more classic & cohesive-sounding and there was always a strong melody is ridiculous.

Quote from KpopVeteranARMY

It's just to me, the sales rose REAAAAALLY fast for some groups w/no hit song or anything to explain the sudden rise in sales so they seem sus to me, but yeah I don't have legal "proof" or anything so don't worry, I'm not suing anyone or bringing them to jail or anything.

Not sure why it's ridiculous since all you have to do is go back to listen to old 2nd gen songs to see for yourself, or ask other 2nd gen stans/people who were around then and they'll probs agree w/me...

But if it prevents you from sleeping at night, no need to worry about it okay. I'm just a silly 2nd gen stan online who likes 2nd gen music for reasons that must be completely ridiculous & have no rhyme or reason to them whatsoever   Don't worry 💗

Again, sales don't depend on hit songs.

My faves who are the best sellers of 4th gen currently have great streams on Spotify and almost 5M monthly listeners. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Korean charting is not the only indicator of success.

No need to ask anyone cause I've heard these songs myself. There's a reason why 2nd gen didn't blow up like BTS.