Worldwide K-pop album sales fall for first time in decade
Published: 03 Feb. 2025, 16:26
Updated: 03 Feb. 2025, 19:05
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- CHO YONG-JUN
- [email protected]
![Boy band Seventeen at the 2024 MAMA Awards in Osaka, Japan, on Jan. 23. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/03/b29fb89b-41c1-4db5-9de0-2ecd9644bf66.jpg)
Boy band Seventeen at the 2024 MAMA Awards in Osaka, Japan, on Jan. 23. [YONHAP]
Sales of physical K-pop albums dropped in 2024 after a decade of steady growth, falling short of the 100 million-unit mark and reflecting waning demand for the genre on its home turf even as it grows around the globe.
Worldwide K-pop sales slid 17.4 percent from the year prior to 98.4 million copies, the Korea Music Content Association’s Circle Chart showed Monday. A record 119.1 million physical copies were sold in 2023, the first year in which cumulative sales passed 100 million.
“The decrease in album sales within the country has mainly affected the album sales,” Circle Chart said in a press release the same day.
A total of 81.95 million K-pop albums were sold in Korea in 2024, down from the 102.99 million albums recorded in 2023.
Exports of physical albums, however, increased 2.1 percent on year to 16.43 million, accounting for 16.7 percent of total album sales.
Seventeen’s 12th EP “Spill The Feels” was the most-sold album of the year, at 3.18 million copies, followed by the band’s compilation album “17 is Right Here” which more than 3.15 million. Stray Kids, Enhypen, NCT Dream and Tomorrow X Together followed in the rankings.
IVE became the first girl group to appear on the yearly album chart with its second EP, “IVE Switch,” reaching No. 9, followed by aespa at No. 11.
BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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