BTS Expected to Generate $1 Billion in Revenue with Full-Group Return in 2026; Jimin Reaches 20 Million Spotify Followers

The iconic K-pop boy group BTS is set to make a full-group comeback in 2026, and Billboard predicts that the group could generate over $1 billion in revenue over 12 months through new music releases and tours. Having completed their three-year military service obligation, BTS announced on July 1 that they would reunite for the first time and release a new album in the spring of 2026. On October 16, RM told fans to “look forward to late March,” adding that preparations for the album, photo shoots, and music video production were underway. According to Billboard’s projections, tours will be the primary source of revenue for this comeback. Kim Hyun-yong, an analyst at Hyundai Securities, estimated that the comeback tour will consist of around 65 performances with an average attendance of 60,000 fans per show. While BTS’s “Love Yourself: World Tour” from 2018–2019 included 62 shows in 14 countries, the group’s current higher popularity suggests larger average venue capacities. As of 2024, the average price for top 10 stadium concerts in North America was $150.94, in Europe it was $121.12, and in other regions it was $110.57. Considering the average annual inflation rates from 2022–2024, 65 performances with 60,000 fans distributed evenly across these three regions are estimated to result in approximately 39 million tickets sold at an average price of $150.29, generating a total revenue of $664.1 million. For comparison, Coldplay, the highest-revenue tour in 2024, sold 3 million tickets across 51 performances and earned $410 million. The members’ solo activities have also achieved historic success. As of October 5, BTS’s Jimin surpassed 20 million followers on Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming platform, becoming the first K-pop solo artist to reach this milestone—his current follower count is 20,031,632. This marks the highest record for any K-pop solo artist and ranks him fourth overall when including both K-pop groups and soloists. Jimin’s Spotify profile lists a total of 16 tracks, including songs from his debut solo album “Love Yourself: Tear,” drama OSTs, and his own compositions, with cumulative streaming reaching 5.18 billion times. “Love Yourself: Tear” debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, tying for the highest ranking ever achieved by a K-pop solo artist, and it was the first K-pop solo album where every track surpassed 100 million streams. Jimin became the first K-pop solo artist to have all tracks from an album appear on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Global 200 excluding the United States. In the U.S., he was the first Asian solo artist to have all tracks from an album sell over 100,000 units. His debut solo song “Stigma” in 2016 featured deep high notes achieved through falsetto technique, while “Singularity” received widespread praise from major media outlets such as The Guardian (UK), Time (U.S.), The New York Times, and LA Times as the best song of 2018. Meanwhile, BTS’s Jimin celebrated his birthday on October 13 and topped all 21 birthday polls participated in by fans worldwide, achieving “21-king” status and proving his unparalleled popularity. The platforms that held these polls include Kdol, Mubit, Bugs, Picknick, Choiaedol, MyOnePick, Yupick, IdolChart, Fanplus, IdolChamp, Deukking, Podual, Bigkchoice, Giftipan, FanandStar, Hayer, IKPOP, MnetPlus, IdolPick, FanCast, and QUEERI app. As a reward for winning, he received advertising opportunities across more than 30 domestic and international sites, four birthday-themed events including those at Incheon Airport and media art installations, as well as one charitable donation. Additionally, Bugs ran a birthday celebration graffiti bus ad in Seoul throughout October.