K-Pop Album Exports Reach Record High, Driven by BTS and BLACKPINK

K-Pop album exports totaled $257,478,000 in the first half of this year, representing a 125% increase from the same period last year and setting a new historical high. The Comeback of major artists such as BTS and BLACKPINK, along with their world tours, fueled this growth, while demand for high-value products like LPs surged, particularly in North America.

By export destination, the United States ranked first for the first time, with exports amounting to $74,118,000. China came in second at $61,177,000, followed by Japan at $45,612,000. Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Poland also made it into the top 10 export markets.

The significantly higher growth in album exports on a value basis compared to weight reflects rising demand for high-value products. While exports increased by 78.4% based on weight, they rose by 125% in monetary terms, due to explosive demand for expensive items such as LPs in North America, in addition to regular CDs.

BTS released their new album “ARIRANG” on March, marking the first time in K-Pop history that an album topped the U.S. Billboard main album chart for three consecutive weeks. The Title Track “SWIM” achieved their seventh overall number one on the Hot 100. In the U.S. market during the first half of the year, BTS led in both CD sales with 567,000 units and LP sales with 331,000 units. The group is currently on the largest world tour in K-Pop history, starting in Goyang in April.

BLACKPINK released their third mini-album “DEADLINE” in February, and as of June, it had sold nearly 2 million copies. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, RIIZE, ATEEZ, and BOYNEXTDOOR also each accounted for double-digit percentage shares of the market during the first half of the year.

Rising stars also delivered strong results in the first half. KIKI and HATSUHATSU, who made their Debut last year, received positive feedback for “New Era” and “RUDE!”, respectively. CORTIS gained attention with “REDRED”. The girl group LE SSERAFIM became popular through internet memes and succeeded in making “LOVE ATTACK” a hit, achieving what was described as a “miracle for smaller idols”.

The cumulative album sales for the first half of the year amounted to approximately 55 million copies, an increase of about 11 million copies from the same period last year. This figure is roughly 700,000 copies short of the 100 million copies sold in the first half of 2023, with BTS and BLACKPINK playing a key role in driving growth in the K-Pop market.