SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s exports of Okay-pop albums hit a contemporary excessive final yr, information confirmed Monday, as limitations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic continued to push up demand for bodily albums.
Okay-pop album exports hit US$233.113 million in 2022, up 5.6 p.c from a yr in the past, in line with import and export commerce statistics of the Korea Customs Service (KCS).
Final yr’s determine outnumbered the earlier excessive of $220.85 million tallied in 2021.
As abroad Okay-pop followers opted to purchase albums in a present of assist for his or her favourite stars, unable to see them in individual at live shows and different reside occasions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Okay-pop album gross sales have been on the rise, crossing $100 million in 2020 and $200 million in 2021.
A photograph of Okay-pop superband BTS, offered by Huge Hit Music (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Japan imported essentially the most Okay-pop albums final yr, totaling $85.74 million. It was adopted by China and the US, which imported $51.33 million and $38.88 million, respectively. Rounding out the highest 10 have been Taiwan, the Netherlands, Thailand, Hong Kong, Germany, Indonesia and France.
Okay-pop labels don’t often unveil particulars of album gross sales by their artists.
However high boy teams, equivalent to BTS, Stray Children and Seventeen, in addition to rookie woman teams, that dominated music charts final yr, look like the primary drivers behind the bullish pattern, judging from varied annual albums charts for the yr that mix abroad and home gross sales.
This picture offered by JYP Leisure exhibits Okay-pop boy group Stray Children. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Essentially the most-sold album of the yr was “Proof,” the anthology album by BTS that offered 3.48 million copies, in line with the annual albums chart by Circle Chart, which is the nation’s benchmark Okay-pop chart. Trailing intently behind was “Maxident,” the seventh EP by Stray Children, which offered 3.18 million copies. Seventeen and BLACKPINK offered 2.87 million copies and a pair of.52 million copies, respectively, of their albums “Face the Solar” and “Born Pink.”
Ive, one of many rookie sensations of 2022, ranked tenth on the chart by promoting 1.65 million copies of its third single, “After Like.”
However the trade’s reliance on the three huge markets — Japan, China and the US — is seen as one of many issues dealing with the trade. The mixed share of the massive three markets rose by 3.8 share factors from 71.7 p.c in 2021 to 75.5 p.c in 2022, in line with the KCS statistics.
A photograph of Okay-pop boy group Seventeen, offered by Pledis Leisure (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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