On June 10, the K-pop-power patter BTS released a three-disc compilation album, “proof”. It was sure to be a hit, and this week it hits #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, with the equivalent of 314,000 sales in the United States, according to tracking service Luminate.
But BTS’s importance to Hybe, the South Korean entertainment company behind the group, was underscored when BTS announced four days later that it was taking a break to let its seven members focus on solo projects. The next day, Hybe’s stock price fell 28 percent, dropping the company’s market value by $1.7 billion; Since then, the share price has only improved slightly.
But the impact of BTS is not limited to the accounting of the management company. This month, the group spoke at the White House against anti-Asian hate crimes and was met by President Biden in the Oval Office. Fans around the world, who act as indomitable cheerleaders under the collective name Army, have been crawling on social media to pity and discuss the announcement.
The success of “Proof” followed a marketing playbook that has become standard for K-pop groups, with fans rushing to buy compilation albums in physical formats. Of the 314,000 “equivalent” sales for the album — a figure that includes physical sales, downloads, and streams — 259,000 were for CD versions that sold for as much as $70. The 48-track CD iteration contains 13 songs that are not available. are available to stream or download. In addition to CD sales, the album sold 6,500 copies as digital downloads and had 53 million streams. It is the sixth album of the group at the top of the Billboard hit list.
Also this week, Bunny’s “Un Verano sin ti” Falls to No. 2 and Harry Styles’s “Harry’s House” is No. 3. Post Malone’s New “Twelve Carat Toothache” Drops Two Spots to No. 4 in its second week out, and Future’s “I never liked you” is no. 5.
Next week, Drake’s surprise new LP, “Honestly, Nevermind,” released on Friday, will likely open at number 1.