Fandoms Drove Album Sales While the Public Streamed Familiar Hits... The 'Two Faces' of the K-pop Market in the First Half of the Year

May Album Sales Rebound, Surpassing 45.4 Million

New Releases Account for Only 20.2% of Digital Chart; Entry Barriers Rise

Fifth-Generation Rookies and Short-Form Memes Disrupt the Charts

Key Challenges: New Music Discovery and Strengthening Production Capabilities

IVE. Provided by Starship Entertainment

In the first half of this year, the K-pop market displayed a 'dual structure,' with robust album sales driven by fandom and digital music consumption centered on already popular tracks occurring simultaneously. Physical album sales rebounded thanks to the purchasing power of fanbases, but the digital music charts saw existing hit songs maintain their dominance for extended periods, raising the entry barrier for new releases. Nevertheless, fifth-generation rookie groups and tracks that gained popularity through short-form-based meme content emerged as variables that disrupted the otherwise stable charts.

According to the industry on July 13, Kakao Entertainment's music platform Melon revealed a clear trend of long-term chart dominance by artists who have already established mainstream appeal in its '2026 First-Half Chart Review.'

The artists who held the number one spot for the longest period on the weekly chart in the first half of the year were the group IVE and the sibling duo Akdong Musician (AKMU). IVE topped the chart for six consecutive weeks with the title track "BANG BANG" from their second studio album, while AKMU maintained the top position for six weeks in total, combining two songs from their fourth album: "Joy, Sorrow, Beautiful Heart" and "Paradise of Rumors."

A similar trend continued on the daily chart. IVE's "BANG BANG" held the number one spot for 40 days, and AKMU alternated between the two songs to secure the top spot for a total of 41 days. The most 'liked' tracks by Melon users in the first half of the year were also AKMU's "Joy, Sorrow, Beautiful Heart" (84,891 likes) and "Paradise of Rumors" (82,642 likes).

Circle Chart data also confirmed a conservative consumption pattern in the digital music market. According to Circle Chart, operated by the Korea Music Content Association, the total digital usage for the top 400 songs in May decreased by 1.6% from the previous month and by 2.3% compared to the same month last year. The share of new releases (within three months of release) accounted for only 20.2%. Despite a series of comebacks by major idol groups, users tended to repeatedly consume already proven hit songs rather than new releases.

In contrast, the physical album market showed a clear recovery. According to Circle Chart, monthly album sales surpassed 10 million copies for two consecutive months in April and May. The cumulative sales from January to May reached approximately 45.4 million copies, up 9.4 million from the same period last year, and 2.4 million more than the record set in 2023, when annual sales exceeded 100 million copies. This alleviated some of the concerns about a 'peak-out' in the K-pop album market raised last year, demonstrating that fandom purchasing power remains solid.

The strength of album sales continued into June. RIIZE topped the monthly album chart by selling 1,401,094 copies of their second mini-album "II," while ATEEZ reached number one on the retail album chart with "GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5." In the digital music sector, I.O.I achieved a quadruple crown on digital charts with their 10th-anniversary song "Suddenly," and BTS stayed at number one on the Global K-pop Chart for three consecutive months with "SWIM."

There were also cases of breaking through the heightened digital chart barrier, such as the rise of fifth-generation rookie groups and the resurgence of the house genre. KIKI's "404 (New Era)" became the first release of the year to reach number one on the Melon Top 100, doing so just 16 days after its release, and remained at the top of the weekly chart for two consecutive weeks. H2H's "RUDE!" also peaked at number two and stayed within the top ten throughout the first half of the year.

These tracks share a commonality in their prominent use of house sounds, which were mainstream in K-pop during the mid-2010s. The repetitive rhythms and refreshing melodies are thought to have spread in line with short-form video and playlist-centered consumption patterns. Cortis' "REDRED" also topped the Circle streaming chart in June, further highlighting the presence of fifth-generation groups.

Cortis. Provided by Big Hit Music

Risennue. Provided by The Muse Entertainment

Reverse trends propelled by short-form and social media memes were another hallmark of the first half of the year. Lisenne's "LOVE ATTACK," which initially debuted at number 904 on the daily chart in 2024, re-entered the chart at number 98 in May this year—338 days after its release—thanks to the viral "Geoje Yahoo" meme that started on member Wonyi's YouTube channel.

According to Melon, since the launch of the YouTube channel, as of the end of June, streaming of the song surged by up to 2,019%, and the number of listeners increased by 977%. While variety shows or music programs used to be the catalyst for these chart comebacks, there is now an increasing trend where short-form content and voluntary meme consumption by users drive searches and streaming, changing the dynamics of the charts.

The first half of this year once again confirmed the K-pop market's structure, where the growth of the album market is based on the purchasing power of fandoms, while the digital music market remains centered on established hit songs. Industry insiders believe that going forward, strategies to secure mainstream appeal through the expansion of short-form content and platforms, beyond just album sales, will become the new competitive edge in the K-pop market.

An official from the pop music industry commented, "The first-half charts show that K-pop consumption is becoming increasingly divided between fandom-driven album purchases and mass-oriented digital music consumption," adding, "While initial album sales are propelled by fandoms, it is becoming ever more important for songs to gain belated attention through short-form content, memes, and playlists in the digital music market." The official continued, "Rather than relying solely on initial results, rookie groups will need to develop continuous content strategies and production capabilities that enable their songs to be rediscovered and spread, as this will be the key to future competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.