BTS, Halsey Break 24 Hour YouTube Record Capping Massive Weekend For The K-Pop Superstars

YouTube has confirmed that the new video from BTS, “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey, is the now most-viewed 24 hour music video debut in YouTube history, adding to an already huge week for the K-Pop superstars. “Boy With Luv” got 74.6 million views in its first 24 hours. The video…

BTS Is First K-Pop Artist To Pass 5 Billion Spotify Streams

BTS has released its new album, MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA today and Spotify is confirming that they are now the first K-Pop group and first artist from Asia to surpass 5 billion streams on the platform. BTS also has an impressive 10 million followers on Spotify. Their hit song…

BLACKPINK Beats Ariana Grande, BTS To Claim 3 YouTube Debut Records

"Thank u, next" took on new meaning over the weekend as BLACKPINK’s ‘Kill This Love’ music video broke three records for its YouTube debut, including beating Ariana Grande and BTS to claim the most viewed 24 hour debut of all time. BLACKPINK now has: the biggest YouTube Premiere of all…

Scandals, ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Threaten Future Of K-Pop

New scandals in South Korea that cast doubt on K-Pop stars, K-Pop culture and a male chauvinist and sexist South Korean culture in general, could halt the genre’s recent hugely successful drive into other countries. So says an expose by CNN that looked not only at the scandals involving K-Pop…

BTS Pre-Sale Exceeds 2.6 Million Albums In Just 5 Days

K-Pop superstars BTS have pre-sold more than 2.6 million copies of the album "Map of the Soul: Persona" Set to be released on April 14, the album may be the biggest pre-sale in history, a particualty impressive feat in an era where streaming has surpassed physical sales. BTS hit this…

Multiple Sex Abuse Scandals Rock the Korean Music Industry

In just one week, rampant celebrity sex scandals have managed to destabilize the Korean music industry. Successful K-Pop singer Seungri has been labeled the ‘Great Gatsby’ of Korea thanks to his excessively rich and luxurious lifestyle. Yet, the Korean…

Ready Or Not, K-Pop Is Here To Stay

Just a few short years ago, it seemed unlikely that the K-pop wave would ever truly break on the US, with multiple attempts to break into the market falling short. This all changed with the rise of BTS, bringing K-pop into the American mainstream, and while you still won’t here…

REWIND: The New Music Industry’s Week In Review

In this cycle back through important music industry happenings which occurred over the holidays, we revisit how streaming faired in the fourth quarter, five important music biz predictions for the coming year, the FCC’s suspension of operations, and much more! 2018 On-Demand Music Streams +42%, Paid Streams +50% In Q4…

K-Popnomics: What Indonesia, Other Nations Can Learn From Korean Pop Music Industry

While we in the US have our share of big name pop artists, South Korea has its own share of stadium-filling stars that may be slightly less familiar to an American audience. But as the K-Pop industry continues to grow, other nations would do well to pay attention to what…