Stray Kids, Enhypen, TXT, Twice stand strong on Luminate's album sales chart

Expert points to unique relationship between K-pop artists and fans as well as agencies' strategies

Stray Kids (JYP Entertainment)
Stray Kids (JYP Entertainment)

Despite the dominance of streaming in today’s music landscape, K-pop albums continued to secure a remarkable position in global physical sales last year.

According to the 2024 Year-End Music Report released by Luminate, which provides in-depth analysis and data on the music and entertainment industry, seven of the top 10 bestselling CDs in the US were K-pop albums. This mirrors the trend from 2023 when K-pop also claimed seven spots in the top 10.

Stray Kids landed at No. 2 with its ninth mini album "Ate," selling 442,000 copies. The group's most recent album "Hop," also made a strong showing with 248,000 copies sold, placing fifth on the chart.

Enhypen’s second studio album "Romance: Untold" placed No. 3 with 363,000 copies sold. Ateez’s dual-release series "Golden Hour: Part.1" and "Golden Hour: Part.2" landed in fourth and seventh place, respectively, selling 250,000 and 225,000 copies.

TXT's sixth mini album "Minisode 3: Tomorrow" ranked sixth with 240,000 copies sold, while Twice’s "With YOU-th" claimed the ninth spot with 174,000 copies.

At the top of the chart was Taylor Swift’s "The Tortured Poets Department," which outpaced all competitors with over 1.5 million copies sold.

In the combined sales ranking, which includes physical albums, vinyl LPs, cassettes and digital download album sales, K-pop maintained a strong presence. Stray Kids’ "Ate" ranked sixth with 449,000 total sales, while Enhypen’s "Romance: Untold" claimed eighth with 378,000 total sales.

“In an era where all music is readily available online, purchasing physical albums even seems like an unusual act,” said pop culture critic Lim Hee-yun, emphasizing that the dominance of K-pop in physical album sales stems from the unique relationship between K-pop artists and their fans.

“K-pop fandoms are distinct from those of other genres due to their high loyalty and deep affection for their favorite artists,” Lim explained. "Fans often feel it is essential to own the albums of the artists they love."

Lim also pointed out that K-pop agencies' strategies have played a huge role in the phenomenon. “The inclusion of must-have elements in K-pop albums — such as photo books, photo cards and fan event entry tickets — further fuels fans' album purchases.”