NewJeans’ Album Sales Drop by Half: Impact of HYBE-ADOR Conflict?

On June 4, media outlet Edaily confirmed through Hanteo Chart data that NewJeans’ latest single “How Sweet”sold 884,717 copies in its first week after its release on the 24th of last month. This marks a 46.3% decrease in sales compared to their previous mini-album “Get Up,”which had sold 1,650,181 copies in July of last year.

The release of the single “How Sweet”garnered considerable attention in the industry due to the ongoing management dispute between ADOR’s CEO Min Hee-jin and HYBE. The single features the new songs “How Sweet”and “Bubble Gum,”as well as instrumental versions of both tracks.

During its initial day of release, “How Sweet” sold an impressive 810,000 copies, indicating that it had the potential to reach the million-seller mark. Yet, by the second day, daily sales significantly decreased, with only approximately 70,000 additional copies sold for the remainder of the first week. As of June 3, the total number of copies sold had reached 891,179.

Despite the apparent growth in the K-pop album market, there has been a recent setback. The hiatus of NewJeans, who had not released new albums, resulted in other groups experiencing a decline in sales compared to their previous works, preventing them from reaching new career milestones.

It is worth noting that this decrease in sales was apparent towards the end of the previous year and the beginning of the current year. Experts in the industry attributed this dip to fan exhaustion following years of fierce rivalry.

Despite NewJeans’ new release only selling 880,000 copies in its initial sales, there are worries that the ongoing management dispute has had a negative impact on the unity of the girl group’s fanbase, which may have led to the decrease in sales.

According to an industry insider, the disunity within HYBE may have affected the solidarity of the fandom, but it is challenging to determine the specific reason for the decrease in sales during this transitional period of the music market. Further observation of the overall sales trend is necessary.

In the digital music domain, NewJeans continues to excel. Their songs “How Sweet”and “Bubble Gum”hold strong positions on major charts such as Melon, Bugs, and Flo, ranking 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The original source can be found at Daum.