HYBE Sells 6.31 Million Albums in Q4 of Last Year... No. 1 in the Entertainment Industry

 

 
 
Original article: Korea Dutyfree News
 
 
According to an analysis of album sales by major entertainment agencies in the fourth quarter of last year conducted by Meritz Securities, HYBE recorded the highest sales volume.
 
In the Entertainment Monthly (Albums) report releaed on the 12th by Meritz Securities analyst Kim Min-young, HYBE sold a total of 6.317 million albums in Q4 last year (including 279,000 catalog titles), ranking first in the industry. By artist, sales were recorded as follows: &TEAM with 1.354 million, BOYNEXTDOOR with 1.231 million, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) with 740,000, TWS with 785,000, LE SSERAFIM with 590,000, and ILLIT with 376,000.
 
JYP Entertainment ranked second with 4.753 million albums sold (including 179,000 catalog titles). Stray Kids accounted for the largest share with 2.784 million units, followed by NMIXX 678,000, ITZY with 413,000, NEXZ with 360,000.
 
SM Entertainment sold 508,000 albums sold (with no catalog titles). Sales included NCT Dream with 1.018 million, RIIZE with 707,000, Hearts2Hearts with 447,000, and WayV with 205,000.

YG Entertainment sold 688,000 albums (including 33,000 catalog titles). BABYMONSTER accounted for most of the sales with 695,000 units, followed by TREASURE with 66,000, and BLACKPINK with 28,000.

For SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment, discrepancies between company-wide quarterly sales figures and individual artist sales are interpreted as stemming from differences in aggregation criteria.

Although SM Entertainment's total album sales for Q4 2025 were calculated at 508,000 units, the reference figure for NCT DREAM releases issued during the quarter, while the NCT DREAM figure likely includes sales outside the quarter, cumulative sales from previou albums, and overseas editions.

Similarly, YG Entertainment's total quarterly sales were calculated 688,000 units, yet BABYMONSTER's individual sales reached 695,000 units, exceeding the company total. The company figure is based on new releases during the quarter, while BABYMONSTER's number is considered a reference figure that includes sales outside the quarter and cumulative volumes.

The report analyzed that annual sales of the top 400 albums in 2025 were 8.571 million, down 7.5% from the previous year (9.266 million). However, it noted a strong possibility of market recovery in 2026, as comebacks by veteran artists such as BTS, Blackpink, and EXO are scheduled.

The report also cited the increaing first-week sales of mid and lower tenure by groups such as TREASURE, BOYNEXTDOOR, NCT WISH, and &TEAM as positive factors.

Analyst Kim stated, "Despite being a debut album, Cortis recorded cumulative sales of approximately 1.381 million units, making its early performance of localized groups such as NEXZ, NCT WISH, &TEAM, WayV, and Katseye is also positive."

In the Oricon annual album rankings, Stray Kids (3rd Japanese mini album) ranked 5th, &TEAM (1st Korean mini album) ranked 6th, SEVENTEEN (3rd Korean full album) ranked 7th, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (4th Korean full album) ranked 9th, ENHYPEN (6th Korean mini album) ranked 11th, &TEAM (2nd Japanese full album) ranked 12th, and Stray Kids (4th Korean full album) ranked 15th. In the single rankings, ENHYPEN (2nd Japanese full album) placed 8th, while &TEAM (3rd Japanese single) ranked 8th.

The report concluded that localized groups such as &TEAM, INI, and JO1, as well as younger groups that debuted through survival programs, are experiencing rapid growth in the Japanese market.




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