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K-pop’s vinyl market accelerates
K-pop vinyl sales reached 937,173 copies in the first half of this year, approaching 1 million in just six months, according to data released by South Korea’s Circle Chart on the 27th.
That total was 1.7 times the industry’s full-year vinyl sales in 2025. Annual sales had already been rising, from 424,073 copies in 2023 to 471,781 in 2024 and 548,977 in 2025.
BTS, ATEEZ, LE SSERAFIM, aespa and Yeonjun of Tomorrow X Together, commonly known as TXT, have released albums on vinyl this year. TWICE and Lisa of BLACKPINK are also expected to issue new vinyl releases before the end of the year.
An entertainment company representative said the analog character of music played on a turntable can offer listeners something distinctive even as digital audio technology advances. The format appeals both to fans of classical and retro music and to K-pop fans seeking more ways to collect physical editions, the representative said.
BTS sets a U.S. group record
BTS released its fifth album, “ARIRANG,” in multiple vinyl editions featuring group and individual member photographs. When the member-specific covers are placed together, they form the Big Dipper, a symbol associated with the group.
The album sold 208,000 vinyl copies in the United States during its first week, according to music data company Luminate. That was the sixth-highest weekly vinyl sales total for any artist since tracking began in 1991 and the highest ever for a group, Luminate said.
Vinyl accounted for 40% of the album’s total first-week U.S. sales and helped propel “ARIRANG” to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Luminate data also suggests room for K-pop labels to expand their vinyl offerings in the American market. The top 10 K-pop physical albums averaged 23.6 CD editions but only 2.6 vinyl editions. By comparison, the top 10 U.S. pop physical albums averaged 9.5 CD editions and 9.6 vinyl editions, reflecting vinyl’s position alongside CDs as a major format in the American pop business.
Collectors drive demand, but growth may be uneven
Another industry representative said a growing number of K-pop fans identify as collectors, linking vinyl purchases to strong loyalty toward artists and a desire to own related merchandise. The longer-term goal, the representative said, should be for performers to be seen as artists worth collecting rather than simply using vinyl to increase album sales.
Industry observers cautioned, however, that the sharp increase may depend heavily on releases by a small number of popular groups. Sales could fluctuate significantly depending on which acts issue new albums.
Kim Young-hyuk, head of Gimbap Records, a prominent Seoul record store, said South Korea’s vinyl market may have been strongest during the COVID-19 pandemic, when concerts disappeared and consumers spent more on records. He said excess demand and speculation created by resellers during that period are gradually fading, allowing products to reach buyers who genuinely want them.
Young fans now must divide their spending among concerts, merchandise and records, while inflation has pushed up average vinyl prices, Kim said. With a market established and more consumers owning playback equipment, he said future growth may depend on how actively major entertainment companies and artists embrace the format.
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