On-demand streams of K-pop songs have increased by more than 40% in the past year, according to a new report.
According to data from a new report by Luminate, a provider of music and entertainment data, the Top 100 K-pop artists globally have accumulated a total of 90.4 billion streams across audio and video services so far this year.
The figure represents a 42.2% increase compared to the same period in 2022, with Japan having the highest number of on-demand streams at 9.7 billion, up from 8.6 billion from the previous year.
The US came in second with 9.2 billion, a significant increase from 6.6 billion in 2022. The remaining Top Five countries in terms of most on-demand streams are Indonesia (7.4 billion), South Korea (7.3 billion), and India (6.2 billion).
In its report, Luminate also analyzed the regional distribution of streams for several top K-pop groups. Notably, girl groups predominantly receive streams from Asia, with NewJeans receiving 67.6% of their streams from the region.
On the other hand, boybands receive more streaming from outside of Asia, with over 60% of Stray Kids listeners originating from Latin America, the US, and Europe.
K-pop phenomenon BTS, meanwhile, experiences a relatively even split between Asia and the rest of the world. Slightly over 50% of their audience listens from Asia, while Europe represents the lowest at 11.4%.
In other K-pop news, BTS‘ V has reassured fans that he is “all good” after a recent stalking incident. His label, Big Hit Music, has also released a statement affirming its “no-tolerance policy to stalking crimes that disturb our artist’s personal life and threaten their safety.”
Meanwhile, Doona! star Bae Suzy has discussed the possibility of retiring from the entertainment industry, stating that it could happen “at any time”.
