Recent Conflict Possibly Impacting K-pop Group’s Market Performance

Courtesy of Ador

NewJeans, a prominent K-pop girl group, may be feeling the effects of a recent dispute between Min Hee-jin, the CEO of their label Ador, and Hybe, Ador’s parent company. According to Hanteo Chart, a local market tracking service, NewJeans' latest two-lead single album “How Sweet,” released on May 24, sold 884,717 copies in its first week. This figure rose to 1.03 million by June 5. These numbers are considerably lower than those for their previous album “Get Up,” which sold 1.65 million copies in its first week and 2.09 million overall in the previous year.

Comparatively, NewJeans' first single album "OMG," released in January 2023, saw over 701,241 copies sold in the first week, almost double the initial sales of their debut album "NewJeans," which sold 310,000 copies in its first week. As of January this year, "OMG" had sold more than 1.64 million copies.
 

▲ NewJeans / Courtesy of AdorIn South Korea, the first week of album sales is often used as an indicator of an artist's popularity and the strength of their fan base. An industry source noted that while it is challenging to compare the sales of a single album to those of a mini-album due to the difference in the number of songs, the decline in physical sales for “How Sweet” is significant. The source suggested that the recent conflict between Min Hee-jin and Hybe could have contributed to this decrease. Min has accused Hybe of boosting album sales for its artists, including global acts like BTS and Seventeen, through marketing strategies involving tie-in sales and photo cards.

On digital platforms, NewJeans’ new lead single “How Sweet” reached a peak position of 75th on Spotify’s Daily Chart and 16th on Apple Music’s Top 100 Global. These rankings are notably lower than the positions achieved by their previous hits “Super Shy” and “ETA,” which consistently placed within the Top 10 on both domestic and international charts.

Music critic Lim Hee-yun pointed out that NewJeans’ fan base might differ from those of other popular K-pop groups, as it consists largely of casual listeners who may not feel compelled to purchase every new release. Lim suggested that the ongoing dispute between Ador and Hybe could also have negatively affected the group’s recent album sales. He added that unlike their past releases, which dominated music charts for extended periods, “How Sweet” failed to secure top positions, being outperformed by asepa’s latest release.

Sayart 

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