BTS notch sixth No. 1 album on Billboard 200 chart with Proof

NEW YORK • On June 10, K-pop powerhouse BTS released a three-disc compilation album, Proof.

It was sure to be a hit, and this week, it opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, with the equivalent of 314,000 sales in the United States, according to tracking service Luminate.

It is the group's sixth album to top the Billboard chart.

BTS' importance to Hybe, the South Korean entertainment company behind the seven-man group, was underscored when the band announced four days later that they were taking a break for the members to focus on solo projects.

The next day, Hybe's stock price dropped 28 per cent, trimming US$1.7 billion (S$2.36 billion) market value from the company. Since then, the share price has improved slightly.

BTS account for nearly a third of Hybe's sales in the US, according to company disclosures, and as recently as 2020, nearly 90 per cent of Hybe's revenues were related to BTS and their music.

That was before Hybe bought Ithaca Holdings, the company led by American music executive Scooter Braun, the manager of singers Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, in a deal that was reported be worth as much as US$1 billion.

BTS' effect is not limited to their management company's account books.

Last month, the band spoke at the White House against anti-Asian hate crimes and were hosted by US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.

Fans worldwide, who act as the band's indomitable cheerleaders under the collective name Army, swarmed social media to commiserate and discuss the announcement.

The success of Proof followed a marketing playbook that has become standard for K-pop groups, with fans rushing to buy collectible releases in physical formats.

Of the 314,000 "equivalent" sales for the album - a figure that incorporates physical sales, downloads and streams - 259,000 were for CD versions, which sold for as much as US$70.

The 48-track CD version includes 13 songs not available for streaming or download. Besides CD sales, the album sold 6,500 copies as digital downloads and had 53 million streams.

Also this week, Puerto Rican singer-rapper Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti fell to No. 2 and English singer Harry Styles' Harry's House was No. 3.

American rapper Post Malone's Twelve Carat Toothache dropped two spots to No. 4 in its second week out, and American rapper Future's I Never Liked You came in at No. 5.

Canadian rapper Drake's surprise LP, Honestly, Nevermind, released last Friday, is likely to open at No. 1 on next week's chart.

NYTIMES