[K Changers]⑪ 'Idol' Grows 580 Times in Initial Sales Over 5 Years

Album First-Week Sales Soar 580 Times in 5 Years
Distinctive Style with Self-Produced Debut Album
'Jacon' Helps Expand Domestic and International Fandom

5 years ago, 2,000 copies; this year, 1.16 million copies. This is the first-week album sales record of the girl group ‘(G)I-DLE’. Simply put, their album sales have grown 580 times in 5 years. Considering that the sales of the top 400 albums increased from 24.6 million to 80.74 million copies, about threefold during the same period, this is an incredible achievement. It is a symbolic indicator showing that (G)I-DLE has risen to the top tier of K-pop idols.

Children's performance photo (Photo by Cube)

(G)I-DLE is an idol group that has grown with a unique success formula. Now in their 6th year since debut, leader Jeon So-yeon has served as the overall producer for all their albums, from their debut album to the mini-album released last month. As of the 11th, their title track “Queencard,” which is number one on Melon, along with the title tracks of their last three albums, all ranked first on domestic music charts. Their global popularity is also rising. Through this album, they achieved their highest ranking on the Billboard main chart, the ‘Billboard 200,’ placing 41st. This is significant as it was accomplished without going through a major American record label. This success is attributed to their musicality, which has received critical acclaim. (G)I-DLE will also embark on a ‘World Tour’ starting in Seoul on the 17th, visiting 10 cities across North America, Europe, and Asia.

(G)I-DLE’s agency is Cube Entertainment. Thanks to (G)I-DLE’s success, Cube posted sales of 120.6 billion KRW and operating profit of 6.9 billion KRW last year. In 2021, sales were 71.9 billion KRW and operating profit was 1.1 billion KRW. This represents growth of 67% and 520%, respectively. Compared to 2018, the year (G)I-DLE debuted (sales of 34.5 billion KRW), it is nearly a fourfold increase. Overseas sales have also grown 66% in the past three years. Consequently, Cube’s stock price rose 36% from 15,700 KRW at the close on January 2 to 21,400 KRW as of the 11th. The outlook is positive. Researcher Lee So-jung of Sangsangin Securities said, “As (G)I-DLE’s popularity increases, revenue growth from albums, digital music, and performances has driven external growth,” and forecasted Cube’s sales at 154 billion KRW and operating profit at 13.8 billion KRW this year.

◇(G)I-DLE’s first-week sales grew 580 times in 5 years

Cube’s flagship IP (intellectual property), (G)I-DLE, is a ‘growth-type idol group.’ Their debut album’s first-week sales in 2018 were about 2,000 copies. Their recent album ‘I feel’ recorded first-week sales of 1.16 million copies, ranking 4th all-time among girl groups. There is even a saying that “(G)I-DLE themselves are a genre,” reflecting their unique musical style that captivated the public.

What created (G)I-DLE’s distinctive color is ‘self-producing.’ For the mini-album ‘I Feel,’ all six tracks were written and composed by the members themselves. Cube has a unique culture that emphasizes idols’ producing abilities. The group ‘BEAST’ is a representative example. Yong Jun-hyung once produced all the tracks on an album. BEAST was the first group from an agency outside the ‘Big 3 (SM, YG, JYP)’ to hold a world tour including Europe in 2012, gaining global popularity. (G)I-DLE has continued Cube’s legacy of ‘self-producing’ that was carried on by groups like BTOB and PENTAGON.

Cube selects title tracks through competition between singers and external composers. The debut album’s title track, “Latata,” which Jeon So-yeon wrote and composed, competed against two other songs. At that time, about 100 Cube employees participated in the vote, and “Latata” was finally selected by majority vote. Through “Latata,” (G)I-DLE won first place on music shows just 20 days after debut, earning the nickname ‘monster rookies.’ This competition led to positive results. Last year’s “Tomboy” also ranked second on Melon’s annual chart. Jeon So-yeon, who knows the members better than anyone, distributed parts appropriately to enhance the song’s completeness. She calls the other members ‘gems.’

Company with the ‘largest’ video production team

Idles, who held their first world tour last year (Photo by Cube)

For idols, fandom is crucial. This is because fandom forms the foundation of revenue from album and concert sales, which are core income sources. To expand fandoms, entertainment companies focus on so-called ‘self-content (jacon),’ which refers to reality content capturing idols’ everyday lives. Cube is a company that is serious about self-content. They have 26 staff members dedicated to video production and editing, the largest proportion among all departments.

The video team produces self-content for Cube’s artists including (G)I-DLE, BTOB, PENTAGON, LIGHTSUM, and Jo Kwon. For (G)I-DLE, the five members combined had a total of 974 schedules last year. Among these, a considerable number were self-content. Notably, they have ‘killer content’ rarely seen elsewhere: videos showing behind-the-scenes of recording. Fans can directly watch the producing process, which has garnered millions of views and enthusiastic responses. This content is possible because they are a self-producing group. Even if self-content does not immediately generate revenue, it helps broaden domestic and international fanbases and secures potential customers.