Major foreign media outlets are publishing a stream of articles highlighting BTS and the K-pop industry's immense influence, coinciding with the group's comeback.
The Wall Street Journal reported from Seoul on Tuesday that BTS's comeback concerts will demonstrate how profitable the music industry can become in the era of "super fans."
"BTS's strong bond with its passionate fandom is a new role model for the global music industry seeking sustained growth beyond simple music consumption," WSJ assessed. The newspaper cited diversified revenue streams including extensive merchandise sales, 360-degree stadium seating, and Netflix broadcasting of comeback concerts.
As a vivid example, WSJ introduced Josenhill Flores, a Filipino fan who spent approximately 1.95 million won ($1,400) at a BTS comeback pop-up store in Seoul. Holding shopping bags filled with album sets, posters, and hoodies, Flores told WSJ: "I grabbed everything I saw because I was afraid it would sell out."
The article also detailed K-pop's unique fandom business model that encourages fans to continuously purchase new versions of light sticks and buy multiple copies of the same album to collect photocards.
K-pop's Largest 'Arirang' World Tour: "Could Exceed Taylor Swift's Revenue"
WSJ projected that BTS's "Arirang" world tour—the largest in K-pop history—will test the limits of fan spending.
Starting with concerts at Goyang Stadium on July 9, 11, and 12, BTS will embark on a massive 82-show world tour across 34 cities.
The newspaper highlighted BTS's strategic tour approach. The "residency" format of multiple shows in the same city significantly reduces travel costs for artists and staff while drawing fans to venues. The group also adopted a "360-degree view" system with center-stage placement, selling all seats without obstructed views. Granting ticket presale access exclusively to paid members of fan platform Weverse was noted as another key revenue strategy.
Industry experts told WSJ: "This BTS tour has roughly half the total shows of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, but revenue per show could match or even exceed it."
NYT Focuses on 'Return of the King' Amid K-pop Crisis Concerns
The New York Times also covered the megastar's return from Seoul the same day, focusing more on significant changes and concerns in the K-pop landscape during BTS's four-year military service absence.
NYT noted industry shifts during BTS's hiatus, including the Netflix animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters" gaining popularity and new global K-pop stars rising rapidly. Frankie Yaptinchay, Amazon Music's head of external affairs, told NYT: "K-pop is still positioned strongly across the globe," adding that "when the big dogs rejoin the scene, it brings more public attention to the genre as a whole, benefiting everyone in the industry."
However, not all outlooks are rosy. Pop music critic Lim Hee-yoon said: "The next generation of K-pop stars has yet to reach BTS's overwhelming level of influence. The industry has already begun worrying whether the K-pop phenomenon itself is entering a decline."
The psychological pressure from the long hiatus is another variable. Music journalist Tamar Herman noted on her blog that BTS hasn't properly toured as a complete group since 2019, when they sold nearly 1.6 million tickets worldwide.
"The passionate core fandom remains solid, but casual K-pop fans tend to scatter and seek new artists when a group goes on hiatus," Herman said. "BTS will likely feel considerable pressure from this long-awaited return."
NYT emphasized: "Not only the ARMY fandom but the entire music industry is closely watching BTS's comeback results," underscoring the global attention on the group's trajectory.
