Hmm, surprised Blackpink isn't on that list. I guess all those YouTube views really don't mean shit if they aren't releasing albums.
And it still feels weird that Twice is so popular but none of the members really stand out cause they don't promote solo.
We had this discussion before, but yes, Blackpink gets a ton of views, but their sales aren't up at the top. And girl group sales are generally below boy group sales overall.
Hanteo Sales for 2019
Note the difference between
Gaon Digital and
Gaon Physical. On the digital, you get a wider variety artists on the digital, like M.C. the MAx, Haeun, and Paul Kim, but you also see more female artists, like Chungha at the top, Jennie and ITZY. Jump to physical album sales and BAM, Seventeen shoots to the top, with no one really catching them yet. Monsta X at #2, TXT #3, Astro at #4, and Taemin at #5. First female artist is Gfriend at #9. Also, BTS albums are perennial at this point, while EXO has several Platinums, they don't get the ongoing sales of old albums BTS is. This is probably because Gaon covers international sales, and BTs is consistently gaining international fans buying their back catalog.
