K-Pop superstars BTS are bigger and bigger each year, beating each time their previous sales. So far in 2020, they are far and away at the top.
One may wonder if their streams are just as good as their pure sales so let’s review their performances online.
BTS streaming review – the method
Streaming is made up of audio and video streams. Our CSPC methodology includes both to better reflect the real popularity of each track. The main source of data for each avenue is respectively Spotify and YouTube.
Usually, it’s enough to accurately gauge the streaming performances of an artist. It isn’t for a band especially strong in South Korea where Spotify isn’t available.
In order to account for their real popularity in each relevant country, the below sources have been used along with the mentioned ratios that reflect the market share of each area.
Audio Streams
– South Korea : Genie streams * 3.05 (consistent with Gaon streaming numbers)
– Japan : AWA streams * 100/5.5 (AWA has 5.5% of the Japanese streaming market)
– Elsewhere : Spotify streams * (370 – 8.5 – 9.5 – 33 – 9) / 207 (370 million global subscribers minus 8.5 million from South Korea minus 9.5 million from Japan minus 33 million from China divided by the number of Spotify only users minus 9 million more Asian users) + Genie streams * 3.05 (uses Genie rather than Spotify to extrapolate markets like Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam)
Video Streams
– China* : Xiami streams * 125/6.5 (Xiami has just over 5% of the Chinese streaming market)
– Elsewhere : Youtube views
*since 96.4% of Chinese streaming platforms are free users, that paid-for users pay less than $2 a month and that they are also used as video streaming platforms, their streams are weighted in par with YouTube streams.
Audio Stream value – 1500 plays equal 1 album unit
Video Stream value – 11,750 views equal 1 album unit
Equivalent Albums Sales (EAS) = ( Spotify * 310/207 + Genie * 3.05*2 + AWA * 100/5.5 ) / 1500 + ( Xiami * 125/6.5 + YouTube ) / 11750
BTS streaming review – the results
Total: 21,407,711 EAS
BTS most streamed tracks (EAS)
1. Boy with Luv [Map of the Soul: Persona] – 1,129,000
2. DNA [Love Yourself: Her] – 805,000
3. Fake Love [Love Yourself: Tear] – 803,000
4. Spring Day [Wings] – 692,000
5. Idol [Love Yourself: Answer] – 671,000
6. MIC Drop [Love Yourself: Her] – 627,000
7. Blood Sweat & Tears [Wings] – 614,000
8. Make It Right [Map of the Soul: Persona] – 434,000
9. On [Map of the Soul: 7] – 413,000
10. Fire [Orphan] – 397,000
11. I Need U [The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Pt. 1] – 360,000
12. Go Go [Love Yourself: Her] – 352,000
13. Dope [The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Pt. 1] – 316,000
14. The Truth Untold [Love Yourself: Tear] – 302,000
15. Black Swan [Map of the Soul: 7] – 297,000
16. Not Today [Wings] – 294,000
17. Save Me [Orphan] – 292,000
18. Mikrokosmos [Map of the Soul: Persona] – 282,000
19. Anpanman [Love Yourself: Tear] – 261,000
20. Run [The Most Beautiful Moment In Life, Pt. 2] – 260,000
Sources: Spotify, YouTube, AWA (app), Xiami, Genie.
Hello, I was wondering where do you got exactly those Youtube streaming numbers. I’m sure it wasn’t from the MV alone
Counting the entirety of China’s streams as visual streams with a 11,750 = 1 unit ratio completely undermines the market. Also using Xiami of all services to extrapolate China’s stats can be absolutely misleading. That app is so tiny compared to others that it makes the overall numbers completely off and inaccurate. There’s nothing you can do to have a more accurate picture of China’s streaming stats? Also, what about China’s digital sales? Will you eventually count them? Map Of The Soul: Persona sold particularly well in China, especially on NetEase. The only international artist that can easily outdo the… Read more »
im wondering the same thing, by counting them as visual streams with such a different rate than normal audio streams it really brings BTS’s numbers down
Hi “John”!
It’s funny that you are wondering the same thing of Samsas with the same IP 🙂
It’s your 7th account after:
– Foxie
– Darius
– Yin
– Albus
– Gorge
– Samsas
Basically, 90% of the time someone whines about Taylor’s figures not being high enough it’s you under another account. But hey! You ain’t a fanatic 🙂
How about QQ Music streaming app? Is that also counted in China streams since I heard its the largest streaming platform there.
Hi, I’m wondering why you used Soribada for korean streams instead of genie which is higher. Also will u ever include All of Gaons streaming and download numbers? And BTS release most of their music in China on Netease. Thanks for putting these numbers together I would like to know if u plan on updating the numbers to include these platforms anytime u get a chance. Thx!
Yes, we used Soribada instead of Genie in this article because we wasn’t aware that Genie shared their numbers at the time, but Genie will be used instead from now on with every artist. Although the change shouldn’t really make much of a difference. If you have links to the NetEase sales of these records we would love to include them in their next update which definitely will happen at some point since they are still selling like crazy.
Seeing as BTS is from SK wouldn’t it make sense to use Spotify over Genie to estimate SEA.
By doing geniex3.05 for Korea and then geniex3.05 again it feels like double counting.
I mean I’m from malaysia haha and the majority of people here use Spotify or joox, a select few use AM nobody uses genie.
Hi Fanofpop!
The fact that Genie is used to extrapolate streams from several Asian markets doesn’t mean this platform itself is used on them, just that it’s a closer reflection of what’s streamed in the region. Using Spotify for Malaysia or Taiwan would for example suggest that Drake or Bad Bunny are streamed like crazy there, which isn’t true obviously. Joox is the main platform that we try to reflect and the hypothesis is that popular artists on it are certainly closer to stronger artists on Genie than on Spotify.
No I meant stuff like Spotify malaysia or Spotify Thailand or Spotify Vietnam rather than Spotify as a whole.
If anything we’re culturally and ethnically closer to China than Korea haha. Like kpop is big but so is local music and western music and Chinese music. Kpop doesn’t dominate at all as a genre although BTS is huge.
Hi “MJD”
Thankyou for your reviews but your recent Little Mix review looks like you wrote with a bias?
Is it really professional to write like that on a platform where fans are getting misdirected because of the way you wrote, even though your numbers might be genuine?
Like, nothing serious, but a lot of misguided people are claiming LM to be fraud and using this site at a reference, when they don’t actually understand what you said about the data charts, but they understood that LM can be “beaten by a lot of other groups”.
For South Korea streams you should use Genie streams https://www.genie.co.kr/detail/songInfo?xgnm=88773173
They are awesome. I’m not a Kpop fan but What they are doing is memorable.
Do BLACKPINK’s Streaming Masters please