Would you rather your faves sell well or chart well? (1 Viewer)

[centen]

Thinking about this today with the fact that Soyeon has the highest charting solo of all the members (I'm Gonna TOESA at #2 on Circle Digital Chart), but the worst sales by a mile. The total sales of all her solos don't break 100K units.

Then you have Yuqi, who is single-handedly a million album seller, but none of her solos have charted (in Korea, to be clear, but since I'm in the Kpop section and i-dle is a Kpop group). (And Miyeon and Minnie in the middle-ish, where both have broken onto the Circle Digital Chart and their albums sell over 100K).

 

[centen]

Personally, I think sell well? We're getting another Yuqi album, and I can't imagine that her selling hand over fist doesn't have something to do with the amount of content we get. (And since she's personally my favorite female soloist, I'd rather have that over breaking the charts.)

But I also can't discount the fact that idols getting viral, unexpectedly well charting songs (EXID's Up & Down, FIFTY FIFTY's Cupid) certainly helps their longevity. But depending on the public whim seems stressful (like Hwasa's songs seeming to range from "it's either #1 or barely a blip"), and doesn't always translate into sales (using Hwasa again, her most recent album sold less than 20K).

 

[HugeBakkaeMotae]

Just theorizing since I don't know I-dle that well but might it not be Yuqi's popularity in China that makes her sell so well even if she isn't charting in Korea? It's a huge market.

Personally I think that charting would be more meaningful since it'd make the song feel more beloved while sales are more about promotion and popularity.

A lot of famous art did poorly at first but had a resurgence later on so having a unique song that can stand the test of time is important for legacy while a lot of generic summer hits sold well and were promptly forgotten.

Of course making money is nice and it's not like you're unappreciated if you're selling well but I think the question of preference ultimately boils down to whether you want to prioritize commercial success or critical success.

 

[centen]

Just theorizing since I don't know I-dle that well but might it not be Yuqi's popularity in China that makes her sell so well even if she isn't charting in Korea? It's a huge market.

Oh, absolutely. I was just using i-dle as an example, since it was Soyeon's song that triggered the question.

 

[HyuneSuga]

Sell I guess

My faves do well they just never chart

 

[ChiaraStar169]

sell well, ig? lol haven't really thought about it before.

 

[Selfmate]

sell since it generally indicates more of a fandom (yes I know there are mass buyers) which then correlates better with touring

 

[Somnia]

I'd also prefer sell over charting. In the end sales will net in more revenue for the group/company = longer existing of both, whereas a chart is just imo a flimsy moment where they may win an award and be viral, but there is no solid way to keep charting. So all in all I'd say sales are better in general so I go with that.