K-pop Physical Album Exports Reach Record US$120 Million in Q1, Taiwan Ranks 5th Globally
In Q1 2026, K-pop physical album exports surged to a record US$120 million, marking a 159% increase year-over-year. Taiwan emerged as the 5th largest market globally, reflecting the expanding global K-pop fandom and a renewed demand for physical albums amidst digital streaming fatigue.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 23:26
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 23:32 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 23:38 (6 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency website, 28th) According to data released today by the Korea Customs Service, K-pop physical album exports reached US$120 million (approximately NT$3.788 billion) in the first quarter of 2026, a significant 159% increase compared to the same period last year. This not only set a new quarterly record but also marked the first time quarterly exports surpassed US$100 million, continuously breaking records since the third quarter of last year.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the growth in K-pop album exports is mainly driven by the continuous expansion of the global K-pop fan base and increasing listener fatigue with digital streaming, which has fueled a resurgence in demand for physical albums.
In terms of export market distribution, the largest market in the first quarter was the United States, accounting for 28%, surpassing last year's top market, Japan (25.3%). Following were the European Union (16.5%), China (14.4%), and Taiwan, which accounted for 6.9%.
On the other hand, entertainment industry data analytics company Luminate, in its "2025 Year-End Music Report" released earlier this year, assessed the music export capabilities of various countries based on four indicators: global streaming performance of artists from that country, the number of countries listening to that country's music, the scale of streaming in listening countries, and the number of artists reaching international audiences.
The report showed that South Korea ranked 4th in global export capability, trailing only the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. In this evaluation, Taiwan was one of the most significant listening countries for Korean music, ranking first.
Notably, the report also pointed out that Taiwan is the market in Asia most willing to listen to regional music, with 45.7% of foreign music listened to by Taiwanese audiences coming from Asian countries like Korea and Japan. (Editor: Wang Jia-Yu) 1150428
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(Central News Agency website, 28th) According to data released today by the Korea Customs Service, K-pop physical album exports reached US$120 million (approximately NT$3.788 billion) in the first quarter of 2026, a significant 159% increase compared to the same period last year. This not only set a new quarterly record but also marked the first time quarterly exports surpassed US$100 million, continuously breaking records since the third quarter of last year.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the growth in K-pop album exports is mainly driven by the continuous expansion of the global K-pop fan base and increasing listener fatigue with digital streaming, which has fueled a resurgence in demand for physical albums.
In terms of export market distribution, the largest market in the first quarter was the United States, accounting for 28%, surpassing last year's top market, Japan (25.3%). Following were the European Union (16.5%), China (14.4%), and Taiwan, which accounted for 6.9%.
On the other hand, entertainment industry data analytics company Luminate, in its "2025 Year-End Music Report" released earlier this year, assessed the music export capabilities of various countries based on four indicators: global streaming performance of artists from that country, the number of countries listening to that country's music, the scale of streaming in listening countries, and the number of artists reaching international audiences.
The report showed that South Korea ranked 4th in global export capability, trailing only the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. In this evaluation, Taiwan was one of the most significant listening countries for Korean music, ranking first.
Notably, the report also pointed out that Taiwan is the market in Asia most willing to listen to regional music, with 45.7% of foreign music listened to by Taiwanese audiences coming from Asian countries like Korea and Japan. (Editor: Wang Jia-Yu) 1150428
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The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.