HYBE or SM Entertainment? Know Which Agency Gained the Most Album Sales in 2021

HYBE and SM Entertainment were revealed to be the Top 2 leading companies in terms of album sales in 2021. Between them, which agency had the highest sales?

According to Gaon Chart on Jan. 12, the total annual album sales of the Top 400 albums released in 2021 reached 57,089,160 copies, marking a whopping 36.9% increase compared to the previous year's sales (41,707,301 copies).

Portions of these annual album sales belong to the artists of HYBE and SM Entertainment, including the top groups like BTS, EXO, NCT 127, SEVENTEEN, NCT Dream and more.

Want to know which agency recorded the highest combined album sales in South Korea in 2021? Read on!

HYBE's Album Sales in 2021 is the Second-Highest among Companies

Based on the Gaon Year-End Album Chart for 2021, a total of 26 albums by HYBE Labels artists entered the Top 100, and the combined total sales amount is over 15.2 million copies. This accounts for 33.5% of the total sales of the Top 100 albums.

Among the HYBE Labels artists, BTS got the highest album sales with their "Butter" CD, which sold over 2.9 million copies. Not to mention, the "Butter" CD is also the best-selling album in 2021 overall.

ALSO READ: HYBE Labels Artists Dominate Gaon Chart in 2021

Fifteen albums by BTS released in 2020 also made Gaon Chart's annual album chart, with the highest-ranking work being "BE" at No. 10 with 1.04 million copies sold.

SEVENTEEN also contributed to HYBE's album sales in 2021. The 13-member boy group is the HYBE Labels artist with the second-highest album sales last year. Their ninth mini-album "Attacca," which ranked No. 4, sold more than 2.05 million copies. The third best-selling work also belongs to them - their eighth mini-album "Your Choice" sold 1.46 million copies.

READ MORE: BTS' 'Butter,' NCT 127's 'Sticker,' NCT Dream's 'Hot Sauce' and More are the Top 30 Best-Selling Albums of 2021 on the Gaon Chart

TXT comes after SEVENTEEN on the list with "The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE," which ranked No. 14 with 877,917 sales. The album's repackaged version "The Chaos Chapter: FIGHT OR ESCAPE" took the No. 16 spot with 775,121 copies sold.

ENHYPEN also has a portion in HYBE's album sales in 2021. Their second mini-album "BORDER: CARNIVAL," which sold 788,451 copies.

These are just a few of the albums by HYBE Labels artists on the Gaon Year-End Album Chart for 2021.

SM Entertainment's Album Sales in 2021 is the Highest among Companies

As for SM Entertainment, the company sold almost 18 million copies. According to their own tally, the total album sales of the SM artists in 2021 amounted to 17,621,000 copies, doubling the sales of the previous year.

NCT had a significant contribution to SM Entertainment's album sales in 2021. The total album sales of NCT-related albums (albums by NCT as a group and NCT sub-units) reached 10,911,000 copies as of December. Among these albums are NCT 127's "Sticker," which sold over 2.4 million copies, and NCT Dream's "Hot Sauce," which sold over 2.09 million copies.

Meanwhile, NCT's third group album "Universe" recorded more than 1.63 million album sales.

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EXO also sold over one million copies in 2021. EXO's "Don't Fight the Feeling" had over 1.32 million sales. Besides the group album, the members' solo albums made the Gaon Year-End Album Chart for 2021. EXO Baekhyun's "Bambi" sold 996,850 copies, while EXO D.O's "Empathy" sold 380,160 copies and EXO Kai's "Peaches" sold 265,201 copies.

Super Junior, which made their highly-awaited group comeback in March, sold 442,742 copies of their tenth studio album "The Renaissance."

SM Entertainment's album sales in 2021 also include the sales of female artists. aespa's "Savage" sold 574,445 copies, while Red Velvet's "Queendom" sold 363,602 copies.

These are just among the albums by SM artists on the Gaon Year-End Album Chart for 2021.

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Written by Mhaliya Scott