K-Pop Apocalypse Averted: Concerts to the Rescue! (Bears. Beets. Blackpink.)

False. Album Sales ARE NOT Dead (Yet)!

As Assistant Regional Manager (and volunteer Sheriff's Deputy) of Schrute Farms I Dwight K. Schrute take this news with a grain of beet flavored salt. Yes apparently album sales are down – down I say! – threatening the very fabric of K pop society. It's like the time Michael Scott thought he could survive in the wilderness with only a tiny knife and a dream. Disastrous. But fear not! The K pop industry much like a beet is resilient earthy and surprisingly profitable because get this they're leaning into CONCERTS.

Blackpink to the Rescue!

Blackpink a group so popular they could probably sell ice to an Eskimo is leading the charge. Their new tour "Deadline," is projected to rake in $440 million! That's more than my entire beet farm could produce in oh I don't know a millennium! They're like the volunteer Sheriff's Deputies of the K pop world stepping up when no one else will. Meanwhile agencies are selling merchandise at these concerts as well with profit margins reaching a whopping 50%! It's like Mose selling handmade scarecrows at a premium – pure genius.

The Big Four and Their Beet Like Resilience

The "Big Four" – Hybe SM JYP and YG – publicly listed companies are the cornerstones of this industry. They're adapting. Hybe for instance saw concert revenue surpass album sales in the first quarter of 2025! It's a strategic pivot worthy of Sun Tzu. "All warfare is based on deception," and in this case the deception is making you think you're just going to a concert when in reality you're funding their entire empire. Brilliant!

Seventeen: Proof that K Pop is Beet Juice for the Soul!

Seventeen (managed by Hybe subsidiary Pledis Entertainment) is a boy band. They essentially doubled their midyear gross for the second consecutive year thanks to their Right Here world tour! They pulled in $120.9 million with an attendance of 842,000! That is more people than I have met in my entire life! And they are defying the broader downtrend in global concert trends. It's like when Michael declared bankruptcy. I did not believe him.

Warning: K Pop Stocks Are Soaring! (Except JYP... Sad!)

K pop stocks are going through the roof! Everyone is making money hand over fist except JYP. Their concert revenue and profit have dropped which they blame on a lack of large scale concerts. The situation reminds me of when I was selling paper to Jan Levinson at a low price only to find out she was using me to undermine Michael. Fools! They should have been selling beets! Regardless investors are concerned about contract renewals and military service for the boys in Stray Kids. That sounds like a potential disaster. I hope they know how to defend themselves.

Mega IPs: The Key to K Pop Domination

Goldman Sachs believes the key to success is "Mega IPs" – groups that can attract over 1.5 million audience members per tour. That means world domination. Also that means being popular in the West. Hybe is poised to continue its dominance but the future of YG hinges on the success of Babymonster. Remember "Whenever I'm about to do something I think 'Would an idiot do that?' And if they would I do not do that thing." JYP really needs to think about that.