NewJeans' Get Up clears 1.65M, but 1.61M copies sit in stock

The core issue surrounding NewJeans' second EP 'Get Up' is not poor album sales. This album sold over 1.65 million copies in its first week and even reached the top of the US Billboard 200.

The real point of contention is that the plan to produce 3.5 million copies was released alongside the figure of approximately 1.61 million copies remaining in stock. This has brought both the K-pop industry's method of producing massive quantities to maximize performance and the burden of managing leftover stock under scrutiny.

'Get Up' Surpasses 1.65 Million Copies in First Week

'Get Up' is the second EP from NewJeans, released on July 21, 2023. A six-track album featuring 'Super Shy', 'ETA', and 'Cool With You', it sold around 1.2 million copies on its first day, with first-week sales exceeding 1.65 million copies.

As this work followed the debut album 'New Jeans' and the single 'OMG', which sequentially expanded their sales scale, the reasoning for anticipating high demand during the production stage was clear.

3.5 Million Production Plan and Approximately 1.61 Million in Stock

The problem lies in the fact that some predictions hit the mark while others missed. A response released in 2024 revealed that the production volume for 'Get Up' was set at 3.5 million copies, after which approximately 1.61 million copies remained as stock.

Distribution volume in Japan also increased from the initially mentioned 90,000 range to 150,000, with some of that reported to be remaining stock in the local market. Rather than saying the album failed, it is more accurate to say that the production volume, aimed at capturing even greater success, outpaced the actual speed of the market.

Bag-type Packages Increase Storage Burden

'Get Up' was not an album sold only as a standard single CD. Based on Weverse Shop, various versions were sold, including the Bunny Beach Bag version, The Powerpuff Girls collaboration box version, and Weverse Albums versions.

While such configurations appeal to the desire for collection among K-pop fans, they also increase production costs and storage burdens for the company. In particular, bulky products like bag-type packages create costs beyond mere numbers when they remain unsold.

First-week sales are an indicator that quickly demonstrates the strength of a fandom. Therefore, agencies set production volumes by looking at pre-orders, fan events, and overseas distribution orders before release. However, this method can lead to larger errors when the market is particularly hot.

Even for teams with strong fandoms, not all versions sell at the same speed across all regions. Even for a team like NewJeans, which possesses both public popularity and a strong fandom, the number of copies sold and the number of copies remaining must be viewed separately.

These figures are unlikely to serve as grounds for diminishing NewJeans' popularity. 'Get Up' has already achieved results on domestic and international charts, and the fact that NewJeans rose to the global market in a short period remains unchanged. However, if a new album is released, attention will be paid not only to sales volume but also to production quantity, the number of versions, package size, overseas distribution orders, and actual sales speed.