3 days ago
K-Pop's Live Touring Boom 2025: SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, BLACKPINK
Joshua Hong, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Dino, Woozi, Vernon of Seventeen ... More performs at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)
K-pop's global momentum isn't just confined to chart-topping hits and massive album sales this year: it's on full display under the bright lights of arenas and stadiums worldwide with new milestones hit by the likes ofSEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS' J-Hope,TVXQ!, BABYMONSTER and more.
Following the latest reports on midyear tour figures, the K-pop industry's touring business has surpassed previous milestones with entertainment agencies leaning more heavily on live-performance revenue as we near the second half of 2025. It marks an apparent shift in K-pop, transitioning from being dependent on album sales to concert-fueled growth, with the trend unlikely to swing back as the rest of the year promises more prominent shows on the way.
Billboard's midyear Boxscore report revealed that SEVENTEEN firmly established themselves as a world-class live act. Based on the reported touring data from October 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025, the boy band earned a staggering $120.9 million in gross revenue with 842,000 tickets sold during the period. Before celebrating their 10th anniversary in May, the stars secured the Number 3 spot on Billboard Boxscore's all-genre midyear list — only slightly behind Coldplay and Shakira, who are on massive stadium tours of their own with that have grossed a respective $142.1 million and $130 million. Remarkably, SEVENTEEN essentially doubled its midyear gross for the second consecutive year, jumping from $30 million in 2023 to $67.5 million in 2024.
SEVENTEEN's third-place finish marks the highest ranking ever achieved by a Korean act in Billboard Boxscore's midyear tally, surpassing BTS' previous Number 4 midyear placement from 2022.
But SEVENTEEN wasn't the lone live phenomenon. Five K-pop acts made the all-genre Top 50 ranking for Billboard Boxscore, up from three in 2023 and two in 2022.
Fellow boy band ATEEZ, as well as J-Hope of BTS, follow SEVENTEEN with $28.4 million and $28.1 million grossed, respectively, with J-Hope noted as the first K-pop soloist ever to land on the midyear overall Top Tours chart. Rounding out this top five are ENHYPEN and Tomorrow X Together, grossing $25.6 million and $25.1 million, respectively.
Overall, K-pop acts on the midyear Top Tours chart generated $228 million while selling 1.6 million tickets from 78 reported shows. Billboard reports that the scene's 2025 showing is a 79% increase over the 2024 total, which had already jumped 93% from 2023. In just two years' time, K-pop's presence on the midyear Boxscore has more than tripled.
All artists appear for SMTOWN Live 2025 in Los Angeles, California
These touring triumphs highlight a strategic pivot among South Korea's entertainment giants.
As the industry's reliably massive album sales have softened, live performances have become the primary driver of growth. Major players, including HYBE, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment, reported first-quarter revenue surges, primarily driven by concert earnings.
Check out a breakdown of the year-over-year first-quarter numbers for each of the 'big four' Korean-pop agencies below, with data provided by The Chosun Daily.
Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. of Stray Kids perform at the ... More 2024 Billboard Music Awards. (Photo by JYP Entertainment/Penske Media via Getty Images)
With still a month to go until July, the remainder of 2025 appears to be shaping up as a landmark period for further live and touring growth.
As further evidence, HYBE CEO Park Jiwon noted in a recent earnings call that the conglomerate has more than 150 concerts confirmed for 2025 from its artists, with additional announcements to follow. 'Both the scale and audience size will expand further in the second half,' Park said, per Chosun Daily.
Once again, peep the 2025 preview for the four major agencies.
With unprecedented midyear grosses and Korean agencies realigning and diverting resources toward lucrative global tours, the K-pop industry's blockbuster second half indicates its revenue mix is likely shifting even more toward live performances and, with that, setting new records around the world.
