BTS favorability among US fans hits record high: Luminate data

BTS has achieved unprecedented levels of popularity and recognition among American music enthusiasts, as revealed by recent data from Luminate, a leading music data and analytics company. The group's fifth studio album demonstrated the highest vinyl sales of any K-pop act since Luminate initiated tracking album sales in 1991. Luminate's second-quarter survey of U.S. music consumers found BTS awareness at 42 percent, edging close to the group's record high of 43 percent, which was recorded in the third quarter of the previous year.

This figure represents an 18 percentage point increase over the 24 percent average awareness seen across all artists Luminate tracks, and roughly four times the 11 percent average among the 22 K-pop acts surveyed by the company.

Awareness of BTS varied among age groups, with 43 percent of 13-to-17-year-olds, and 59 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds recognizing the group, with over half of individuals aged 18 to 34 identifying BTS. Favorability, measured among those who were aware of BTS, reached 46 percent, marking the highest level since Luminate began monitoring the group in 2021, when the figure stood at 34 percent. Favorability surpassed the 40 percent mark.