BTS's 'Arirang' Tops Billboard 200 for Third Consecutive Week, Setting New Records

BTS's album 'Arirang' has claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart for the third consecutive week.
According to an article published on Billboard's official website on the 13th, BTS's fifth studio album 'Arirang' topped the Billboard 200 chart dated April 18. This marks the first time a group album has held the top position for three consecutive weeks since Mumford & Sons' 'Babel' in 2012, which stayed at No. 1 for a total of five weeks. BTS is the only Korean artist to achieve this milestone on the Billboard 200, further extending their record for the longest-charting Korean act.

Billboard reports that 'Arirang' recorded 124,000 album units this week, with 71,000 being pure album sales (physical and digital purchases). The SEA units (streaming equivalent albums) accounted for 50,000, while the remaining were TEA units (track equivalent albums).

'Arirang' continues to dominate the charts after setting numerous records in its debut week on Billboard. This indicates a transition from a temporary surge to long-term success. Previously, 'Arirang' achieved the highest debut for a group album on the Billboard 200 (April 4) since the introduction of Billboard's unit tracking in December 2014. The album's first-week pure sales (physical and digital) were recorded at 532,000 copies, marking the highest weekly sales for a group album in over a decade.

In its third week, 'Arirang' remains at the top of global charts. It secured the No. 1 spot on Spotify's latest weekly chart (April 3-9) for 'Weekly Top Albums' for three consecutive weeks and reclaimed the top position on Germany's official music chart 'Top 100 Albums' (April 10). In Japan, it ranked second on Oricon's 'Weekly Digital Album Ranking' and 'Weekly Combined Album Ranking,' and third on the 'Weekly Album Ranking.' The album also placed second on France's SNEP 'Top Albums' and Australia's ARIA 'Top 50 Albums,' showcasing its global impact.

This success is translating into a world tour. BTS held the 'BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN GOYANG' at Goyang Stadium on April 9, 11, and 12, meeting 132,000 fans. The tour will continue in Tokyo, North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, spanning 85 shows across 34 cities. This marks the most extensive tour by a Korean artist, setting the stage for BTS to make history in the concert industry.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia Reporter one@tenasia.co.kr