"j-hope hard carrying HYBE" – Fans cheer as the BTS member's global tour helps power record-breaking Q1 sales of over 500 billion KRW for Hybe

HYBE has announced a record first-quarter performance for 2025 with total sales of over 500 billion KRW, a year-on-year increase of 39%. According to South Korean media outlet Sports Chosun, this is impressive as the first quarter is traditionally a slow time for the entertainment industry, with artists resting and gearing up for future projects. The company's growth is nevertheless led by its artists' global tours, including that of BTS's j-hope.

According to a report published by Sports Chosun, j-hope's world tour has been significantly responsible for HYBE's huge sales figures, with live performance revenue increasing immensely. Although album sales have declined marginally compared to last year, the boost in concert-related revenue helped counterbalance this fall, with live performances representing a huge share of total sales.

Looking forward to the second quarter, j-hope remains pivotal in HYBE's success. His solo concert tour for his fans, which is expected to wrap up in June after another release of a member from BTS, Jin's second mini-album ECHO on May 16, is likely to continue to support the company's revenues.

Since HYBE released its record-breaking first-quarter results, fans have been quick to highlight BTS's j-hope as a leading force behind the success. Being the sole soloist featured among the company's touring artists for this quarter, j-hope's contribution has not escaped netizens' notice. His Seoul and North American solo tour has caused widespread online appreciation, with most attributing his contribution as central to the company's impressive performance. One fan wrote,

"j-hope hard carrying hybe, his back must be hurting"

"The way j-hope is the only soloist in the list!!! The successful soloist , JUNG HOSEOK" writes a netizen.

"J-Hope never overcomes accusations of carrying Hybe on his shoulders, I'm afraid" posts an X user.

"Without BTS this conglomerate would be NOTHING I'm not saying this to bash Hybe, it's the pure truth based on irrefutable figures. The combined profits of all other groups cannot in any case be > to BTS! HYBE still doesn't have another high value-added product!" says another fan.

"Gosh!!!! And it only for his Seoul and North American Tour... Curious the detail number for the revenue cz I believe it will be the highest for ksoloist for NA leg tour" reads a comment on X.

With his North American and Seoul shows generating widespread acclaim and commercial impact, social media has been buzzing with reactions praising j-hope’s role in driving record profits. Some fans even expressed frustration over how the revenue is distributed, while others celebrated the achievement as a well-deserved result of his hard work and artistry.

"For example why is this money going to the company, I wish it all went directly to Hoseok's pocket the man's tour broke a record for the company, it's incredible, the company doesn't deserve it at all, please deposit the money to my husband's account otherwise 0 ıq bango will go and feed that money to the sorcerers, damn it" writes this one netizen.

""HYBE achieves highest ever first-quarter revenue, surpassing 500 million won ($370 million)" For an artist who says, "I'm happiest when I'm on stage" and "It feels like home," to be able to captivate audiences one after another and bring in record profits with his concerts is a perfectly reasonable achievement..." posts an individual on X.

"And the best part is that the money stays in the house when you don't do payola" says one X user.

"Wow, Hive achieves the highest first quarter profit in history! Apparently this is the result of Hobby's Waltz exceeding the target value more than expected UriHobi is still stimulating the economy" adds this fan.

HYBE reports record-breaking Q1 2025 revenue, driven by global tours and IP expansion

HYBE declared a notable financial achievement for the first quarter of 2025. According to Sports Chosun this year, some of the HYBE Music Group artists, apart from BTS's j-hope, including SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), ENHYPEN, and BOYNEXTDOOR, held global and solo tours in the quarter and made major contributions to revenue growth. The growth in the number of artists that can hold large-scale world tours was the most significant driver of sales.

Of the total revenue in Q1, sales via direct participation — including album sales, performances, and advertisements — totalled 322.5 billion KRW, or around 64% of the total. While album sales fell modestly from last year, performance income surged to 155.2 billion KRW, a threefold or better increase over the previous year.

This increase represents strong fan demand and good attendance for concerts of HYBE artists globally. Indirect participation sales, such as merchandise (MD), licensing, digital content, and fan club memberships, accounted for 178.1 billion KRW, the remaining 36% of the total revenue. Of these, MD and licensing spearheaded the growth, rising 75% year-over-year to 106.4 billion KRW from 60.7 billion KRW.

Tour merchandise and IP-based character products featuring HYBE Music Group artists, like SEVENTEEN's Mini Teen, TXT's Hool Batu, LE SSERAFIM's Pims Club, and BOYNEXTDOOR's Pnext Do — were most sought after by fans around the world. Operating profit also experienced a good performance in Q1, which stood at 21.6 billion KRW, a 50% growth over the same quarter last year.

In the future, the second quarter will continue this growth trend. Several HYBE artists will be coming back with new album releases and resuming tour activities. BTS member Jin will be releasing his second mini-album Echo on May 16, followed by his first solo fan concert tour in June. SEVENTEEN will celebrate their 10th debut anniversary with a full-length album on May 26, their first in three years.

ENHYPEN, after their Coachella debut, will return with a new album in June. LE SSERAFIM will hold their inaugural world tour, EASY CRAZY HOT, meeting fans in Japan, Asia, and North America. BOYNEXTDOOR will release their fourth mini-album, No Genre, maintaining their positive trend. On the other hand, KATSEYE, an international girl group, will release a new single, Gnarly, on April 30.

The company is also gearing up for the debut of fresh talent. The 7-piece boy group Aoen, which is created by the Japanese Nippon TV survival show Cheering-HIGH Dream START LINE, will make its official debut in Japan on June 11. The group has already drawn attention from domestic fans during the airing of the show.

They have already participated in music and performance production for senior HYBE artists, showcasing strong creative potential before their official debut. With robust fiscal performances in Q1 and an encouraging set of activities scheduled for the rest of the year, HYBE keeps expanding its presence in terms of globalisation of performance and intellectual property-related arenas.

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