▲ K-pop boy group BTS speaks during the second and final show of its two-night concert in Busan

 

SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) -- As concert tours in the United States are increasingly being downsized or canceled amid soaring living costs, BTS has emerged as a rare exception, with its North American and European shows selling out one after another.

 

According to the music industry on Friday, Forbes last month highlighted the downturn in the live entertainment market in an article, titled "Blue Dot Fever Is Infecting Musicians."

 

The term refers to unsold seats marked by blue dots on Ticketmaster, one of the largest ticketing platforms in the United States. It describes a phenomenon in which concerts that would once have sold out are now left with growing numbers of unsold seats.

 

Forbes reported that the Pussycat Dolls significantly scaled back their U.S. arena and stadium tour because of sluggish ticket sales, while Post Malone and Jelly Roll cut one-third of their joint U.S. stadium tour schedule. Meghan Trainor and Zayn canceled their U.S. arena tours altogether.

 

High inflation has been cited as the biggest factor behind the trend.

 

Forbes said the average concert ticket price rose to US$144 this year, up sharply from $82 in 2020 and $115 last year. It added that surging gasoline prices following the Iran war have reduced the profitability of tours requiring long-distance transportation, while the FIFA World Cup in North America has emerged as a formidable entertainment rival this summer.

 

Against this backdrop, BTS has attracted industry attention with the success of its new stadium world tour, "ARIRANG," which began in April.

 

The tour marks the group's first concert series since "Permission To Dance On Stage" in 2022 and its first world tour spanning Europe and Asia since "LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF" in 2019.

 

Riding explosive demand, all North American and European shows announced so far have sold out.

 

Originally scheduled for 79 performances, the tour has expanded to 88 after additional shows were added in Tampa, Stanford and Las Vegas in the United States; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Melbourne, Australia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Bulacan, the Philippines.

 

Billboard reported that BTS topped its monthly Top Tours chart after generating $76.2 million in revenue and selling 417,000 tickets through just eight concerts held in Goyang, South Korea, Tokyo and Tampa in April. Among them, the three Tampa shows recorded the highest gross revenue and largest attendance for a single venue worldwide that month.

 

Industry officials attribute the tour's success to the loyalty of ARMY, BTS' fan base, which remained united during the group's four-year military hiatus, as well as the variety of offline events linked to the concerts.

 

Global fans who feel a strong sense of connection with the members have continued to spend despite rising costs, they said.

 

BTS' large-scale concert-linked event series, "THE CITY," held in places such as Seoul, Busan and Las Vegas, has transformed concerts into comprehensive tourism products offering a wide range of attractions.

 

A Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority official said, "Excluding mega sporting events like the Super Bowl and Formula One, BTS was the first single artist in Las Vegas history to mobilize the entire city."

 

"It was an unprecedented project that turned the entire city into one giant cultural festival," the official added.

 

A music industry official said BTS concerts have evolved beyond live performances into a global cultural and economic platform that moves people, boosts domestic consumption and connects industries even in difficult market conditions.

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