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| ▲ This file photo shows a record store. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Feb. 7(Yonhap) – As the K-pop industry continues to grow, the types of albums, which can be considered as the main "product," have also been diversified.
Recently, there are many cases where major K-pop singers release an album in the form of “Jewel Case” along with two to three general types of albums, according to the music industry on Feb. 6.
Jewel Case albums basically contain CDs in clear square plastic cases, which could be easily found in 1990s and 2000s.
As the contents of albums have been diversified in the music industry since 2010, it has become difficult to find such form, but it has recently reappeared.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by KTOWN4U, shows 21 types of NCT's third full Jewel Case albums. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
For example, when the group NCT released the third full album "Universe" in December, 2021, it released 21 kinds of Jewel Case albums with solo images of 21 members, including Tae-yong, Mark, and Do-young, as jacket photos.
The girl group fromis_9 also introduced 9 types of Jewel Case albums, based on the number of the members, along with the two general types when releasing the fourth mini album “Midnight Guest” in January.
While the original album contains various compositions, such as photo books, photo cards, and posters, the Jewel Case album has a feature of simplified products, such as a CD, thin photo books, and photo cards.
It is not necessary, but it often stimulates one’s desire to own a specific member since it usually contains an image of only one member.
In particular, unlike ordinary albums that cost around 20,000 won, Jewel Case albums with few contents only cost the half of its price, which is around 10,000 won. It is meaningful for the fans since they can record higher album sales by buying twice the amount of albums with the same money.
A staff from the music industry said, "The Jewel Case album is sold at a lower price because the contents are simpler and the production process is more simplified than the existing one," adding, "This is why teenagers and people in their twenties, who are the major consumers, can easily purchase the albums without burdens.”
In recent years, albums in the form of LPs have also appeared one after another in the retro craze.
The girl group OH MY GIRL released a limited LP version of the fifth mini album, which contains the title song "Secret Garden," released in 2018, at the 10th Seoul Record Fair last month, while Sung Si-kyung released 5,000 limited LPs of his eighth full album 'ㅅ' and sold them out in a day.
Moreover, the soundtracks for SBS TV's "Our Beloved Summer,” which contains BTS’ V’s "Christmas Tree,” which became the first Korean soundtrack to enter “HOT 100” of Billboard main singles chart, were also released as a limited edition of LP.
In the music industry, there have been concerns about excessive gimmik and environmental issues as the contents of a single album increase to as many as 20 types. Therefore, a new type of album without a CD is also drawing attention.
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| ▲ This photo, a captured image from the 1Takes application, shows "platform albums" of VICTON(left) and LUMINOUS(right) without CDs. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The groups VICTON and LUMINOUS recently released a form of "platform albums" that contain only photo cards that fans want without a plastic CD. The album is designed to recognize a certification token to a smart device when listening to music, and it is counted as one album just like an original album.
A staff from IST Entertainment, VICTON's agency, said, "Recently, there has been less people who listen to music on CDs, so we thought of different ways for the public to own CDs in easier and more convenient ways,” adding, “Since every company is aware that many albums are disposed or returned after participating in the autograph event, we thought it could be an alternative.”
It also mentioned, “It received favorable reviews from the fans in terms of being eco-friendly," adding, "Since many fans still demand for the ordinary physical albums, the two forms will coexist for now.
A staff from Barunson WIP Entertainment, LUMINOUS' agency, pointed out, "The album sales are counted the same as physical albums, but it has the advantage of being light because there is no CD," adding, "It can reduce the burdens of shipping costs for the fans abroad.”
In fact, the CD-free album was first introduced several years ago in the so-called "kit" album.
The kit albums allow to watch the contents digitally by recognizing or inserting the certification token in a form of buttons into a smart device, and have been released by the the groups NCT127·NCT DREAM·Seventeen.
A staff from the music industry said, "It is same that kit albums and platform albums can both watch the contents digitally,” adding, “Platform albums contain certification tokens in a form of plastic cards so it satisfies the fans who prefer photo cards.”
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