‘The King of Albums’ Lim Young-woong’s New Choice… Raises Questions for the K-pop CD Market
Reporter: Go Nari
On July 29, Lim Young-woong, known as the ‘King of Albums,’ officially announced that his upcoming second full-length album would not be released as a physical CD. The agency explained that this decision stemmed from a desire to protect the environment.
As the news spread, the K-pop industry was abuzz. Some praised Lim for taking a lead in environmental protection, while others expressed concern over this bold move to forgo the significant revenue from physical album sales. What is certain, however, is that Lim’s decision goes beyond a simple change in album distribution method—it has also brought to light some structural problems in the K-pop industry that have been ignored until now.
Currently, the K-pop physical album market has strayed far from the original meaning of albums. As CD players are rarely used at home, there are countless cases where albums are discarded even though the music is never actually played. Physical albums are now consumed primarily for extras like photo cards or fan event tickets. Fans often buy multiple copies to get a preferred member’s photo card or to enter for events.
While this culture has led to record-breaking K-pop album sales every year, it has also drawn criticism for causing environmental damage due to excessive packaging and unused CDs. Nevertheless, in an industry where metrics like first-week sales are used to prove a singer’s popularity, fundamental issues have been neglected.
Against this backdrop, Lim Young-woong’s decision is highly significant. While a few other artists have experimented with ‘platform albums,’ this is unprecedented for a top-selling artist to completely halt physical CD releases. Even though there could be substantial profits lost, he chose to directly address this structural dilemma, drawing attention from all sides.
This action is also expected to have a positive long-term impact on Lim Young-woong’s brand. He is now seen not simply as a singer, but as an artist practicing social responsibility. His fandom, ‘Hero Generation,’ resonates with his convictions and continues to show support through concrete action. The narrative of artists and fans striving together for sustainable values is gaining wider public sympathy.
Lim Young-woong’s commitment to giving up physical CDs has ultimately become a challenge for the entire K-pop industry. It is now time to seek new ways that satisfy both environmental concerns and the value of collection for fans. Whether this decision will serve as a catalyst for a paradigm shift in the K-pop market is drawing much attention.
Photo = MHN, Fish Music