BTS “Map of the Soul: 7” Achieves Yet Another Feat On Japan’s Oricon Charts
Japan’s Oricon chart released its totals for the best-selling album in Japan for the first half of the year, with BTS‘s Map of the Soul: 7 winning the title, marking the first time in 36 years that an overseas artist has accomplished such a feat.
According to Big Hit Entertainment, as of June 19 (KST), the group’s fourth studio album Map of the Soul: 7 has sold roughly 429,000 units, ranking first in the album sales section of the Oricon chart for the first six months of 2020.
The first and only other time an overseas artist ever succeeded in topping the Oricon charts for sales during the first half of the year was by Michael Jackson with his 1984 album Thriller.
The actual amount of revenue made by Map of the Soul: 7’s success in Japan is ¥23.2 billion yen (approximately $220 million USD), second only to Michael Jackson’s Thriller in terms of revenue.
Oricon chart calculates an artist’s cumulative sales by adding the total sales of singles, albums, online streaming, and any music DVDs, such as concert DVDs. It is one of the primary indicators of success in the Japanese music market.
In addition to the first-half-of-the-year chart success, Map of the Soul: 7 also dominated several other charts immediately after its February release, including Oricon’s Daily Album Chart, Weekly Album Chart, and Monthly Album Chart.
BTS might have an opportunity for a repeat accomplishment during the final six months of the year. The group will release their fourth Japanese studio album, titled Map of the Soul: 7 ~ THE JOURNEY ~, on July 15. The album’s title song “Stay Gold” will be released on June 19.
Congratulations to BTS for their success on the Oricon chart, and we can’t wait for the release of your newest Japanese single and album.
