BTS Becomes The First Korean Artists To Make It On The Bloomberg 50

The American business magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, has released their second annual Bloomberg 50 and BTS has become the first Korean artists to be included.

The Bloomberg 50 is a list of “people in business, entertainment, finance, politics, and technology and science whose 2018 accomplishments were particularly noteworthy.” On this year’s list included influential figures including The Fed‘s nucleus, Amy Hood (CFO of Microsoft Corp.) and more.

BTS, who was included on the list in the entertainment category, was not only the first Korean artist to make it on the list, but were also the only Koreans in the 2018 Bloomberg 50. Moreover, they were the only artist on the list other than Taylor Swift.

Bloomberg Businessweek listed BTS’ achievements on Billboard‘s album charts and stated that the group achieved “an unprecedented level of success in the U.S.”

“In June, BTS became the first Korean pop band to top Billboard’s album charts with “Love Yourself: Tear”, and then it had another No. 1 in August with “Love Yourself: Answer”, achieving an unprecedented level of success in the U.S.”

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It also mentioned BTS’ achievements in this year’s worldwide stadium tour, proving their global popularity, and explained one of the reasons behind it.

“BTS owes its popularity to its willingness to address social issues, mental health, and politics, despite being in a genre often painted as bubble gum. Tickets for its first worldwide stadium tour sold out in minutes, another sign that audiences are ready for bands with Korean sensibilities.”

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The magazine concluded by mentioning BTS’ agency, Big Hit Entertainment, and its revenue, including their plans for business expansion.

“Based on BTS’s success, Big Hit Entertainment, which manages the band, is expanding into movies, games, and original YouTube content; in March it said revenue more than doubled last year, to $86 million.”

ㅡ Bloomberg 50

Meanwhile, two of BTS’s tracks were also included in the New York Times’s “The 65 Best Songs of 2018” alongside BLACKPINK‘s “DDU-DU DDU-DU.”