Woohyun's solo album sells out before its offline release

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

INFINITE’s Woohyun looks like he’s off to a great start in his solo career!

After his solo album “Write…” went on pre-sale on May 9, the 50,000 copies of his album has been sold out completely even before the actual offline sale started on May 10.

According to Woolim Entertainment on May 10, the agency currently went into an urgent production to add more albums after all the copies were sold out by the pre-sales. Even before Woohyun’s album was released online, it ranked number one in pre-sales in various music stores.

Woolim Entertainment added, “We are in the middle of trying to produce more of his albums, but the production will take more time than that of a regular album since it is high in quality.”

Meanwhile, Woohyun will start his solo promotions on May 12 with “M!Countdown.”

WHEn you went to synnara to do the hourly checking and found out tht woohyun's album is out of stock...again :))) pic.twitter.com/TaMJoqqpnz

— flowersback #우현_끄덕끄덕 (@furhyun) 10 mai 2016

[+125][-2]Yesterday it was sold out on Sinara, Yes24, etc. the fans were so shocked it's still the pre-sales and we can't even buy itㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I'm happy that he sold out online but I'm f*cking pissed at the same time. Just now, I went on the offline store of Hottracks to buy 5 albums and they were short too, I could only buy 1. But think about it, just buying one album, you can have 2 photobooks, a poster and a photocard, it's heavier than your normal album and it's only 12,000~13,000won which is so cheap

[+114][-0]Woollim you fool... Isn't it way too little is it your first time?

[+106][-0] Even though the fans like it, they were freaking shockedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋWhen it went sold out the fans all went: "hul it's sold out???kyahhhh!!!!!!the fans are jjang"ㅜㅜㅜㅜ but then they realized that the ranking was dropping : "but...even though it's good that it's sold out..we can't buy anythingㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ we can't even raise the album's ranking ㅠㅠㅠ" (t/n: because the more you sell the more it'll raise) and the fans who weren't able to pre-order went: "ahㅠㅠㅜㅜI couldn't buy anything where am I supposed to buy it now??? " ...^^ but at the end it's good that they raised the production..^^
이미지확대보기

[+70][-0]infinite are the real physical sales beasts... the fans are awesome ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[+67][-1] hul I'm another group's fan and I'm f*cking sorry.. I was waiting for Woohyun's solo and when the pre-orders started, I ordered one.. hul... Of course I don't regret anything since it's good quality and it's the first time buying something that's not from my biasㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I acknowledge that this is really high quality


Sources: Naver, soompi, pann-choa, hanteo, furhyun.

Mods, please ignore the previous post. I found a better translation.

Cross-posted on rankingkings, join us for more regular infinite updates!

Edit: I added the knetz' comments. Since it's directly related to the original post, I hope it's alright, mods.

Comments

[earthequality.livejournal.com]

Yesss, get those digits, Woohyun!!

I just want to talk about solos in Kpop though. We're getting to a point they know they're more than viable, where fans have been asking for ages, and the demand will still be there for group material. I feel like once you account for a group having a third hit or gaining public recognition, you can start thinking about solos for certain members.

Even not being a Sone, I'm amazed that Taeyeon and Tiffany and by extension Jessica are almost at ten years before they had a solo. If it was merely a fact of being ready, I could understand, but this is something that kind of bugs me some. I've been outside of the loop for a few years, so I'm not quite understanding why we're only now getting some of these solos from veteran groups.

Thoughts, anyone?

[carra-mia.livejournal.com]

I think it's a combination of many reasons. Like kpop companies usually like only tested&proven things and most of them only manage groups and if they have actual soloists their handling often is really, really poor. So probably fear of unknown? Plus they've invested so much in those groups, in buliding dynamics etc. so probably wanted to makesure that their conquerd, main product will work for a longer time and not to fragment the attention when you already have something that earns.

It probably took a time to see that idol solo stuff can be succesfull (looking at BB - they have been releasing solos since the beggining) and a shift in public taste - not stricte kpop solo acts got popular& had hits, and public wanted some more personal connection&touch that solo can give. Plus agencies grew a lot of members who can write/compose/produce by themselves and usually can't release it as a group stuff - solo is a great way to vent them out, like a prize "you worked good, that's your reward". Also fandomes wanted solos and pestered.

For a veteran groups - like SNSD - I think that they are having solos just now bc comapnies already had a succes with them as a groups, what could be achieved was achieved. Nobody in the past thought that they gonna be together for about 10 years and make all those money. Thye have stable fandom&income so you do not risk nothing with solos.

It's a way to reward the artist somehow like I wrote, but also to prepare the base for what will inevitable - disbandment. Artist checks what she/he is able to achieve on their own and it affects their after-group plans. Company checks if it's profitable to eventually sign with the person after the group's end and secures it somehow - if the artist see that his/her solo stuff done well, was promoted nice, they could participate in creative process and things went smooth - they will be more willing to resign. And company do not want to loose the product they have promoted hard and that still will have some power to sell

[earthequality.livejournal.com]

I think the model in your comment worked well up till now, but with the expansion of Kpop and technology, this isn't going to work anymore. Idols are able to go solo or independent now and still receive enough support. The promotions might not be as big or expensive, but as there is interest in them from either the public or their fanbase, it can happen. I also feel like companies need to stop being so short sighted when it comes to groups. This isn't the 90s/00s anymore. Don't stop debuting new groups, but don't act like your veterans can't knock it out of the park either. With decent management, we've proven that we can get past 5 years and older fanbases have more income to spend.

The rewarding thing is still very much true though, but how long can companies hold onto that? Because it can backfire as well, the cases of this are popping up more now than ever because Korean music is becoming more accessible. The landscape of Kpop music is also changing. Not all of it sounds the same and companies aren't following the same mold as each other anymore. Some of the CEOs/etc need to realize that their way of thinking isn't going to fly and they need to adapt. Some groups may split, some are happy together and may take breaks to do their own things and then come back together (Shinhwa and how many groups want to be like them show this too). Everyone is different and you can't stay the same forever, so it's kind of why I can't quite accept company strategies like this anymore.

[ohlookshiny.livejournal.com]

sm must be kicking themselves for not having taeyeon go solo earlier - i can't believe it took that long either. with sm i do feel that you have to 'earn' your solo and sm always wants to establish the group first, subunits and solos later (although with nct now they seem to be going in a different direction). it's about fitting it in with group activities too, soshi are hugely busy with touring etc. also if the baekhyun shitstorm hadn't happened, taeyeon may have gone solo earlier.

tiffany has always wanted to go solo but she said she was waiting for the right timing and until everything was 'perfect'. so i think that once you're a senior, you have some autonomy to decide when you want to branch out (ppl have been asking for onew's solo for ages and he says he wants to focus on other things). you probably do have fight for it, but sm has always promoted tiffany a lot so this was really only a matter of time. idk about jessica. her and sm didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things i think, which may have impacted her solo/unit opportunities.

like some were complaining about jjong having another solo in the summer, and asking for exo solo member albums. obviously they will happen, it's just that sm is more focused on the group and pushing ppl into acting atm rather than units/solos. it's like one thing at a time with sm.

[gray-fairy.livejournal.com]

Idg why exo fans are complaining about jonghyun having a comeback when at least exo members are everywhere in all of those collaborations (chen, xiumin, baek, d.o, etc) that are giving them more individual exposure. Plus it's not like jjong is releasing stuff all the time like they said. This is only his first comeback since his debut one year and a half ago and mostly bc he produces/composes his own stuff so sm doesn't need to hire composers. People can argue that he released that blue night album and a few collaborations but that album was a compilation of his compositions from his 2-3 years as a DJ, and the other collabs were for a Mnet show and they were self composed too. Anyway neither of that was promoted at all so idg the deal.

[earthequality.livejournal.com]

Taeyeon has been getting lovecalls foreverrrrrrrrrrr, SMe just ignored them to have the group go all in. It isn't a crime to promote certain members more than others, just don't pull a Star Empire. Tiffany mentioned this in her latest interview, that SM is very rigorous with how they do solos. I KEEP FORGETTING ABOUT THAT BAEKHYUN MESS. >.< lawd, when will we be beyond dating scandals.

Onew also tends to go the western way in terms of his leadership with SHINee and I think after his scare in 2012? That and Key doing things outside of singing have probably inspired him to branch out too. SM tho.....I say go where the fans are sometimes, especially if there is a huge demand.

Eh, i think that's partially true. I think it's why SM Station is going on, to see how people respond to different SM artists on their own/or slightly together. I think in regards to EXO, they're shooting themselves in the foot with Lay. They don't want him to leave like all the other Chinese members, so they're promoting him heavily in China, but at the detriment of himself, the group, and his relations with the fans. It's either all or nothing for their way of management. It works for some but not all of them, so it is definitely a one thing at a time with sm and they need to work on that.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

To add to everything that's been said, I agree that SMe taking so much time to venture in the solo-adventure might partially be due to SMe's mindset of focusing on the group as a product, than in the individuals, as you might see in what happened with Kris and Luhan. It has been said that Kris had received numerous love calls for movie in China, and SMe shot them all down cause they wanted to do a package deal, aka get as many exo members to act in said movies, and chinese producers just wouldn't have it. When Kris left SMe, he was immediately scouted back by producers and got filmed something like 3 movies in the following year, and now he's piling up with CFs and movies under his belt. Same goes for Luhan. Exo was the model for Meilishuo, and when Luhan left, he became the sole model for them, which tend to make me believe they only wanted Luhan, but had to make due with Exo-m lol

[earthequality.livejournal.com]

THISSSS. All or nothing with SMe, which is shooting themselves in the foot tbh and Lay is a prime example of that. Promo him in China, but don't overdo it right after you lose THREE MEMBERS within such a short period and have fans all shook up. They're trying to patch a "sinking ship" but it's not that bad if they were more thoughtful about it. Having members do solo things will not ruin their chances as a group.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

It makes me sad to think about what Exo-M could have been. I liked them a lot, especially their appearances on chinese variety shows, but with the three members leaving, all the ugly stuff that was said or done by SMe/exo-stans/sme-stans to drag them, I can't get into Exo anymore. People who are bitter they left can say what they want bout the "traitor trio's" music, style, or whatever, they are doing all individually way better than Exo as a whole. I'm glad they got out of this infernal circle and doing so well in the chinese industry. They're piling up for opportunities but they still look happy, fed and well-rested. See, they are the living proof you can make a lot of cash, make the best out of your schedule, and not be a zombie. Sure, there will never be a shortage of rookies trying their damnest to get into SMe's new group, but they need to realize their veteran groups are not dead weights. Suju's fandom is still very big, shinee are doing excellent. SNSD are still on top. Neglecting or dropping them cause they're old doesn't seem like a good commercial move, with all the money they invested in creating these groups.

[earthequality.livejournal.com]

I refused to get into EXO sans casually liking a few members (most of the ones that LEFT OFC) because I felt like SMe was refilling the DBSK formula, succeeding, but rushing the process too much and look! Not even two years in and members are performing more than injured, more than tired, and they left. Almost all the Chinese members, no less, the popular but expendable ones. I think with how popular they all are on their own, that's why they're pushing Lay so hard but again at the detriment of him, the group, and EXO-Ls. I don't know when they'll ever learn.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

I don't know for how long Lay will be able to keep up like this. His hard-working mentality is not helping, and SME sure as hell aint stopping him. This is also why I don't go anywhere near NCT. This sub-unit, rotating shit is just gonna be a disaster if we go by what happened to Exo-K and M. I don't want to go through the painful experience that was seeing Exo-M wither away cause SMe is an arrogant and racist ass that can't see what's the gem they had in their hands. One unit will become more popular than the other and they'll neglect all the other units. They couldn't even treat FX right until Sulli left, so I have no expectation and I don't want to have any expectation for this new group.

[earthequality.livejournal.com]

I don't know how anyone who has heard of the NCT thing thinks it's a good or an okay idea. Especially considering the problems of already being a trainee, an idol, and how hard it is to make it in the industry. I don't understand this other than MONEY and even then that just seems mEH, because management, let alone a multilayer management, doesn't seem to exist in the kpop industry.

EXO releases great stuff, but knowing all this now and being a Cassiopeia, nah.

[kobrakiddo.livejournal.com]

YAAAAAAS get those digits boy !

I hope my physical copy doesn't get delayed because of this LOL. Happy for him ! :D

[cafetin99.livejournal.com]

OMG! Those are impressive numbers! Good for him.

[gray-fairy.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty surprised with how well is he doing. I expected him to do okay-ish since he's not as popular as Sunggyu but he's keeping a really decent position even during day on digital charts and is slaying the physical. He must be so proud.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm also pleasantly surprised by the female/male listeners ratio tbh.

look at all those 40 year olds listening to woohyun though king of old music pic.twitter.com/TYmgJHS5F7 (https://t.co/TYmgJHS5F7)

— lucy s/h #write.. (@woohyunssolo) 10 mai 2016 (https://twitter.com/woohyunssolo/status/730156209987309569)

Like, boy groups' listeners are usually a vast majority female, so to see almost 40% of guys, that's nice. I've always heard Myungsoo and Woohyun were popular with guys, but I didn't think it was that much. lol

[gray-fairy.livejournal.com]

That's why he's doing well. When you have both male/female listeners combined you usually keep a good/decent position than when it's only a particular demography streaming.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and while it does not seem to appeal to a lot of people here on omona, ballad-ish songs also often appeal to a wider demography than say overly sugary pop-songs or heavy EDM (which is totally understandable) so good move on their part!

I gotta say that myself am not super sold on ballads, they can be little gems or super boring OTT dramatically annoying, but this one is rather mellow and soothing in a way that hasn't made me tired of listening to it. Of course, it helps that I really like his voice. lol

[gray-fairy.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fan of ballads at all either but i liked it his song a lot and even other songs in the album are pretty good too. Sunggyu and him are really talented vocalists but so underrated imo. I hope they get more recognition through their solo stuff.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

It seems like Sunggyu had gotten recognition for his rock-style then psychedelic rock albums, and also thanks to The Genius. I hope Woohyun will get on King of Masked singer that could help with general public awareness. Other shows are fine too.

[moronicus-kyla.livejournal.com]

Not surprised, tbh -- SK loves their and soulful voices :) It's not my type of music but everything about this album makes me happy for Woohyun. I mean, he's charting very very well with an album in which he had a hand in writing half the songs!