In recent years, many sectors of the global music industry have been rapidly shifting from physical album sales to digital downloads and streaming. Despite this landscape, K-pop physical album sales have continued to remain at remarkably high levels. Music critic Jung Min Jae observed, “CD sales are falling steadily globally, but K-pop CD sales continue to rise".

Although K-pop album sales recorded their first decline in over a decade in 2024—down 19.5% compared to 2023—the market remained highly vibrant, with 20 albums surpαѕѕing the one-million-sales mark that year. Over the past five years, physical album sales have consistently hovered around 50 million copies annually.

This ability to “stay hot” is largely driven by fan culture combined with sophisticated demand-stimulation strategies. In reality, the most common reason fans purchase physical albums is not to listen to the music, but to collect them and directly support the artists. Each album version typically comes with a photobook and randomly included photocards that are highly appealing to collectors. In addition, access to fansign events is usually determined through a lottery system in which each album purchase counts as one entry—unintentionally fueling an intense financial race among fans.

Entertainment companies have long capitalized on fans’ devotion by rolling out aggressive marketing tactics whenever an artist releases new music. As a result, countless loyal fans willingly spend money on dozens, or even hundreds, of album copies. With average prices ranging from USD 25 to 50 per album, this represents a significant financial burden, particularly for younger fans.

While major corporations and the K-pop industry continue to seek ways to maximize profits from album sales, Jin has taken a completely opposite approach: discouraging fans from overspending on albums released by himself—and, more broadly, on future releases by BTS.

During a live conversation with fans to mark the release of his solo album, which came in three different versions, Jin surprised everyone with an exceptionally candid remark. Instead of offering the usual calls for support, he expressed concern, saying, "If you like all 3, you can get all 3. But we're not that rich, are we? So yes, anything you like".

Jin’s line, “We’re not that rich,” quickly went viral across online forums. His honesty and understanding resonated deeply with fans, leaving many υиєχρє¢тє∂ly moved. Fans felt a strong sense of empathy, as Jin made it clear that loving music should never turn into a financial burden. The way he values fans’ hard-earned money and encourages mindful spending based on individual circumstances demonstrates just how deeply he cares about ARMYs.

Meanwhile, as BTS prepares to release their fifth studio album on March 20, Jin’s words have resurfaced and gone viral once again. The project has been eagerly anticipated by fans worldwide since June of last year and marks BTS’s first album release in three years, making demand higher than ever. Still, as Jin emphasized, what truly matters is not pushing oneself beyond one’s financial limits just to own every version.

Some fans have even joked that Jin was already warning ARMYs to start saving early—not only for his future projects and those of the group, but also for BTS’s upcoming world tour, which BigHit Music is set to officially announce in detail on January 14.

The fact that fans buy a large number of albums to support idols in general or Jin in particular shows their pαѕѕionate love and appreciation for the music that artists create as well as their proud achievements. However, this also leads to unpredictable consequences including industrial waste if there is no reasonable storage plan. Looking at it this way, Jin’s advice gains an added layer of value!

On social media, the resurfaced video has been widely shared, accompanied by many amusing and heartfelt comments such as:

- Merch sales reflecting in his paycheck and probably saw us whining in the timeline how we all haven't saved up for the tour

- Lmao don't expose me like that. Honestly, he really knows his fans

- Jinnie you don't need to call me out like that 

- Jin de-influencing his own album lol. that’s king behavior.

- He knows we broke and he wants us to save money for the tours

- Thank you for reminding me. We've many events to prepare for FESTA and BTS 7 concert 

- Only Jin would tell fans not to go broke for his album. This is why we trust and love him so much

- ‘We’re not that rich’ coming from Jin нιт way too hard. He really thinks about ARMYs’ real lives and wallets

- Jin genuinely wants us to be okay first, and that means everything

- This is peak Seokjin behavior — honest, caring, and putting fans’ well-being over profit. A true artist