BLACKPINK Faces “Flop” Claims Following Significant Decline In Streams And Sales

BLACKPINK is facing controversy after their new album DEADLINE showed a massive drop in sales and streaming after Day 1.

The group smashed records on release day, selling over 1,460,000 copies and landing their title track “Go” at number 9 on Spotify Global’s chart. The album ranked as the fourth-highest K-pop EP on Spotify.

Fans praised BLACKPINK’s huge debut despite no promo or marketing:

“a fully leaked album, no promo, no ads, no billboards, nothing. yet they managed to debut all songs from DEADLINE on global spotify. BLACKPINK, you legends!”
— @pinksview

Then the controversy began. Physical sales plummeted on Day 2 and 3, hitting just 7,109 and 2,026 copies sold respectively (Hanteo Chart). Streaming also took a major hit, with their tracks dropping sharply on Spotify’s global charts. “Fxxxboy” fell 147 spots in a day.

BLACKPINK DEADLINE Artist Image
Hanteo sales drop
*Physical sales after day 1 | Hanteo Chart*
Spotify chart drop
*Spotify Global chart drops | ChartsKR bot*

Social media backlash came fast, with critics calling the album a “flop”:

“Everyone stopped buying after day 1 bc the music was ass?”
— @gigglekook

“we’re really witnessing the flop era and downfall of blackpink”
— @andyxxiwu

“Im crying they flopped so bad”
— @ICONICONCE

But there are explanations. Sales dropped over a weekend when many stores were closed. BLACKPINK has no fan signings or events driving album buys. Their sales are still higher than their last Born Pink release.

Sales comparison BLACKPINK Born Pink vs Deadline
*Sales comparison with Born Pink album | Hanteo Chart*

The group remains at number 20 on Spotify Global, an impressive feat. Two tracks credit producer Dr. Luke, who might be affecting streaming numbers for those songs.

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Fans quickly defended BLACKPINK’s success amid the “flop” talk:

“BLACKPINK’s flopping era is them becoming the highest selling female K-Pop album on its first day and charting all of its songs on Global Spotify without proper promotions. BLACKPINK’s flop is every artists’ dream”
— sam❦

“blackpink is so big that blinks think a #9 debut with 4.6M streams is bad that’s how high the bar is for them lmfao”
— ︎

“blackpink will never be the flop y’all so desperately want them to be”
— jendu

BLACKPINK continues to shake up K-pop with DEADLINE, but this time the mixed reactions are coming faster than ever. Fans and critics will be watching closely as the album sales and streams develop over the next few days.