Original published date: January 15, 2025
When Hits Daily Double released its estimated U.S. revenue list for the year’s biggest songs, one entry made history: Jimin’s track, Who, became the only song from an Asian native act to break into the Top 100.
The estimated earnings? $1.854 million — in the U.S. alone. That’s right — no global figures, just domestic.
Naturally, ARMY had two burning questions:
- How was the $1.85 million calculated?
- How much of it actually goes to Jin?
Let’s break it down — and see what it means for BTS fans moving forward.
U.S. Sales and Streaming Numbers
Hits Daily Double split the numbers into pure sales and streams.
Sales (U.S.)
- 131,000 units sold
- $1,198,000 in revenue
- About $0.91 per unit, which is in line with industry averages.
Streams (U.S.)
- 381,315,000 total streams
- Includes Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Napster, and more.
“The platforms paying more per stream aren’t always the ones we stream on most.”
Why Fans Should Stream Beyond Spotify
Many fans default to Spotify — it’s familiar, easy, and popular. But here’s the strategy shift: Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Napster pay significantly more per stream.
If you want to maximize impact without messing up your personal playlists, consider getting a second premium streaming account through fan funding accounts.
These accounts:
- Are temporary (linked to specific projects)
- Only allow streaming curated playlists for that project
- Let you keep your main account untouched
How the $1.85M Gets Split
That revenue doesn’t go straight into Jimin’s account. It’s shared among:
- Labels
- Distributors
- Management
- Producers
- Composers
- Performers
Rule of thumb:
- Singer-songwriters often take less than 30% of their gross income but for streaming, it’s way less.
- Jimin neither wrote nor produce this track, so his percentage is smaller
- Streaming is not the main income source for artists — concerts and brand deals bring in far more
Streaming is mostly a marketing tool for singers, not a major source of income. However, even if they end up keeping 10%, without the 90% going to your team, you wouldn’t have that 10% at all and all the other income that an artist’s brand attracts.
What This Means for ARMYs and Other Music Fans
- Don’t stress about BTS members’ finances — they’re in strong financial positions.
- Boost chart performance by diversifying streaming platforms — especially on those with higher payouts. While Spotify is the most used platform, it is one of the lowest paying ones.
- Use fan funding accounts during comeback periods for maximum streaming impact.
- Remember: Spotify is not the be-all and end-all.
Revenue is Not Just Bragging Rights, It’s Artist Support
Jimin’s $1.854M in U.S. revenue shows just how much a dedicated fanbase can achieve — even on a platform that pays less per stream. If ARMY shifts even a fraction of their streaming efforts to higher-paying services, the results could be game-changing for both payouts and chart performance.
