[Edaily Reporter YUN GI BACK ] Virtual idols are gaining attention as a new growth engine for the K-pop industry. This comes as the virtual group PLAYV has achieved a series of successes, including selling over a million albums and hosting large-scale concerts. With production companies’ revenues rising sharply and even renowned songwriters and content firms entering the market, virtual idols are emerging as a new revenue stream in the music industry.

◇ Operating Profit Up 10-Fold in 3 Years… PlayV Proves Growth Potential
According to a joint survey conducted on the 11th by pop music critic Im Hee-yoon and cultural research firm Crosscurrent, 13 out of 55 idol-type acts (23.6%) that debuted in Korea from January to October this year were classified as virtual artists. This amounts to roughly one out of every four rookie groups. The figure includes not only groups but also solo artists.

The leading figures driving the growth of virtual idols are PlayV and Isekai Idol. PlayV broke the record for virtual idols by recording first-week sales of 1.32 million copies with their fifth mini-album, “Hyperdrive,” released last month. Following their concert at Gocheok Sky Dome last year (37,000 attendees over two days), they held a solo concert this year at Incheon Munhak Stadium (43,000 attendees over two days), demonstrating their solid fanbase. Isekai Idol also made history last May by becoming the first virtual idol group to perform at Gocheok Sky Dome. They are making their mark in the music market as well, with each of their releases reaching 1 million streams within a single day on Melon, South Korea’s largest music streaming platform.

The production companies’ financial performance is also noteworthy. Blast, the production company behind PlayV, recorded revenue of 85.5 billion won last year—approximately 7.5 times that of 2023 (11.4 billion won). During the same period, operating profit increased more than tenfold, from 1.9 billion won to 20.2 billion won. Notably, revenue from merchandise sales—including albums and fan goods—accounted for approximately 56.8 billion won, or 66% of last year’s total revenue. This demonstrates that virtual idols, like traditional K-pop artists, can generate significant revenue through album sales, concerts, and merchandise.

Critic Lim noted, “PlayV’s substantial and widespread success has served as a signal,” adding, “Virtual singers offer high efficiency relative to production costs and low risk, and we can also expect a positive response from the younger generation, who are familiar with virtual characters.”

◇Renowned Composers Enter the Market… Expanding Their Reach with AI Vocals
Following PlayV’s success, new virtual artists have been debuting one after another. Notable examples include Miracle (a five-member boy group), Owis (a five-member girl group), and Miwan Boys (a five-member boy group), all of which debuted this year. There is also a growing trend of leveraging existing K-pop production experience, as seen with Owis, which features Creative Director Lee Hae-in.

Recently, hit composer Jo Young-soo has joined the fray. On the 8th, he unveiled the virtual singer Won and released her debut song, “Mama Song.” This marks a new challenge for Jo Young-soo, who has produced hits such as SG Wannabe’s “La La La,” Hong Jin-young’s “Battery of Love,” and Lim Young-woong’s “Just Trust Me Now.” “Won” utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) voice conversion technology to transform a guide vocal track sung by Jo Young-soo himself into a new vocal tone. Jo Young-soo plans to expand the group into a four-member vocal group by adding three more virtual singers in the future.

Music featuring AI vocals is also gaining a stronger foothold in the digital music market. Virtual artist Mureu’s “Have You Become the Adult You Dreamed Of?” climbed as high as No. 2 on Melon’s Top 100 chart, and “Forest of the Heart,” produced by music creator Cho Seon Hip-Hop using AI, also entered the same chart. With AI-sung songs following virtual idols—who are sung by real people—gaining popularity, the scope of virtual artists’ activities appears to be expanding significantly.

A music industry insider stated, “Since it’s difficult to secure a fanbase based on technical prowess alone, the quality of the music and performance, as well as communication with fans, are also crucial competitive factors,” adding, “If PlayV has proven the potential of virtual idols, it’s now time for latecomers to demonstrate their sustainability.”