MBW’s Stat of the Week is a series in which we spotlight data points that warrant attention in the global music industry. Stat of the Week is powered by analytics firm Music Data Chartmetric.
Weverse Reaches New Heights
Superfan’s Hybe Platform, Weverse, has achieved a significant milestone with 150 million cumulative global downloads in 2024.
According to Vevers’ 2024 Global Fandom Trend Report, the number of artist communities on the platform grew by 30% per year, reaching 162 in 2024.
The report also reveals continuous growth in the platform’s user base across all continents, with an average growth rate of 19% last year.
Artist Engagement and User Growth
Within a year, sixteen separate global artist teams joined Weverse, with renowned international stars such as Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, and Conan Gray driving double-digit user growth in North America, Europe, and Asia.
The app’s users hail from 245 different countries and regions.
Weverse currently supports communities for artists including BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Seventeen, Enhypen, Le Sserafim, Newjeans, CL, P1Harmony, Henry, Imase, AKB48, Thuy, Max, Nightly, Gracie Abrams, New Hope Club, and Alexander 23, among many others.
According to reports, artists shared around 206,000 messages while fans created 370 million messages in 2024.
Direct messaging has seen a surge, with artists sending 698,000 messages and fans responding with 96.36 million messages. Notably, 55% of the artists sent direct messages to fans at least every two days.
Weverse Live, the platform’s real-time video feature, hosted 5,787 broadcasts totaling 4,779 hours of content. The platform has attracted 11.25 million spectators and garnered 426 million views overall.
The most popular live broadcast was by Jung Kook from BTS in December, titled I Missed You So Much, which reached 23 million real-time views.
“2024 was a transformative year for Weverse as we expanded our artist communities, superfan engagement, and commerce activities on a global scale.”
Joon Choi, Weverse
The platform also experienced strong growth in product sales. Weverse Shop sold 20.6 million merchandise items in 2024 (+13% year), encompassing physical products such as albums and collectibles as well as digital goods like paid memberships for fans.
Physical sales increased by 10% per year, while digital goods saw a remarkable increase of 24% year. Artist memberships have emerged as the leading digital products, with various offerings dominating different regions.
“2024 was a transformative year for Weverse as we expanded our artist communities, superfan engagement, and commerce activities on a global scale,” stated JuneChoi, President of Weverse Company.
“Weverse remains committed to innovating its services to meet the evolving needs of artists and fans, thus strengthening its role as a hub for global fandom culture.”
In terms of fan interaction, 4.88 million digital fan letters were sent in 2024, with Jung Kook receiving the highest number, while Lihan from Boynextdoor garnered the most likes.
Seventeen was the most engaged in terms of posts, while Enhypen led in comment engagement.
Hybe CEO Yasang Jason Lee stated in November 2024 that Hybe does not feel threatened by potential competitors for Weverse, which is backed by Universal Music Group. Warner Music Group is developing its own superfan app, and Spotify is also working on a new subscription level for superfans.
“There are many tech giants and players, both in Korea and internationally, forming collaborations and launching various services for superfans,” Lee remarked. “In my view, this trend is beneficial for Weverse.”
Lee indicated that the content and product offerings on Weverse are “not fully mature yet,” and the involvement of other major players in the superfan market could be advantageous.
“Currently, platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, and others for superfans are growing, which is positive as it helps expand the superfan business model and market globally.”
In the third quarter of 2024, Hybe’s Indirect Engagement segment, which includes Weverse, reported a 31.8% year increase in income to KRU 205 billion ($142.7 million).
Monthly active users on Weverse saw a slight rise to 9.7 million in Q3, up from 9.6 million in Q2. Weverse subscribers pay around $24 per year to enjoy benefits including exclusive content and announcements from their favorite artists.
In December 2024, Weverse launched new, higher-tier membership levels for users. The new offering, termed “Digital Membership”, is priced at 2 dollars to 4 dollars per month and will provide additional perks such as offline access to music and video streaming.
Chartmetric is an all-in-one platform designed for artists and music industry professionals, offering extensive streaming data, social metrics, and audience insights to help build successful careers in music.
Lucas focuses on the interaction between music and society. He specializes in how music influences and reflects cultures, analyzing the role of sound in social, political, and cultural events around the world.
