Netizens are looking at the global reach of the music from the 'Big 4' K-Pop companies.

On an online forum, netizens are exploring the international footprint and the overall success of the songs released by artists from HYBE, JYP, YG, and SM—informally dubbed the 'Big 4.' Their figures included the metrics from Billboard and the biggest global streaming platform, Spotify.

According to a netizen, the following is the list of artists whose songs made it into Billboard's Hot 100 and their respective peaks.

HYBE

BTS - #1

NewJeans - #48

JYP

TWICE - #83

Stray Kids - #90

YG

BLACKPINK - #13

SM

(none)

The following is a list of the most-streamed K-Pop songs from 2023 on Spotify, ranking from the highest total number of streams to the lowest out of the Top 10. 

HYBE

6 songs

JYP

0 songs

YG

3 songs

SM

0 songs

The following is a Top 10 list of K-Pop artists who have been streamed the most on Spotify in 2023.

HYBE

7 artists (BTS, Jungkook, NewJeans, Jimin, Seventeen, TOMORROW x TOGETHER, LE SSERAFIM)

JYP

2 artists (Stray Kids, TWICE)

YG

1 artist (BLACKPINK)

SM

0 artists

Netizens' reactions ranged from congratulating these high-ranking artists to expressing surprise toward SM Entertainment, whose songs and artists have not made this list as part of the 'Big 4.' 

Reactions include:

"Whoa, I never knew that the state of SM was this much..."

"I think HYBE's songs and performances are really trendy"
"It feels like JYP just earns money by itself lol they don't even have other subsidiaries"
"When did the popularity of SM artists overseas drop this low??"
"I'm actually surprised that HYBE has amassed this much popularity overseas"
"Whoa........SM overseas..."
"NewJeans has so many songs omg"
"I don't think SM's songs are designed as mainstream"
"It's a shame that Red Velvet isn't gaining as much popularity overseas because their dancers are not as powerful"
"Oh, nice, JYP. Doing better than I thought"
"I didn't know SM had reached this state...."
"I think SM's artists do very well overseas in other parts of Asia, like China. They don't use these platforms there so that's why those figures aren't being reflected here but they are certainly earning good money there"
"Still can't believe it's only been 2 years since NewJeans' debut"

"Where is aespa...?"
"I think SM spent too much time and money trying to target the Chinese market"

"I like SM's performances though"

"Oh, the days when SM used to rule in Japan..."
"I mean, this is natural because it was BTS who paved the way in North America"
"Why does SM feel more historical than contemporary..."
"Fighting, SM..."

What are your thoughts?