A Korean Physical-Digital Album Format Popular in K-Pop Is Now Vying for U.S. Music Fans

KiTbetter, the South Korean institution down the KiTalbum hybrid physical-digital format, is opening a manufacturing installation successful Los Angeles to amended scope consumers successful the U.S. The archetypal KiTalbums produced successful the U.S. are expected to scope retail and fans successful aboriginal 2026.  

“As we grow globally, and with increasing involvement from artists, labels, and retailers crossed North America and Europe successful particular, we’re expanding capableness to enactment much titles and conscionable rising planetary demand,” says Jennifer Sullivan, president, North America and main selling officer.   

The KiTalbum is simply a proprietary format that includes a carnal medium stored successful a jewel lawsuit and a tiny “KiT” instrumentality that uses a U-NFC (ultrasonic near-field communication) awesome to unlock music, videos, lyrics and medium credits connected the KiTalbum app for iOS and Android devices. The square-shaped jewel container typically contains printed materials specified arsenic stickers and cards.  

A comparative chartless successful the U.S., the KiTalbum format is champion known successful the company’s location country. Not lone are KiTalbum’s archetypal manufacturing installation and offices successful Korea, but the institution besides launched a flagship retail store successful the country. Sullivan says that since 2017, KiTbetter has produced 10 cardinal KiTalbums, with K-pop titles being the best-selling. 

But now, the institution is targeting a wider scope of genres and artists successful North America and Europe. “We’re seeing beardown planetary request that continues to thrust the request for further accumulation capacity,” adds Sullivan. Having a installation successful Los Angeles volition chopped down connected the turnaround clip compared to shipping products from South Korea.  

In caller years, KiTbetter has released titles connected metallic statement Earache Records (Napalm Death and Carcass, for example) and Rhino Records (Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill and B-52s’ Cosmic Thing, among others). Rap icons Public Enemy released a KiTalbum mentation of its latest album, Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartments 2025. Metal greats Megadeth volition connection a KiTalbum mentation of its last album that’s owed retired successful January.  

KiTalbums typically travel with exclusive oregon bonus content. The upcoming reissue of Devo’s 1980 medium Freedom of Choice, for example, includes screen versions of the band’s deed opus “Whip It” by the bands Teen Mortgage! and Scowl. Stone Temple Pilots’ Purple comes with 7 euphony videos and acoustic sessions for “Big Empty” and “Pretty Penny.”  

Independent artists tin besides make KiTalbums for their releases done the KiTbetter self-service website. Sullivan says prices commencement astir $9 apiece and driblet to astir $7 per portion for orders of 300 units. Artists tin merchantability their KiTalbums successful the KiTbetter store oregon done their ain online stores. “A batch of artists similar to person merchandise connected manus astatine shows,” says Sullivan.   

KiTbetter isn’t the archetypal institution to effort to heighten integer content. Yoto sells Yoto Cards, recognition card-sized pieces of plastic, that are inserted into a screen-free audio subordinate for children. Weverse, the societal media level owned by K-pop elephantine HYBE, offers Weverse Albums that see integer photograph cards and animated medium covers. Going further backmost successful time, grounds labels embraced enhanced CDs successful the 2000s to assistance combat falling medium sales. Enhanced CDs added information to an audio CD and often included videos, wallpapers and links to ...