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NCT missing from IFPI Best Album Sales Chart, fans blame SM Entertainment: '99% SM's fault'

Antis as well as fans of NCT are wondering whether SM Entertainment submitted the group's yearly sales to IFPI intentionally or not

Last week, Seventeen and BTS dominated the IFPI Best Album Sales Chart as announced by the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) when they revealed their top 10 best-selling albums of 2021. On the list, Seventeen took not one but two spots with their 2021 mini-albums ‘Attacca’ and ‘Your Choice’ at Number 3 and Number 8. On the other hand, BTS shocked fans by ranking at Number 4 for their Japanese compilation album ‘BTS, The Best’.

On the other hand, the SM Entertainment boy group NCT, being one of the biggest K-pop groups in the industry in terms of the number of members, did not make it to the list despite having extraordinary sales, as reported by Korean charts like Gaon and Hanteo. With Seventeen taking two out of the top 10 spots on the chart and BTS making it on the chart with a Japanese compilation album, NCTzens (fans of NCT) started raising their suspicions about the sales report from SM Entertainment, wondering whether the label did not share their data with IFPI.

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Fans of the group believe that the reason why NCT was not on the chart for the globally best-selling album for the year 2021 is that SM Entertainment releases multiple versions of the same album, making it hard for fans to buy one particular album to stand out. With the attention of fans divided amongst multiple albums and their different versions every year, they are not able to stand for one album. One fan said, “LEE SOOMAN S**TTING IN HIS PANTS RN COS HE TRIED TO MEDIA PLAY HIS NCT GROUPS INTO THE IFPI RANKINGS BY RELEASING 536789 ALBUMS & VERSIONS ONLY TO BE ECLIPSED BY F**KN SEVENTEEN. “BEST ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IN SK MY A**!”

As labels are supposed to release the sales stats to IFPI who then analyze it to confirm its authenticity, antis believe that SM is not being totally honest with their sales numbers. Antis used the term "sajaegi" which refers to a chart manipulation tactic that was in the news back in 2019.  One anti said, “Flopctzens really believe lee sooman didnt submit his artists' albums to the ifpi as if hes not the type to brag about fake achievements. He KNOWS ifpi will see through the sajaegi thats why he didnt sumbit.”

‘SM Entertainment did not submit NCT sales’

One fan said, “People being shocked NCT is not on ifpi or whatever when they need SM to  submit the numbers, you all, that company cant even upload MVs on time, why are you taking it as a win for ur faves that NCT is not there when it's probably 99% SM's fault?”

One more fan said, “Some carrots and armpits are slandering nct in the recent ifpi drama like??”

One NCTzen said, “Nct is one of the  best selling artist,” to which an anti asked, “So where are they? If they were they would be here. You can't just claim it.” They responded saying, “Thats why i am saying that they should be in the chart stray kids and nct and the one who are bestsellers.”

One fan said, “Record labels report sales to IFPI, sm have never done that neither with exo nor with nct.”

One user said, “Didn't nct n their producer reported sticker for grammy, u want us to believe that they didn't report this, ifpi won't care about gaon or any domestic mubeat points lol.”

One more user said, “No ifpi uses shipments, so RIAA & Gaon etc.. the reason NCT isn't included is probably just because SM didn't submit their sales.”

One more user said, “Just some add-ons, ifpi is the most, prestigious and reliable who reports yearly sales global from Korea, Japan to US, at what reasons would sm not submit their numbers here? It's either of the two, they didn't submit their numbers because they are scared of.”

Another user said, “SM usually brags a lot about sales… y’all think a company like that will not send their groups sales to the most prestigious and serious global chart? WE ALL KNOW THE REASONS….IFPI will not post sales just because the company says they sold that… they make some RESEARCH BABY.”