Here is the answer from MCND, How to ‘CRUSH’ the Billboard Charts again.

8th in AMAZON New Releases International, 10th in K-POP charts of 12 countries

MCND made their highest ranking in amazon charts since their debut. The title song ‘Crush’ ranked 8th with the highest ranking, while the included song ‘PLAYER’ ranked 9th in the highest, ‘Ko, Ok!’ and ‘Not over’ ranked 10th in the highest, ‘Louder’ and ‘Outro’ each ranked 13th and 14th. ‘Intro: MCND Age’ also reached 17th, so entire tracks in the album entered the Amazon charts. This is a point where we can see how much they have grown when we think about the previous record at 98th place in ‘ICE AGE.’

Also, they achieved a successful comeback by reaching around 10th ranking on the iTunes K-POP charts across the United States, Canada, and Europe, including Germany, United Kingdom, and Sweden. MCND made their first entry on the Billboard World digital song sales chart at 25th and listing on iTunes in 21 countries. 

According to the REELS Corporation data team, an overseas agency specializing in K-POP, the previous song ‘NANANA’ entered 26 countries on iTunes, accounting for a higher proportion than ‘Crush’ in terms of national figures. Despite the ranking was lower, this album evaluated the performance on Amazon, which is relatively more globalized than iTunes, which has led to Billboard World digital song sales. 

So, Will they are able to break through B-WALL?

According to REELS Corporation, many K-POP artists are struggling to break through B-WALL (Billboard USA Base WALL). B-WALL refers to a barrier to entry into the USA music market, which is counted primarily by Billboard. 

The agency is evaluating that MCND is different. Albums before ‘Crush’ were more focused on streaming in iTunes and Amazon, which were mainly downloads, and the results were reflected in Deezer, Apple Music, and Tidal. Compared to other K-POP artists, the streaming index was higher, and the download index was a weak point, so fans are gathering for more downloads with this album. 

This is the reason why we have to look forward to the next album. MCND, which caught the fans’ gathering point based on this performance, is expected to be able to bring both download and streaming records in the next album. 

As so, MCND is raising expectations about whether they will be able to confidently enter the American music market beyond B-WALL.