“SMTOWN LA” Struggles To Sell Tickets With Less Than 50% Seats Sold

According to ticket sales data, the SMTOWN LIVE 2025 TOUR, commemorating the 30th anniversary of SM Entertainment‘s (SM hereon) founding, is failing to gain traction in the North American market.

SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in Seoul | SM Entertainment

It has been three months since the concert tickets were made available for purchase, but reports state that sales are still hovering around 50%. A Munhwa Ilbo report revealed that many seats, even in the premium sections near the stage, were empty despite pre-sale and general ticket availability. These seats, which are usually filled by dedicated fans, indicate how strong an artist’s hold is in a specific location. If they remain empty, it would suggest that SM continues to struggle to increase its ticket sales further.

SMTOWN ticket sales in LA | Nate News

A February 26 report from K-Pop Radar analyzed these ticket sales data and emphasized that SM relied more on the Korean market than its competitors, such as HYBE and JYP. While some of SM’s artists, such as NCT127, have a strong fanbase in multiple markets, the label’s overall consumer base remains largely undiversified.

Analysts have also pointed out why ticket sales might be low for SMTOWN, including NCT127’s military enlistment hiatus. In addition, legacy groups like EXO and Girls’ Generation were not a part of SM’s 2024 concert, prompting those established fanbases to withdraw interest.

Another possible reason for the low sales might be the fact that multiple SM artists have already finished individual tours in North America recently. NCT Dream toured the US last year, aespa recently completed the North American leg of their world tour, and NCT127 has performances scheduled shortly. Hence, the demand for a family concert involving multiple SM groups might have dropped.

The recent Los Angeles wildfires also reportedly impacted the event’s promotional campaigns, further lowering its outreach.

Korean netizens have reacted to the reports of these low sales numbers by criticizing SM’s lack of planning and foresight. Many felt that canceling the shows might be the best option for the label.

| Instiz

• “Just cancel it.”
• “I wasn’t interested in it because I knew something like this would happen. I heard the tickets were too expensive. Why would anyone pay that much for a group concert? I would rather go to an individual concert.”
• “Cancel it.”
• “I really don’t understand why they would even do an SM concert tour.”
• “A friend of mine who lives in the US told me that the concert ticket was around ₩1.50 million KRW (about $1,050 USD). Who would pay that much for a group concert…”