Videos spreading across social media and Korean online communities are showing stacks of CORTIS’s debut album, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, left near stores and public retail areas. The video sparked rumors that the group is faking its sales numbers or tossing unsold stock. As of early 2026, the album’s progressive sales have surpassed 2 million copies.
Omg are those Cortis albums on the ground 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/leqBtOl8hb
— . (@ohyulvoicee) May 9, 2026
The real controversy is the “dumping cycle.” Fans buy in bulk to get into fan meetings, creating a false sense of urgency to boost sales.
Why so many albums found discarded?
BIGHIT MUSIC has said some of the discarded copies were linked to overstock and distribution errors, not poor demand for the album. The numbers prove they’re right: COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES has already surpassed 2 million copies on the Circle Chart, making it one of the strongest debut album runs by a K-pop group.
Still, these videos sparked a strong reaction because fans are very familiar with this pattern. Bulk buying has become deeply built into K-pop sales culture. Particularly when records are linked to collectible photos, special perks, or chances to join video chat events.
Even after the rewards disappear, people often no longer want to keep the physical CDs. To people who do not follow the genre closely, this seems like a way to fake high record sales. To people who have followed the music for years, it appears to be a bad result of a method that the music business has made into a standard practice.
Netizens are using the videos to argue that CORTIS has reached a million sales, mostly through fan strategies rather than natural popularity. Others are also highlighting the group’s status as a new BIGHIT MUSIC artist.
At least you know cortis physical album put in right place aka rubbish bin. https://t.co/OAyGD9huJN
— 💀 (@fearlessrainl) May 10, 2026
Certain individuals are blaming fans who only like one specific member. They buy huge amounts just to get that person’s cards or a chance to talk to them. After that, they threw away the leftover records.
