A K-Pop album is not just an album. There are different versions like Standard, Limited, Photobook, Kihno, Special and Compact versions and different album types like Studio Album, Repackage Album and Full Length Album, just to name a few examples.
But what does all of that mean? So that no questions remain open, we have written a simple definition for all versions and album types! (As of: July 2024)
- Definitions of album versions
- Definitions of album types
DEFINITIONS OF ALBUM VERSIONS:
Some of the terms are mainly used to tell the different versions of an album apart, because these days there is rarely just one. To make this list a bit clearer, we distinguish between albums with a regular CD and digital albums with QR codes, NFC CDs or similar.
CD Versions
COMPACT: The Compact version contains fewer extras than other versions of the same album and is usually smaller too. In return, it is of course cheaper!
DELUXE: A Deluxe Edition generally just has a bit more content than other versions and is more expensive accordingly. In fact, compared to all the others, this term is hardly used at all. A few of the rare examples would be “BTS - BE (Deluxe Edition)” and “Taeyeon - Vol.2 Purpose (Deluxe Edition)”.
DIGIPACK: Digipack versions are very simple compared to others. They are just as big as a CD, square and flat. Buyers get a paper sleeve that can be opened up. Inside they find a CD, a small booklet with photos and a few extras. In most cases, the extras are photocards and posters. They are basically like Jewel Case versions, except that the case is made of paper instead of plastic.
JEWEL CASE: We probably all know Jewel Cases - square plastic cases that are used all over the world to store CDs. Most K-Pop albums are much more extensive and consist of a photobook or even whole boxes. As an alternative, though, there is often a Jewel Case version too. It is of course a bit simpler, because only a small booklet fits in the case, but there are still almost always photocards or other small extras included.
HELLO82 EXCLUSIVE: Some albums additionally come in region-specific editions. These include, for example, “UK Exclusive”, “EU Exclusive” or “Europe Pop-Up Exclusive”. These versions are offered by the music company “hello82” and are only available in certain regions such as Europe or the United Kingdom. They are almost identical to the original album, but they additionally contain exclusive photocards.
LIMITED: This version is only available in limited quantities. Either only a certain number of albums is produced or the album is only available for a certain time. If you are thinking about buying a Limited Edition, you should not wait too long, because a few days later it might already be sold out!
LP: The abbreviation LP stands for “Long Playing” and usually refers to vinyl records. The predecessor of the CD is still very popular today, which is why K-Pop artists occasionally release vinyl versions of their albums too!
NORMAL EDITION: This term is mostly used for Japanese albums. It refers to the “normal” version. Often there is also a “Limited Edition” or a “Solo Edition” on top of that.
PHOTOBOOK: When a version is labeled as a “Photobook” version, it of course mainly means that it contains a photobook. It also usually means that the other versions are focused on other content and contain either no photobook or one with far fewer pages.
SOLO EDITION: This term is mostly used for Japanese albums. It refers to versions for individual members.
SPECIAL ALBUM: This is probably the vaguest term of all, because many agencies understand it differently. In some cases, “Special Album” is simply an alternative name for “Limited Edition” or “Repackage”. Often, though, it also refers to albums that are released for a particular occasion such as the group’s anniversary and are dedicated to the fans.
STANDARD: Compared to the others, the Standard version is the “normal” version. The term is therefore only used when there are two or more versions. The others have either more or less content than the Standard version and are usually structured quite differently.
DEFINITIONS OF ALBUM TYPES
Digital albums have only existed for a few years, but today hardly any album is released without a digital variant. They have many different titles such as “Nemo”, “Platform” or “Poca”, but the content is very similar. All of these versions are very small, because they mainly contain photocards and a QR code or another digital medium. Usually a specific app is needed to access the digital content.
DIGITAL CODE: Instead of the usual CD, these versions contain a “Digital Code Card” with a QR code that gives the buyer access to a digital version of the album and, in some cases, to exclusive videos or digital photos too.
EVER MUSIC ALBUM: The “Ever Music Album Version” is sometimes also called “Ever Version” for short. To be able to use the music card (QR photocard) inside, you have to download the “EVERMUSIC” app. Besides the QR photocard, Ever versions also contain regular photocards. In some cases, other small extras such as stickers or ID cards are included too. The so-called “Accordion packaging” resembles a tiny photobook, because it has several pages with photos of the respective artist.
FIGURE: As the name suggests, this version contains a figure. It either has a built-in NFC chip or a printed QR code that you can use to access digital content. On top of that, it is of course also a decorative item that you can display on your shelf. There are still very few Figure albums. The few examples include “MY DEMON OST (MEO FIGURE ALBUM)” and “STAYC - METAMORPHIC (THE 1ST ALBUM) FIGURE VER.”
KIT (KIHNO): In the beginning, this version was called a “Kihno Album”, but today it is mostly called “KIT” or “KIT Album”. These are versions that contain a so-called “Air-Kit” instead of a CD and are usually much smaller than “normal” versions. Buyers usually also get a photocard set and postcards; no photobook. With the Air-Kit they get access to the digital album. To do so, they have to connect the Air-Kit to their phone and additionally download the matching “KiT Player” app.
NEMO: Nemo versions consist of a small rectangular plastic case - most comparable to cassette cases - that contains a few photocards and a Nemo card. The case is just big enough for the photocards to fit inside. Buyers have to download the matching “Nemoz” app and scan the Nemo card with it. Then they can listen to the digital album in the app and also get digital, high-resolution photos.
PLATFORM: This version consists of a paper photocard holder that contains photocards and, in some cases, also stickers or a postcard. A QR code and a serial number are printed on the back of a photocard. Buyers have to download the “MINIRECORD” app and then get access to digital content with the code or the number: album info, all tracks of the album, digital photocards, the music video and possibly also exclusive photos and videos. The photocard holder is only slightly bigger than the photocards themselves.
POCA ALBUM: What is special about Poca albums is their packaging, because it can be folded into a photo stand. Perfect for displaying photocards on your shelf or on your desk. In addition, Poca albums contain a so-called QR card album, photocards and stickers. Sometimes a postcard is included too. The QR card album is a photocard with a QR code on the back. With the code you can open exclusive digital content in the “POCAALBUM” app.
RISING CARD ALBUM: Like most other digital albums, this variant also contains a QR card and several photocards. Sometimes another extra such as a message card or a postcard is included too. To activate the QR code, the “RISING CARD ALBUM” app is required.
SMINI: SMini versions are digital albums that SM Entertainment introduced in 2022. By now, every SM Entertainment artist releases an SMini version alongside other versions. It contains a tiny Jewel Case called the SMini Case, a ball chain and a photocard. The ball chain is threaded through a hole in a protruding piece of plastic on the SMini Case. That turns it into a cool keychain! There are often different covers of the SMini version that you can choose from; one for each member.
The SMini Case can be opened up like a Jewel Case. Inside is a small Music NFC CD. To be able to use it, you have to download the “Smart Music Card” app. Please make sure that your device can use NFC. If so, all you have to do in the app is select the album and hold your device against the NFC CD. Now you can download and enjoy the songs!
STAYG ALBUMS: The STAYG Albums version consists of a small box that contains several photocards. Exactly how many and which ones depends on the album, but a QR photocard is always included. Buyers need the “STAYG ALBUMS” app to access digital content such as songs and music.
WEVERSE ALBUMS: When an artist from Hybe Corporation offers a digital album, it carries the title “Weverse Albums Version”. The contents of Weverse Albums differ a lot depending on the artist. The only thing they have in common: they all contain a QR photocard. To be able to scan the QR code, you need the “Weverse Albums” app.
Weverse albums can contain pretty much anything: sometimes they include whole photobooks and posters, sometimes just a few photocards. That means they are often different sizes too.
If you look around our shop, you will surely soon notice other version names that do not appear in this article.
A few examples are: “Poster Ver.”, “Box Ver.”, “Character Ver.”, “Podcast Ver.”, “Letter Ver.” or “Accordion Ver.”. These names do not refer to a specific album type, but are simply used to separate the different versions of an album from each other. Mostly they can be assigned to one of the common album versions such as “Standard”, “Limited” or “Photobook”.
Definitions of album types:
The following terms are not limited to K-Pop albums, but are also used in the Western music world. Since not everyone is familiar with them as a new K-Pop fan, we list the most important ones here for you:
Compilation albums consist of songs that have already been released before. They are often also called “Best Of Album” because they contain the artist’s biggest hits. They are perfect for new fans who want to quickly have as many of the best-known songs as possible in their collection. Not infrequently, the tracklist also contains a brand-new song!
Live albums consist, as the name suggests, of live recordings of concerts, so that fans can bring that special atmosphere home. In K-Pop they are also called "Concert Album".
A Mini Album or "Extended Play" is longer than a Single Album, but too short to be called a full album. It usually consists of four to seven tracks.
Mixtapes are usually hip-hop albums that are released digitally. Most or all of the songs on the mixtape are written by the artist themselves and often produced by them as well.
A Repackage Album is a “newly packaged” version of a previously released album. The Repackage contains all the songs of the previous album plus two to four brand-new songs. In addition, there is a completely new physical album.
Single Albums contain a single. Often there is also a second track: a B-side or a remix of the single, sometimes both.
A Studio Album, also called “Full Album” or “Full Length Album”, contains ten or more songs. All albums that contain fewer count as Mini or Single Albums.
O.S.T Albums are soundtrack albums of Korean films and series. “O.S.T” is an abbreviation for “Official Soundtrack”.
Is there any term we should explain as well? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
