It’s important to spend 5 million received to have a 1-minute video name with an idol… A Okay-pop album twisted by commercialism

2024-05-14 17:59:25

Give occasion alternatives based mostly on album purchases
Encouraging mass purchases with included items as bait
After receiving the applying ticket, it ended up in a pile of trash.
Behind ‘100 million models offered’, there’s a shadow of commercialism.

Group Seventeen’s new album ’17 IS RIGHT HERE’. This can be a deluxe model that features 2 CDs containing 9 years of actions, a lyric guide, photograph playing cards, and a photograph guide. Not like different variations the place you may obtain photograph playing cards randomly, there may be one photograph card for all 13 members, and the worth is 85,800 received. Reporter Choi Ji-seon [email protected]

There are rising voices saying that the gross sales technique of home music companies that encourage individuals to purchase the identical album in massive portions utilizing Okay-idols’ uncommon photograph playing cards and participation in fan conferences is extreme. Lately, even Adore CEO Min Hee-jin publicly criticized the gross sales technique of Hive, the corporate’s headquarters, resembling ‘random photograph playing cards’. In the meantime, home album gross sales have grown quickly and gross sales of leisure firms have additionally surged, however there may be additionally rising consciousness that market distortion is changing into extra severe because of ‘business ways utilizing fan sentiment’.

In line with Circle Chart on the 14th, Korean album gross sales final 12 months had been 115.77 million copies, a 50% improve in comparison with the earlier 12 months. The ratio of albums and music sources to the entire gross sales of Hive, Korea’s No. 1 leisure firm, is rising quickly from 30% in 2021 to 44.5% final 12 months. The proportion of album gross sales in leisure firm earnings is growing, driving general gross sales.

In the meantime, advertising plans to promote an increasing number of costly albums have gotten an increasing number of elaborate. For instance, the group Seventeen’s finest album ’17 IS RIGHT HERE’, which was launched on the twenty ninth of final month, comprises two an identical CDs, however is offered in six sorts with totally different reward parts. In comparison with the most affordable album, the ‘Weverse model’ (14,500 received), the worth of the deluxe model (85,800 received) with numerous parts is almost six instances increased. The songs within the album are the identical, however the kinds of random photograph playing cards and items are totally different for every model. Making individuals spend extra for the ‘chance of drawing the specified card’. If you wish to make the ‘secure alternative’, which incorporates photograph playing cards for all members moderately than random playing cards, it’s a must to purchase the most costly deluxe model.

It would not finish right here. Alternatives to see your favourite members up shut, resembling fan signing occasions, video calls, and showcases, are linked to the quantity of album purchases. You’re solely given the chance to take part in fan signing occasions as soon as per album, so it’s essential to purchase numerous albums to extend your possibilities of profitable. Though it’s an software kind, in actuality, individuals are lined up within the order of those that buy essentially the most albums, so it’s known as ‘Fansa Minimize’ (fan signing occasion minimize line). The business consensus is that for common idols, a ‘followers minimize’ prices between 3 and 4 million received, and for high boy teams, it prices over 5 million received. As a way to have a one-on-one video name together with your favourite idol for about 1 to 2 minutes, it’s a must to purchase about 200 to 300 copies of the identical album. Mr. Kim (33), an workplace employee and NCT fan, mentioned, “I maintain fan signing occasions virtually day-after-day, however I believe it’s too wasteful.”

One other Seventeen album album deserted on the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan (roughly 19,500 received). It seems that they purchased it in bulk and threw away the containers to be able to get tickets to a fan signing occasion. Picture supply X

In consequence, there are conditions the place individuals purchase numerous albums after which throw them away, taking solely the entry tickets. Earlier this month, a photograph of Hive group Seventeen’s albums being dumped in a pile in a park close to a division retailer in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan sparked controversy each at residence and overseas. An odd phenomenon can also be occurring: the album gross sales of a high Korean boy group within the first week of launch are 1 million extra copies than these of world star Taylor Swift. Consultants level out that the diploma of distortion within the Korean album market has elevated accordingly.

Kim Yun-ha, a preferred music critic, mentioned, “The observe of disrupting the market by overselling albums and inflating gross sales by taking followers’ love hostage has not been eradicated.” “It’s time for Okay-pop leisure firms to consider it,” he mentioned.

Reporter Choi Ji-seon [email protected]

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2024-05-14 17:59:25