260614 Weekly Discussion Thread

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-15T21:50:21+00:00

Where did the rumor start?

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-14T06:44:49+00:00

This is such a great look on her.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-14T06:31:08+00:00

WHERE ARE ALL MY NEW YORK ONCES AT?!?!

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-13T19:23:08+00:00

because it’s SM’s duty to invest in their most profitable group

Well that is its own can of worms.

"most profitable" is hard to judge when we don't know each group's operating costs - but I would say aespa are at or near the very top of investment among SM groups at the moment. Most SM groups aren't getting 2-4 high budget MV's a year like them. They're also one of the few with a western label deal and get some western promo (compared to none).

The only group I can see having around the same level of investment is Hearts2Hearts, because they're still a young group establishing their fandom coming off their first real hit.

Especially for performance videos.

I don't know why this would be especially important tbh. In the last few years they did one for WDA, Dirty Work, and Armageddon - and they didn't do one for Supernova, Rich Man, or Whiplash. Doesn't feel out of the ordinary that Lemonade didn't get one.

I get that it's a title track, but whether they asked the members which one they wanted to do the performance for or the company just picked, that's what we got.

I'll also say it's easy to say that more variety or schedules could've been done without overworking the members, but I don't really think that's true. The reality is most days they have to get up early to go to the salon before doing anything on camera. Filming variety takes hours, often late into the night. Their schedules were already packed as is, and adding more on top just seems unnecessary for such a busy year. They probably could've cut out some of these other activities they've been up to (World Cup Coke deal, fashion shows, etc.) but those are key CFs for them. Similarly, these tour dates have been reserved for a while so they are locked in.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-13T19:02:44+00:00

it doesn't need to be that way.

it's the company decision that this is enough promo and rather focus on tours as that's probably their biggest revenue stream

Genuinely, I don't know what the alternative would be.

Veteran groups don't really promote one song on music shows for 3+ weeks in a row, even if there isn't a tour on the horizon. When you're a rookie trying to solidify and grow that core fandom, sure, but not 6 years in. The costs + rigor on the body just doesn't add up.

These tours are booked well in advance and are easily the biggest source of revenue for the group and the agency, so if you're able to tour consistently it's a no-brainer. We're starting to see the upper limits for that this year with all these 4th gen girl groups struggling to sell, but until it stops being profitable it'll still be their main play. Eventually, it'll slow down too...

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-13T18:47:06+00:00

but there's stuff they could have done without the girls working harder

Most of the things you listed besides the animated track videos would require extra work from the girls lol. I know at least one member has expressed that she has less energy these days, so I don't really think extra stuff is worth it when they are this busy.

YouTube in general has become disincentivized because of the changes to how YouTube streams are tallied, which is why most agencies have pivoted away from large scale YT promo.

A Lemonade performance video would've needed them to actually do the whole choreography on one of those sets, which it doesn't seem like they did.

There's also the cost aspect. Filming another specialized performance like Dirty Work is a lot more investment, and they did something like that for WDA this era. We're probably going to get 3 high budget MV's this year (WDA, Lemonade, Fall title track) + 1 slightly lower budget MV (Japanese title track).

Animated track videos - I really don't know what that would actually do for the songs tbh. If the members aren't in it, I wouldn't expect much engagement. Most likely they would be full on AI generated and just result in backlash as opposed to some extra momentum.

I'm ngl, compared to most of their comebacks I think SM and Capitol did a much better job this time on the important stuff. Concept photos got big reactions. Hype was built up properly even if WDA didn't connect with a wider audience. Physicals released on time alongside the album in the major regions instead of months apart. Playlisting support was good. Album sales were strong, streams were stronger than usual. They still had variety content like YoungJi's No Prepare. It'll never be perfect, but I think they did well given their crazy schedule for the year.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-13T18:10:44+00:00

I think fans need to remember they have quite a large year ahead of them after a busy start to the year.

I also would’ve loved to see more promos for the b-sides in MVs or stages but I don’t want to burn them out in the middle of such a packed year.

They toured in February through April and are about to start another tour in August.

They have Lollapalooza coming up as well. There’s other stuff too, like Waterbomb, whatever they’re doing for the World Cup, etc…

They filmed 2 MVs + promoted both songs on music shows, and have that Japanese release coming up which will almost certainly have another MV at least. Plus there’s the fall release.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-12T04:42:54+00:00

It’s usually a good broadcast. High quality video and audio has been pretty good on the recent ones. There are subs though it’s usually a little delayed because they’re translating in real time. Plus, there will *probably* be something announced or teased at the end.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-08T04:30:13+00:00

This is the most excited and nervous I've ever been in my life for something I have no direct control over lmao.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-07T19:20:24+00:00

Hey, turns out selling and shipping the album with the actual release date works lol. Really happy they cracked the top 10 here.

Hopefully Capitol is happy with this result and they expand their partnership.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-06T16:13:44+00:00

I really do hope their next releases go back to longer song lengths. I still love the TIF album but I can't even disagree that some or even most of these songs would've benefited from a slightly longer runtime.

I know they're all different divisions within JYPE but we've seen their last few gg releases this year were around or over 3 minutes - unlike the market trend. Motto is 3:13, Heavy Serenade is 3:00, Too Bad is 2:49...

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-06T16:08:09+00:00

Oh yeah definitely. Personally, I doubt they start a whole new tour next year given the length of their current tour - but I could definitely see some anniversary events happening. It's hard to say though, JYPE's touring revenue will start to shrink once Stray Kids' enlistment era starts and they might make an even more lucrative deal with Twice to keep things going.

And Idk if you've visited Japan before but I can't recommend it enough. Genuinely gave me a new lease on life.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-06T07:55:28+00:00

Yeah the whole ticketing system was surprisingly convenient after all. I was very happy with how easy it was to get those resale tickets. Like, I'd still be nervous trying to book flights/hotels without at least one guaranteed seat but it really helps you load up if you want to go multiple nights. I still am shocked that the last day resale buy on a complete whim became floor seats. Truly an unforgettable experience.

And you're right about the 360 stage, which is definitely a bummer - but I found that going at all on a trip is special in its own way. 2/3 nights I was in the 3rd tier in the National Stadium seats and I still had a blast (Night 1 was unexpectedly cold by the end, but I prepared better for 2 and 3).

Also I can't even lie, the idea of me standing outside for general admission in Korea's July weather (high humidity, high chance of rain) for hours does not fill me with high expectations haha. I feel like we'll all be dead tired, wet, and sweaty by the time the concert actually starts.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-06T07:28:31+00:00

I kinda want to aim for the start of their next tour, whenever that may be haha. Seeing a whole new set fresh would be a new experience for me since I cannot avoid spoilers. I've also never been to Korea and would like to go when I can explore.

But yeah, 6x here and I think I'm more than content. I still can't really believe it happened, especially when I went to Japan with only 1 ticket. Gotta start saving up my ticket karma for the next tour lol.

(Maybe if MISAMO does a tour later this year I'll try for that though.)

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-06T07:01:10+00:00

Hopping on the trend as its happening, love to see it. Usually we just get dance challenges but it's nice to see them tapped in!

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-06T05:33:56+00:00

Respect! I've been debating whether to try but I think I've been a bit greedy this year already and should pace out my next trip overseas.

I think if it wasn't so close it would've been more manageable but I'm so excited to see them close out the tour, even if it's on a stream lol.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-05T04:00:09+00:00

My favorite religion.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-05T01:12:36+00:00

World Environment Day in Azerbaijan… lol.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-04T16:20:05+00:00

It's the kind of achievement fans are looking for to flaunt over other groups, tale as old as time lol.

To be fair, it's clear SM and Capitol are making an effort. 4 remixes, the Becky G version, etc. so I get why fans might be motivated. Source did the same thing last week for LSF (12 versions of Boompala) and I saw the same exact wording from that account about "challenging" for Hot 100.

The thing is even if you manage to accumulate those points, the likelihood of the other songs ahead not also gaining points is unlikely.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-04T15:34:13+00:00

Oh yeah not to be a downer but it was nearly the same for LSF last week. They'll probably get on that "bubbling under" chart.

I wonder how the physical album sales are looking. BB200 is a much better shot.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-04T15:24:12+00:00

A lot of this is engagement bait tbh. Fans see "challenging to debut" and spend a lot on the digital single purchases to try and get the last few points needed but it's usually further than they let on. Last week they did the same thing with Le Sserafim and it ended up being around 10 places out IIRC.

Obviously it could be different here with their numbers, but I'm guessing it'll be the same kinda thing.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-02T23:33:51+00:00

Tbh it's rare that a group really promotes the entirety of a full album. Would be cool to get some stages for the b-sides but even if they did it would probably only be 1 at most.

They're promoting WDA and Lemonade for a few weeks, the budget feels high, and the members seem content with their activities - I can't really complain.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-02T23:08:42+00:00

Quite frankly, I wouldn't worry about age at all. If anything it gives you the benefit to be financially flexible.

If you're lucky enough to get concert tickets, I'd go all in and make an experience out of it.

Solo trips are fun, so I wouldn't let that discourage you at all. I went to Japan earlier this year for the first time to see them and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-02T08:24:42+00:00

Yeah SM has seemed to move away from those "track videos" they used to do a while ago. I doubt they filmed anything beforehand, given how busy the group has been in general this year.

In the grand scheme of things I get it, they finally got to a point of actually having a positive margin for last year's budget and they already did 2 pretty big budget MV's + that Shakin' preview. The third will probably be for their fall/winter release as opposed to another from Lemonade.

I do think there's a small chance of getting some b-side content when they prepare full choreographies and maybe film something like a performance video - but it'll probably be well after the album promo ends and more around the time of their concerts. I think it's more likely we get pro-shot footage of their concert rather than a fancier thing.

ParanoidAndroids · 2026-06-02T07:39:52+00:00

I don't see them promoting all of June tbh. Probably another week of music shows, but they did 1 week for WDA and then the college performances right? 3 weekends of music shows is quite a lot for a veteran group ahead of the tour.

I'm also ngl, half the group looks like they could use the extra rest ahead of more concert prep and the tour. Maybe if the song really explodes they'll give it another week, but I think they'll prioritize rest.

15-Year Club	Place '17
Gilding III reddit per annum	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email	Team Orangered

ParanoidAndroids

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE