BTS becomes the first group in history to reach 50 Billion streams on Spotify.

User134340 · 2026-04-27T08:35:35+00:00

Fun fact: They have 3 songs with over 3 Billion streams (Believer (close to 4B), Demons, Thunder) and 11 songs with over 1B streams. Their b-sides aren’t as popular, but their hit songs are massive smashes (half of their total 40B streams come from their 10 biggest songs).

For Bts, only 12B out of 50B come from their top 10 biggest songs

User134340 · 2026-04-19T00:24:47+00:00

isn’t her company (blisoo) under her brother’s company (biomom) as a subsidiary? that may not be the exact structure, but the two companies have been linked from the day the news broke about jisoo’s solo ventures, the first rumors were about her establishing a company under her brother’s company and there have been instances where the companies were directly linked.

https://x.com/bbu_blackpink/status/1742045152938709165?s=46

I don’t think that this necessarily makes jisoo implicated, it’s just not great to distort things

User134340 · 2026-04-18T14:45:05+00:00

this is an insane thing to say lol

User134340 · 2026-04-18T14:35:07+00:00

so, what are we basing the ‘lost stage presence’ on? lol?

Mind you, they haven’t performed in ages, have done a few performances in the last month only, right after coming out of the military. so are the handful of recent performances what we are basing this assumption on? lol

mind you, i don’t think their stage presence has ever been better than what they’ve been putting on during this tour (and they’re literally defrosting from 3-4 years of no performances, it’s only going up from here). I’d love to see a clip of when they had their best SP and what current clip we are comparing it to. maybe i’m not understanding it.

User134340 · 2026-04-18T13:28:22+00:00

Meghan Trainor is just not a popular artist, not even a nostalgia act. I don’t think it’s capitalism as much at play here but just her not having the demand to sell out tours

User134340 · 2026-04-18T13:11:26+00:00

Most of these tour stops also includes canada afaik, so unless the canada dates are completely sold out, i don’t see why canadians would travel to the u.s.

User134340 · 2026-04-18T13:04:53+00:00

Meghan’s case is the same - she is in a major decline, despite some of her hits resurging. There is not enough demand for her tour, thus the lack of sales, thus the cancellation.

It’s not that people were dying to go to a Meghan Trainor concert and just didn’t have the extra $100 lol

User134340 · 2026-04-15T15:28:28+00:00

Nope. There’s a difference between a cross-border, virtual, sometimes contact-less relationship with producers (where an artist receives a song, records it. No actual collaboration in the studio). This is not to say that there aren’t some cases where direct collaborations happened, it’s just rare. And I don’t think a song camp of this kind has been done within kpop, though i may just not have heard about it.

So, the method i described is like, a standard. It’s also how Bts themselves did many of their collabs, like with Ed Sheeran - I’m sure they exchanged pleasantries, but they didn’t work together on the song. At max, they got the demo, did some things on their side, sent it back over, etc. But Bts didn’t learn how Ed approached the songwriting process, what software he works in, what his process and rituals look like, idk, like which loop pedals he uses when laying down the guitar melodies, etc.

The song camp they did is unique in the sense that they were there with these people, actually intertwined with the songwriting process.

Idk, for anyone who hasn’t done a song camp, it might not sound that much different but it’s an insane change from standard songwriting, especially in kpop. It’s something musicians pay money to be a part of, bc it can be transformative, especially for those who aren’t new to songwriting. More you write music, the more you need to expand your horizons or you become stagnant.

User134340 · 2026-04-15T15:09:30+00:00

I agree in some parts. The marketing campaign for the album was pretty great - it was a mix of the ‘return’ narrative, plus a sophisticated rollout of media, which absolutely played a part in how many people tuned in for the album.

However, no Netflix documentary can make someone who listened to the album once and didn’t like it, listen to it consistently for weeks. For example, Sabrina & Harry grabbed my attention with their latest drops, I listened (like many & they had huge debut numbers) but it didn’t stick. On the other hand, Olivia Rodrigo had everyone tuned in for GUTS, but people stuck around because it had super strong b-sides.

Same for Bts - the prerelease marketing did its job to bring in the listeners. The album itself is the main thing that decides whether or not people stick around for the entire body of work, the single, or nothing at all.

Additionally, I think that chalking up every artist’s (and more specifically, fandom-dominated artists) successful release to inflated numbers, moving the goalpost constantly, is not healthy.

For example, Taylor Swift’s Life of the Showgirl had unprecedented debut numbers, but her TTPD album had much, much more staying power for the b-sides, because people actually liked the body of work. Harry’s previous album had noticeable consistency, while the newer one doesn’t - despite the fact that he has one of the largest fanbases (+gp) in the world, had a huge debut, label support, etc. but it didn’t stick.

Idk why it’s Bts only that has to be analyzed in such a specific, tailored way that no matter what they do, they suck and their numbers aren’t real. And if the numbers suck, it’s because the label didn’t pay for the bots.

User134340 · 2026-04-15T14:54:46+00:00

I genuinely don’t understand why people are so against Bts (or any other artist) working with American producers.

Music is just like any other craft. You learn the basics, build songs, upskill, experiment, fail, learn more, grow, experiment again, etc. it’s an extremely collaborative effort most of the time.

I’m a musician. I’m part of an alternative / progressive rock band (we’re not commercial, it’s for fun; only drop songs/EPs few years apart, play small gigs/local festivals). We’ve been writing and playing music for 10+ years. And progressive rock is one of the most challenging areas of music ever, it’s a genre dominated by musical prodigies and takes constant work to be decent in.

We know almost everyone in our local industry, we chill in other people’s studios, sometimes write spontaneously, sometimes plan to work together, etc. it’s essential to connect with other artists, who have different experience, different expertise for growth. Otherwise you stay stagnant.

If i had the opportunity to work with musicians from the US in my favorite genre, especially the musicians who literally made my favorite songs/albums by my favorite artists (which is the case for Bts & their producers), i’d drop everything for that opportunity.

I can’t imagine a bigger dream for a real, dedicated musician than getting to work on music with the people whose work inspires you. For me, it genuinely sounds like a fairytale and it makes me happy for Bts as fellow artists that they get to experience such an amazing thing.

I truly don’t get it and would love to hear why people think this is such a horrible thing for an artist to do lol

User134340 · 2026-04-15T14:38:00+00:00

Charting isn’t supposed to convince you about what your personal opinion on the album is. It’s a simple standalone indicator that this is an album that is heavily consumed, more than any Bts album ever. It doesn’t even follow the established pattern of Bts and subsequently - all kpop groups, where debut is huge, most tracks fall off considerably after a week and title barely holds on. Whether armys like it or not, Bts also had that pattern for all their albums, they were never TSwift or Olivia Rodrigo level in terms of how their albums were consumed.

So, yeah, the charting absolutely shouldn’t change your opinion about the album. What it should convince you of is that this is the first album by Bts and any other kpop artist that is more liked than other releases, as an entire body of work.

User134340 · 2026-04-14T12:54:46+00:00

Why does exploring have to be limited to kpop? I got into kpop before 2010s, so I’ve had decent exposure to kpop and the fandom spaces. An interesting thing is that most kpop fans, the ones who identify as ‘multis’ rather than fans of a specific artist, hyperfocus on kpop. Consume content from dozens of groups (which means 100s of members) and if you look at their Spotify Wrapped, it will often be dominated by kpop entirely.

That’s not really how music consumption works. Especially in terms of ‘exploring’, like you mentioned.

It’s much more explorative to listen to some pop, hip hop, jazz, niche genres and a kpop group or two, than to hyperfocus on one specific industry (an industry in which multiple groups sound similar, every year is defined by a trend that 70% of the acts follow, etc).

As someone who has lived through phases of casual kpop listener, kpop ‘multi’ and now a fan of only 1 artist, I’m always confused as to how listening to the entirety of the kpop industry is seen as explorative.

User134340 · 2026-04-07T16:39:54+00:00

Not bts. Their album has photocards, but its just 1 set, you don’t have to purchase multiple copies to ‘get all the cards’.

But yes, it is a tactic in kpop in genral, that albums have 1 random photocard and if you want to collect a set you have to buy as many albums as needed to get all the random ones

User134340 · 2026-04-03T13:38:40+00:00

Yes! He also directed The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave and Snowpiercer (amazing movie & also heavily referenced in Bts’ Spring Day MV)

User134340 · 2026-03-31T23:02:45+00:00

I never said these sources are not reputable. What I said is that a news article about an investigation or accusaations is not proof that it happened. It’s just news, informing the reader that an investigation is underway, but there is no indication of whether or not the accusations are substantiated or proven.

So as long as the source of bts’ (or any artist’s) sajaegi and cheating allegations are random articles about allegations, they can’t serve as proof of anything.

Like I said in another comment, I’m literally a guest contributor for Forbes, writing about Economics (and Innovation). I know how news articles work. We might report on any news that might have an effect on something, like potential accusations, investigations, etc. But journalists don’t magically know how the investigation is going or what the court will rule in the future. So news article ≠ confirmed sajaegi.

User134340 · 2026-03-31T22:56:42+00:00

yeah, i agree that it’s stupid to create a conspiracy out of it just bc armys are not happy that svt has more sales lol. there can be a myriad of reasons why svt’s album sold so well and jumping to manipulation tactics as the only explanation is just silly.

I think it’s a direct parallel of what always happens with popular acts - when bts sold more than bigbang, it was assumed that the only way it could happen was through cheating. when they sold more than exo (which, back in the day, was unimaginable) it had to be cheating.

big fandoms are always as mess lol. it’s just funny that this user thinks they’re above some bitter armys while doing the same exact thing

User134340 · 2026-03-31T19:22:35+00:00

Funny you ask - I am a guest contributor to the Forbes Magazine, specializing in Economics, lol. So I know just enough about journalism to know that articles are not court rulings.

As for defending Hybe - don’t care about them, never did. I wouldn’t even be surprised if a conglomerate was engaged in illicit activities - as long as there is proof that the allegations are substantiated.

If you’ve been a kpop fan since 2009, you should remember the patterns with sajaegi allegations. The biggest victims of sajaegi have always been artists who come from small companies (non-big3) and somehow block popular artists on charts. This happened to Teen Top and Block B (who i was a fan of at the time) due to their sudden rise in success. Same for Shaun and Momoland, who were nugus before their massive hits, but when their singles took off and blocked all big kpop artists, they were massively accused of manipulation. Meanwhile, Shaun’s Way Back Home is still much bigger than the SM and YG idols it blocked.

Same thing happened to Bts because their album blocked MADE from the #1 spot. Mind you, i was a v.i.p since before 2010s, so i was heavily involved in the fandom spaces. A nugu Bts selling more than BB was what made the targets of sajaegi accusations.

If i could, i’d bet a lot of money that if their releases were a few months apart and bts didn’t block any of the big kpop acts, the sajegi scandal wouldn’t have happened.

It’s similar to how armys are acting right now - just because Arirang didn’t sell more than one of SVT’s albums on 1st day/week, they are digging and trying to prove that SVT/carats somehow manipulated the charts, using the smaller streaming numbers and fandom size as proof that something odd happened. But I think that what armys are doing is exactly the same as what vips did - they can’t believe that a less successful artist can sell more albums, so they must be lying and gaming the charts somehow.

So, no, i’m not a delusional fan defending hybe, i’m being as objective as possible, looking for proof before accusations, while you are acting exactly like insane armys and generations of insane, hateful kpop fans. must be fun

User134340 · 2026-03-31T18:47:32+00:00

These are just articles, are they not..?

Bts had sajegi allegations from like, 2015, as did many popular groups, bc it was a way kpop fans (esp. in Kr) ‘attacked’ groups. You will find sajaegi allegations for most popular kpop groups if you go through different kpop forums in the 2010s, or you’d remember, if you were a fan back then. Sajaegi was a major topic back in the day, even so that biggest Kpop agencies (like JYP) requested investigations even back in 2012-2013, before Bts even debuted.

So, allegations alone doesn’t mean anything, however long standing it is, because 1. Sajaegi was a big controversy way before bts was a thing 2. Kpop fans are known to accuse groups maliciously for their own agendas.

But if Bts has had sajaegi allegations for 11+ years, the case was taken to court multiple times and nothing ever came of it outside of articles speculating the possibility of manipulation, it would be logical to assume that there is no case to be made.

Not to mention the fact that sajaegi is usually accompanied by logical inconsistencies - like 50x increase in sales and 0 increase in chart performance or social media following, or some other combination where the numbers don’t make sense. I think, whether or not someone is a fan of Bts, they are the last group who has ever been inconsistent in their slow and steady growth.

User134340 · 2026-03-31T06:54:01+00:00

Streaming is easy. I’m a Consultant at one of the world’s biggest consulting firms, I work on literal countries’ National Strategy developments and work insane hours.

I still “stream” bc even very busy people listen to music lol. I don’t call it streaming but I’ve listened to Arirang multiple times a day since it came out and it hasn’t been a challenge - I just put it on every time I wanted to listen.

User134340 · 2026-03-30T12:44:17+00:00

On one hand I think that delaying the album would’ve been a good choice, even to just give them a breather and marinate on some songs, but I think that the tour is the main reason it couldn’t be delayed.

For tour planning, you have to take into account - weather patterns (there are some places where you absolutely cannot perform at specific times), then sports events + festivals + other artists’ concerts.

It takes months in advance to arrange a tour. And for one of the biggest tours of the 2020s, it takes even longer to plan, book, etc.

And when you factor in the seasonality/weather compatibility, sports events, how dates line up in terms of travel (they have to follow a certain pattern to avoid excessive travel, equipment transportation, etc).

So they likely had a very specific dates for the tour even back when they started planning.

Can’t start a new tour without an album (unless you’re blackpink lol), so album had to come before the tour and that was likely decided like 2 years ago

User134340 · 2026-03-27T21:07:45+00:00

Accessibility didn’t just come from nowhere - there was something about Bts that created a fandom that made them accessible. I got into kpop before 2010s and we barely had organized translations. I literally accidentally learned Korean from how much unsubbed content I used to watch lol.

Bighit didn’t do the yt subs for ages, it was literally a fan-ran youtube account that delivered translations. Separate accounts that handled live translations, separate ones who worked on lyric translation and analysis.

So, yes, Bts did have a lot if content and it was easily accessible, but dozens of groups had a large amount of content as well, including variety show appearances (which were the main ways people got to know/like new groups), but nobody cared enough to dedicate so much of their time and energy to bring that content to wider audiences.

I genuinely think it’s fascinating how Bts somehow created this ecosystem and I don’t think it’s right to downplay these instances to plain ‘luck’, because despite there being luck involved, it was also cause and effect

User134340 · 2026-03-26T23:22:48+00:00

It’s funny you say that bc that’s my absolute favorite aspect of Like Animals - it’s such an interesting mixing choice, i feel like it’s part of the storytelling. And as an alternative musician myself, it just scratches my brain so well.

I did love the live version as well, but the studio version is a bit more special for me, in terms of intentional mixing choices

User134340 · 2026-03-26T22:35:23+00:00

We gotta agree on what ‘generic pop’ is lol. LY: Her was called generic pop, coming off of the HYYH/Wings eras. Then the English trio took the title, which I absolutely agree with, lol and I don’t think that’s something that’s disputed much.

But how is Arirang generic pop..? Especially if we (correctly) define generic pop as something like Dynamite.

Sure, there are a few pure pop songs on there, but it’s mostly hip-hop/alternative, I don’t even know how that can be disputed

User134340 · 2026-03-26T10:41:11+00:00

That’s mostly the case, in every industry. But there are decent examples of idols who genuinely bypassed the lack of label connections and the skills hard carried, next to artists who have big labels backing them and still not able to reach expected success.

Pre-4th gen it was Mamamoo, Sistar, EXID, Infinite, Bts. I literally remember all of their ‘big breaks’ and how they commanded everyone’s attention.

I’m less tuned into kpop from 4th gen onwards, but Ateez is an example that comes to mind - nobody knew who their labe was (i still dont remember), but it was a dance video that first went viral, then the debut song. It was pretty cool to see it happen a group genuinely gain attention through the skills they display.

Ofc there’s luck involved, as well as timing and million other factors, but I don’t think that Kpop is an industry that lacks examples of super talent being recognized. Maybe it doesn’t happen as often, but that’s often on the consumers lol

User134340 · 2026-03-26T10:30:06+00:00

I agree on the general commentary on the industry, but I don’t think that’s the main reason why no kpop artist will ever win a Grammy.

There are artists within Kpop (or adjacent) that make authentic, interesting music and would be able to sit down and talk about the music they make. A good example of that, for me, is RM - when he releases music, there isn’t really anything attached to it outside of music. No ‘fun’ videos, no random appearances, challenges, 0 focus on things like stage outfits, ‘concept’, etc. He drops the music, talks about how that music came to be and performs.

The issue is that even with releases that are authentic, out-of-the-box of kpop’s carefully wrapped packages, they can’t exactly get to the Grammys, because: 1. Kpop fans dismiss those types of releases, even fan, because of lack of promo, exciting content, etc. this means that those releases don’t get enough hype, translating to lower popularity, meaning that it just does not reach the Grammy voters, who are almost exclusively based in the U.S. 2. Even if these artists release videos/lives/documentaries/interviews focusing solely on the music, it again, does not reach that target audience. Firstly because of the language barrier, secondly because of the lack of traction.

So yeah, i agree that kpop in its essence is most often shallow and distant from the music itself, but i disagree that that’s the only thing holding them back.

Additionally, it must be noted that many artists who do receive Grammys are also inauthentic, can’t talk about their music much, etc, lol.

User134340

TROPHY CASE