#therefore reliant on BTS and HYBE

[starryjkoo]

I think the issue with these western labels is that they’re not getting enough from their deal with BTS to have any sort of motivation to actually do their jobs properly and put in even the bare minimum amount of effort for some of these releases (particularly Jimin). And they clearly feel comfortable enough being straight up unprofessional with them. It’s like pulling teeth to get them to make a single social media post and it feels like the root of the issue is that unless they’re getting enough money or power out of the project they do not gaf. I wonder honestly what their specific deal with BTS is. But it’s also funny because it feels like HYBE is moving the exact same way as western labels with some of these solo releases. They do not care to move or even really do the bare minimum unless they have vested interest in the project and they've also openly shaded the members before too (MW weverse article). So if the corporation at large or certain execs have nothing special to gain (such as, helping to promote their new A&R system BSH basically spent 1billion on) they also do not gaf. It’s funny because BSH wanted to model HYBE after western labels but I guess he also adopted the same mindset they have too.

Also it needs to be said that it's not about pre-order links and social media posts per say, it's just that the lack of these things is indicative of their overall mindset towards Jimin and MUSE. That Geffen employee basically just gave us a very clear example of how most of them probably think and act towards him behind closed doors. And this statement being a non-apology that is low-key blaming fans just kind of backs that up too. Gross.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

The question on so many fans' minds is why is Jungkook being pushed so hard as the next BTS. In the end, everything is always about money. Let me explain.

Hybe has a problem. First, BangPD is not much of a business man no matter how seemingly rich and successful he is. He took an enormous risk by taking BigHit public as HYBE without securing military service exemptions for BTS first. In all his hubris, I'm sure he believed that a Grammy was par for the course and BTS would continue raking in money while HYBE had time to grown the company with new product lines and acts.

Imagine being a new, giant multi-national corporation and your most profitable product is about to head off to the military for approximately 2 years. Could your company survive if approximately 60% of your revenue dried up overnight? You would no doubt have to engage in layoffs and major downsizing.

There have been two moments when BTS' worth to HYBE have been undeniable. The first was when they announced their hiatus. The stock price tanked by a whopping 28%. They quickly scrambled into damage control mode, trotting out Jungkook to assure fans that BTS was not disbanding. The second major moment was when Jimin's Like Crazy hit #1 on the Billboard Top 100. HYBE stock jumped almost 15% and brought up the other Korean entertainment companies with him.

Now why would a number 1 on BBT 100 be a problem? It's pretty simple, really. HYBE has got to prove to investors that they are viable company in the long term, and that means that they are not entirely reliant upon an aging BTS to bring in the cash. They need to prove that their investments in other companies, including Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings, have been wise and profitable choices. But in the first week of April, 2003, what the stock price showed was that not only is BTS still crucial to the long term viability of HYBE, but more specifically, Jimin is the key to their profitability. So much for diversifying their product portfolio.

So now what? Jimin is about to go to the military and much of HYBE's revenue stream is going with him (don't believe me? I'd love to see how much they made on Jimin's Production Diary). Enter Jungkook.

I don't think it was HYBE's original plan to make Jungkook "the next big giant pop star." Everything about the music, the concepts, the massive promo/payola/media play reeks of rushed desperation, but it's pretty clear what the goal is. HYBE will secure a military exemption from the Korean government and send Jungkook on a world tour while the others are enlisted. They'll use dynamic pricing as allowed and push merch to keep the cash flowing. As we all know, that's where the money comes from in the music industry. Albums, digital song sales, and streams account for very little.

Much like the American financial institutions were deemed "too big to fail" during the 2008 housing crisis and were bailed out by the US government, I'm certain the Korean government also doesn't want to see HYBE collapse. It would be a national embarrassment after BTS' amazing global success, but it would also mean a loss of that soft power they've enjoyed - trotting the boys out as cultural ambassadors, reaping huge increases in tourism, etc. They give Korea a lot of clout. Even Joe Biden used them to lift up his sagging approval ratings!

If Jungkook wins a Grammy he will no doubt get an MS exemption, but since that isn't a slam dunk, I suspect HYBE has made other arrangements to get it. They will likely use his fraudulent accomplishments from Spotify, the Billboard charts, and various other awards (MTV Music Awards and TikTok awards so far) to make a case that he's the world's most famous pop singer and therefore can't possibly go to the military.

The problem continues to be Jimin, who beats Jungkook with accomplishments and records time and time again. It's almost incredible what lengths HYBE has had to go to to dim Jimin's shine while continuing to use him to generate profit. Not claiming his platinum single from August is this week's dirty deed.

The Grammy nominations come out this Friday, November 10th. What do you think will happen?

Phew. This was my first post and way too long. I'll fill in some of the blanks later in shorter posts.