Hong Jang Hyun for Variety
How BTS and Its ARMY Could Change the Music Industry
It was just a year ago that BTS’ Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour was selling out stadiums all over the world. Each night of the 20-date trek, which grossed $116 million, a total of nearly a million ticket buyers around the planet witnessed a thumping opening liturgy at the top of the K-pop band’s set in the form of the song “Dionysus.”
As flames shot up from the stage, seven figures emerged in supplicant white amid Greek columns and a long altar. Rapper RM (full name: Kim Nam-joon) led the way, twirling the staff of the titular mythical deity, as group mates Jin (Kim Seok-jin), SUGA (Min Yoon-gi), j-hope (Jung Ho-seok), Jimin (Park Ji-min), V (Kim Tae-hyung) and Jung Kook (Jeon Jung-kook) flanked him in a display of choreographed precision. The crowd, reaching peak pandemonium in a night full of deafening screams, made willing maenads and satyrs, transported by the band’s presence. An anthem about rebirth and self-discovery through the ecstatic collective experience of music was received as intended — as if from the gods.
Idol worship is by no means a new concept in pop music — remember John Lennon’s provocative statement in 1966 that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”? — but there’s something about BTS that turns fandom up to 11. The global brigade of BTS acolytes is collectively known by the acronym ARMY, short for Adorable Representative MC for Youth, a moniker chosen by Big Hit Entertainment, the company that launched the band. ARMY comprises the lion’s share of a Twitter audience that’s 29.2 million followers strong, more than triple that of any other K-pop group, and growing daily. BTS’ Instagram presence of 30.6 million followers (also rising rapidly), is trailed closely only by YG Entertainment’s Blackpink, at 29.3 million.
“It is because ARMY exists that we exist,” Jin says.
To understand the scope of BTS Inc.: An influential 2018 study by the Hyundai Research Institute estimated that the ripple effects from the boy band’s ecosystem contribute roughly $4.9 billion annually to South Korea’s GDP, on track to generate more value over 10 years than the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The study gauged that in 2017, one in 13 visitors to the country came for BTS-related pilgrimages. That ratio may soon be growing. Spotify has reported a 300% spike in new listeners to the group since the Aug. 21 release of “Dynamite,” BTS’ first all-English single.
The BTS boom has also driven Big Hit to launch an IPO in October projected to raise some $811 million. (Each BTS member will be awarded shares worth approximately $8 million.) Of Big Hit’s revenue in 2019, 97.4% was generated by BTS, including $130 million worth of T-shirts, cosmetics, dolls and other merchandise.
The numbers are no accident. The South Korean government began investing strategically in the arts and the digital economy to help steer the country out of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. On the heels of “Parasite” sweeping the Oscars, the worldwide success of BTS may be another sign to the West that Seoul might be the center of a new force in creative production.
Big Hit, and the K-pop music business in general, have proved just how much a band, and a company, can prosper through a direct-to-consumer relationship, driven by digital platforms and dedicated apps with lots of behind-the-scenes content that keeps fans emotionally involved. It’s engagement on a scale that no Western artist has ever achieved, despite decades of radio promotion and the best retail strategy.
For the global music industry, the band’s success has meant a serious rethink of how a record company — in BTS’ case, Sony Music’s Columbia Records, which distributes the group’s music in the U.S. (though the band is not signed to the label) — builds and maintains a fan base. You could almost look at it as a collaborative arrangement: As music is being made in real time, decision-makers and strategists at Big Hit and Columbia are taking in and processing the comments and views of ARMY and pivoting accordingly.
“It creates a self-sustaining engine that, eventually, becomes hits perpetuating more hits,” says Neil Jacobson, a former president of Geffen Records who runs Hallwood, a talent agency for producers and songwriters. “A label wants that fan connection happening all the time so that they can consistently release and promote music. But in the past, there had always been intermediaries that labels had to talk to in order to manifest exposure. Now, there is a mechanism for an artist to speak directly to their fans. That didn’t exist before, and it has turbocharged the process.”
It’s all led to this “Dynamite” moment: The single has sold nearly 700,000 adjusted song units since its release — good for a gold record certification by the RIAA. The song is quickly becoming the band’s biggest radio hit to date (without a featured artist, it’s worth noting), and represents a significant breakout beyond its core audience. After that, will Grammys follow?
“They check all the boxes,” says Jenna Andrews, the vocal producer on “Dynamite” who also serves as an executive at Sony’s Records label. “I’ve never seen anything like BTS in terms of singing and dancing. This is just an indication of what’s yet to come. They’re going to take over the world.”
Kathryn Lofton, Yale University professor of religious and American studies and author of the book “Consuming Religion,” says that the bond BTS has with its ARMY is different from the typical singer-fan connection because “BTS’ driving commitment is to their relationship to the fan group, to the manufacturing of their communal joy for you to participate in.” It’s why she views BTS as “a religious project; they are seeking to make a togetherness that you can’t stop wanting to be a part of.”
Lofton also makes a point of distinguishing ARMY from the groupies associated with Beatlemania. Sure, BTS fans know the hagiography and backstory of each member, but everything about the band’s output prioritizes the collective over the individual.
The band itself has certainly leaned into the comparison with the Fab Four. For instance, it re-created the iconic moment of the Beatles’ 1964 debut at the Ed Sullivan Theater last May on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” — in a black-and-white segment that showed the K-pop band performing as mop tops in tailored suits.
Hong Jang Hyun for Variety
But while John, Paul, George and Ringo had spotlight moments of their own, both within and outside the band — songs they wrote individually, causes they took up personally — with BTS, it’s all for one all the time. Unlike many other groups, the members share single, collective Twitter and Instagram accounts, and release even solo material through their shared channel. Accomplishments are never spoken of as belonging to any one group member but rather as the work of the team (and, of course, ARMY). In their videos, they often begin in solo shots but end up together.
This all strays from the typical tropes of Western boy bands including New Edition and ’N Sync, which have all proffered “star” frontmen. The thinking for decades had been that a record company would be lucky to have one breakout solo career among the bunch.
But BTS’ selfless approach didn’t happen randomly: The group was envisioned as a collective to heal the alienation that ails us in the digital age. Its name — “BTS” stands for Beyond the Scene — is an invitation to fans to join them offstage via almost daily video content featuring moments in their intimate if immaculately curated private lives on YouTube, Twitter and Big Hit app Weverse.
In 2011, Big Hit’s revenues from its then-main acts, Lim Jeong-hee and boy band 2AM, were plummeting. As the shadow of bankruptcy loomed, Bang Si-hyuk, now chairman, and Lenzo Yoon, global CEO, felt the company needed a total revamp. They stopped all normal work for months and called on employees to perform market research instead, seeking a new vision and formula.
Bang describes the conclusion they reached in a recent Harvard Business School case study of the firm written by Anita Elberse and Lizzy Woodham: “You would think that with the development of digital technology, people can come together more easily, but we found that it is actually more likely that people will feel more isolated. And so we need to find a way to help them, inspire them and heal them.”
Reflecting on the choice to develop a group that satiated this need, Yoon says in the study: “I think back then in 2011, with the conclusions we drew, we found the wild ginseng, as we say in Korea.”
On “Dynamite,” Big Hit worked with Columbia to further cultivate that ginseng. Pitched by Jacobson to label chairman Ron Perry, who guided and essentially A&R’d the song, worked to radio by Columbia executive VP and head of promotion Peter Gray (who has broken hits for Dua Lipa, Kelly Clarkson and Kings of Leon), and all overseen and informed by the years of management savvy of Big Hit, it’s the kind of artist development that was a music business calling card and that has lost its place in the fast-paced world of digital releases.
Radio exposure is not considered as impactful in Korea as it is in the U.S., notes RM, and so BTS — “maybe naively” — didn’t hit the ground in the U.S. thinking, ‘What can boost our airplay?’” the last time around. Still, RM notes that the band has “100% trust” in Columbia, Big Hit and the greater BTS community. “ARMY and the label are all trying their best,” he says, recounting how in the band’s early days, fans would send bouquets to radio DJs to get their songs on the air.
“Our goal is to try to show ourselves, expose ourselves to ARMY as much as possible,” adds Jin. “There are a lot of platforms now.”
In some ways, BTS’ ARMY has grown into its own force and brought the group along for the ride. In the world of K-pop, the expectation is that entertainers stay far away from politics, but as the genre has grown more global, it has begun to reach a transnational cohort to whom matters of social justice are top of mind.
When Variety broke the news on June 6 that BTS and Big Hit had donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter, BTS fans quickly flocked to #MatchAMillion through a link sent out by the fan charity Twitter account @OneInAnARMY. They hit the financial target in just 25 hours.
Hong Jang Hyun for Variety
Erika Overton, a 40-year-old Georgia resident and one of the co-founders of the account, says of the experience: “It was one of the craziest nights I’ve ever seen. I was on Twitter all night. We were refreshing the page every couple of minutes, going, ‘Oh, my God …’” Witnessing ARMY’s U.S. battalion bring the message of Black Lives Matter to fans in other parts of the world who were unfamiliar with the movement was a “big educational moment that was really, really beautiful to see,” says Overton, who is African American.
What Overton saw was facilitated by networks of fan translators who also turn Big Hit’s Korean content into dozens of languages. Other ARMY groups provide counseling or tutoring services, invent themed recipes or write informational threads on everything from the history of the music industry and how charts work to Jungian philosophy, which deeply informs the BTS albums.
Some fan accounts have even become registered nonprofits, with dozens of administrators spread around the world putting in nearly full-time work on top of their day jobs.
In addition to Black Lives Matter, BTS this year donated $1 million to Crew Nation, a Live Nation campaign to support live entertainment personnel impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. And it has continued its campaign with UNICEF to end child violence. But the band members are reticent to take on the role of global activists. “I don’t consider ourselves as political,” says Suga. “We aren’t trying to send out some grandiose message. We would never see ARMY as a conduit for our voice or our opinion. ARMY speaks their own initiatives, and we always respect their opinions, as we respect any other person’s.”
RM, on the other hand, keeps the door open for a kind of apolitical politics based more on actions than words: “We are not political figures, but as they say, everything is political eventually. Even a pebble can be political.”
The scale of its influence is not something that the group takes lightly. “Our [‘Dynamite’] video has seen 80 million, almost 90 million views in just a day. In a way, that’s very weighty — and almost frightening,” RM told Variety the day after its debut, explaining that the balancing act is often one of how to juggle the burdens of being both role models and artists.
Some Korean scholars feel that BTS’ statement in support of BLM shows how ARMY is actually out ahead of Big Hit, spontaneously enacting its own initiatives to which the company must then respond. “Big Hit thinks they can create a company-dominated [approach to] fandom, but fans are agents doing only what they want, not what they don’t want,” says ethnomusicologist Kim Jungwon of Yonsei University in Seoul. For Kim, the fluidity of ARMY’s unplanned, collective responses “is the possible answer to BTS’ success.”
Candace Epps-Robertson, an ARMY member and assistant professor of rhetoric at the University of North Carolina, says the affirmational content of the group’s lyrics and videos may sound simple, but lay the groundwork for millions of fans to learn to engage critically with each other and develop a transcultural sense of global citizenship. “The message of ‘you, yourself, are enough, and you should love who you are and start with that — I think people miss how radical that can actually be,” she says. “We can’t overlook the power of that as an invitation to people to be part of this community.”
The Grammys, where BTS is eligible for record of the year, among other categories (nomination ballots for the 2021 awards, slated to air Jan. 31, went out on Sept. 28), provide a chance for the group to gain industry recognition as a mainstream contender, not just a K-pop act.
Asked why the Grammys matter so much to them, Suga seems to bristle a bit at the question. “I grew up watching American award shows, so obviously we all know and I know the importance of the Grammys,” he says. “It’s a dream anyone working in music has.”
RM says having the goal of a Grammy, an industry-voted award, “motivates us to work harder. As Suga said, if you are in music, the Grammy Awards are something that you cannot help but to look toward and set as an eventual goal.”
BTS’ global influence will soon collide with national duty, and a Grammy Award or three could help maintain its momentum. The band members all have to participate in Korea’s mandatory military service by the age of 28 — and four of them are within two years of that threshold. “Big Hit really wants to target the Grammys before [the members] go into the army,” says an industry source privy to the company’s marketing plans, adding that, from Big Hit’s perspective, it would be best for business if the boys all perform their service at the same time.
The group renewed its contract with Big Hit in 2018, which commits the members to another seven years with the firm, but the army service issue could knock off two years within that time span. A company statement ahead of Big Hit’s IPO shows that Jin, the oldest group member (he’ll be 28 in December), must conscript by 2022 even if he gets an extension of the draft deadline. The statement discloses that plans to prerecord content to be released over the course of any army tenure are being discussed.
South Korea officially changed its rules in July to allow draftees access to once-banned cellphones on weeknights and weekends, meaning BTS could theoretically continue some interaction with fans. However, the taking of photos, video or audio recordings remains prohibited. (Historically, most Korean celebs have fallen silent during their service.)
Soldiering aside, with the push from Big Hit’s IPO, multiple TV appearances — including an ongoing weeklong takeover of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” — the chart success of “Dynamite” and growing Grammy buzz, BTS is poised to make some serious noise this fall, which is saying a lot for a group known to shake the decibel scale with a wave or a wink. But perhaps the most significant measure of its ascent is underscored by the frequent speculation of the band’s place in a new moment for the music industry.
“What would it mean not just to include the sound of Korea in the annals of world music, but to actually propose that the South Korean sound is the next chapter?” posits Yale’s Lofton. “What if BTS are actually the next Beatles?”
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They can’t be everywhere, that’s why they chose music (and they love to do that too) . They don’t only do music but also other activities that can help people to stay motivated. This is not an insult, but a disappointment that aches a lot. And this story is not at all reliable source and does not related to the title as well. Sorry to those who find this really annoying, not here to argue.
My advice to western artists, please hear their songs, and understand the meaning and why they even created a song for Army too instead of picking BTS because of their fame or them seeing No. 1 on charts. Thank you.
Wait, first of all I just have one question? Are seriously western people using BTS just because of their fame? And the story is different from the title. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS ARTICLE. I expected this whole story was all about their journey their music, their fans and their dreams or goals. But it’s all like, using BTS name just to promote yourself and the company. It doesn’t change the fact where they have came, what song do they sing, what they were or are known as Kpop band. Won’t change it. I think they don’t know who is BTS, where they have came from, what their music and hardwork is all about. The Grammy part, they want to be nominated and win with their Korean Song not with Dynamite. Why is now western world is awake to collaborate and to promote them? Just because they sang Dynamite? If this is not the case, why weren’t they once nominated and won the luxury award like Oscar, or Grammy. An honest Person like JohnCena Spoke the truth, and he delivered the message what is BTS, how they work hard, and the strong connections between BTS and ARMY. Why this article doesn’t contain that? BTS are not robots, and they are not puppets too. They are themselves, they are talented, unique, hardworking. They are not someone who just get famous and popular because of their fame like Kardashian Family, they are popular not just because of music, but because of their hard work and how they inspire people who even think of doing suicide the next day.
Western media needs to do better. Y’all need to respect BTS. Do actual research into their music and ask them questions other people haven’t. No one ever asked how Beyoncé got famous she just is and people respect it.
Your article is definitely a “must read”..yes i totally agree,..BTS are the next Beatles
I really could not help but be amazed of their charisma, considering that i am in my mid 60’s,wanting to join the Army), i find so much joy listening to their music, meaningful and very relevant to realitues of life.
I am extremely disappointed with how you handled this cover story including your claim that the fans are not the target audience but going to a great extent to sell the magazine to the fan that you made extra copies without the ad cover and changing the color based on feedback. You have had a great content from BTS interview you shared in 5 sub-articles but hardly any of it made it to the cover story that choose to be about the industry and fans rather the artist it was trying to cover. Shame!
When does this issue hit the stands?
We are a phenomenon that is just beginning, and that will not stop until you see them in the greatest success, who is criticized “screaming it louder than to the top is not heard”. We are a force and we are willing to defend them to the end
The article was informative, but it missed the main topic: the music.
I wish the article included BTS’ music history, since they are musicians, and their ARMYs are fans of their music first and foremost.
At some point, I start to wonder why every western article about them focuses so much on the logistics around BTS instead of just… BTS. In every single cover story we read about their company, their choice of platforms, and other details that we’re tired of reading about. This would have been such a great opportunity to dive into their musicality, explore their discography, performances, and theorized themes. Instead, we got the typical western approach to BTS: an article about their success. We already know they’re successful, please just give us something about their music.
I’ve stopped taking comparisons to The Beatles as a compliment, because BTS isn’t the next Beatles, they’re BTS. I understand that their success in the west is curious and people can’t stop analyzing it, but at what point will dissecting that be enough? Has it ever occured to all these researchers and journalists that maybe, just maybe, fans of a music group, who love to consume their music, are here for, wait for it… the music?
I am tired of reading dehumanizing articles like this that want to justify BTS’ success instead of discussing the thing that actually matters: THE MUSIC! BTS wouldn’t have come this far if they didn’t have such a wonderful and diverse discography.
Totally agree!
I very much agree with you.
If you want to listen to their music, explore their music and experience what the BTS sound is…..then go listen to it. Writing an article about it would never convey what their music means to you, and you alone, because everyone’s reaction to art is different. What is profoundly interesting, and hence something journalists are writing about, is how BTS (and K-pop in general) has eschewed the traditional US model of airplay and standard music promotion to achieve success. Its noteworthy because while there are legitimate “from the streets” or “grassroots” stars grown out of Youtube or mixtape culture (think Bieber or 50 Cent or Drake, once they make it big, the machine takes over and that connection to their fans changes. Not with BTS, or other prominent K-pop acts like Blackpink.
And thats interesting to people. Like I said, reading about musicality is pointless – go listen to their music for that and appreciate their sound, yourself. Reading someone’s own personal take on it doesn’t seem at all appealing to me.
I understand where you’re coming from, but there’s still tons of objective aspects to music that can be discussed. I would have loved to read about their creative process, the discussions that happen around coming up with their themes, their process of songwriting, creative choices they wish they could’ve made that didn’t for whatever reason, how their vision for their albums comes to be. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes creatively that has nothing to do with the writer’s personal taste or take on their music, and this was a missed opportunity to write about all of that. Of course, it’s interesting to see the logistics behind their brand, but there’s so many other articles on that aspect that this feels redundant.
Whenever there’s an article on English-speaking acts they go the extra mile to discuss their craft rather than treat them like a novelty act on display for inspection by the industry the way they do with BTS. This, to me, is a grim reminder of the ongoing prejudice against the group.
Thank you!
Pictures are nice, though. Thanks for those.
BTS. Does NOT stand for “Beyond the Scene as you mentioned It stands for “Bangtan Sonyeondan Which literally means “ Bulletproof Boy Scouts”
Yes, BTS added the meaning “Beyond the Scene” to the acronym but the original name, the one ARMY knows them by, is Bangtang Sonyeodan. The fact the writer included “Beyond the Scene” but not the original (and the one that explains why their fandom name is ARMY) just exposes the lack of research and interest around the boys. This is just another article trying to understand and explain how a non-English speaking, non-Caucasian musical group could have possibly achieved this level of global success.
Thank you! My thoughts exactly.
Hi Ellen, you are partially right because BTS expanded the meaning of their name to also include beyond the scene (not to be confused with behind the scene). But I do prefer the Korean name and what it stands for better, especially the way J-Hope explains it as being resistant to criticism which rain down on people like bullets.
It did originally stand for “Bangtan Sonyeondan” but BTS added on the meaning “Beyond the Scene” in preparation for the western market.
I don’t agree with your article at all.
What BTS did is the way that singers from other countries also did.
Rather, BTS’ promotion strategy is less aggressive than other Western singers.
I checked it with my own eyes.
You don’t seem to know why BTS was successful.
You don’t write articles like this if you know bulletproof a little
Koreans put too much weight into American and western achievements like the Grammys. The Grammys mean nothing. Hollywood and American entertainment is a degenerate freakshow now. I wouldn’t want BTS or any other koreans touching that with a 10 foot pole. That’s why I was ambivalent about Parasite winning the Oscar. Koreans are like a kid with a lot of talent but they have no confidence and need validation for the older girls who smoke in the bathroom. Koreans should look inward and no need a pat on the head from America who wouldn’t hesitate to sell them out to Japan, North Korea or China if it was geopolitically convenient for them.
I agree. I wish BTS didn’t feel pressured to “make it big” in America. We already know how successful and talented and hardworking they are. They don’t need validation from the West. They have more talent in their pinky finger than most of the Western artists here.
I do not fully agree with this article.
BTS’s success is his musical talent, ability, and effort.
Not only BTS, but all singers compete under the same conditions.
Communication with fans? This is what all singers do.
This article doesn’t get to the point at all.
I think the band members renewed their contract with Big Hit Entertainment few months ago, not in 2018.
It’s a good column, but the claim that Korean music and movies were made with government pushes is an excuse mainly spoken by the Japanese media. They are putting money in a lot of media to make it known like this, keeping Korean music and movies in check.
It is true that the Korean government has removed a lot of regulations since 1997, but what the government supports in the Korean film industry is to guarantee internship opportunities so that young filmmakers do not get the opportunity and disappear.
The government’s support for the Korean music market is about expanding the old concert halls in Seoul as K-pop singers become more and more popular.
And the government doesn’t give or manage entertainment companies to increase the capacity of music, but only companies with successful artists earn more money and move on to the next step.
The Korean government does not push Kpop. What they actually do is try to market tourism or food using Kpop, which is already successful. Their focus is in a completely different place, and even those in the industry don’t welcome government involvement in the arts.
If the government gives money to companies to nurture, why are so many singers facing financial difficulties?
In fact, the Korean government’s expenditure on support in the cultural sector is also at the bottom of most developed countries, and it is not necessary to use the word’push’ when talking about Korean movie&music industry. Even though talented industry directors and musicians have worked hard and paved the way.
It’s a Japanese technique that makes Korea look like a communist society.
When Koreans read such articles, they are puzzled.
“I have witnessed the success of so many companies for 30 years, but where is this column talking about a communist country?” With the feeling.
As someone who has worked in diplomatic-cultural promotion, I think Korea’s investment in the arts isn’t something to shy away from but something to be highly praised.
All countries invest in the arts. This is why they have Ministries of Culture and so forth. Recognizing that pop art is both something worth promoting and a conduit for connecting with the rest of the world was the part of Korea’s strategy that is utterly brilliant.
It’s true that the industry is not supported by government investment. But the initial investment, support, and continued promotion of their arts has been a success, not just in an economic sense but in the sense of helping to secure Korea’s spot on the world stage. The power of culture to build and encourage peaceable (albeit often informal ties) should not be underestimated. (And it’s a good thing! It makes other cultures less alien and humanizes people from other places, as well as encouraging trade, investment, and all kinds of other things that happen down the road.)
I think Korea has done brilliantly and I would love to see other nations follow suit.
And, for the record, the United States is very near the bottom (if not the bottom) when it comes to government spending on the arts. The entire budget of the National Endowment for the Arts is less than the budget for investing in the arts in New York City alone.
“In fact, the Korean government’s expenditure on support in the cultural sector is also at the bottom of most developed countries”
This is simply not true. Euny Hong, a korean-american, wrote about the government support in her book “The Birth of Korean Cool”. Obviously the government doesn’t run K-pop or fully fund it but they do play a instrumental part in it, such as KBS World airing Music Bank for free on Youtube with english subtitles. Would you deny that? Its really embarassing for korean-americans when koreans like you write these things with broken english.
My “hype” detector just hit the red zone. Also, reading this page makes me feel like I am trapped in a Max Headroom episode with all the “blipverts” popping up everywhere.
All countries compete equally.
Rich countries and all countries have long invested in culture
The United States, Europe, China, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa all invest in culture.
But money cannot attract cultural interest to people
As a fan of BTS for a long time, I do not agree with this article.
This article does not consider the various musical talents of BTS members, composer ability, good influence and donation, etc.
And it doesn’t explain why people like BTS and become fans.
I’m ain’t buying. I don’t want anything that mentions another group coat-tailing BTS even in an article that has no relevance whatsoever.
Completely agreed with you. This article doesn’t talk about BTS as music artists but rather a production of Korean music industry, which is untrue and unfair. The writer shouldn’t have brought their prejudice about “k-pop” while creating this piece.
First of all, thank you for the article about BTS..
However, we have confirmed the bias and wrong view of BTS.
When can an objective and fair article be expected?
I like Korean dramas and movies.
The reason I like Korean dramas and movies is not only the fun, but also the actors’ acting and contents are excellent.
If you do not analyze this, you will not reflect on Korean culture.
You don’t seem to be in deep reflection on Korean culture.
There is no proper analysis of why Korean culture is so popular.
I disagree with this article very much
It does not deal with BTS’ musical talent, writing ability, and such.
And every country invests in culture.
Rather, Korea has less investment than other rich countries.
Director Bong Joon-ho also revealed that fact in an interview.
Ooooops. I accidentally hit Report Reply to the Silver BTS comment. Ha. I have carpal tunnel…and I had a slip of the fingers. Please disregard. Thanks, a Silver.
Eh, they said the same thing about The Bay City Rollers, The Starland Vocal Band, Up With People, Pablo Cruise, M, Haircut One Hundred, Hayzee Fantayzee, and Pink Lady & Jeff.
This really shows a side of BTS that not many articles focus on. ARMY is drawn to them for their bright personalities and real conversations, yes, but they are also incredible businessmen. I’m glad they are getting the recognition that this wasn’t just luck, it was hard work and smart moves. i’m so proud of my boys!!
Wonderfully in-depth and thoughtful article — thank you for asking and getting more serious questions and answers from BTS and its brilliant leaders RM and SUGA. Their ideas and principles lead the group and I have no doubt they are debating and thinking endlessly about what BTS’s phenomenal soft power can do as a positive force in the world. I liked the inclusion of the Yale theology professor’s views on BTS and ARMY as a borderline religion, but please be careful not to confuse them with a cult. If it is a religion, it would be a purely secular one — more of a philosophy or school of thought than a religious practice. There is no deifying of anything in BTS’s dogma; in fact, they champion a celebration of humanity and the kind of self-acceptance and introspection that is more akin, once again, to a philosophical school of thought. Definitely one worth delving deeper into though — I encourage you to follow this excellent article up with more in that vein.
The cover says ‘What the World Needs Now is BTS’ and the article title is How BTS: How Its Fans, ARMY, Could Change the Music Industry’…but the actual article didn’t quite deliver on either thesis. To be sure the business relationships, strategy, and tools that Big Hit Entertainment has used to support BTS’s global growth are interesting but none of those relationships, strategies, and tools are meaningful on their own without discussing what BTS is communicating with their art and how ARMY internalizes and personalizes that art and transforms it into action.
You’ve used the words pandemonium, acolytes, maenads, satyrs, and quoted a person that has compared our devotion to a religious experience but included not one bit of examination about the music these particular men and artists create (and yes, even the ancillary content which even if heavily curated is still open and deeply human) and why or how it is meaningful and touches the hearts of every person that identifies themselves as ARMY. What the world needs now is more of the sincerity, hard work, mutual devotion, kindness, and care that BTS brings to every aspect of their work.
With regard to ARMY, this article, once again, flattens and reduces this fandom to a monolith of maenadic content consumers that feed the ‘self-sustaining engine to perpetuate hits’. Much has been made of the ARMY #MatchAMillion campaign, and it was a righteous and just effort that we are all very very proud of; however, almost entirely ignored in the industry press and what really would have told the story about how the fans could change the music industry is examining ARMYs relentless drive to expose the music industry’s xenophobic and racist gatekeeping and gaming through modern payola schemes with regard to charts, radio play, and streaming services. ARMY originally played the game of sending gifts and flowers to radio stations to request for spins on the radio, engaging with DJs and stations seeking the clout engagement and clout that ARMY generously provided with the bare minimum attention shined on BTS with nearly no results. But ARMY knew they were right because they had the record and tour ticket sales to justify that belief. The absolute dedication to understand every aspect of how the music industry and chart game was played and how to exercise our power to support BTS in getting the attention they deserved and were not getting because pick your reason: they are from Asia, sing in Korean, merely a ‘boyband for teenage girls’, defied gender norms, lived far away so couldn’t cozy up with industry honchos. ARMY cracked that. So, yes, the Dynamite moment came, but only after years of learning and improving our own tactics and strategies to A&R BTS and maximizing the impact of what we already do: buy and listen to BTS music. All of it. Watch for what comes next.
Now, other fandoms are using that blueprint and the record labels are trying to figure out how to approximate and replicate that work for other artists. Charts are being exposed regularly for how they count and report sales, streams, bundles. Industry media, including this one, are being challenged on how they write about BTS and the embedded racist and marginalizing language they use to talk about BTS as a band, as individuals, and as artists. Even ARMY is refusing to be marginalized in major publications as just a ‘teenage girl fanbase’. That’s changing the industry. That’s what the world needs now. BTS and ARMY.
Excellent summary of how this and many other articles do not capture the true reasons you have clearly stated on BTS & Army.
Wow, nominating you to write the next BTS article. Speechless. <3
Just to briefly add that this isn’t a call that any and every article should be a uncritical hagiography of the band or the fandom, but that discussing the business of BTS without discussing the art of BTS misses what motivates the fans and animates the business.
I just wanted to say what a beautiful response. You have eloquently summarized my thoughts!
They’re just BTS not “the next Beatles”. This story has already pissed off… c’mon
Yes, I understand you mean but they had been saying “the next Beatles” since forever when popular boy group became big. Honestly, I think in the future when new popular boy group going to be big they will say “the next bts or beatles.”
they have already been asked to give their advice to younger groups who want to become as successful. they answered they don’t believe in the idea of “the next …”. whether it’s “the next beatles” or “the next bts”, it’s not as flattering to anyone involved as the media tries to portray. just because the media has been pushing such narratives for a long time, it doesn’t mean it’s a good thing, especially when the artists themselves have expressed their opinion on the matter.
Just so you know, BTS didn’t come out of NADA and they won’t ‘take over the world’. They have been working since 2013 without rest and HAVE RULED THE WORLD. What else is needed for Westerners to understand ??? and I repeat: there is no formula for BTS members because they aren’t robots created in the laboratory. Not even the songs you mentioned, or the fact that they produce and write their own lyrics. c’mon… this article is very shallow.
Okay, this article is very good but they forgot to humanize them. We chose to follow them, not based on a formula but because they are very HUMAN. They fail and have fears like us, just read the lyrics of the songs. They are sincere in their fears, tell us that and show us how to deal. This article would be 100% good if you included the fact that the lyrics of the songs connect with us. And that is what they do: GENUINE MUSIC that tell stories. We are here for them, and that love is BEYOND BigHit. It’s for them! There is no other group that can ask the BTS members or even BigHit for the formula of success because we follow and support them wherever they are, for the incredible people that they are just because they are human and flawed just like us. They are not robots for you to ask how they were created!
Learn all about their positive influence, message and music in the BTS guide for a better understanding of BTS
Checks almost all the boxes:
– mentions another Korean act (is it an article about Korean music scene?),
– mentions Korean military enlistment laws (no one has a problem with western musicians not
releasing music for years, but somehow a break is dangerous for BTS, not cool) and the government’s investing policy (so the government kind of helps by investing in arts, but big hit still almost went bankrupt at one point, and it also creates “issues” with the enlistment at the same time, so are they helping or not?). (Is is an article about Korean politics?)
– compares a strong artist-fans connection to worshiping idols and religion (by using “Dionysus” out all songs! It isn’t about gods or idols, it’s a celebration of ART: “Born as a K-pop idol//Reborn as an artist//Why does it matter if I’m an idol or an artist”),
– compares the group with the Beatles (yes, they did ONE special performance, because western media couldn’t stop comparing these two groups, but they have also said multiple times they would prefer to just be BTS),
All of it is irrelevant.
Also, ALL 7 BTS members have solo work (within AND outside the group) and ARE praised for it by each other and fans.
Why mention Sony Music/Columbia, the distributers in the West, and not mention Universal Music Group, who manage their releases in Japan? There is no need to mention these companies at all. I wouldn’t even focus on Big Hit so much, and they had so much more to do with the group than other labels.
Overall, there are just too many quotes from people who are not BTS themselves.
I do fail to see how all of it is connected with the group and it is just not interesting to read through.
If fans, who can dive into almost anything related to the group, don’t find it interesting, then who will? Like no one cares how many followers they have. Of course, celebrities have millions of followers, but the whole paragraph just for that? It isn’t the numbers that are cool, but the influence they have.
“They are going to take over the world”??? They took over the world a while ago.
Such a misleading headline: “How BTS and Its ARMY Could Change the Music Industry”.
It’s more like: “How music recording companies, the Korean government, other western groups from the past, other Korean groups from the present could change the music industry”. But even then, it isn’t clear how they could do it, though. And if it isn’t about BTS, then why mention them at all? I get that it is impossible to mention everything about BTS, but to me, this article manages to mention everything that isn’t about BTS.
A good thing is that at least the article is not insulting. The pictures are great, too.
100% THIS!!! This article doesn’t impress me at all. Should’ve learn a thing or two from Bryan Rolli @Forbes
Thank goodness the pictures are great.
I loved that in the end you said no insult at least and even praised the pictures HAHAHA
something good, right? because 100% is not good at all.
YES YES YES YES I AGREE!
The article was informative in learning about the western music industry’s take on BTS success but still misses many crucial elements about why they have a global reach that has impacted such a variety of people. ARMY loves BTS for their goodness and pure talent. They shine bright while still being honest about struggles. Many an ARMY, including myself, can speak at length about how BTS has made the day to day grind a bit happier. I think we wish to see more of THEIR talents highlighted and not this music industry analysis take. They are talented, hardworking, kind, lovely people who inspire ARMY to use our talents. BTS is not the Beatles. They are BTS, a completely new kind of wonderful.
This exactly! BTS is out here sometimes saving literal lives. They make each day in this nightmare a little bit better.
YEEESSSS
This is a good article that more thoroughly encapsulates what BTS is about, and goes into more detail for the intended audience – the music and entertainment industry. This talks about what BTS ARMY has known for a very long time, so newbies and suits sitting behind desks won’t “get it” right away. You can’t bottle BTS and their impact and influence and try to sell it or replicate it. It’s not a fad or a phase – they have been around for SEVEN years. They illicit emotional responses from all age groups (I’m 58), ethnicities, geographies, cultures and more. To ignore them or at least to not recognize their IMPACT, is to wear blinders. Just because it wasn’t born in your boardroom doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Tastemakers and real influencers can speak another language, can be young men from South Korea, and can certainly move this marketing executive to stand back in awe and say YES, I WILL FOLLOW RM, JIN, SUGA, J-HOPE, JIMIN, V AND JUNGKOOK TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.
Yes it is a nice article. But getting to know our Boys would have been better. They hearts and minds the struggles and their highs. They all left home so young to do something they did not know would work. The hours of hard work no family and only a dream I am nit sure they knew they wanted. Kim Namjoon as their leader a young man very young set to hold them together. They held each other up and kept moving forward even when they wanted to stop. 7 kids learning to deal with life together a hard life at times. And I hope that brotherhood last their lifetime.
As a new ARMYmom age 50 I found them as I have hit a low point in my life. I have felt like quitting but they give me hope that if they can keep moving forward even in doubt I can too.
No band has ever touched something so deep in my soul. I can’t explain it you have to live it. I grew up listening to punk rock metal alternative and none of them have make me feel so much a part of a global community.
All that to say I love them I am proud of them and I will keep walking with them. I think they show us what the best parts of ourselves can be together.
Hi there, I am a 68 year old also uplifted by BTS as I transition to retirement.. Thanks for being here. It’s so nice to hear from other older fans!
Can you guys edit the font color? It’s red and when spelling someone’s name in red it symbolizes name of the dead and is considered very unlucky and threatening.
Variety….. you have missed the underlying reason why even 71 year-olds like myself have become BTS fans. Their talent. Their musical abilities. The fact that all 7 members are great singers and dancers. Comparing them to the Beatles may be appropriate when comparing the albums sold or the popularity – but seriously – there has been no group that can perform on stage with the incredible precision that BTS has. And why is that? These guys practice 12-16 hours a day and their focus is on teamwork, not individual stardom. Their dedication to their craft, despite the hardships and criticisms they faced early on, is impressive to say the least. There has never been a group like this with such a positive message in their lyrics. Their personal values shine through.
What Donna said! Also I get tired of songs that are either filthy or only about failed love affairs (or both). BTS gives us soooo much more.
YES! I GREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID!!!
Donna. You are welcome to join our FB group BTSSilverArmy.
Am a 61 year old grandma and discover BTS during this pandemic. The story of BTS, their hardships and struggles made me curious of this boy band. And they made me cry. But their rose to fame gives hope to people like us esp.during this trying times. It made me smile and laugh on their videos. Am not an army but i appreciate their music and begin to love the group. Thank you BTS ..you give us hope!
I loved this article, it puts in some of the respect that BTS rightfully deserve in the industry. However I would have like to see more of their music history since they have been around since 2013 and didn’t randomly pop up out of nowhere like these men worked HARD to get where they are today. Becoming an ARMY has been one of the best experiences I have ever had, BTS NEVER forget to mention their ARMY in anything they do. It’s so hard to find true artist who really care for their fans as much as BTS has, sure most people make fun of us for like something “different” but for me personally (as someone who gets made fun of A LOT) I can honestly say the love BTS show us makes it all worth while. Literally when you are apart of ARMY you a part of a family that will always be there. I have had ARMY members help me personally through tough times and I myself have tried to help when needed, the words “You never walk alone” come to be true when being apart of this family. I have met some extraordinary people while following and loving BTS throughout their journey and will continue too no matter what the future may hold for BTS as a group or each individual member. I enjoyed reading this article and only hope it can bring more media attention on just how great BTS really are.
BTW the photos looked AMAZING!!! Really highlighted each member and them as a group!
OT7 bias FOREVER!! How can you choose just one to fully love :) ;)
Very talented and better persons. That is the formula.
I love BTS, they are amazing and touch our hearts and changed our lives with their music, messages and actions.
They care about ARMY and share with us music, books, art and thoughts that help us grow as better people.
Thank u BTS for giving us a safe place where we learn to love ourselves and care for others and the planet, for getting back to the simple things.
Thank u for the article and support ARMY and our BTS.💜
Interesting article that nicely gives an insight to the readers how the industry functions. However, to me, it feels like this article is dehumanizing BTS; coz cool that’s how music labels work, but the fans are here for them as the artists, performers, and human beings and you sorta just gloss over that part and instead write about social media (like they are the only artists in existence that use it) and whatnot. Also, literary no fan sees them as the second coming of Jesus or what other nonsense idol worship comparison you want to pull from some “authoritative” source. And if you want to know why are they so popular stop looking at them as if they are the Krabby patty formula, and just ask the fans why they like them, it’s not that hard.
WOW!!! ou made me rethink because if I like this article 100% or not. but I believe that you are totally right because we at ARMY see the guys BEYOND what they are in the band but we exaggerate each one of them humanly. they are very HUMAN. That’s exactly it. They fail, he has fears, they are like us. and WE choose to follow them.
This comment is better than the original article.
What a bullshit article. Cherry picking what BTS said, getting their Korean name westernized, saying that Yoongi “bristled”, brining up enlistment, not to mention trying to put Columbia/ Sony records in play when they have/had/will never have anything to do with BTS’and BigHit’s success. You’re showing exactly why ARMY’S don’t trust western speakers.
This is a great article, one of the few that I can actually sit back after reading the article fully and smile shown as a grin. I am relaxed and relieved to know new things and new things about national duty speculations.
BTS deserves success cause they spread positive around the world they’re more then just princes they turn into Future kings and when I first saw them it making me live in an Experience of an army for the first time 💖💖🥰💖💖💖💜💜💜 they did so so many changes all over the world and I’m so so proud of them!!!!🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 Love you BTS 💖💖💖🥰🥰
Please, for the next time when make an article of BTS don’t compare them with others k-pop groups in this case with Blackpink. Is the time for BTS. An article exclusive to BTS. Thanks.
Government investment does not mean that arts can develop. And there is no country that does not invest in culture.
Korean arts did not develop into a government investment.
I don’t understand why you wrote the article like that.
When Korea was ruled by the military regime, it was censored for art and culture, and freedom of expression was restricted.
Artists who opposed the government were persecuted.
Freedom of expression was guaranteed when the military regime collapsed and the government was elected by the people.
Korean culture has evolved for that reason.
During the IMF period, the government did not particularly invest in culture and arts.
Nikita Min
I’m a 54 year old ARMY who found BTS at a really low point in my life in 2015. My Chocolate Lab/Best friend had passed away and I was in deep grief. I saw the MV for DOPE totally by accident and I just sort of lit up! Then as I learned their story and got to know them, I saw their sincerity and work ethic, their struggles through adversity and prejudice. I couldn’t feel sorry for myself anymore. Since then, BTS have gotten me through good times and hard ones….cancer and chemo, the death of my Mom to Covid-19 this Summer. They ride with me, We found each other and I feel like I have a responsibility to see them do well because of all they’ve done for me. I’m such a proud fan. Thanks to Variety for sharing our Bangtan with the world.
BTS are not the next Beatles, BTS are the first BTS!
BTS stands for the words, “Bangtan Sonyeondan,” which translates to”Bulletproof Boy Scouts.”
According to J-Hope, the band’s name Bangtan’ means to be resistant to bullets, so it means to
block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets, to preserve the values and ideal of today’s adolescents,”
they later adding to the meaning
for anyone that didn’t know :)