Protect the Integrity of the Music Industry from Chart Manipulation
Protect the Integrity of the Music Industry from Chart Manipulation
The Issue
Recently, Hybe Corporation, the company behind popular k-pop groups like BTS, was accused of chart manipulation by the current CEO of their subsidiary, Ador.
The current accusations involve a practice called “album pushing” which is where large numbers of albums are ordered and shipped during the first week of sales, even though they are not sold at that time, in order to artificially inflate the apparent first week sales numbers of the affected groups, such as BTS. This creates constantly increasing new “records” for first week sales based on deception. This is a problem because first week sales numbers are used in part to determine chart rankings on Billboard and elsewhere as well as influence music award nominees and winners thus affecting the integrity of those rankings and awards.
This is not Hybe’s first time to face such allegations. In 2017, Big Hit Entertainment, the predecessor of Hybe, was involved in a case of blackmail which was prosecuted in a court of law in South Korea. In this case, Big Hit Entertainment were the victims of blackmailers who claimed to have proof of illegal chart manipulation activities by the company and Big Hit paid a large sum of money before ultimately going to the police. The perpetrators of the blackmail were convicted in the case. However, it was not clearly established that the blackmail was not based on valid claims of chart manipulation. In light of the recent accusations, it seems fair to revisit this previous case.
Fans of Hybe groups, most notably ARMY, the large and often hostile fandom of BTS, regularly participate in chart manipulation activities through mass purchasing of albums and songs as well as mass streaming. These activities are encouraged by the company and its artists. It has become such a huge problem in the American music industry that platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, among others, have been forced to develop new algorithms in an attempt to filter out these deceitful streams.
https://www.usbtsarmy.com/music-guides/streaming
These practices have a deleterious effect on the integrity of the American music industry. When one group uses cheating and chart manipulation to gain chart rankings they don’t actually deserve, they are depriving an honest, hardworking musician from getting the ranking and awards they DID deserve. Such rankings have an large impact on a musician's economic potential. This is inherently unfair. Chart manipulation erodes the public’s ability to trust such rankings and awards as honest representations of popular music in the USA.
A similar petition was created and submitted in South Korea concerning the allegations of chart manipulation in the 2017 blackmail case. However, there has been no news about an investigation into this case or the more recent allegations of album pushing. The media reported that the 2017 case would be looked into by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, however considering their recent glowing praise of BTS, it seems unlikely that a serious investigation will ensue. In addition, a government agency concerned with the promotion of cultural activities is not the right party for an investigation of criminal activities.
As fans of music, we request a thorough criminal investigation into the accusations of the chart manipulation activities of Hybe Corporation on behalf of its groups such as BTS. In addition, we request that the American music industry make policies, fines, or disqualification for rankings and awards to punish chart manipulation activities by fan groups such as ARMY to ensure fair play within the music industry and protect the integrity of the rankings and awards.
62
The Issue
Recently, Hybe Corporation, the company behind popular k-pop groups like BTS, was accused of chart manipulation by the current CEO of their subsidiary, Ador.
The current accusations involve a practice called “album pushing” which is where large numbers of albums are ordered and shipped during the first week of sales, even though they are not sold at that time, in order to artificially inflate the apparent first week sales numbers of the affected groups, such as BTS. This creates constantly increasing new “records” for first week sales based on deception. This is a problem because first week sales numbers are used in part to determine chart rankings on Billboard and elsewhere as well as influence music award nominees and winners thus affecting the integrity of those rankings and awards.
This is not Hybe’s first time to face such allegations. In 2017, Big Hit Entertainment, the predecessor of Hybe, was involved in a case of blackmail which was prosecuted in a court of law in South Korea. In this case, Big Hit Entertainment were the victims of blackmailers who claimed to have proof of illegal chart manipulation activities by the company and Big Hit paid a large sum of money before ultimately going to the police. The perpetrators of the blackmail were convicted in the case. However, it was not clearly established that the blackmail was not based on valid claims of chart manipulation. In light of the recent accusations, it seems fair to revisit this previous case.
Fans of Hybe groups, most notably ARMY, the large and often hostile fandom of BTS, regularly participate in chart manipulation activities through mass purchasing of albums and songs as well as mass streaming. These activities are encouraged by the company and its artists. It has become such a huge problem in the American music industry that platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, among others, have been forced to develop new algorithms in an attempt to filter out these deceitful streams.
https://www.usbtsarmy.com/music-guides/streaming
These practices have a deleterious effect on the integrity of the American music industry. When one group uses cheating and chart manipulation to gain chart rankings they don’t actually deserve, they are depriving an honest, hardworking musician from getting the ranking and awards they DID deserve. Such rankings have an large impact on a musician's economic potential. This is inherently unfair. Chart manipulation erodes the public’s ability to trust such rankings and awards as honest representations of popular music in the USA.
A similar petition was created and submitted in South Korea concerning the allegations of chart manipulation in the 2017 blackmail case. However, there has been no news about an investigation into this case or the more recent allegations of album pushing. The media reported that the 2017 case would be looked into by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, however considering their recent glowing praise of BTS, it seems unlikely that a serious investigation will ensue. In addition, a government agency concerned with the promotion of cultural activities is not the right party for an investigation of criminal activities.
As fans of music, we request a thorough criminal investigation into the accusations of the chart manipulation activities of Hybe Corporation on behalf of its groups such as BTS. In addition, we request that the American music industry make policies, fines, or disqualification for rankings and awards to punish chart manipulation activities by fan groups such as ARMY to ensure fair play within the music industry and protect the integrity of the rankings and awards.
62
Petition created on June 7, 2024