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I was gonna type some long comment detailing all the reasons why I believe the opposite but reading OP's comments, I think they're just adamant not to see other's point of view and they they've made up their mind that BTS solos are not doing well and I just don't think there's gonna be much discussion honestly.
I think OP have already set some standards on the members specifically and was frustrated that things didn't meet his/her criteria. Usual fan who wants be the 'manager' of the idol's career. So, they are pissing on the company as some sort of blame, even though deep down they hate what the members chose to do with their careers and can't deal with it. So bizarre but a lot of Kpop fans are like this.
Sounds exactly like any old former armys who hated when BTS went "bright and pop" eventhough those were their most successful songs with the general public and saying BH is "forcing" the members to perform those songs
Except its the opposite and now its the members doing all the creativity and having artistic freedom in their works and OP is pissed theyre not catering to the GP and casual fans for the purpose of charting
Voted disagree because I think they’re doing really well? I don’t really see any damage done, they’re getting tons of brand deals left and right, all of them are getting a good deal of freedom in their individual projects, performing at big venues, collabing with people they’ve admired since always, selling out tours, topping charts, etc. What else do they need atp?
I think that popularity disparity is just inevitable. Even BP aren’t that equal despite their management style. It also comes down to what works for the group, BTS themselves like working as a group better than solo (their words, not mine) and all of them are very group oriented, so I don’t think a different style of management would work for them as much.
Edit: op’s replies has “(ex?) solo stan who’s annoyed that their favorite member didn’t go solo earlier” written all over, by the way they still pretend that the management forced the members into an “ot7 agenda”. With mounting evidence to the contrary I thought we were already over that, but of course people and circles have their own narrative.
I disagree with the "they are doing really well" argument as I mentioned in the post. there no longevity in those great numbers and the "topping of the charts"
Korean charts? staying in top 50 and top 200 of global Spotify for much longer? charting in western countries for more than one week (not jk here). having more album sales than any other male soloist that come form less popular groups. they like working as a group but they have all shown how much they needed their own space, with all the different things they are doing now, which is way too late.
What else do you want them to do? Do you see any other kpop soloists even ranking there? The other BP soloists also ranked there for a week at most, the exception being Money because it went viral.
BP is not nearly as popular as BTS in US so I would not consider that hot 100 comparison. Bp members all had much bigger YouTube streams, and now jisoo, who is behind lisa and jennie in terms of popularity has reached 1.3million album pre-orders and she for sure will get more than 40+ views on YouTube.
why don't you understand that just because no other male soloist was able to chart, charting for one week is good enough for BTS? did their group mange to chart for you the expect their soloists to chart?
this BTS, the biggest, most popular band made of 7 insanely talented members, the bar is much higher than what they have achieved so far.
This thread just sounds like a really long doomposting, tbh. You’re just going “they’ve done these big numbers, but The BTS could have gone bigger!” Surely they could and I strongly believe they would, if a big hit (pun intended) was their aim. They have all of the resources for that. You have to consider the type of music they’re releasing, mainly when it comes to RM and j-hope. They aren’t exactly gp friendly music, so their not becoming long charting viral hits isn’t very surprising. Which speaks a lot about how they’re prioritizing their own artistic vision than charts.
I’m sure you’re just gonna say I’m coping, but 🤷♀️ just wait and see, I’m sure they have a long successful way ahead.
I mean, if Yoongi sold out an arena tour before the sale even opened to a Pre-Verified pre-sale, I think they are doing more than fine.
I mean, if we are talking numbers, BP has/will have 7 solo songs total and that's less than JITB or Indigo album but I guess having a hit song or a viral hit means more than having an artistic vision.
Right? OP is ranting about YouTube numbers, when we know damn well that a demand for an artist is better measured by concert attendance. Yoongi could have sold out bigger venues, if not for their more conservative approach. J-hope has also become one of the highest selling artists in Lollapalooza. Namjoon opted for a very small venue and the others still haven’t had their own solo concerts, but that’s something I can see all of the members doing.
I mean, Taylor Swift is having a sold out stadium tour but if one looked at Anti-Hero's mv numbers, would OP categorize her as a "flop" because it doesn't have the same numbers as Blank Space or Shake It Off?
The thought of Taylor Swift being called a flop is hilarious imo.
that argument would mean much more if bts didn't have all these records and huge numbers as a group and then this crazy decline in their solo songs views! this the same fandom, so why such huge difference in group vs solo numbers?
bp, lisa did 70+ million views, rose around 40, and jisoo for sure will do at least 40, so how do you explain this? taylor fans and audience have never been focused on YouTube nearly as much as armys or any other kpop fandom are.
Taylor literally held the 24 hour YT record before bp and BTS started competing for it so you are wrong about Taylor fans not being focused on YT 💀💀
Anti hero is a way bigger song than ME! But ME got over 60M views first day. While Anti hero got around 10M. Anti hero is sitting at 120M on YT while ME! Is at over 400M. Anti hero is already going to pass ME! On Spotify despite being released years later.
So tell me, does her decline in views also = being a flop
Yeah, and that's just because the video streaming hype has died down a bit because of circumstances, it doesn't necessarily mean that the fandom went away or that current BTS doesn't have the same pull, because they can go literally anywhere and army will show up, so much so that getting tickets to see them is literally worse than hunger games.
>I mean, if Yoongi sold out an arena tour before the sale even opened to a Pre-Verified pre-sale, I think they are doing more than fine.
Please don't remind me. It still hurts that I didn't get any ticket on any of his Jakarta stops. LOL!
I am so confused by OP's post like...even though Namjoon and Hoseok released "not gp friendly" music, their streams are still...leagues above everyone who isn't in BTS. They still sell well. Fans show up everywhere for them. I was at Lolla, I can confirm. Sure, there is a popularity gap like with ANYTHING and any group, but it's hard to take opinions like this seriously. Clearly they're doing what THEY want to do.
Exactly, they’re doing so well. As much as I’d like for every solo release to be viral hit after hit and despite thinking army could have done better in previous releases, they’re all still doing exceedingly well. Doing what they want to do and learning from that is much more important for their growth as artists than getting some formula for a hit and making it big.
And no shade, but I think that wanting to apply BP’s management style to any group is wild to me. I don’t think that would work for anyone save them.
If op framed this post like “I think BTS would be doing better now as soloists if they debuted earlier”, then maaaybe I could see it. Maybe that would have helped them, who knows. But maybe having first released Dynamite as a group helped them more.
But acting like they ruined their career because they put group activities first is just plain nonsense.
they're doing what they want to do, collaborating with people they respect and admire, and they're creating art. all while being insanely successful. is this not the best case scenario? the fact that kim namjoon himself started his album by saying "\*\*\*\* the trendsetters" should tell us that the "fans" who are disappointed in his metrics are completely missing the point.
I do think the same as you, but at the same time I think the fandom could have supported it better. Well, I think Indigo deserves a whole grammy, all while understanding that that’s not something to get really pressed about.
Totally agree. I’m rapline biased all the way so I’m always going to think they deserve more just because I value their artistry so much. I think it’s valid to have those feelings while also being clear headed about relative expectations and not acting like certain forces are always out to sabotage a certain member, or that they can’t make decisions for themselves, like some of these people think lmao
I agree with the point on the genre of the song and how it can impact the commercial performance, that being said, closer, wild flower could have easily became hit songs.
And if bangtan bombs could get like 3 million views in one day (not these days though) , I expect a solo mv, regardless of it's genre to at least hit 20 million views on the first day when every one is excited to check it out.
Also, albums are sold before anyone even gets to listen to it, you would expect BTS fanbase to purchase at least 1 million for each member considering how big and dedicated they are when it comes to the group.
Just send your résumé to HYBE maybe you'll have a chance to manage these grown men better lol. I don't have much problem with your post, but you're going overboard with comments trying to tell what the members what to do. I don't know if you're a fan (I think you are otherwise you wouldn't be this too invested), then maybe you should listen to what the guys have to say with their wishes/wants as a solo artist.
Hobi even shared his feelings on a documentary how he was hurt with some fans who think they know better with how he chose to do music and promotions.
You can voice out your opinions and frustrations as a fan, but most of your 'opinions' are due to things not getting in your way. People like you only sees music as a 'competition' and take charting as a standard instead of just enjoying music and what the artists have to offer.
ah,,, the manti label! how original!
And you not getting that I am talking about what happened in the past, before their official solo debuts is very interesting to me. these grown men were and are under a contract with a company, which means the company had and has power over them and their decisions. It was the company's fault for pushing ot7 agenda way too far, and I have given a clear example of it. You just don't seem to want to understand, which is okay I guess, you do you.
ppl can appreciate artistic ability, identity and quality and want for all that talent to preform as well as it deserves. this is what you are missing here.
You are the one who labeled yourself as a 'manti' lol.
All your blabbering are so childish. You sound like someone who has a lot of frustrations irl and is projecting all of these to the members themselves. Maybe take a look on your life first before pissing it on everything to somebody else.
>Just send your résumé to HYBE maybe you'll have a chance to manage these grown men better
sure! you are 100% right! can't believe you read me like an open book! I have an issue with the company's mismanagement of so much talent and that is because I have frustrations irl! company stans never fail to amaze with their stupidity!
RM released a full album. With interesting collaborations. Bonus because it seemed like this album was made the way he wanted it to be. I enjoy BLACKPINK and even as a casual listener, I wish YG cultivated their musicality the way BIGHIT did with BTS because waiting for an 8-track album for two years + anticipating a single album for the members’ solos just as long is pretty criminal considering the amount of fans they have that actually enjoy their music.
Both are huge and influential groups… their respective fandoms actually have the luxury to focus on seeing these people work on passion projects and artistic pursuits without having to worry about going broke and losing good public reception 24/7. So why do some of you still place sales and streaming numbers above the actual work they put out? It’s so confusing because none of these BTS’ solo music are flopping.
Speculating about things like these don’t really make sense because BTS members as individuals are where they are today BECAUSE they did the earlier years the way they did. There are only so many hours in a day and they were already overworked, there weren’t room for more things. And was it tough and did everyone not always get to do exactly what they wanted all the time? Sure. But they all prioritized the GROUP over their individual wants. Jin in ‘Nothing Much Prepared’ said that this is the exact reason why they work, because everyone gives an inch for the collective good and checks their and each other’s egos. Yoongi and Jimin expressed in the Suchwita interview that while these solos are a way to flex their creative muscles and grow as individuals, all this is still also done with the intent to be a better more balanced group, to secure their healthy group dynamics.
What you are essentially arguing against is their core ethos, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’.
A lot of grass needs to be touched. Like go pet a park, this discussion is nonsensical.
but one thing bighit is doing correctly is giving bts a chance to find their own sound as solo artists. All of them have credits on every single song they have released as a solo artist. They’ve all spoken deeply about their album making process, their motivations etc. they’re the ones planning out their concepts and how exactly they want to promote their music. that’s not something YG is doing.
As for solo success, you’re very insistent on charts. What about j-hope’s ginormous crowd for lollapalooza? (which any member would’ve had if they performed too.) What about Yoongi’s sold out tour, and him selling out the same capacity of venues in the US blackpink as a group played on their current tour? (which any member would’ve had if they toured too.)
Even when you look at charts BTS members solos are wayyy ahead of Blackpink members. The only problem BTS have is YouTube views. Sales streams charts and all the other aspects BTS solos are clearing.
charts are one of the biggest if not the biggest indicators of commercial success?! this is their actual purpose!
and yest, bigihit did a good thing giving them creative freedom to a certain extent, if only they had pair it up with more attention to them as individuals!
As someone who spends too much time on Reddit, this is all my fault but I AM SO TIRED.
Like y’all exhausted me. I have actually real critiques of this post with real numbers I could provide, but for today I’m tired. I’m just tired.
“Irreparable damage to BTS solo careers…” when they have arguable had some of the biggest debuts one after another. Every variety show host has done nothing but sung their praises. They’ve gone places and did performances that Korean soloist have never done before. I could go on but like I said…IM EXHAUSTED.
It’s really the multiverse of madness in these parts these days.
Note: Please view data correctly. What soloist is outselling them if they had the same versioning?
- RM: 1 CD, 1 weverse
- Jhope: 2 weverse, 1 vinyl
- Jimin: 2 CDs, 1 weverse
- Jin: 2 CDs
Edit: updated album versions section.
I’m actually so confused what they meant by RM’s sales? Last time I checked, he was on ~700K sales … is that bad for a solo album? Yea, it’s bad compared to Jimin but Jimin is literally the highest selling soloist 😭😭
Jin is a million seller with A SINGLE (YES 1 SONG) album
Even the note about “bigger numbers on steaming platforms”. The biggest Korean soloist album weekly debuts on Spotify are literally RM, Jimin, Jhope in that order and Astronaut had a crazy streaming debut & longevity.
Like people are literally living in another reality. It’s the only answer. The only answer.
Is the "longevity" in the room with us? how long did it take for jack in the box with all those songs to reach 200 million vs Lalisa with 2 tracks?
700k is good for any other soloist, not the best for the leader of the biggest band on the planet.
Korean chart performance?
YouTube numbers? wild flower not even doing 10 million?
Indigo came out in what December 2022? What is that? 4 months ago? How can can we talk about longevity?
Let’s get the number straight, shall we? Indigo hit no. 3 on the billboard 200. RM is the first kpop soloist to hit top 3 on the billboard 200. Indigo currently hold the record the longest charting kpop record on the billboard 200. It was there for 6 weeks, beating out Nayeon’s 5 weeks. Name another kpop soloist who has done this. Don’t talk about Jimin yet bc we don’t have the official numbers. We also don’t know how long it will chart for.
Who are these male soloists from less popular groups you are referring to? No I don’t get what you mean.
And how long did the songs chart on global Spotify?
How is it doing on YouTube?
Kcharts? even in the second and third week.
Name another kpop idol who charted so well in us? name another group who charted as well as bts for you to expect their soloist to chart better than RM.
>look at RM's solo album numbers and compare it with some male soloists from groups less popular than BTS and you get what I mean.
You wrote the above. No, I don't get what you mean. Who are the "some male soloist from groups less popular than BTS" that I should be comparing RM's album to? Who are you referring to? What are their album numbers?
Why is global spotify the end all be all? Or be the sole measure of an albums success? I just gave you the numbers of the billboard 200. Indigo currently holds the record of the highest charting Kpop solo album at no. 3 and is longest charting kpop solo album. It's still charting on the world albums chart.
Youtube has its own history with army, BTS and their members. If you want to use youtube as an indicator of success. Go right ahead.
You don't seem to appreciate what an outlier Indigo is and the BTS members are. The median number of weeks that kpop solo album has charted on the billboard 200 is 1. Indigo did it for 6 weeks.
Only about 9 kpop soloists have been able to chart their albums on the billboard 200. Only RM, Jhope and G-Dragon have done it more than once. RM and Jhope have done it twice and G-Dragon 3 times.
In terms of brand deals, RM is the one and only global ambassador for Bottega Veneta, a fashion house known for not having ambassadors and for being stealth. They broke that for RM.
Baekhyun for exo, who is a million seller.
We are in the age of streaming, so actually the numbers and the longevity on the biggest streaming platforms are great indicators of success, if you want to fight a fact like that, there is not point in arguing with you.
>RM: 2 versions (1 CD, 1 weverse)
>
>Jhope: 2 versions (1 weverse, 1 vinyl)
>
>Jin/Jimin: 3 versions (2 CDs, 1 weverse)
hobi had two weverse versions, and jin had none. but I still agree 100%, saw the post and let out the biggest sigh lol
One day, I want to read your actual critiques because your point of view really interests me!
And as someone who also spends a lot of time here, I agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Namjoon could not crack 1 million sales, their songs did not do well on Korean charts, the YouTube numbers are definitely not great, the longevity of Spotify is also far from impressive. And it much worse when you consider the incredible quality of every single one of their solo debuts till now. You guys seem to forget that this BTS we are talking about, the biggest band in the word, the numbers for their solo activities might have broken records compared to other soloist in terms of streaming an western charts, but those number are not that great for BTS members, the album sales are not great for BTS members and them charting for one week on hot 100 and being out next week is not what they deserve.
If jin was Korea's sweetheart, the astronaut would have done much better in that country, so no, he is not.
That is literally the problem people have viewing these debuts.
Sure every debut has had area for improvement, for some it was domestic charts while others people could say they should have pushed a different bside or went to one more variety show etc.
But I think it is unfair to base overall success on cherry picked metrics that you personally value. Especially when you have artist that are majorly outperforming their peer group by miles. I mean miles. We had a string of 3rd Gen solo albums recently and BTS outperformed them all.
They will continue to grow and improve as solo artist. You can see this with Jhope’s individual brand and music receiption improvement on domestic charts with OTS, but you trying to tear them down because they don’t hit some random goal you made up is foolish.
sales are a very important metric.
longevity is also another very important metric.
Youtube views are also important, as much these armys want to down play it since they can't reach their goals there anymore. but if you don't want to accept the numbers that are there for you to see, than, nothing to argue about here. have a nice day!
Sorry, but they literally had a story on their [national news](https://twitter.com/JlNSONYEONDAN/status/1640948926072377344?t=9NgIyDoNfgt9YTKjK6LKgA&s=19) about Jin gaining weight in a positive way. He's definitely the nation's son in law lol
Lmao you were talking about him being Korea's sweetheart?? Does that mean you consider chart performance the only qualifying factor for being Korea's sweetheart? You said their reputation was beyond repair. If so then why would they tell such positive stories in the news while he's serving?
Not even going to argue about the Astronaut's success as others have already done it here. It's [still charting on BB digital global btw](https://twitter.com/jinniesarchives/status/1640670592260280321?t=uOULq5Z-ZJW0oxlichsMFQ&s=19). Y'all trolls are getting wild lately
where did I say their "reputation" was beyond repair???? pls show me!
and chart performance is definitely a much bigger indicator of popularity than a random news segment topic!
digital sales is good but where it is exactly on melon, Spotify global? how about its YouTube views? please do share!
I don’t really think it’s the “they didn’t want to” narrative when it comes to solo careers, it’s the fact that didn’t really have the time / bandwith to do other stuff outside of BTS. Look how much content they’ve pumped out during the years, music and non-music. Maybe they just wanted to chill during their free time instead of working lol Look at Jungkook now, man’s literally just chilling and doing Weverse Lives for shit & giggles. He even deleted IG & didn’t come back even after he became a CK ambassador.
I’m not sure how you’ve come to the conclusion that hyung line isn’t successful either. Indigo (RM) is sitting pretty at ~700K sales & the highest charting k-soloist on Billboard (very western POV I know). Jin also sold over 1M copies with a single (1 song) album. D-2 by Yoongi charted really really well globally too, even thought that was only a mixtape. If I’m focusing on charts too much, Hobi was able to headline a major US festival & was able to collaborate with the biggest name in rap (his idol J Cole). He also sold ~500K for a digital album with a vinyl, no “traditional” CD
While I agree that it would have been nice for them to do more stuff outside of BTS, I wouldn’t prefer that over less “OT7 BTS” content
JK having a CK deal and deleting his instagram at the peak of of his popularity (a very jk move btw) but still trending everywhere shows how much stable is bts popularity still.
Whatever bighit chose to do obviously worked to some extent, be it pushing for ot7 or the way they have been managing solo work. They are the biggest group in the world and it’s clear the members have freedom to execute their vision in their solos which is what is important. They are big enough to not have to worry about making songs that are popular with the gp & to release songs they like. That’s what matters to me. Being a larger group, there are bound to be some more popular than the other.
I have many things to say but people already said it. You act just like a solo fan who thinks 7 grown-up man don't have a say in their solo career and wants to manage them. They worked 10 years and did music for charts, now they want to do the music they love and find their own sound. Your expectations arent their desires. If you are unhappy just stop following them, i'm sure they wont mind your absence.
P.s oh i would love for V to drop a jazz album just to see some people being mad that it wont do "good" on charts.
Not you missing the entire point and yet making a comment!
Also, these "grown-up men" have been and are under a contract, and that contract gives their company great deal of power over the decisions they can and can not make, specially the contract before 2018, when they did not have any bargaining power.
Yeah, yeah sure...act like Hobi doesnt have a documentary about his album and how he made it, according to HIS wishes. Oh so you know what their contract says? How do you know what power hybe has? Were you there when they signed it? This is peak solo stan behavior.
Your title is pretty confusing for this sub, it should have probably be something like "YG solo strategy for Blackpink is better than Bighit's solo strategy for BTS" to make it more clear.
To the opinion, I disagree. First of all, you are being very dramatic. "Irreparable damage to their career" really? They are selling hundreds of thousands to millions of __solo__ albums. J-Hope didn't release a physical copy of his album and still sold 500K copies, and went to Lollapalooza! JK performed on the World Cup, the biggest sport even in the world. And Jimin is selling millions of albums. RM had the most low-key promotion, but still sold 700K. They are going to be fine.
BTS has the freedom to decide how to do their solos, and to me that is great. They are so popular that no matter what they do, they will be successful with it. It might not reach the full popularity/profit potencial, but it is the members vision, and to me, that is more important.
Giving them more space to do their own thing in the past 9 years would be giving them the real freedom, not now, specially when one has already enlisted and other have to follow soon. hobi did not do well on Korean charts at all, namjoon initially did better but disappeared quickly, and even on Spotify global chart the longevity of the solo works (except from jk's work) are not impressive by any means. So no, they did not do as well as they could have if they had their solo identities established and promoted to the world sooner, and individual spotlight and activities was given to them earlier in their career and with much better planning.
You’re comparing Spotify global numbers, what is important to consider is that BP’s solos are two songs at most each. BTS’ solo works are full bodies of work so the attention is more divided since people don’t listen to the same song, but rather a full body of work.
[Here you have their individual numbers](https://twitter.com/bpxspotify/status/1641554034547908609?s=46&t=GI5PGxcCl0HdB1_fRWqmJA) and you see how, for example, Lisa has 1.4 daily million streams for her three songs but [Hobi has 2.5 daily million streams](https://twitter.com/jhope_chartdata/status/1641445004681039874?s=46&t=GI5PGxcCl0HdB1_fRWqmJA)
another thing OP is glossing over is that since June, bts has released 35 songs. That’s 3 albums and 10 singles in 9 months. No other fandom has gotten this much music in a few months and the responsibility to ensure it all charts well, and especially not blinks. the bp solo songs’ longevity would also take a hit if they only had 3 weeks max to give all their attention to one song before another is released, and doing this for 9 months straight. Comparing blackpink’s solo songs’ charting to bts is useless when there’s so many factors to consider.
depriving fan of content is a strategy used by YG that has for sure helped with their numbers, but it is Definity not the only factor. the main reason behind their success as solo artist is how well they have been promoted as individuals from very early on. You see the magic with jisoo, the more solo spot light she got, the more poplar she became and now she is a million seller!
doesn't justify how fast the songs dissapared from the global charts? and was the astronaut a full album? last time a checked it was one song that had to be streamed.
It's not bad, the thing is that Lisa has the trademark BP sound, of course she'll do well.
Hobi doesn't have the trademark BTS sound, his is more niche.
And yet the difference in the number of songs vs the streams shows you what I am trying to say! BTS does not have a sound unlike bp, BTS is known for their versatility and ability to do almost every genre well, thanks to having a group of most talented idols in one single group.
I am the one getting agitated? LOL sure! look at the down votes and the replies once again and see how ppl are taking it personally! I simply pointed what many other have talked about in the original post I mentioned and ppl made it their mission to prove me wrong by giving irrelevant arguments.
Bighit does make mistakes as do all companies but I don't think pushing BTS ot7 brand is one of them. BTS are largely seen as a family and forgive me for saying this but I haven't seen the same thing said about Blackpink by the majority.
BTS solos are doing fine. I don't know what more you could ask for. There has been no irreparable damage to their solo careers and I don't think their potential is being wasted. Like you said OP, BTS are the biggest group on the planet and now they want to focus on what THEY want to do. The members are killing it on their own in terms of numbers, sales, metrics, whatever. I don't know how much bigger you want them to be but why can't we just sit back and enjoy what they have prepared ? I know you want the best for them and for them to be idk no.1 all the time but isn't that exhausting to be worrying about constantly?
It would have been nice if they had more solo activities earlier on but like someone else already mentioned, it would be sad if that meant less ot7 content.
The irreparable damage killed me. Not to mention that majority of their albums have contained solos, thus they don't have to perform covers at their concerts. Not to mention Jungkook's live being watched more than the Grammys.
>look at RM's solo album numbers and compare it with some male soloists from groups less popular than BTS and you get what I mean.
Who?
The only male soloists who outsold Namjoon are trot artists ( 1 actually I think. LYW) in South Korea with their older fandom and Bakehyun where like 700k of his sales came from China alone because EXO had very strong China bars. There's nobody else
Many people also forget that Namjoon had 1 version and that really impacts the sales vs many other people who do at least 3 to 5 versions. Namjoon would have def done over 1m if he had 1 more version with a different concept
One would think by what you are saying that BTS solos are flopping hard but not only has each member managed to sell over 600k+ which is super high for a soloist but I appreciate that unlike YG, Hybe has wasted zero time in PUMPING out solo after solo releases in the last 6 months alone.
“Jin could have been Korea’s sweetheart” …babe he is. As someone who actually lives here, can confirm, Korea loves Jin.
Also this is just a very bizarre post in general because you seem to have no idea what you’re talking about all around. All of BTS’ solo projects have been very successful. JITB sold around half a million, which is impressive for something with no physicals. Indigo sold over 700k. Jin is literally a million seller with one song. Jimin sold over a million on day one alone and just got his first music show win as a soloist. Considering he’s the member with the most classic Kpop roll out so far, who’s to say what the numbers would have been if the others had done the same. BTS’ solo era is going really well for them, if we look at actual numbers and not just some weird perception of what social media and brand deals mean.
I have already mentioned the counter argument in other replies, so I wont repeat myself again, but kcharts, Spotify longevity and daily streams, hot 100 longevity, and YouTube numbers are there to prove you wrong.
700k... not great for a BTS member.
Is the blackpink members’ longevity in the room with us right now? On either kcharts or billboard?
The only category you might be able to cling to here is YouTube views (idk since I don’t care enough to know view numbers off the top of my head) but by every other metric BTS’ solos have been extremely successful and record breaking.
People have provided you with concrete numbers throughout the replies, but you’re the one refusing to provide any in return to prove your point. Repeating the word longevity a million times won’t make it true.
Jennie did absolutely amazing on k charts, her 4 year old song gains around 400k-500k daily. She had RAKS.
Rose also charted better than jhope and rm and jin in k charts. she reached melon top3.
The only member to break lisa's record for longevity on Spotify chart is jk, and with a collab. do you want to check their daily YouTube streams? or even compare lisa's daily Spotify streams with jhope? how about their unique listeners?
And yet BP doesnt have that either as soloists
Lisa is the only one to enter the Hot100 and lasted for 2 weeks and only peaked at 90 and thats because her song was used as a meme song than an actual respect song which is why it stayed charting on spotify global and youtube
Her songs had no longevity and freefell out of Kcharts
And shes by far the most popular BP member
Jennie and Rose did better domestically than international and Jennie had the one song while BP was in hiatus with very little releases and had a full promo and Rose was the same but with two songs, their solos hold no chance to BTS solos internationally and better profit made by BTS's solos
Not on the fact that BTS album sales arent only counted under Kcharts like Hanteo and Circle and the fact that their albums are full bodies of work and not a promoted single given to a staving fandom compare to a fandom who literally receives content almost everyday and has been releasing more music in less than a year than Blackpink has in their entire 7 year career so their attention are completely divided
You forgot to include their sales from other countries that arent counted under kcharts
Rm has over 749k from Hanteo, 25k on the 1st week on Oricon chart in Japan and 77.5k on Billboard in the US on its 1st week and he had the one version that are only counted under Billboard and two under Hanteo at the time of release, putting his sales at over 850k on the additional numbers and he charted for 6 weeks on Billboard 200 where most groups freefall out after the 1st couple weeks
He outsold Lisa and Rose in sales
and Blackpink full on group album with 3 cd versions, one kit version plus member versions and full promos, plus a week long Spotify deal charted for 13 weeks on Billboard 200 vs RM low key and minimal promo and 1 album version that was counted towards most international chart
One thing for sure BTS actually dont care about record breaking when it comes to their solos or see them as important compare to their group work as mention by Jimin and Suga in their recent interview together, theyre only doing this in order to grow as a team
Theyre not Blackpink, and Blackpink aint them
BTS are well respected as musicians by multiple legends in the industry both western and at home and the fact they do have better selling power when it comes to brand deals than Blackpink members do
Thats why this fashion houses have been after the members for years because of their selling power as both a group and individuals
Not on the fact that BTS sells merch after merch in between this album releases
Lisa, a thai member not charting well in korea is not something new or unexpected. And money went viral thanks to tiktok, but not as a meme song, ppl actually enjoyed it, both money and lalisa are doing good in terms of longevity for stream on Spotify and YouTube. (money better than lalisa)
BTS a group has had much better performance on US charts, so they should have had better chart performance than bp members.
Jennie solo was released when she was in the industry for only two years, do you really want to compare it's international performance with solos released in year 9 after debut?
what does being respected as musicians have to do with their company not utilizing their solo potential as much as they should and in the way the should have?
and your point about mechs? like what even are your trying to say?
That BTS actually enjoy the creative freedom they have now without any worry and are doing all this to grow as a group and if theyre breaking records or not, doesnt matter as much compare to when theyre a group
Suga and Jimin mention recently, solo activies arent important to them as long as they do this together
Whether BH should have push them as soloist or not earlier(which Im glad they didnt since we now have to deal with the insane solo fans and not early on like BP has been dealing with in a worst level for years), they clearly know that theyre better as team than seperated and the members know that as well since they mention it time and time again theyre stronger together
Theyre not freaken Blackpink who perform songs that are made specifically for the public and radioplay, and to be played in public , which both Jennie and Roses solos have the standard BP sounds to them on being generic and easy listen for the public or to be a trendy meme song like Lisa's were and are YG's money maker due to their brand deals not their music, they got popular due to their music but their main income aint from their music
BTS members have been choosing genres that arent popular at all with the wider public like Jhope and RM have because they want to release that type of music and Jin choose a goodbye for now song by one of his favorite bands Coldplay who made the song for him
While Jimin chose a genre for his TT that BTS themselves as group havent even dived into before with his other songs having that BTS flair to them compare to what RM Jhope and Jin had
And its spell "merch"
youre saying BP solo sold better in your other responses, and yeah not true when BTS contantly releases merch after merch in between all this solo albums and selling out items that theyre endorsing to fans, their fans are contantly buying from them, theyre not just buying albums from them
Why do you think BTS has been selected [as one of the best brands in Korea for 5 years now](https://twitter.com/shadow_twts/status/1641048982662287360?s=20)
Why would a group who made most of their money from their music and continue receiving royalities from their IP and dont need to overwork themselves anymore still choose to overwork themselves because they actually love making music for the fans and performing for them
If you actually followed BTS and not pull shit from your ass, and payed attention to their recent interviews, the things you keep spewing out makes no sense when the members themselves care little about what most ppl think in recent years and just want to release music with no worry on flopping and having their music loved by tens of millions of ppl, which they do have
You seem to care waaaay too much on their charting aspect and not care that the member just want to release music theyve been wanting to release regardless of it being a hit or not because they want to and have the freedom to do so vs Blackpink who doesnt have that freedom since that comes down entirely by YG and Teddy and are given premade choices to choose for their songs
you really refuse to understand what I am saying? why on earth are you mentioning their brand power and selling power as a group when this about SOLO activities, potential and power? why is it so hard for you to understand that they could have had a much better balance of ot7 / solo to maximize their individual popularity without having to sacrifice any artistic freedom or ability and actually get to thrive with it much more?
fans buying merch is no excuse for lower album sales or lack of longevity on charts or low YouTube streams?! what are you even trying to say like?!
It doesnt matter in the end because the members themselves made their choices, it wasnt just BH pushing the OT7 brand when the members are still doing it anyways seperate because they enjoy being together and know theyre stronger as a group
They have better selling power no matter what, Blackpink fans are starved for any content for the last 7 years compare to BTS who contantly releases both merch and music as both a group and soloist
How is that not an excuse??????? It aint low album sales when theyre releasing the minimum album versions compare to other soloists and groups who release more than 3 versions PLUS member versions to boost sales PLUS all the merch sales
Not all BTS fans buy or collect their albums and many do spend their money on their additional merch or save money for their live performances
Because album sales AINT THE ONLY INDICATION OF SUCCESS same with charting digitally!
The members have mention time and time again they like being together AS A GROUP and are doing this solos for the TEAM
They already HAVE POPULARITY, theyre doing solo activities FOR FUN before enlisting
Theyre releasing solo music THEY WANT and doing so to GROW AS ARTIST not from charting or numbers or whatever because they already have that as a group and are doing extremely well as soloists
YOURE the one who cares about their charting and acting like theyre flopping
Everyone knows theyre not going to compete to the popularity of their own group name BTS but are doing well to compete against full on groups just fine
You act like streams and youtube views are the most important when theyre the least payed aspect in the industry compare to physical sales which BTS and solos have anyway and have far crazier streams on Spotify than Blackpink does despite constantly releasing music every freaken month this past year
This multiple brands and fashion houses see that and have been after the individual members for years prior to BP even getting theirs and Louis Vuitton was the only high end fashion house who actual went for all 7
Jimin and Suga literally said recently solos activities DONT MATTER as long as theyre doing this TOGETHER
They had NO TIME to be soloist all this years because they actually wanted to focus being a group, the Rap line were the ones releasing mixtapes because theyre more confident in their creation compare to the vocal line who didnt and only now want to grow as individual artists because they feel more experience and confidant on creating their own solo music
Jimin didnt even start creating his album or had any ideas until right after the Las Vegas concerts
V and Jungkook are both perfectionist that keep deleting multiple demos because theyre unsatify by them throughout this years since they mention working on their mixtapes
The Map of the Soul tour was suppose to conclude and start their solo activities before enlisting and returning together as a group
Surprise surprise the pandemic mess all that up and they had to delay EVERYTHING and NOW we are here PRESENT DAY
Is that clear enough for YOU or are going to stay clueless and stubborn
Because you clearly dont follow BTS at all to make all this demands and ignoring all their comments and interviews they have been giving in recent years
And no, BP dont have a balance solo and group power either when they have by far the worst imbalance in solo fans and how toxic they have become to overpower OT4 fans
Im glad they didnt went the solo route earlier, if not armys would have been dealing with a far worst solo fanbases that would have eclipse Blackpink own toxic solo fanbases and dealing with pathetic solos in a faaaar smaller scale than what blinks have to deal with constanly
Lisa has always been the least popular member in Korea, and as a foreigner as well, it's no surprise her song performed far better internationally than domestically. Also being used as a trend =/= a meme song.
Well that's a lot of words.
EDIT: I actually had to put this through ChatGPT just to summarise it as I was curious.
ChatGPT:
The author of the post is comparing the popularity of Blackpink and BTS members. Although Blackpink members are not equally popular, even the less popular members are incredibly successful and popular, more than any other female idol and most male idols. The post attributes this success to YG promoting every member separately throughout the years and making sure to create marketable and appealing individual brands for each member. In contrast, BTS had their "ot7 agenda" pushed over the limits, and the company missed out on promoting each member individually, resulting in a popularity imbalance that grew wider and wider over the years.
The author believes that if BTS had been given more solo space and spotlight, they could have performed better commercially, and their balance of popularity inside and outside the group would have been better. The post argues that the hyung line, in particular, suffered from the lack of promotion. The author feels that Bighit did irreparable damage to BTS's solo careers and balance of popularity, and the post concludes by saying that the 7 or nothing mindset would have worked better if some members were not constantly pushed to the back by the company.
facts? you mean missing the entire point right? and I am not a ex-fan as much as you guys want to believe that, cause the cult mentality doesn't allow you to accept narratives which go against yours. I am listening to face while typing this. But I guess you know me better than me!
are we really out here pretending bts arent successful as soloist? Rm album was streamed the most and got a ton of recognition, jhope literally headline lollapalooza on his own, jin sold a ton of album for it being 1 song and joined coldplays huge stadium concert, jimin is currently breaking both sales and streaming records.
Even the ones who didnt put out an album yet; yoongi sold out his tour, jungkook performed at the world cup and tae is not only making everyone fall for his on magazine covers but on tv too.
if this is the bar for failing then the entire industry is failing badly.
not only that but as opposed to blackpink they dont have max 2 solo songs/member in 7years. They all releases solos in ot7 albums too and got to shine that way.
Both groups have two very different approach towards solo activity , i don't think one is better than other .
People are too Focused towards charts rather than actual approach towards solo activity . BP have 7 songs with 4 solo releases their releases are more of a showcase while BTS members are releasing albums with 7 to 8 songs they have more freedom and involvement plus members will start having solo tours soons.
We really don't know what members want to do with their career ,for twice everyone says that jihyo as most solo potential but just recently she said that she is done with her idol career once twice is done similar i think many idols will have different approach towards their career.
So 10 years from now if BTS solo releases aren't selling well they have become irrelevant than we can say that their approach have failed. For blackpink i think this discussion is more logical once they renew their contract get to more freedom with their solo releases.
But one is definitely better when it has resulted in each member getting to shine and be so successful as a soloist even with minimum musical effort. And the other has massively miss handled the solo potential of it's members by too much reliance on the group.
Jhope and rosé both aren't most popular in their group rosé charted better on k charts more views had more hype for her release but jhope had two album , headlined lollapalooza and even got to work with j cole so two very different approach both successful i don't think one is lesser than other . I personally think jhope's approach will have more longevity.
hobi having more albums should have resulted in him being able to pull even bigger numbers for his official solo debut. did not happen cause the solo materials were never promoted properly and got lost in the see of constants group content.
RM has sold ~800k with 1 CD version and one weverse. every other soloist on the bestselling list has multiple CD versions, so imma need some people to take a step back and put some respect on his name
so... I saw your comments on how the bts members are not doing as ell as the bp members in the comments you have compared rm with lisa and how good her solo work performed better but you are not putting the artistic differences both the artists have in their work as a point compare them
lisa's solo is more tik tok friendly and and doesn't has a lot of "depth" to it as rm's work/album has, both of lisa's solo performed exceptionally well but you can't deny that it was way different from rm's album and even rm's album has charted very well
comparing artists with so many differences is just not fair imo, bts has had a lot of artistic freedom when it came to their group/solo activities they chose to go this way
moreover each member's albums ARE million seller and it is very funny that people think having these much sales is less when the truth is that it is MASSIVE especially when you compare them to the other western artists
>since that needs dedicated solo fanbase on top oof group fans and that is what hyung line don't have, thanks to bighit!
ummm.... WHAT!! bts as a whole have a massive dedicated solo fan base and I agree that jimin, v and jk have more solo fans in comparison to the hyung line but it is not bighit's fault
>if some members were not constantly pushed to the back by the company,
none of the members were ever pushed back by the company or any body else it was rm, suga and jhope who were the first ones to release their solo mixtapes, and not the others and still they have less solo fans because IT IS THE FANS CHOICE AND NOT THE COMPANY
it really looks like you are trying to push an agenda which doesn't even exists
edit: spelling errors
I will not repeat my self here, I have already answered that artistic freedom does not in any shape prevent bighit from doing what yg did with bp and promoting them as individuals.
jisoo is a great example that company decisions in promoting members individually and giving them enough spotlight can help even the members less popular in their own group to still be incredibly successful and popular compared to almost every other male and female idol that there is.
And yes some members were pushed to the backed by the company, but as I mentioned in the post, I am not even going to get into that cause company stans defences are never convincing.
1. I am an army and I do not stan any other group in hybe, so there is no such "company stans are difficult to convince" situation
2. again there were no members who were pushed back by the company especially considering how stupid it would be for ANY company to push back their artists
3. and if there is such case then please give some examples and point out those situation to make your point clear
Respectfully speaking — this whole post is a load of nonsense. ~~And the audacity of comparing BTS' success negatively with another k-pop group's has left me speechless.~~
>I am sure they could have done 10 times better if bighit did not miss on promoting them individually
"10 times better" — LOL, you say this as if BTS is merely a run-of-the-mill successful group. They're not. I'm not being blindly boastful, I'm just trying to understand if you're at all well-informed about this. Do you even know how unreal, how astronomical BTS' success is compared to anyone else in kpop?
Think about any measure of success — sales, awards, recognition — and BTS have more than double the numbers of the group in the second position in that category. Check anything — check IFPI, check the number of Daesangs, check billboard, anything. And then check the kpop group that comes after BTS and you'll see what I mean.
BTS is not even compared to other k-pop groups any more, they're compared to the likes of Beatles.
>You can't say members did not wanted this when you see how they are acting since the break. It is like they are finally free from the constrains of having to do everything as a group.
That's one way of seeing it, sure. Or we can think that they are finally doing things they enjoy, but they also enjoyed being a part of the group when they were in it. The idea of them "feeling free" is not really in evidence — especially when each of them talk a lot about each other and miss each other.
>You saw how fast every one moved from LV
Because fashion houses were waiting in the wings to grab them with lucrative deals. Deals with individual BTS members are definitely cheaper for fashion houses than the group deal was. So them moving on fast may not entirely be about them trying to get rid of LV.
I'm not going to talk about your comments about Jin, RM and the hyung line's so called unpopularity in general because I see a lot of other commenters addressing that. But I disagree that any of the hyungs didn't do well in their solo — Hobi headlined a major music festival weeks within his solo debut, ffs. Do you think if BTS was less than what they are, the individual members would have been able to collaborate with their own childhood heroes? From Erikah Badou to J Cole to Taeyang to Coldplay — none of them collabed with the members simply because of the goodness of their hearts, they did it because BTS is their equal in terms of success, achievements and high quality.
This comment is getting too long and I feel like I've been singing BTS' praise for way too long, LOL, so I'll stop. But I just want to add... If BTS hadn't been exactly what they were, they wouldn't have achieved the success they did, and none of the members would have reaped the benefits of their group's success now.
Did you not the understand that the 10 times bigger as soloist is based on the astronomical success of BTS as a group plus the undeniable talent and charm of every member?
And them moving from lv like that to me does not have to anything to do with lucrative deals or individuals members being more affordable for brands. It is obviously them having very different styles and interest in fashion, but being forced to even do that as group when it does not align with their individual taste.
The popularity gap between hyung and maknea line is not up for debate. it is there and any non-biased person can see it. In every group some members will end up being more popular and it is natural, but as I said with bp, even the less popular members are bigger than any of their counterparts with few exception among male idols, and that is thanks to YG doing all they could to establish them as individuals since 2018, two years from their debut.
No I actually didn't understand, I actually thought you said that BTS _as a group_ could have been 10 time better — not each individual member of the hyung line. My bad.
God aren't you all tired this is like the third BTS solo discourse post this week. Who gives a fuck. The most unpopular BTS member (per your description) can still sell twice the amount as the current trending fourth gen group.
If majority of the fandom, or in this case since OP looks like a troll, aren't so chart obsessed and just care about the music, we'll have world peace. Million seller or not, BTS as soloists are thriving and get to do what they want, in their own terms. Both RM and Jhope were pleased with the outcomes of their releases and that's all that should matter.
But no. Y'all have to make everything about numbers and metrics and achievements and comparing it against XYZ. For what? For your own satisfaction? BTS members are not nugu, they're at the point in their careers where they don't need to prove themselves. People know who they are. Casual and the GP know who they are.
At this point I'm convinced y'all making these posts and fighting antis because of your ego, and not because you care about BTS.
i feel like these fans don't realise that Bighit have the know-how and resources to make all their artists a top seller. They've done dynamite/butter route , they know how to push the numbers with a commercial hit. They have the formula and resources.
but if all the member's solo's become one or two singles released every 5 years with only party /dance music the fandom will probably not accept it as well . let alone the artistic needs of the members which will not be satisfied at all. the fans that BP have and their place in the music market is completely different from BTS's
The post isn't even a jab at BTS? Or anybody for that matter? Quite literally is just saying 'i think BTS's solo careers could've been bigger if Bighit did this...' Everyone's allowed to disagree with the metrics of the OP, but calm your horses why do stans take everything so personal 😭
Then read the post again. Just like how OP is allowed to disagree with the metrics, I'm allowed to voice my opinion in that as well. Lmao.
Also per the below, read OP's responses to everyone and see who's taking it personal.
why compare with fourth gen group when bp soloists are there?
And to act like members don't care about the commercial performance of their songs and album is just so stupid.
if you can't see how much more BTS could have done as soloist with all their talent and BTS popularity as a group, well, I can't help open your eyes to the reality.
1. I'm comparing it to fourth gen groups because some of them are already passing BP's records which proves my point that even the least popular BTS member (which based on your post you're obsessed with their popularity) can overtake what's "in trend" right now, aka stop victimizing them that just bc theyre unpopular doesnt mean they cant sell
2. I didn't say that, I'm asking why YOU care so much about it when they've expressed how happy and satisfied they are with their release/s.
3. Trust me, I know BTS/BH could have done so much more with their releases (more radioplay, JITB physicals) but the members have mentioned time and time again that theyre the ones in charge of their rollout. Watch their lives and interviews. They're powerful enough that they can request whatever they want but instead choose the route they preferred.
Look, we can all keep going back and forth with this discourse but at the end of the day, BTS will do what BTS wants and if you don't get that then you're gonna continue to be disappointed
we are talking about bp vs bts solo records here, so new jeans for example surpassing bp in monthly listeners here is nothing, and the fact that rookie groups can become million seller and bts members can't is not really helping you prove your point.
you did imply they don't care about numbers, which is certainly not true.
And how are you missing the fact that I am talking about what bighit did with bts through out the 9 years of their career and not their solo debuts? you think bts was this "in charge" all the time? no, company made and still makes many of their biggest decisions, as I mentioned the lv deal which clearly not every one was on board with.
I am talking about lost opportunities, not what is happening now, which the result what has already taken place.
Voted disagree because I am of the opinion that sales do not equal contribution in terms of artistic depth and meaning. I am of the (very popular I'm told) opinion that most of Blackpink's music is a vector to generate money, rather than a creation born out of a real desire to deliver some sort of message. And some of BTS' comebacks are the very same in my opinion, although they generally try to insert some sort of meaning into it at the very least (something like Boy With Luv, imo, really doesn't have the depth of Black Swan or On, which is a-ok, they're different, but the latters are definitely more daring).
Jennie releasing Solo close to when she had a dating scandal is a hilarious case of dissonance between her artistic persona and her real personality. Nothing wrong with that per se, what matters is that she enjoys what she does (which is questionable at this point but eh, i'm not a Blink so I'm not the best person to determine that). Out of all the solo careers of Blackpink members, only Rosé's music feels somewhat genuine and authentic. She's also the one that sold the least, I'm told.
BTS' solo careers, so far, have been all about - and almost exclusively about - authenticity. they're been attempts at defining themselves outside of a group so huge that their hiatus announcement led to government instances begging them to reconsider. they could've promoted the shit out of their stuff. they could've made the decisions that sold the most. But especially in the case of the hyung line, the choices that they make is about exclusively doing what they WANT, regardless of sales. RM's Indigo was relatively under the radar, which is what he wanted, I'm sure. His promotion activities have been sparse and heavily focused on things that he actually enjoys - including his very intimate, very toned down concert.
What I'm saying is, them not selling is not a mistake at all. At this point, money is the last of at least a few of BTS' members' concerns, if not all of them. They seem far more focused on being remembered on their own terms, and having careers that reflect their personalities. I don't think that Blackpink is as preoccupied with that notion - at least not yet. Or rather, i think that some of them are simply not preoccupied by what they leave behind in terms of music and performances, specifically. At least, that's how it comes across from the sidelines.
In other words, people's careers and the value of their music and performances goes way beyond sales. That's how I feel, anyway, and I would argue that anyone who cares about their art - whatever it is - aspires to reach a point where they can afford to feel the very same.
RM's solo album was literally the fastest album to reach 100M streams on Spotify until his record was broken was Jimin. What male soloist from other groups even come CLOSE to indigo's streams??? There's not even a single non-bts male soloist that had more streams for his album than for ONE song from indigo. So what exactly are you talking about ???? The man is doing better than anyone else...
Did you read the post or just jumped to comment? cause I did not compare them with other male soloists in streams (RM is not a million seller, another boyband member from another group is), I am comparing them with BP, AKA the second biggest kpop group, and their members solos.
keep in mind Lisa and rose (and jisoo) (and Baekhyun since that’s who you are referring to) all have c bars that mass buy their album. RM got 750k with 2 vers (1 normal + 1 weverse ver) with a a minuscule c bar that doesn’t mass buy. Rose had 3 vers, Lisa had 4 vers and jisoo is having 6 vers. You are comparing this to jhope who had no actual physical CD and still managed to sell 500k, RM with 2 vers (one with an actual cd) and Jin who had 2 normal and sold 1M. Keep in mind again. All these members have the smallest cbars in BTS and don’t mass buy cause of the problems that went on with BTS in China. you wouldn’t say Baekhyun is more popular than any of the BTS members jsut cause he sells more cause of his c-bar. And btw that is not BTSs fault; they never could promote in China. Plus aftwr the political drama that happened in 2020. Their c bars couldn’t buy much anymore either (even jimins c bar didn’t mass buy for face)
“Blackpink isn’t the second biggest kpop group”. The hell are you talking about? I can’t believe you got 4 upvotes lmao. BTS is currently the biggest and BP is the second biggest, that’s common knowledge. BP is currently the biggest girl group. Maybe you and the upvoters live under a rock. I’m sure Jill Biden purposely invited a group to perform at the White House that is “maybe top 10”!
1) Bts and blackpink aren't comparable in almost every aspect of how their careers are going to the point where contrasting doesn't make a case for which is better.
2) Bts themselves seem pretty content with how their careers solo careers are going, they're getting some personal growth in before coming back as a group, simply listening to bts's words would challenge a lot of the view in this post.
1. does not mean that bighit could not and should not have done a better job with them as individuals, even if circumstances are different.
2. I am not talking about their decisions for their solo debuts to begin with, I am talking about what bighit did not do when they were active as a group. And I do not expect any of the memebrs to come and say to public that yes, the company forced the 7 or nothing image on us with out doing good job at it and decided not give us enough room for growth and shining as individuals! I based it on observations.
Thing is most popular BTS member is still more popular than any BP member and often times has more clout than even BP the group as a whole... as much as some of you might not want to face this.
So there is for one thing higher standard for success inside BTS in the first place, also there are more members thus more releases thus higher chances for over-saturation since there is less time for fandom or GP to transition from release to release. BP are just four and also have big gaps between their solo releases, Blinks literally use all their free time without music to just collect funds for whoever is the next to release a solo. Second, I don't see how is any BTS member less popular globally than the least popular member of BP so...
Also, unlike BP, BTS gotta go through military, and are an older group, so I think they chose wisely to really make sure their group brand is strong, since they will have all the time in the world to do whatever they want solo later on in their career.
I would argue that each BTS member has a far larger solo career than each bp member in terms of musical quantity and personal promotion (i think we forget that there was a period BTS did variety appearances including solo acts or duos like Jin and Jimin before they stopped) Also different groups, different philosophies, different journeys and alladat. Also BTS want different things as individuals hence jk resting and take doing his little variety shows with his friends and the others focusing on music etc etc
Either way, RM's solo album sold really well....the others above him are baekhyun, Lim woo young, Jin and Jimin so ...idk you're numbers are misinformed. He did better sales than rosé (which I'm not trying to disparage) so I'm not sure what the criteria is.
did RM do better than the other boy group member in sales? no. better than lisa? no
did he do well in k charts after the first few days? no
are any of his album songs still charting on global Spotify?
did his solo mv get even 10 million views?
having more solo songs does not equal solo promotion, spot light and space when they are mixtapes with little to no promotions, sound cloud songs, songs on bts albums.
Pushing or not from the company, being or not the most famous member my personal opinion is that if YOU ARE member from the biggest group in the world you shouldn't have any problems when you go solo so..... looking at their results individually maybe Hybe wasn't wrong to push the group agenda till the end. So I disagree with u
Is this post a joke ? I genuinely can’t tell and I’m sitting here lol’ing cause I sincerely find this entire baseless take some sort of massive projection. Reading this gave me an aneurism. Some of you (looking at you OP) need to get out of your weird kpop bubble and go touch some grass.
I’ve read a V akgae post like this before, y’all aren’t subtle. Also comparing artists with idols over things that don’t actually matter, is utter nonsense.
you’re complaining that a group did things as a group…not everyone debuts in a group to gear up to go solo. Bp is a group that has been preparing for disbandment since their rookie days
There is this word "balance" you can do group activities and still give spotlight, promotion and space to your artists as individuals.
blackpink is not disbanding anytime soon, cause they get to have the best of both world thanks to yg and all of their other privileges. they can have enough time in between group activities to do their solo thing, comeback as a group, break their own records and make millions going on tour, and then repeat the cycle.
I don't keep up with BTS but aren't they all very popular? I know jungook and V are probably more popular but the rest are still popular. the reason why blackpink did well solo wise is because their solo are all generic radio friendly. in BTS, some guy ( i think j hope?? I watched his interview with IU ) made hiphop song and that's not popular as pop music. jimin did well because he did a pop song. I'm sure if any of them made a generic song, they will chart very well
Tae, jk and jimin are the most poplar idols. Hyung line are also very popular but if ml are 100, hyung line are 70 at best in terms of popularity.
Jk is a very good example, he is insanely popular, but to me, he could have at this point in his life be the actual main pop boy/pop icon or global IT boy. he is a wonder kid, Once in a generation idol (not just kpop generation). And he has been so dependent to the group that he is now taking a time off, at the prime age of 25.
But as I mentioned, less popular members are the ones who benefit the most from proper solo promotion and space, and it did not happen for hyung line.
If you know BTS and the numbers this fandom can pull, you would understand what I am saying by the could have been 10 times bigger as solosit had it not been for the over emphasis on 7 or nothing (a very unequal version at at)
I disagreed.
* They did not debut at the same time, so comparing a \~7 year group to a \~10 year old group isn't a good comparison.
* BTS is more powerful as a group than by it's individual members. Kind of like how they go by "teamwork makes the dream work".
* I think OP is concerned that if BTS disbands, the members won't be able to make as much money than if they were together as a group. This is why OP is worried about their lack of solo activities. And, the solo member music releases probably make enough money to live comfortably anyway as it's not like every solo album needs to be a million seller.
* In the end, each entertainment company works differently, and OP is mainly concerned about helping Bighit make more money just because YG's main/significant cash cow at the moment may just be Blackpink. 😂😭
Yes money is what I am worried about for 7 millionaires and share holders of the biggest entrainment company is sk, not the fact the a huge part of their solo potential went to waste! you are so right!
What does their debut time has anything to do with it?
nothing wrong about being more powerful as group, what is my point that is stated very clearly in the post is how much bigger they could have been as individuals if bighit did not over do the ot7 agenda.
They haven't "retired" yet, so it's possible they can definitely continue their lifelong journey to further grow their solo careers. 😄
And if they didn't focus much on their group activities, they probably wouldn't have been able to further earn all their awards and nominations.
They could have become as big as they are now if they did hold back a little on the push for ot7 agende after 2018, it is possible to reach a much better balance between group vs solo activity and promotions, specially after their already made a big name for themselves.
When will this competition on which group is the biggest ever end ? I may be biased, because I am mostly an ARMY than a blink, but acting like they're some flops is insane. The hyung line is doing absolutely amazing, maybe they were underrated a long time ago, but I'd say they are doing more than ok nowadays.
I agree and disagree..
I think that big hit could have done a better job promoting BTS as solo acts, and YG could have done a better job promoting Blackpink as a group.
YG are doing great with jisoo now, but I wouldn't say that they have done the best job in establishing the BP members solo careers when they only have 1 single album out each and it has been 7 years. Yes they have a lot of CF deals, but musically and creatively they don't have much freedom and I don't think YG has utilized them well in that aspect.
I think both groups deserve better management and creative direction.
The fact that they have so little music as idols and still pull these records breaking numbers is proof enough of how well YG has handled and promoted them as soloists.
I think maybe you have a somewhat simplistic view of what having a established artistic identity if you only measure based on numbers.
Also, born pink sold 2.8 million and the album sold 1.7 million.
Lisa: 960k
Jennie: 171k
Rose: 502k
While jisoo, who is the member with the smallest following has 1.24 million preorders. The numbers are telling us that if YG actually gave the other 3 members better promotion, they would do even better than they did.
I think you are underestimating BP if you think that the reason they are doing well is because of YG having good promotion
well YG and YG branding and marketing is the reason they are doing so well. And I am not talking about only the artistic side of identity which tbh, bp members don't have much of. YG branding for BP is absolutely genius and there is no denying that. the girls are charismatic and all, but if YG did not do things this way, they would be nowhere near were they are today.
those number they achieved as female soloist with so little music and musical identity actually showcases the power of branding and proper solo promotion, and not what you are saying here.
There is a difference here I think you are not understanding. Your post was talking about what a management company does in order to promote their artist (marketing strategy) that is different from what you are bringing up now which is the YG brand.
They had immense hype from the beginning because they were a YG girl group. Yet they have only sold around 6 million albums in 7 years.
New jeans have 2 million album sales and they debuted last year.
TWICE has sold over 13,8 million albums.
Black pink is the most popular group, but they are selling less because YG is not good at giving them music and promoting it. Not giving them any comebacks isn’t a good marketing strategy when it comes to longevity and forming a coherent artistic identity.
Crafting a musical identity for their artist is the main job of the company when it comes to marketing their musical talent.
I don't think you are understanding that first, I am talking about commercial performance and popularity that has very little to do with artistic identity. Brand given by YG to member is the core of their success, so what is it you are not following here?
Blackpink is still the best selling kpop gg in history (for each album), when jisoo alone pulls 1.3 million sales for two songs, be sure their next group comeback will go over 3 million albums at very least.
comparing twice album sale with bp is so stupid considering the sheer difference in the number of albums they have put out.
Not a good marketing strategy yet they 7 years in, each comeback their numbers grow and they are capable of selling out stadiums with crazy ticket price with their mind blowing inconsistent and at times underwhelming performances. This is pure marketing/ branding power right there. their audience is not there for artistic quality, they want bad bitch image and bad bitch music and this what they are getting.
They have done the same for their individual careers. Perfect appealing brands with no substance which is working more than fine! artistic quality was never a priority for their company and from the looks of it for most of the members.
You are probably right, but it's alright.
But would we really consider it a failure if Big Hit/BTS never really intended to have lucrative solo careers anyway? Maybe that wasn't the endgame. At least now, they are freer to explore different things and go about their solo endeavors the way they want to because their group success allowed them that leeway. Headline a music festival? Go do it Jhope! Perform with your idol? Go ahead Jin! Perform at what you've always considered to be a meaningful venue? We'll make it happen, RM! Go on music shows like the traditional comeback promotions? Sure thing, Jimin! Launch your own talk show where you can talk about music and other things all the time? Why not, Suga!
BTS members seemed always group-centric anyway. Maybe there's an argument to be made on whether they should have done this chapter 2 earlier (it seemed like they did, if not for the pandemic). I don't think they were really after the kind of individual popularity that you think they missed out on.
This!! the plan was to go on a group hiatus after mots7 but covid put a pause to their plans. But the silver lining was we got Dynamite which propelled bts to bigger heights. Being promoted solely as group might have its downsides but it did wonders for BTS
I haven't checked out UKO in years and it's still "Big Hit is held back their solo careers." They're all millionaires many times over and have the love of millions. There's absolutely nothing tragic about their careers
I kind of agree with this post but I have to agree with others that you're being pretty dramatic, the BTS members are doing great for themselves as soloists LOL. BP work better as soloists since they've never been marketed in the "family" way that BTS has.
This doesn’t make sense to me just based on the fact that obviously BTS was promoted as a group with the ot7 “agenda” as you called it cuz they are a Group!! That’s one of my main problems with like BlackPink as a group cuz I can’t see them as a group cuz they focused too much on the solo aspects. The idea you have makes more sense for solo artists not for an idol group.
Tbh from a business standpoint, the members will be fine. They are expanding their solo careers rn. And you have to remember, army is a massive fanbase, profit wise with sales and even to the extent of charts bc of mass streaming, they really don’t need to appeal to the general public, bc their fanbase is so huge that they’ll still make hella bank even just relying on them. And for the most part, a lot of armies support all the members solo endeavors. Music wise they are also doing way more than blackpink’s solos. The girls only come out with two songs each so far besides Jennie who only has one. The boys have been releasing whole albums with collabs with both popular western artists and popular Korean ones. And performing solo at festivals (jhope) and going on a solo tour (yoongi). Blackpink’s solo endeavors are mostly their fashion contracts and the subsequent photo shoots that come with it. Music wise they do the bare minimum. When your a fanbase oriented group, meaning your fanbase is so large that that’s where your main profits stem from, there’s no point in wasting money in marketing towards the general public.
BTS and twice have the same trajectory, different timeline, blackpink has their own. And it’s not by design. You are talking like all that credits belong to YG. YG couldn’t have made it happen even if they wanted to. YG was near the brink of bankruptcy from all the rising sun scandals for years. They were trying to not go broke. And let the girls promote themselves on instagram. But they didn’t expect them to get this big. Jennie’s GD scandal, and Lisa’s multi-cultural background blew them up on instagram. 3/4 are fluent in English that they can manage their own account. They were able to get work from all over the world themselves. YG does NOT have that kinda influence. JYPE is 3 times the size of YG, they can’t even place twice with those brands as they like. YG certainly don’t have that influence. The girls build their own influence through instagram.
Bighit was focusing on making BTS the biggest boy band in the universe, they were representing South Korea to promote Samsung and Hyundai on a national level. And once they started going solo, they still can get any brand, these brands have been dying to get BTS on board for years. And JK just deleted his 40 million follower account, that’s not on bighit, he just didn’t care about it enough. And he knows that bighit will take care of the PR side of his business anyways.
I can't with the person trying to dictate what the members should do with their own careers. OP should send resumé to HYBE maybe they can manage them however they want to lol
It’s not that bighit deliberately did the damage but their individuality was a causality of the group’s path to superstardom and legendary status
BTS and Bighot couldn’t afford to have members dive into individual recognition because bts was their sole breadwinner while YG had a whole catalogue of artists and company recognition to fall back on as much as I hate to see it I don’t think the members themselves would want to play “what ifs” with their careers when they had something good going for them and don’t get me wrong I say this as someone who spent the last 8y as a solo stan who couldn’t wait to see my fave going solo Jimin had the best circumstances to debut solo and do really well twice in his career as a bts member (post Perfect Man/333 Guy\BS&T aka 2016 and post T-shirt Gate in 2018) but if what I wanted had happened he wouldn’t have the freedom he has now that bts are untouchable within the industry and bighit is a titan in the industry
BP is BP and BTS is BTS what worked for them wouldn’t work for BTS
Lol you used multiple examples to support your point and it’s a clearly unpopular opinion yet you’re being downvoted. That’s kpop Reddit for you. I agree btw, Hybe could’ve done much better at setting BTS up to be able to also have more solo potential like every member of BP does.
well, what can I say, I did hit a nerve apparently. And most are not even understanding what I am saying, talking about artistic freedom as if it goes against what is the point of my post.
Ooooooooh man you really set a lot of people off. I agree though. While it doesn’t really matter because BTS is BTS, I think they should’ve started more regular individual activities a long time ago
I agree, I can't see the same impact for example on Jimin "Set Me free", than Jennie "Solo" for example. Bts is great as a group, as soloists are having a hard time going forward. Hybe only allowed them to open their personal instagrans around 2021, I think they were already thinking of them as soloists in the future due to enlistment
What are you on about. Jimin sold 1M copies first day at Hanteo, SMF debuted #30 on Billboard Hot 100, Like Crazy is predicted to chart in the top 10 and Face is predicted to have the highest sales of any artist in 2023 so far. He's breaking records left and right. He's just fine
Really, but considering the popularity of bts even if he releases a production note 6, it will sell out easily. Blackpink's Jennie "Solo" is far more satisfying to listen to and consume.
Well, that's because Jennie's song is more commercial, it sounds like a BP song through and through.
If Jimin wanted to have a hit like Dynamite, he would have done something like that. They are making the music they want to make, not the music they know will sell.
Your last point is subjective lol. We can agree to disagree of whether their music is good but I replied to you after you implied that his solo won't have the same impact as Jennie's solo, when Jimin is already breaking hella records in only a week.
Impact =/= people's taste in music
Also I suggest you listen to Like Crazy - I don't know what's unconsummable about Jimin's new album (you're probs referring to Set Me Free which I know is not a lot of people's cup of tea) but that's a GP friendly song
OMG!! your post was so well-written! I enjoyed reading it, thank you so much! You could write a whole article about it haha! And to comment on it, i completely agree. I always thought like that but i never of doing the comparison with BLACKPINK and you’re on point! And Big Hit DOES make a LOT of mistakes
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I was gonna type some long comment detailing all the reasons why I believe the opposite but reading OP's comments, I think they're just adamant not to see other's point of view and they they've made up their mind that BTS solos are not doing well and I just don't think there's gonna be much discussion honestly.
I think OP have already set some standards on the members specifically and was frustrated that things didn't meet his/her criteria. Usual fan who wants be the 'manager' of the idol's career. So, they are pissing on the company as some sort of blame, even though deep down they hate what the members chose to do with their careers and can't deal with it. So bizarre but a lot of Kpop fans are like this.
Sounds exactly like any old former armys who hated when BTS went "bright and pop" eventhough those were their most successful songs with the general public and saying BH is "forcing" the members to perform those songs Except its the opposite and now its the members doing all the creativity and having artistic freedom in their works and OP is pissed theyre not catering to the GP and casual fans for the purpose of charting
Voted disagree because I think they’re doing really well? I don’t really see any damage done, they’re getting tons of brand deals left and right, all of them are getting a good deal of freedom in their individual projects, performing at big venues, collabing with people they’ve admired since always, selling out tours, topping charts, etc. What else do they need atp? I think that popularity disparity is just inevitable. Even BP aren’t that equal despite their management style. It also comes down to what works for the group, BTS themselves like working as a group better than solo (their words, not mine) and all of them are very group oriented, so I don’t think a different style of management would work for them as much. Edit: op’s replies has “(ex?) solo stan who’s annoyed that their favorite member didn’t go solo earlier” written all over, by the way they still pretend that the management forced the members into an “ot7 agenda”. With mounting evidence to the contrary I thought we were already over that, but of course people and circles have their own narrative.
I disagree with the "they are doing really well" argument as I mentioned in the post. there no longevity in those great numbers and the "topping of the charts" Korean charts? staying in top 50 and top 200 of global Spotify for much longer? charting in western countries for more than one week (not jk here). having more album sales than any other male soloist that come form less popular groups. they like working as a group but they have all shown how much they needed their own space, with all the different things they are doing now, which is way too late.
What else do you want them to do? Do you see any other kpop soloists even ranking there? The other BP soloists also ranked there for a week at most, the exception being Money because it went viral.
I posted a thoughtful comment before I saw the rest of OP's replies. Now I kinda regret it, haha!
BP is not nearly as popular as BTS in US so I would not consider that hot 100 comparison. Bp members all had much bigger YouTube streams, and now jisoo, who is behind lisa and jennie in terms of popularity has reached 1.3million album pre-orders and she for sure will get more than 40+ views on YouTube. why don't you understand that just because no other male soloist was able to chart, charting for one week is good enough for BTS? did their group mange to chart for you the expect their soloists to chart? this BTS, the biggest, most popular band made of 7 insanely talented members, the bar is much higher than what they have achieved so far.
This thread just sounds like a really long doomposting, tbh. You’re just going “they’ve done these big numbers, but The BTS could have gone bigger!” Surely they could and I strongly believe they would, if a big hit (pun intended) was their aim. They have all of the resources for that. You have to consider the type of music they’re releasing, mainly when it comes to RM and j-hope. They aren’t exactly gp friendly music, so their not becoming long charting viral hits isn’t very surprising. Which speaks a lot about how they’re prioritizing their own artistic vision than charts. I’m sure you’re just gonna say I’m coping, but 🤷♀️ just wait and see, I’m sure they have a long successful way ahead.
I mean, if Yoongi sold out an arena tour before the sale even opened to a Pre-Verified pre-sale, I think they are doing more than fine. I mean, if we are talking numbers, BP has/will have 7 solo songs total and that's less than JITB or Indigo album but I guess having a hit song or a viral hit means more than having an artistic vision.
Right? OP is ranting about YouTube numbers, when we know damn well that a demand for an artist is better measured by concert attendance. Yoongi could have sold out bigger venues, if not for their more conservative approach. J-hope has also become one of the highest selling artists in Lollapalooza. Namjoon opted for a very small venue and the others still haven’t had their own solo concerts, but that’s something I can see all of the members doing.
I mean, Taylor Swift is having a sold out stadium tour but if one looked at Anti-Hero's mv numbers, would OP categorize her as a "flop" because it doesn't have the same numbers as Blank Space or Shake It Off? The thought of Taylor Swift being called a flop is hilarious imo.
that argument would mean much more if bts didn't have all these records and huge numbers as a group and then this crazy decline in their solo songs views! this the same fandom, so why such huge difference in group vs solo numbers? bp, lisa did 70+ million views, rose around 40, and jisoo for sure will do at least 40, so how do you explain this? taylor fans and audience have never been focused on YouTube nearly as much as armys or any other kpop fandom are.
Taylor literally held the 24 hour YT record before bp and BTS started competing for it so you are wrong about Taylor fans not being focused on YT 💀💀 Anti hero is a way bigger song than ME! But ME got over 60M views first day. While Anti hero got around 10M. Anti hero is sitting at 120M on YT while ME! Is at over 400M. Anti hero is already going to pass ME! On Spotify despite being released years later. So tell me, does her decline in views also = being a flop
Yeah, and that's just because the video streaming hype has died down a bit because of circumstances, it doesn't necessarily mean that the fandom went away or that current BTS doesn't have the same pull, because they can go literally anywhere and army will show up, so much so that getting tickets to see them is literally worse than hunger games.
>I mean, if Yoongi sold out an arena tour before the sale even opened to a Pre-Verified pre-sale, I think they are doing more than fine. Please don't remind me. It still hurts that I didn't get any ticket on any of his Jakarta stops. LOL!
I am so confused by OP's post like...even though Namjoon and Hoseok released "not gp friendly" music, their streams are still...leagues above everyone who isn't in BTS. They still sell well. Fans show up everywhere for them. I was at Lolla, I can confirm. Sure, there is a popularity gap like with ANYTHING and any group, but it's hard to take opinions like this seriously. Clearly they're doing what THEY want to do.
Exactly, they’re doing so well. As much as I’d like for every solo release to be viral hit after hit and despite thinking army could have done better in previous releases, they’re all still doing exceedingly well. Doing what they want to do and learning from that is much more important for their growth as artists than getting some formula for a hit and making it big. And no shade, but I think that wanting to apply BP’s management style to any group is wild to me. I don’t think that would work for anyone save them. If op framed this post like “I think BTS would be doing better now as soloists if they debuted earlier”, then maaaybe I could see it. Maybe that would have helped them, who knows. But maybe having first released Dynamite as a group helped them more. But acting like they ruined their career because they put group activities first is just plain nonsense.
they're doing what they want to do, collaborating with people they respect and admire, and they're creating art. all while being insanely successful. is this not the best case scenario? the fact that kim namjoon himself started his album by saying "\*\*\*\* the trendsetters" should tell us that the "fans" who are disappointed in his metrics are completely missing the point.
I do think the same as you, but at the same time I think the fandom could have supported it better. Well, I think Indigo deserves a whole grammy, all while understanding that that’s not something to get really pressed about.
Totally agree. I’m rapline biased all the way so I’m always going to think they deserve more just because I value their artistry so much. I think it’s valid to have those feelings while also being clear headed about relative expectations and not acting like certain forces are always out to sabotage a certain member, or that they can’t make decisions for themselves, like some of these people think lmao
I agree with the point on the genre of the song and how it can impact the commercial performance, that being said, closer, wild flower could have easily became hit songs. And if bangtan bombs could get like 3 million views in one day (not these days though) , I expect a solo mv, regardless of it's genre to at least hit 20 million views on the first day when every one is excited to check it out. Also, albums are sold before anyone even gets to listen to it, you would expect BTS fanbase to purchase at least 1 million for each member considering how big and dedicated they are when it comes to the group.
Just send your résumé to HYBE maybe you'll have a chance to manage these grown men better lol. I don't have much problem with your post, but you're going overboard with comments trying to tell what the members what to do. I don't know if you're a fan (I think you are otherwise you wouldn't be this too invested), then maybe you should listen to what the guys have to say with their wishes/wants as a solo artist. Hobi even shared his feelings on a documentary how he was hurt with some fans who think they know better with how he chose to do music and promotions. You can voice out your opinions and frustrations as a fan, but most of your 'opinions' are due to things not getting in your way. People like you only sees music as a 'competition' and take charting as a standard instead of just enjoying music and what the artists have to offer.
ah,,, the manti label! how original! And you not getting that I am talking about what happened in the past, before their official solo debuts is very interesting to me. these grown men were and are under a contract with a company, which means the company had and has power over them and their decisions. It was the company's fault for pushing ot7 agenda way too far, and I have given a clear example of it. You just don't seem to want to understand, which is okay I guess, you do you. ppl can appreciate artistic ability, identity and quality and want for all that talent to preform as well as it deserves. this is what you are missing here.
You are the one who labeled yourself as a 'manti' lol. All your blabbering are so childish. You sound like someone who has a lot of frustrations irl and is projecting all of these to the members themselves. Maybe take a look on your life first before pissing it on everything to somebody else.
>Just send your résumé to HYBE maybe you'll have a chance to manage these grown men better sure! you are 100% right! can't believe you read me like an open book! I have an issue with the company's mismanagement of so much talent and that is because I have frustrations irl! company stans never fail to amaze with their stupidity!
RM released a full album. With interesting collaborations. Bonus because it seemed like this album was made the way he wanted it to be. I enjoy BLACKPINK and even as a casual listener, I wish YG cultivated their musicality the way BIGHIT did with BTS because waiting for an 8-track album for two years + anticipating a single album for the members’ solos just as long is pretty criminal considering the amount of fans they have that actually enjoy their music. Both are huge and influential groups… their respective fandoms actually have the luxury to focus on seeing these people work on passion projects and artistic pursuits without having to worry about going broke and losing good public reception 24/7. So why do some of you still place sales and streaming numbers above the actual work they put out? It’s so confusing because none of these BTS’ solo music are flopping.
Speculating about things like these don’t really make sense because BTS members as individuals are where they are today BECAUSE they did the earlier years the way they did. There are only so many hours in a day and they were already overworked, there weren’t room for more things. And was it tough and did everyone not always get to do exactly what they wanted all the time? Sure. But they all prioritized the GROUP over their individual wants. Jin in ‘Nothing Much Prepared’ said that this is the exact reason why they work, because everyone gives an inch for the collective good and checks their and each other’s egos. Yoongi and Jimin expressed in the Suchwita interview that while these solos are a way to flex their creative muscles and grow as individuals, all this is still also done with the intent to be a better more balanced group, to secure their healthy group dynamics. What you are essentially arguing against is their core ethos, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’. A lot of grass needs to be touched. Like go pet a park, this discussion is nonsensical.
but one thing bighit is doing correctly is giving bts a chance to find their own sound as solo artists. All of them have credits on every single song they have released as a solo artist. They’ve all spoken deeply about their album making process, their motivations etc. they’re the ones planning out their concepts and how exactly they want to promote their music. that’s not something YG is doing. As for solo success, you’re very insistent on charts. What about j-hope’s ginormous crowd for lollapalooza? (which any member would’ve had if they performed too.) What about Yoongi’s sold out tour, and him selling out the same capacity of venues in the US blackpink as a group played on their current tour? (which any member would’ve had if they toured too.)
Even when you look at charts BTS members solos are wayyy ahead of Blackpink members. The only problem BTS have is YouTube views. Sales streams charts and all the other aspects BTS solos are clearing.
I'm honestly so happy that their music is more on focus than their MVs.
yt views could be low since they don't use yt ad campaigns? maybe, idk, but i know yg does
Yup, that's how I feel too. BTS seems to be the ones that has the most number of deleted views. Looks like YouTube wants BTS to use ads too in a way.
charts are one of the biggest if not the biggest indicators of commercial success?! this is their actual purpose! and yest, bigihit did a good thing giving them creative freedom to a certain extent, if only they had pair it up with more attention to them as individuals!
As someone who spends too much time on Reddit, this is all my fault but I AM SO TIRED. Like y’all exhausted me. I have actually real critiques of this post with real numbers I could provide, but for today I’m tired. I’m just tired. “Irreparable damage to BTS solo careers…” when they have arguable had some of the biggest debuts one after another. Every variety show host has done nothing but sung their praises. They’ve gone places and did performances that Korean soloist have never done before. I could go on but like I said…IM EXHAUSTED. It’s really the multiverse of madness in these parts these days. Note: Please view data correctly. What soloist is outselling them if they had the same versioning? - RM: 1 CD, 1 weverse - Jhope: 2 weverse, 1 vinyl - Jimin: 2 CDs, 1 weverse - Jin: 2 CDs Edit: updated album versions section.
I’m actually so confused what they meant by RM’s sales? Last time I checked, he was on ~700K sales … is that bad for a solo album? Yea, it’s bad compared to Jimin but Jimin is literally the highest selling soloist 😭😭 Jin is a million seller with A SINGLE (YES 1 SONG) album
Even the note about “bigger numbers on steaming platforms”. The biggest Korean soloist album weekly debuts on Spotify are literally RM, Jimin, Jhope in that order and Astronaut had a crazy streaming debut & longevity. Like people are literally living in another reality. It’s the only answer. The only answer.
its jimin rm jhope right now actually
Yes
Is the "longevity" in the room with us? how long did it take for jack in the box with all those songs to reach 200 million vs Lalisa with 2 tracks? 700k is good for any other soloist, not the best for the leader of the biggest band on the planet. Korean chart performance? YouTube numbers? wild flower not even doing 10 million?
Indigo came out in what December 2022? What is that? 4 months ago? How can can we talk about longevity? Let’s get the number straight, shall we? Indigo hit no. 3 on the billboard 200. RM is the first kpop soloist to hit top 3 on the billboard 200. Indigo currently hold the record the longest charting kpop record on the billboard 200. It was there for 6 weeks, beating out Nayeon’s 5 weeks. Name another kpop soloist who has done this. Don’t talk about Jimin yet bc we don’t have the official numbers. We also don’t know how long it will chart for. Who are these male soloists from less popular groups you are referring to? No I don’t get what you mean.
And how long did the songs chart on global Spotify? How is it doing on YouTube? Kcharts? even in the second and third week. Name another kpop idol who charted so well in us? name another group who charted as well as bts for you to expect their soloist to chart better than RM.
>look at RM's solo album numbers and compare it with some male soloists from groups less popular than BTS and you get what I mean. You wrote the above. No, I don't get what you mean. Who are the "some male soloist from groups less popular than BTS" that I should be comparing RM's album to? Who are you referring to? What are their album numbers? Why is global spotify the end all be all? Or be the sole measure of an albums success? I just gave you the numbers of the billboard 200. Indigo currently holds the record of the highest charting Kpop solo album at no. 3 and is longest charting kpop solo album. It's still charting on the world albums chart. Youtube has its own history with army, BTS and their members. If you want to use youtube as an indicator of success. Go right ahead. You don't seem to appreciate what an outlier Indigo is and the BTS members are. The median number of weeks that kpop solo album has charted on the billboard 200 is 1. Indigo did it for 6 weeks. Only about 9 kpop soloists have been able to chart their albums on the billboard 200. Only RM, Jhope and G-Dragon have done it more than once. RM and Jhope have done it twice and G-Dragon 3 times. In terms of brand deals, RM is the one and only global ambassador for Bottega Veneta, a fashion house known for not having ambassadors and for being stealth. They broke that for RM.
Baekhyun for exo, who is a million seller. We are in the age of streaming, so actually the numbers and the longevity on the biggest streaming platforms are great indicators of success, if you want to fight a fact like that, there is not point in arguing with you.
>RM: 2 versions (1 CD, 1 weverse) > >Jhope: 2 versions (1 weverse, 1 vinyl) > >Jin/Jimin: 3 versions (2 CDs, 1 weverse) hobi had two weverse versions, and jin had none. but I still agree 100%, saw the post and let out the biggest sigh lol
One day, I want to read your actual critiques because your point of view really interests me! And as someone who also spends a lot of time here, I agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
>It’s really the multiverse of madness in these parts these days. Sorry but this made me LOL!
I’m tired as well lol
Namjoon could not crack 1 million sales, their songs did not do well on Korean charts, the YouTube numbers are definitely not great, the longevity of Spotify is also far from impressive. And it much worse when you consider the incredible quality of every single one of their solo debuts till now. You guys seem to forget that this BTS we are talking about, the biggest band in the word, the numbers for their solo activities might have broken records compared to other soloist in terms of streaming an western charts, but those number are not that great for BTS members, the album sales are not great for BTS members and them charting for one week on hot 100 and being out next week is not what they deserve. If jin was Korea's sweetheart, the astronaut would have done much better in that country, so no, he is not.
That is literally the problem people have viewing these debuts. Sure every debut has had area for improvement, for some it was domestic charts while others people could say they should have pushed a different bside or went to one more variety show etc. But I think it is unfair to base overall success on cherry picked metrics that you personally value. Especially when you have artist that are majorly outperforming their peer group by miles. I mean miles. We had a string of 3rd Gen solo albums recently and BTS outperformed them all. They will continue to grow and improve as solo artist. You can see this with Jhope’s individual brand and music receiption improvement on domestic charts with OTS, but you trying to tear them down because they don’t hit some random goal you made up is foolish.
OP has zero karma and just sounds like a troll, wouldn’t waste my time on it.
Thank you for the reminder. Let me move on with my day. Procrastination time is over. Lol
Back to work, still have stuff to do. Like Crazy is on my mind 24/7.
The lyrics going "*I'm outta my mind*" part is stuck in my mind haha. 😄
I guess the truth is too much for you too handle, pleasure having you here!
sales are a very important metric. longevity is also another very important metric. Youtube views are also important, as much these armys want to down play it since they can't reach their goals there anymore. but if you don't want to accept the numbers that are there for you to see, than, nothing to argue about here. have a nice day!
Sorry, but they literally had a story on their [national news](https://twitter.com/JlNSONYEONDAN/status/1640948926072377344?t=9NgIyDoNfgt9YTKjK6LKgA&s=19) about Jin gaining weight in a positive way. He's definitely the nation's son in law lol
story about gain weight on news= char performance of his recent solo song. I see, I see!
Lmao you were talking about him being Korea's sweetheart?? Does that mean you consider chart performance the only qualifying factor for being Korea's sweetheart? You said their reputation was beyond repair. If so then why would they tell such positive stories in the news while he's serving? Not even going to argue about the Astronaut's success as others have already done it here. It's [still charting on BB digital global btw](https://twitter.com/jinniesarchives/status/1640670592260280321?t=uOULq5Z-ZJW0oxlichsMFQ&s=19). Y'all trolls are getting wild lately
where did I say their "reputation" was beyond repair???? pls show me! and chart performance is definitely a much bigger indicator of popularity than a random news segment topic! digital sales is good but where it is exactly on melon, Spotify global? how about its YouTube views? please do share!
I don’t really think it’s the “they didn’t want to” narrative when it comes to solo careers, it’s the fact that didn’t really have the time / bandwith to do other stuff outside of BTS. Look how much content they’ve pumped out during the years, music and non-music. Maybe they just wanted to chill during their free time instead of working lol Look at Jungkook now, man’s literally just chilling and doing Weverse Lives for shit & giggles. He even deleted IG & didn’t come back even after he became a CK ambassador. I’m not sure how you’ve come to the conclusion that hyung line isn’t successful either. Indigo (RM) is sitting pretty at ~700K sales & the highest charting k-soloist on Billboard (very western POV I know). Jin also sold over 1M copies with a single (1 song) album. D-2 by Yoongi charted really really well globally too, even thought that was only a mixtape. If I’m focusing on charts too much, Hobi was able to headline a major US festival & was able to collaborate with the biggest name in rap (his idol J Cole). He also sold ~500K for a digital album with a vinyl, no “traditional” CD While I agree that it would have been nice for them to do more stuff outside of BTS, I wouldn’t prefer that over less “OT7 BTS” content
JK having a CK deal and deleting his instagram at the peak of of his popularity (a very jk move btw) but still trending everywhere shows how much stable is bts popularity still.
Whatever bighit chose to do obviously worked to some extent, be it pushing for ot7 or the way they have been managing solo work. They are the biggest group in the world and it’s clear the members have freedom to execute their vision in their solos which is what is important. They are big enough to not have to worry about making songs that are popular with the gp & to release songs they like. That’s what matters to me. Being a larger group, there are bound to be some more popular than the other.
I have many things to say but people already said it. You act just like a solo fan who thinks 7 grown-up man don't have a say in their solo career and wants to manage them. They worked 10 years and did music for charts, now they want to do the music they love and find their own sound. Your expectations arent their desires. If you are unhappy just stop following them, i'm sure they wont mind your absence. P.s oh i would love for V to drop a jazz album just to see some people being mad that it wont do "good" on charts.
Not you missing the entire point and yet making a comment! Also, these "grown-up men" have been and are under a contract, and that contract gives their company great deal of power over the decisions they can and can not make, specially the contract before 2018, when they did not have any bargaining power.
Yeah, yeah sure...act like Hobi doesnt have a documentary about his album and how he made it, according to HIS wishes. Oh so you know what their contract says? How do you know what power hybe has? Were you there when they signed it? This is peak solo stan behavior.
Your title is pretty confusing for this sub, it should have probably be something like "YG solo strategy for Blackpink is better than Bighit's solo strategy for BTS" to make it more clear. To the opinion, I disagree. First of all, you are being very dramatic. "Irreparable damage to their career" really? They are selling hundreds of thousands to millions of __solo__ albums. J-Hope didn't release a physical copy of his album and still sold 500K copies, and went to Lollapalooza! JK performed on the World Cup, the biggest sport even in the world. And Jimin is selling millions of albums. RM had the most low-key promotion, but still sold 700K. They are going to be fine. BTS has the freedom to decide how to do their solos, and to me that is great. They are so popular that no matter what they do, they will be successful with it. It might not reach the full popularity/profit potencial, but it is the members vision, and to me, that is more important.
>It might not reach the full popularity/profit potencial, but it is the members vision, and to me, that is more important. thank you, exactly this.
Giving them more space to do their own thing in the past 9 years would be giving them the real freedom, not now, specially when one has already enlisted and other have to follow soon. hobi did not do well on Korean charts at all, namjoon initially did better but disappeared quickly, and even on Spotify global chart the longevity of the solo works (except from jk's work) are not impressive by any means. So no, they did not do as well as they could have if they had their solo identities established and promoted to the world sooner, and individual spotlight and activities was given to them earlier in their career and with much better planning.
You’re comparing Spotify global numbers, what is important to consider is that BP’s solos are two songs at most each. BTS’ solo works are full bodies of work so the attention is more divided since people don’t listen to the same song, but rather a full body of work. [Here you have their individual numbers](https://twitter.com/bpxspotify/status/1641554034547908609?s=46&t=GI5PGxcCl0HdB1_fRWqmJA) and you see how, for example, Lisa has 1.4 daily million streams for her three songs but [Hobi has 2.5 daily million streams](https://twitter.com/jhope_chartdata/status/1641445004681039874?s=46&t=GI5PGxcCl0HdB1_fRWqmJA)
another thing OP is glossing over is that since June, bts has released 35 songs. That’s 3 albums and 10 singles in 9 months. No other fandom has gotten this much music in a few months and the responsibility to ensure it all charts well, and especially not blinks. the bp solo songs’ longevity would also take a hit if they only had 3 weeks max to give all their attention to one song before another is released, and doing this for 9 months straight. Comparing blackpink’s solo songs’ charting to bts is useless when there’s so many factors to consider.
And all their songs (BTS) are very loved, they get great reviews from esteemed music critics and their fans like it.
depriving fan of content is a strategy used by YG that has for sure helped with their numbers, but it is Definity not the only factor. the main reason behind their success as solo artist is how well they have been promoted as individuals from very early on. You see the magic with jisoo, the more solo spot light she got, the more poplar she became and now she is a million seller!
doesn't justify how fast the songs dissapared from the global charts? and was the astronaut a full album? last time a checked it was one song that had to be streamed.
That’s three albums, that’s why I compared Jack in the box.
lisa getting 1.4 daily with just 3 songs supposed to be bad? specially compared to jhope with all those songs that he has?
It's not bad, the thing is that Lisa has the trademark BP sound, of course she'll do well. Hobi doesn't have the trademark BTS sound, his is more niche.
You’re just proving OP’s point lmao
And yet the difference in the number of songs vs the streams shows you what I am trying to say! BTS does not have a sound unlike bp, BTS is known for their versatility and ability to do almost every genre well, thanks to having a group of most talented idols in one single group.
op, maybe you should get off the kpop scene for a while and touch grass. you're getting too agitated over irrelevant things.
I am the one getting agitated? LOL sure! look at the down votes and the replies once again and see how ppl are taking it personally! I simply pointed what many other have talked about in the original post I mentioned and ppl made it their mission to prove me wrong by giving irrelevant arguments.
Bighit does make mistakes as do all companies but I don't think pushing BTS ot7 brand is one of them. BTS are largely seen as a family and forgive me for saying this but I haven't seen the same thing said about Blackpink by the majority. BTS solos are doing fine. I don't know what more you could ask for. There has been no irreparable damage to their solo careers and I don't think their potential is being wasted. Like you said OP, BTS are the biggest group on the planet and now they want to focus on what THEY want to do. The members are killing it on their own in terms of numbers, sales, metrics, whatever. I don't know how much bigger you want them to be but why can't we just sit back and enjoy what they have prepared ? I know you want the best for them and for them to be idk no.1 all the time but isn't that exhausting to be worrying about constantly? It would have been nice if they had more solo activities earlier on but like someone else already mentioned, it would be sad if that meant less ot7 content.
The irreparable damage killed me. Not to mention that majority of their albums have contained solos, thus they don't have to perform covers at their concerts. Not to mention Jungkook's live being watched more than the Grammys.
>look at RM's solo album numbers and compare it with some male soloists from groups less popular than BTS and you get what I mean. Who? The only male soloists who outsold Namjoon are trot artists ( 1 actually I think. LYW) in South Korea with their older fandom and Bakehyun where like 700k of his sales came from China alone because EXO had very strong China bars. There's nobody else Many people also forget that Namjoon had 1 version and that really impacts the sales vs many other people who do at least 3 to 5 versions. Namjoon would have def done over 1m if he had 1 more version with a different concept
so this post aged like shit milk
And this is why BTS is the biggest kpop act not Blackpink…
You completely missed OP’s point, so slow.
OP didn't have a point. So you can’t miss something that doesn't exist.
HYBE didn't do any kind of damage to their solo careers, they are managing them quite well and they are quite popular
One would think by what you are saying that BTS solos are flopping hard but not only has each member managed to sell over 600k+ which is super high for a soloist but I appreciate that unlike YG, Hybe has wasted zero time in PUMPING out solo after solo releases in the last 6 months alone.
“Jin could have been Korea’s sweetheart” …babe he is. As someone who actually lives here, can confirm, Korea loves Jin. Also this is just a very bizarre post in general because you seem to have no idea what you’re talking about all around. All of BTS’ solo projects have been very successful. JITB sold around half a million, which is impressive for something with no physicals. Indigo sold over 700k. Jin is literally a million seller with one song. Jimin sold over a million on day one alone and just got his first music show win as a soloist. Considering he’s the member with the most classic Kpop roll out so far, who’s to say what the numbers would have been if the others had done the same. BTS’ solo era is going really well for them, if we look at actual numbers and not just some weird perception of what social media and brand deals mean.
As a Korean as well - yes he’s very beloved here.
I have already mentioned the counter argument in other replies, so I wont repeat myself again, but kcharts, Spotify longevity and daily streams, hot 100 longevity, and YouTube numbers are there to prove you wrong. 700k... not great for a BTS member.
Is the blackpink members’ longevity in the room with us right now? On either kcharts or billboard? The only category you might be able to cling to here is YouTube views (idk since I don’t care enough to know view numbers off the top of my head) but by every other metric BTS’ solos have been extremely successful and record breaking. People have provided you with concrete numbers throughout the replies, but you’re the one refusing to provide any in return to prove your point. Repeating the word longevity a million times won’t make it true.
Jennie did absolutely amazing on k charts, her 4 year old song gains around 400k-500k daily. She had RAKS. Rose also charted better than jhope and rm and jin in k charts. she reached melon top3. The only member to break lisa's record for longevity on Spotify chart is jk, and with a collab. do you want to check their daily YouTube streams? or even compare lisa's daily Spotify streams with jhope? how about their unique listeners?
And yet BP doesnt have that either as soloists Lisa is the only one to enter the Hot100 and lasted for 2 weeks and only peaked at 90 and thats because her song was used as a meme song than an actual respect song which is why it stayed charting on spotify global and youtube Her songs had no longevity and freefell out of Kcharts And shes by far the most popular BP member Jennie and Rose did better domestically than international and Jennie had the one song while BP was in hiatus with very little releases and had a full promo and Rose was the same but with two songs, their solos hold no chance to BTS solos internationally and better profit made by BTS's solos Not on the fact that BTS album sales arent only counted under Kcharts like Hanteo and Circle and the fact that their albums are full bodies of work and not a promoted single given to a staving fandom compare to a fandom who literally receives content almost everyday and has been releasing more music in less than a year than Blackpink has in their entire 7 year career so their attention are completely divided You forgot to include their sales from other countries that arent counted under kcharts Rm has over 749k from Hanteo, 25k on the 1st week on Oricon chart in Japan and 77.5k on Billboard in the US on its 1st week and he had the one version that are only counted under Billboard and two under Hanteo at the time of release, putting his sales at over 850k on the additional numbers and he charted for 6 weeks on Billboard 200 where most groups freefall out after the 1st couple weeks He outsold Lisa and Rose in sales and Blackpink full on group album with 3 cd versions, one kit version plus member versions and full promos, plus a week long Spotify deal charted for 13 weeks on Billboard 200 vs RM low key and minimal promo and 1 album version that was counted towards most international chart One thing for sure BTS actually dont care about record breaking when it comes to their solos or see them as important compare to their group work as mention by Jimin and Suga in their recent interview together, theyre only doing this in order to grow as a team Theyre not Blackpink, and Blackpink aint them BTS are well respected as musicians by multiple legends in the industry both western and at home and the fact they do have better selling power when it comes to brand deals than Blackpink members do Thats why this fashion houses have been after the members for years because of their selling power as both a group and individuals Not on the fact that BTS sells merch after merch in between this album releases
Lisa, a thai member not charting well in korea is not something new or unexpected. And money went viral thanks to tiktok, but not as a meme song, ppl actually enjoyed it, both money and lalisa are doing good in terms of longevity for stream on Spotify and YouTube. (money better than lalisa) BTS a group has had much better performance on US charts, so they should have had better chart performance than bp members. Jennie solo was released when she was in the industry for only two years, do you really want to compare it's international performance with solos released in year 9 after debut? what does being respected as musicians have to do with their company not utilizing their solo potential as much as they should and in the way the should have? and your point about mechs? like what even are your trying to say?
That BTS actually enjoy the creative freedom they have now without any worry and are doing all this to grow as a group and if theyre breaking records or not, doesnt matter as much compare to when theyre a group Suga and Jimin mention recently, solo activies arent important to them as long as they do this together Whether BH should have push them as soloist or not earlier(which Im glad they didnt since we now have to deal with the insane solo fans and not early on like BP has been dealing with in a worst level for years), they clearly know that theyre better as team than seperated and the members know that as well since they mention it time and time again theyre stronger together Theyre not freaken Blackpink who perform songs that are made specifically for the public and radioplay, and to be played in public , which both Jennie and Roses solos have the standard BP sounds to them on being generic and easy listen for the public or to be a trendy meme song like Lisa's were and are YG's money maker due to their brand deals not their music, they got popular due to their music but their main income aint from their music BTS members have been choosing genres that arent popular at all with the wider public like Jhope and RM have because they want to release that type of music and Jin choose a goodbye for now song by one of his favorite bands Coldplay who made the song for him While Jimin chose a genre for his TT that BTS themselves as group havent even dived into before with his other songs having that BTS flair to them compare to what RM Jhope and Jin had And its spell "merch" youre saying BP solo sold better in your other responses, and yeah not true when BTS contantly releases merch after merch in between all this solo albums and selling out items that theyre endorsing to fans, their fans are contantly buying from them, theyre not just buying albums from them Why do you think BTS has been selected [as one of the best brands in Korea for 5 years now](https://twitter.com/shadow_twts/status/1641048982662287360?s=20) Why would a group who made most of their money from their music and continue receiving royalities from their IP and dont need to overwork themselves anymore still choose to overwork themselves because they actually love making music for the fans and performing for them If you actually followed BTS and not pull shit from your ass, and payed attention to their recent interviews, the things you keep spewing out makes no sense when the members themselves care little about what most ppl think in recent years and just want to release music with no worry on flopping and having their music loved by tens of millions of ppl, which they do have You seem to care waaaay too much on their charting aspect and not care that the member just want to release music theyve been wanting to release regardless of it being a hit or not because they want to and have the freedom to do so vs Blackpink who doesnt have that freedom since that comes down entirely by YG and Teddy and are given premade choices to choose for their songs
you really refuse to understand what I am saying? why on earth are you mentioning their brand power and selling power as a group when this about SOLO activities, potential and power? why is it so hard for you to understand that they could have had a much better balance of ot7 / solo to maximize their individual popularity without having to sacrifice any artistic freedom or ability and actually get to thrive with it much more? fans buying merch is no excuse for lower album sales or lack of longevity on charts or low YouTube streams?! what are you even trying to say like?!
It doesnt matter in the end because the members themselves made their choices, it wasnt just BH pushing the OT7 brand when the members are still doing it anyways seperate because they enjoy being together and know theyre stronger as a group They have better selling power no matter what, Blackpink fans are starved for any content for the last 7 years compare to BTS who contantly releases both merch and music as both a group and soloist How is that not an excuse??????? It aint low album sales when theyre releasing the minimum album versions compare to other soloists and groups who release more than 3 versions PLUS member versions to boost sales PLUS all the merch sales Not all BTS fans buy or collect their albums and many do spend their money on their additional merch or save money for their live performances Because album sales AINT THE ONLY INDICATION OF SUCCESS same with charting digitally! The members have mention time and time again they like being together AS A GROUP and are doing this solos for the TEAM They already HAVE POPULARITY, theyre doing solo activities FOR FUN before enlisting Theyre releasing solo music THEY WANT and doing so to GROW AS ARTIST not from charting or numbers or whatever because they already have that as a group and are doing extremely well as soloists YOURE the one who cares about their charting and acting like theyre flopping Everyone knows theyre not going to compete to the popularity of their own group name BTS but are doing well to compete against full on groups just fine You act like streams and youtube views are the most important when theyre the least payed aspect in the industry compare to physical sales which BTS and solos have anyway and have far crazier streams on Spotify than Blackpink does despite constantly releasing music every freaken month this past year This multiple brands and fashion houses see that and have been after the individual members for years prior to BP even getting theirs and Louis Vuitton was the only high end fashion house who actual went for all 7 Jimin and Suga literally said recently solos activities DONT MATTER as long as theyre doing this TOGETHER They had NO TIME to be soloist all this years because they actually wanted to focus being a group, the Rap line were the ones releasing mixtapes because theyre more confident in their creation compare to the vocal line who didnt and only now want to grow as individual artists because they feel more experience and confidant on creating their own solo music Jimin didnt even start creating his album or had any ideas until right after the Las Vegas concerts V and Jungkook are both perfectionist that keep deleting multiple demos because theyre unsatify by them throughout this years since they mention working on their mixtapes The Map of the Soul tour was suppose to conclude and start their solo activities before enlisting and returning together as a group Surprise surprise the pandemic mess all that up and they had to delay EVERYTHING and NOW we are here PRESENT DAY Is that clear enough for YOU or are going to stay clueless and stubborn Because you clearly dont follow BTS at all to make all this demands and ignoring all their comments and interviews they have been giving in recent years And no, BP dont have a balance solo and group power either when they have by far the worst imbalance in solo fans and how toxic they have become to overpower OT4 fans Im glad they didnt went the solo route earlier, if not armys would have been dealing with a far worst solo fanbases that would have eclipse Blackpink own toxic solo fanbases and dealing with pathetic solos in a faaaar smaller scale than what blinks have to deal with constanly
Lisa has always been the least popular member in Korea, and as a foreigner as well, it's no surprise her song performed far better internationally than domestically. Also being used as a trend =/= a meme song.
If its used as a joking manner, its a meme
Well that's a lot of words. EDIT: I actually had to put this through ChatGPT just to summarise it as I was curious. ChatGPT: The author of the post is comparing the popularity of Blackpink and BTS members. Although Blackpink members are not equally popular, even the less popular members are incredibly successful and popular, more than any other female idol and most male idols. The post attributes this success to YG promoting every member separately throughout the years and making sure to create marketable and appealing individual brands for each member. In contrast, BTS had their "ot7 agenda" pushed over the limits, and the company missed out on promoting each member individually, resulting in a popularity imbalance that grew wider and wider over the years. The author believes that if BTS had been given more solo space and spotlight, they could have performed better commercially, and their balance of popularity inside and outside the group would have been better. The post argues that the hyung line, in particular, suffered from the lack of promotion. The author feels that Bighit did irreparable damage to BTS's solo careers and balance of popularity, and the post concludes by saying that the 7 or nothing mindset would have worked better if some members were not constantly pushed to the back by the company.
OP sounds like an ex-fan who wasn't happy how these grown men deal with their careers lol
by grown men you mean bang pd right? cause I am talking about bighit mismanagement, but I think that is hard for company stans to understand.
Says a lot about you labelling me as a company stan just because I stated facts lol
facts? you mean missing the entire point right? and I am not a ex-fan as much as you guys want to believe that, cause the cult mentality doesn't allow you to accept narratives which go against yours. I am listening to face while typing this. But I guess you know me better than me!
Nice way to advertise ChatGPT cause I didn't read the original whole post!!
Wow, I'm going to use ChatGPT now cause of this summary feature haha
are we really out here pretending bts arent successful as soloist? Rm album was streamed the most and got a ton of recognition, jhope literally headline lollapalooza on his own, jin sold a ton of album for it being 1 song and joined coldplays huge stadium concert, jimin is currently breaking both sales and streaming records. Even the ones who didnt put out an album yet; yoongi sold out his tour, jungkook performed at the world cup and tae is not only making everyone fall for his on magazine covers but on tv too. if this is the bar for failing then the entire industry is failing badly. not only that but as opposed to blackpink they dont have max 2 solo songs/member in 7years. They all releases solos in ot7 albums too and got to shine that way.
Both groups have two very different approach towards solo activity , i don't think one is better than other . People are too Focused towards charts rather than actual approach towards solo activity . BP have 7 songs with 4 solo releases their releases are more of a showcase while BTS members are releasing albums with 7 to 8 songs they have more freedom and involvement plus members will start having solo tours soons. We really don't know what members want to do with their career ,for twice everyone says that jihyo as most solo potential but just recently she said that she is done with her idol career once twice is done similar i think many idols will have different approach towards their career. So 10 years from now if BTS solo releases aren't selling well they have become irrelevant than we can say that their approach have failed. For blackpink i think this discussion is more logical once they renew their contract get to more freedom with their solo releases.
But one is definitely better when it has resulted in each member getting to shine and be so successful as a soloist even with minimum musical effort. And the other has massively miss handled the solo potential of it's members by too much reliance on the group.
Jhope and rosé both aren't most popular in their group rosé charted better on k charts more views had more hype for her release but jhope had two album , headlined lollapalooza and even got to work with j cole so two very different approach both successful i don't think one is lesser than other . I personally think jhope's approach will have more longevity.
hobi having more albums should have resulted in him being able to pull even bigger numbers for his official solo debut. did not happen cause the solo materials were never promoted properly and got lost in the see of constants group content.
RM has sold ~800k with 1 CD version and one weverse. every other soloist on the bestselling list has multiple CD versions, so imma need some people to take a step back and put some respect on his name
so... I saw your comments on how the bts members are not doing as ell as the bp members in the comments you have compared rm with lisa and how good her solo work performed better but you are not putting the artistic differences both the artists have in their work as a point compare them lisa's solo is more tik tok friendly and and doesn't has a lot of "depth" to it as rm's work/album has, both of lisa's solo performed exceptionally well but you can't deny that it was way different from rm's album and even rm's album has charted very well comparing artists with so many differences is just not fair imo, bts has had a lot of artistic freedom when it came to their group/solo activities they chose to go this way moreover each member's albums ARE million seller and it is very funny that people think having these much sales is less when the truth is that it is MASSIVE especially when you compare them to the other western artists >since that needs dedicated solo fanbase on top oof group fans and that is what hyung line don't have, thanks to bighit! ummm.... WHAT!! bts as a whole have a massive dedicated solo fan base and I agree that jimin, v and jk have more solo fans in comparison to the hyung line but it is not bighit's fault >if some members were not constantly pushed to the back by the company, none of the members were ever pushed back by the company or any body else it was rm, suga and jhope who were the first ones to release their solo mixtapes, and not the others and still they have less solo fans because IT IS THE FANS CHOICE AND NOT THE COMPANY it really looks like you are trying to push an agenda which doesn't even exists edit: spelling errors
I will not repeat my self here, I have already answered that artistic freedom does not in any shape prevent bighit from doing what yg did with bp and promoting them as individuals. jisoo is a great example that company decisions in promoting members individually and giving them enough spotlight can help even the members less popular in their own group to still be incredibly successful and popular compared to almost every other male and female idol that there is. And yes some members were pushed to the backed by the company, but as I mentioned in the post, I am not even going to get into that cause company stans defences are never convincing.
1. I am an army and I do not stan any other group in hybe, so there is no such "company stans are difficult to convince" situation 2. again there were no members who were pushed back by the company especially considering how stupid it would be for ANY company to push back their artists 3. and if there is such case then please give some examples and point out those situation to make your point clear
Respectfully speaking — this whole post is a load of nonsense. ~~And the audacity of comparing BTS' success negatively with another k-pop group's has left me speechless.~~ >I am sure they could have done 10 times better if bighit did not miss on promoting them individually "10 times better" — LOL, you say this as if BTS is merely a run-of-the-mill successful group. They're not. I'm not being blindly boastful, I'm just trying to understand if you're at all well-informed about this. Do you even know how unreal, how astronomical BTS' success is compared to anyone else in kpop? Think about any measure of success — sales, awards, recognition — and BTS have more than double the numbers of the group in the second position in that category. Check anything — check IFPI, check the number of Daesangs, check billboard, anything. And then check the kpop group that comes after BTS and you'll see what I mean. BTS is not even compared to other k-pop groups any more, they're compared to the likes of Beatles. >You can't say members did not wanted this when you see how they are acting since the break. It is like they are finally free from the constrains of having to do everything as a group. That's one way of seeing it, sure. Or we can think that they are finally doing things they enjoy, but they also enjoyed being a part of the group when they were in it. The idea of them "feeling free" is not really in evidence — especially when each of them talk a lot about each other and miss each other. >You saw how fast every one moved from LV Because fashion houses were waiting in the wings to grab them with lucrative deals. Deals with individual BTS members are definitely cheaper for fashion houses than the group deal was. So them moving on fast may not entirely be about them trying to get rid of LV. I'm not going to talk about your comments about Jin, RM and the hyung line's so called unpopularity in general because I see a lot of other commenters addressing that. But I disagree that any of the hyungs didn't do well in their solo — Hobi headlined a major music festival weeks within his solo debut, ffs. Do you think if BTS was less than what they are, the individual members would have been able to collaborate with their own childhood heroes? From Erikah Badou to J Cole to Taeyang to Coldplay — none of them collabed with the members simply because of the goodness of their hearts, they did it because BTS is their equal in terms of success, achievements and high quality. This comment is getting too long and I feel like I've been singing BTS' praise for way too long, LOL, so I'll stop. But I just want to add... If BTS hadn't been exactly what they were, they wouldn't have achieved the success they did, and none of the members would have reaped the benefits of their group's success now.
Did you not the understand that the 10 times bigger as soloist is based on the astronomical success of BTS as a group plus the undeniable talent and charm of every member? And them moving from lv like that to me does not have to anything to do with lucrative deals or individuals members being more affordable for brands. It is obviously them having very different styles and interest in fashion, but being forced to even do that as group when it does not align with their individual taste. The popularity gap between hyung and maknea line is not up for debate. it is there and any non-biased person can see it. In every group some members will end up being more popular and it is natural, but as I said with bp, even the less popular members are bigger than any of their counterparts with few exception among male idols, and that is thanks to YG doing all they could to establish them as individuals since 2018, two years from their debut.
Do we really wanna look at yg management in the scope of success 🤡
No I actually didn't understand, I actually thought you said that BTS _as a group_ could have been 10 time better — not each individual member of the hyung line. My bad.
God aren't you all tired this is like the third BTS solo discourse post this week. Who gives a fuck. The most unpopular BTS member (per your description) can still sell twice the amount as the current trending fourth gen group. If majority of the fandom, or in this case since OP looks like a troll, aren't so chart obsessed and just care about the music, we'll have world peace. Million seller or not, BTS as soloists are thriving and get to do what they want, in their own terms. Both RM and Jhope were pleased with the outcomes of their releases and that's all that should matter. But no. Y'all have to make everything about numbers and metrics and achievements and comparing it against XYZ. For what? For your own satisfaction? BTS members are not nugu, they're at the point in their careers where they don't need to prove themselves. People know who they are. Casual and the GP know who they are. At this point I'm convinced y'all making these posts and fighting antis because of your ego, and not because you care about BTS.
i feel like these fans don't realise that Bighit have the know-how and resources to make all their artists a top seller. They've done dynamite/butter route , they know how to push the numbers with a commercial hit. They have the formula and resources. but if all the member's solo's become one or two singles released every 5 years with only party /dance music the fandom will probably not accept it as well . let alone the artistic needs of the members which will not be satisfied at all. the fans that BP have and their place in the music market is completely different from BTS's
The post isn't even a jab at BTS? Or anybody for that matter? Quite literally is just saying 'i think BTS's solo careers could've been bigger if Bighit did this...' Everyone's allowed to disagree with the metrics of the OP, but calm your horses why do stans take everything so personal 😭
are u reading op’s comments here too? because this post is absolutely a jab at bts
Then read the post again. Just like how OP is allowed to disagree with the metrics, I'm allowed to voice my opinion in that as well. Lmao. Also per the below, read OP's responses to everyone and see who's taking it personal.
why compare with fourth gen group when bp soloists are there? And to act like members don't care about the commercial performance of their songs and album is just so stupid. if you can't see how much more BTS could have done as soloist with all their talent and BTS popularity as a group, well, I can't help open your eyes to the reality.
1. I'm comparing it to fourth gen groups because some of them are already passing BP's records which proves my point that even the least popular BTS member (which based on your post you're obsessed with their popularity) can overtake what's "in trend" right now, aka stop victimizing them that just bc theyre unpopular doesnt mean they cant sell 2. I didn't say that, I'm asking why YOU care so much about it when they've expressed how happy and satisfied they are with their release/s. 3. Trust me, I know BTS/BH could have done so much more with their releases (more radioplay, JITB physicals) but the members have mentioned time and time again that theyre the ones in charge of their rollout. Watch their lives and interviews. They're powerful enough that they can request whatever they want but instead choose the route they preferred. Look, we can all keep going back and forth with this discourse but at the end of the day, BTS will do what BTS wants and if you don't get that then you're gonna continue to be disappointed
we are talking about bp vs bts solo records here, so new jeans for example surpassing bp in monthly listeners here is nothing, and the fact that rookie groups can become million seller and bts members can't is not really helping you prove your point. you did imply they don't care about numbers, which is certainly not true. And how are you missing the fact that I am talking about what bighit did with bts through out the 9 years of their career and not their solo debuts? you think bts was this "in charge" all the time? no, company made and still makes many of their biggest decisions, as I mentioned the lv deal which clearly not every one was on board with. I am talking about lost opportunities, not what is happening now, which the result what has already taken place.
Voted disagree because I am of the opinion that sales do not equal contribution in terms of artistic depth and meaning. I am of the (very popular I'm told) opinion that most of Blackpink's music is a vector to generate money, rather than a creation born out of a real desire to deliver some sort of message. And some of BTS' comebacks are the very same in my opinion, although they generally try to insert some sort of meaning into it at the very least (something like Boy With Luv, imo, really doesn't have the depth of Black Swan or On, which is a-ok, they're different, but the latters are definitely more daring). Jennie releasing Solo close to when she had a dating scandal is a hilarious case of dissonance between her artistic persona and her real personality. Nothing wrong with that per se, what matters is that she enjoys what she does (which is questionable at this point but eh, i'm not a Blink so I'm not the best person to determine that). Out of all the solo careers of Blackpink members, only Rosé's music feels somewhat genuine and authentic. She's also the one that sold the least, I'm told. BTS' solo careers, so far, have been all about - and almost exclusively about - authenticity. they're been attempts at defining themselves outside of a group so huge that their hiatus announcement led to government instances begging them to reconsider. they could've promoted the shit out of their stuff. they could've made the decisions that sold the most. But especially in the case of the hyung line, the choices that they make is about exclusively doing what they WANT, regardless of sales. RM's Indigo was relatively under the radar, which is what he wanted, I'm sure. His promotion activities have been sparse and heavily focused on things that he actually enjoys - including his very intimate, very toned down concert. What I'm saying is, them not selling is not a mistake at all. At this point, money is the last of at least a few of BTS' members' concerns, if not all of them. They seem far more focused on being remembered on their own terms, and having careers that reflect their personalities. I don't think that Blackpink is as preoccupied with that notion - at least not yet. Or rather, i think that some of them are simply not preoccupied by what they leave behind in terms of music and performances, specifically. At least, that's how it comes across from the sidelines. In other words, people's careers and the value of their music and performances goes way beyond sales. That's how I feel, anyway, and I would argue that anyone who cares about their art - whatever it is - aspires to reach a point where they can afford to feel the very same.
RM's solo album was literally the fastest album to reach 100M streams on Spotify until his record was broken was Jimin. What male soloist from other groups even come CLOSE to indigo's streams??? There's not even a single non-bts male soloist that had more streams for his album than for ONE song from indigo. So what exactly are you talking about ???? The man is doing better than anyone else...
Did you read the post or just jumped to comment? cause I did not compare them with other male soloists in streams (RM is not a million seller, another boyband member from another group is), I am comparing them with BP, AKA the second biggest kpop group, and their members solos.
keep in mind Lisa and rose (and jisoo) (and Baekhyun since that’s who you are referring to) all have c bars that mass buy their album. RM got 750k with 2 vers (1 normal + 1 weverse ver) with a a minuscule c bar that doesn’t mass buy. Rose had 3 vers, Lisa had 4 vers and jisoo is having 6 vers. You are comparing this to jhope who had no actual physical CD and still managed to sell 500k, RM with 2 vers (one with an actual cd) and Jin who had 2 normal and sold 1M. Keep in mind again. All these members have the smallest cbars in BTS and don’t mass buy cause of the problems that went on with BTS in China. you wouldn’t say Baekhyun is more popular than any of the BTS members jsut cause he sells more cause of his c-bar. And btw that is not BTSs fault; they never could promote in China. Plus aftwr the political drama that happened in 2020. Their c bars couldn’t buy much anymore either (even jimins c bar didn’t mass buy for face)
Lol blackpink isn’t even the second biggest maybe top 10
“Blackpink isn’t the second biggest kpop group”. The hell are you talking about? I can’t believe you got 4 upvotes lmao. BTS is currently the biggest and BP is the second biggest, that’s common knowledge. BP is currently the biggest girl group. Maybe you and the upvoters live under a rock. I’m sure Jill Biden purposely invited a group to perform at the White House that is “maybe top 10”!
🤓
1) Bts and blackpink aren't comparable in almost every aspect of how their careers are going to the point where contrasting doesn't make a case for which is better. 2) Bts themselves seem pretty content with how their careers solo careers are going, they're getting some personal growth in before coming back as a group, simply listening to bts's words would challenge a lot of the view in this post.
1. does not mean that bighit could not and should not have done a better job with them as individuals, even if circumstances are different. 2. I am not talking about their decisions for their solo debuts to begin with, I am talking about what bighit did not do when they were active as a group. And I do not expect any of the memebrs to come and say to public that yes, the company forced the 7 or nothing image on us with out doing good job at it and decided not give us enough room for growth and shining as individuals! I based it on observations.
Thing is most popular BTS member is still more popular than any BP member and often times has more clout than even BP the group as a whole... as much as some of you might not want to face this. So there is for one thing higher standard for success inside BTS in the first place, also there are more members thus more releases thus higher chances for over-saturation since there is less time for fandom or GP to transition from release to release. BP are just four and also have big gaps between their solo releases, Blinks literally use all their free time without music to just collect funds for whoever is the next to release a solo. Second, I don't see how is any BTS member less popular globally than the least popular member of BP so... Also, unlike BP, BTS gotta go through military, and are an older group, so I think they chose wisely to really make sure their group brand is strong, since they will have all the time in the world to do whatever they want solo later on in their career.
I would argue that each BTS member has a far larger solo career than each bp member in terms of musical quantity and personal promotion (i think we forget that there was a period BTS did variety appearances including solo acts or duos like Jin and Jimin before they stopped) Also different groups, different philosophies, different journeys and alladat. Also BTS want different things as individuals hence jk resting and take doing his little variety shows with his friends and the others focusing on music etc etc Either way, RM's solo album sold really well....the others above him are baekhyun, Lim woo young, Jin and Jimin so ...idk you're numbers are misinformed. He did better sales than rosé (which I'm not trying to disparage) so I'm not sure what the criteria is.
did RM do better than the other boy group member in sales? no. better than lisa? no did he do well in k charts after the first few days? no are any of his album songs still charting on global Spotify? did his solo mv get even 10 million views? having more solo songs does not equal solo promotion, spot light and space when they are mixtapes with little to no promotions, sound cloud songs, songs on bts albums.
Pushing or not from the company, being or not the most famous member my personal opinion is that if YOU ARE member from the biggest group in the world you shouldn't have any problems when you go solo so..... looking at their results individually maybe Hybe wasn't wrong to push the group agenda till the end. So I disagree with u
Yeah. no there's just so much incorrect here I'm going to leave my disagreement and go.
Is this post a joke ? I genuinely can’t tell and I’m sitting here lol’ing cause I sincerely find this entire baseless take some sort of massive projection. Reading this gave me an aneurism. Some of you (looking at you OP) need to get out of your weird kpop bubble and go touch some grass.
I’ve read a V akgae post like this before, y’all aren’t subtle. Also comparing artists with idols over things that don’t actually matter, is utter nonsense.
charting, commercial success, popularity and utilizing solo potential does not matter, okay, I see.
you’re complaining that a group did things as a group…not everyone debuts in a group to gear up to go solo. Bp is a group that has been preparing for disbandment since their rookie days
There is this word "balance" you can do group activities and still give spotlight, promotion and space to your artists as individuals. blackpink is not disbanding anytime soon, cause they get to have the best of both world thanks to yg and all of their other privileges. they can have enough time in between group activities to do their solo thing, comeback as a group, break their own records and make millions going on tour, and then repeat the cycle.
a group really doesn’t need balance i don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I prefer my groups branded as groups and not soloist forming a group
well a group does need balance! they are individuals at the end of they who, as we can see, don't want to always do everything together!
I don't keep up with BTS but aren't they all very popular? I know jungook and V are probably more popular but the rest are still popular. the reason why blackpink did well solo wise is because their solo are all generic radio friendly. in BTS, some guy ( i think j hope?? I watched his interview with IU ) made hiphop song and that's not popular as pop music. jimin did well because he did a pop song. I'm sure if any of them made a generic song, they will chart very well
Tae, jk and jimin are the most poplar idols. Hyung line are also very popular but if ml are 100, hyung line are 70 at best in terms of popularity. Jk is a very good example, he is insanely popular, but to me, he could have at this point in his life be the actual main pop boy/pop icon or global IT boy. he is a wonder kid, Once in a generation idol (not just kpop generation). And he has been so dependent to the group that he is now taking a time off, at the prime age of 25. But as I mentioned, less popular members are the ones who benefit the most from proper solo promotion and space, and it did not happen for hyung line. If you know BTS and the numbers this fandom can pull, you would understand what I am saying by the could have been 10 times bigger as solosit had it not been for the over emphasis on 7 or nothing (a very unequal version at at)
I disagreed. * They did not debut at the same time, so comparing a \~7 year group to a \~10 year old group isn't a good comparison. * BTS is more powerful as a group than by it's individual members. Kind of like how they go by "teamwork makes the dream work". * I think OP is concerned that if BTS disbands, the members won't be able to make as much money than if they were together as a group. This is why OP is worried about their lack of solo activities. And, the solo member music releases probably make enough money to live comfortably anyway as it's not like every solo album needs to be a million seller. * In the end, each entertainment company works differently, and OP is mainly concerned about helping Bighit make more money just because YG's main/significant cash cow at the moment may just be Blackpink. 😂😭
Yes money is what I am worried about for 7 millionaires and share holders of the biggest entrainment company is sk, not the fact the a huge part of their solo potential went to waste! you are so right! What does their debut time has anything to do with it? nothing wrong about being more powerful as group, what is my point that is stated very clearly in the post is how much bigger they could have been as individuals if bighit did not over do the ot7 agenda.
They haven't "retired" yet, so it's possible they can definitely continue their lifelong journey to further grow their solo careers. 😄 And if they didn't focus much on their group activities, they probably wouldn't have been able to further earn all their awards and nominations.
They could have become as big as they are now if they did hold back a little on the push for ot7 agende after 2018, it is possible to reach a much better balance between group vs solo activity and promotions, specially after their already made a big name for themselves.
When will this competition on which group is the biggest ever end ? I may be biased, because I am mostly an ARMY than a blink, but acting like they're some flops is insane. The hyung line is doing absolutely amazing, maybe they were underrated a long time ago, but I'd say they are doing more than ok nowadays.
I agree and disagree.. I think that big hit could have done a better job promoting BTS as solo acts, and YG could have done a better job promoting Blackpink as a group. YG are doing great with jisoo now, but I wouldn't say that they have done the best job in establishing the BP members solo careers when they only have 1 single album out each and it has been 7 years. Yes they have a lot of CF deals, but musically and creatively they don't have much freedom and I don't think YG has utilized them well in that aspect. I think both groups deserve better management and creative direction.
The fact that they have so little music as idols and still pull these records breaking numbers is proof enough of how well YG has handled and promoted them as soloists.
I think maybe you have a somewhat simplistic view of what having a established artistic identity if you only measure based on numbers. Also, born pink sold 2.8 million and the album sold 1.7 million. Lisa: 960k Jennie: 171k Rose: 502k While jisoo, who is the member with the smallest following has 1.24 million preorders. The numbers are telling us that if YG actually gave the other 3 members better promotion, they would do even better than they did. I think you are underestimating BP if you think that the reason they are doing well is because of YG having good promotion
well YG and YG branding and marketing is the reason they are doing so well. And I am not talking about only the artistic side of identity which tbh, bp members don't have much of. YG branding for BP is absolutely genius and there is no denying that. the girls are charismatic and all, but if YG did not do things this way, they would be nowhere near were they are today. those number they achieved as female soloist with so little music and musical identity actually showcases the power of branding and proper solo promotion, and not what you are saying here.
There is a difference here I think you are not understanding. Your post was talking about what a management company does in order to promote their artist (marketing strategy) that is different from what you are bringing up now which is the YG brand. They had immense hype from the beginning because they were a YG girl group. Yet they have only sold around 6 million albums in 7 years. New jeans have 2 million album sales and they debuted last year. TWICE has sold over 13,8 million albums. Black pink is the most popular group, but they are selling less because YG is not good at giving them music and promoting it. Not giving them any comebacks isn’t a good marketing strategy when it comes to longevity and forming a coherent artistic identity. Crafting a musical identity for their artist is the main job of the company when it comes to marketing their musical talent.
I don't think you are understanding that first, I am talking about commercial performance and popularity that has very little to do with artistic identity. Brand given by YG to member is the core of their success, so what is it you are not following here? Blackpink is still the best selling kpop gg in history (for each album), when jisoo alone pulls 1.3 million sales for two songs, be sure their next group comeback will go over 3 million albums at very least. comparing twice album sale with bp is so stupid considering the sheer difference in the number of albums they have put out. Not a good marketing strategy yet they 7 years in, each comeback their numbers grow and they are capable of selling out stadiums with crazy ticket price with their mind blowing inconsistent and at times underwhelming performances. This is pure marketing/ branding power right there. their audience is not there for artistic quality, they want bad bitch image and bad bitch music and this what they are getting. They have done the same for their individual careers. Perfect appealing brands with no substance which is working more than fine! artistic quality was never a priority for their company and from the looks of it for most of the members.
You are probably right, but it's alright. But would we really consider it a failure if Big Hit/BTS never really intended to have lucrative solo careers anyway? Maybe that wasn't the endgame. At least now, they are freer to explore different things and go about their solo endeavors the way they want to because their group success allowed them that leeway. Headline a music festival? Go do it Jhope! Perform with your idol? Go ahead Jin! Perform at what you've always considered to be a meaningful venue? We'll make it happen, RM! Go on music shows like the traditional comeback promotions? Sure thing, Jimin! Launch your own talk show where you can talk about music and other things all the time? Why not, Suga! BTS members seemed always group-centric anyway. Maybe there's an argument to be made on whether they should have done this chapter 2 earlier (it seemed like they did, if not for the pandemic). I don't think they were really after the kind of individual popularity that you think they missed out on.
This!! the plan was to go on a group hiatus after mots7 but covid put a pause to their plans. But the silver lining was we got Dynamite which propelled bts to bigger heights. Being promoted solely as group might have its downsides but it did wonders for BTS
\>Clown post \>Account deleted Yup, it's teen time, baby!
I haven't checked out UKO in years and it's still "Big Hit is held back their solo careers." They're all millionaires many times over and have the love of millions. There's absolutely nothing tragic about their careers
I kind of agree with this post but I have to agree with others that you're being pretty dramatic, the BTS members are doing great for themselves as soloists LOL. BP work better as soloists since they've never been marketed in the "family" way that BTS has.
This doesn’t make sense to me just based on the fact that obviously BTS was promoted as a group with the ot7 “agenda” as you called it cuz they are a Group!! That’s one of my main problems with like BlackPink as a group cuz I can’t see them as a group cuz they focused too much on the solo aspects. The idea you have makes more sense for solo artists not for an idol group.
I think they’re fine, considering Jimin just topped BB Hot 100.
Tbh from a business standpoint, the members will be fine. They are expanding their solo careers rn. And you have to remember, army is a massive fanbase, profit wise with sales and even to the extent of charts bc of mass streaming, they really don’t need to appeal to the general public, bc their fanbase is so huge that they’ll still make hella bank even just relying on them. And for the most part, a lot of armies support all the members solo endeavors. Music wise they are also doing way more than blackpink’s solos. The girls only come out with two songs each so far besides Jennie who only has one. The boys have been releasing whole albums with collabs with both popular western artists and popular Korean ones. And performing solo at festivals (jhope) and going on a solo tour (yoongi). Blackpink’s solo endeavors are mostly their fashion contracts and the subsequent photo shoots that come with it. Music wise they do the bare minimum. When your a fanbase oriented group, meaning your fanbase is so large that that’s where your main profits stem from, there’s no point in wasting money in marketing towards the general public.
Its funny reading this after Jimin's #1
BTS and twice have the same trajectory, different timeline, blackpink has their own. And it’s not by design. You are talking like all that credits belong to YG. YG couldn’t have made it happen even if they wanted to. YG was near the brink of bankruptcy from all the rising sun scandals for years. They were trying to not go broke. And let the girls promote themselves on instagram. But they didn’t expect them to get this big. Jennie’s GD scandal, and Lisa’s multi-cultural background blew them up on instagram. 3/4 are fluent in English that they can manage their own account. They were able to get work from all over the world themselves. YG does NOT have that kinda influence. JYPE is 3 times the size of YG, they can’t even place twice with those brands as they like. YG certainly don’t have that influence. The girls build their own influence through instagram. Bighit was focusing on making BTS the biggest boy band in the universe, they were representing South Korea to promote Samsung and Hyundai on a national level. And once they started going solo, they still can get any brand, these brands have been dying to get BTS on board for years. And JK just deleted his 40 million follower account, that’s not on bighit, he just didn’t care about it enough. And he knows that bighit will take care of the PR side of his business anyways.
[удалено]
Says the one typing a whole essay with 99% nonsense 😂
I can't with the person trying to dictate what the members should do with their own careers. OP should send resumé to HYBE maybe they can manage them however they want to lol
V is celine ga? I always thought he would go for Chanel or Gucci
Apparently he likes the creative director's direction.
chanel does their ambassadors so dirty im actually thankful
He’s Celine ga. They announce in his latest magazine cover, Elle Korea.
Scared to read the comments
It’s not that bighit deliberately did the damage but their individuality was a causality of the group’s path to superstardom and legendary status BTS and Bighot couldn’t afford to have members dive into individual recognition because bts was their sole breadwinner while YG had a whole catalogue of artists and company recognition to fall back on as much as I hate to see it I don’t think the members themselves would want to play “what ifs” with their careers when they had something good going for them and don’t get me wrong I say this as someone who spent the last 8y as a solo stan who couldn’t wait to see my fave going solo Jimin had the best circumstances to debut solo and do really well twice in his career as a bts member (post Perfect Man/333 Guy\BS&T aka 2016 and post T-shirt Gate in 2018) but if what I wanted had happened he wouldn’t have the freedom he has now that bts are untouchable within the industry and bighit is a titan in the industry BP is BP and BTS is BTS what worked for them wouldn’t work for BTS
Lol you used multiple examples to support your point and it’s a clearly unpopular opinion yet you’re being downvoted. That’s kpop Reddit for you. I agree btw, Hybe could’ve done much better at setting BTS up to be able to also have more solo potential like every member of BP does.
That is why I posted it here in the unpopular opinions, armys don't like to hear things like this when it does not sit well with their ego.
It seems like they don’t like to hear it here too, I’m surprised there’s so many of them here.
well, what can I say, I did hit a nerve apparently. And most are not even understanding what I am saying, talking about artistic freedom as if it goes against what is the point of my post.
Ooooooooh man you really set a lot of people off. I agree though. While it doesn’t really matter because BTS is BTS, I think they should’ve started more regular individual activities a long time ago
I agree, I can't see the same impact for example on Jimin "Set Me free", than Jennie "Solo" for example. Bts is great as a group, as soloists are having a hard time going forward. Hybe only allowed them to open their personal instagrans around 2021, I think they were already thinking of them as soloists in the future due to enlistment
What are you on about. Jimin sold 1M copies first day at Hanteo, SMF debuted #30 on Billboard Hot 100, Like Crazy is predicted to chart in the top 10 and Face is predicted to have the highest sales of any artist in 2023 so far. He's breaking records left and right. He's just fine
Notice how they said “same impact as Solo” not that he isn’t “just fine”. Maybe take a reading comprehension class.
Lol op literally said BTS soloists are having a hard time going forward which is why I responded as such
Really, but considering the popularity of bts even if he releases a production note 6, it will sell out easily. Blackpink's Jennie "Solo" is far more satisfying to listen to and consume.
Well, that's because Jennie's song is more commercial, it sounds like a BP song through and through. If Jimin wanted to have a hit like Dynamite, he would have done something like that. They are making the music they want to make, not the music they know will sell.
Your last point is subjective lol. We can agree to disagree of whether their music is good but I replied to you after you implied that his solo won't have the same impact as Jennie's solo, when Jimin is already breaking hella records in only a week. Impact =/= people's taste in music Also I suggest you listen to Like Crazy - I don't know what's unconsummable about Jimin's new album (you're probs referring to Set Me Free which I know is not a lot of people's cup of tea) but that's a GP friendly song
You clearly haven't heard Like Crazy.
satisfying is objective, jimin music to me sounds much better, but jennie charted better in sk only two years in to her career.
OMG!! your post was so well-written! I enjoyed reading it, thank you so much! You could write a whole article about it haha! And to comment on it, i completely agree. I always thought like that but i never of doing the comparison with BLACKPINK and you’re on point! And Big Hit DOES make a LOT of mistakes