When BTS released their latest single “Butter” on May 21, there was no doubt amongst members of the BTS ARMY that the song would make history. In its first day, the music video for the track amassed over 108 million views on YouTube, breaking the record for the most viewed music video in 24 hours on the platform. “Butter” is currently sitting comfortably at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a fifth consecutive week. Not only is it BTS’ longest-running #1 hit, but it’s also the longest running #1 debut for a band in Hot 100 history.
This should be of no surprise to anyone, as BTS have a dedicated global fanbase (known as ARMY) consisting of millions of people worldwide. ARMYs from hundreds of countries, different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ages, religions, sexes, genders, and vastly different walks of life converge on social media daily to express their love for the group who’s music has resonated with them dearly. Together, ARMY has sold out BTS concerts at stadiums all across the globe with ease. We’ve broken records for online concert viewership and ticket sales, despite being in the middle of a global pandemic. We’ve united to bring awareness to pressing issues, and have raised funds for countless causes close to our hearts.
There is plenty of importance in purchasing the music created by artists you enjoy day in and day out. Streaming may be the most accessible form of music consumption for most Americans, but it’s no secret that countless artists miss out on the financial compensation they deserve by uploading their music onto streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. Not to mention, streaming service subscriptions can be compared to “leasing” music. When one’s membership for the service expires, they will no longer have access to the music. But whether it be in digital or physical form, one will always have access to the music if they purchase it – no matter what. The BTS ARMY realizes this, and so without hesitation, we purchase the group’s music if we have the financial means to do so.
Earlier this year, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (also known as IFPI) named BTS their 2020 Recording Artist of the Year. The organization also recognized three of the band’s albums as being the top selling albums worldwide in 2020. BTS’ Japanese-language album MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 ~ THE JOURNEY ~ instantly became the best-selling album from a Korean male act in Japan, and holds the #8 spot on the IFPI’s chart. Although it was released on November 20 and its physical versions had a starting price of around $50 USD, BTS’ BE (Deluxe Edition) holds the #2 spot on the list. And of course, BTS’ MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 topped the list, officially making it 2020’s best selling album in the world.
There should be absolutely no debate surrounding the global popularity of BTS, or how the group has been able to make such achievements. There’s no investigations needed… ARMYs just love BTS, and want to make sure they know the art they channel their blood, sweat, and tears into is being celebrated to the fullest extent by their fans. So, why is it that our consumption habits are constantly ridiculed by so many outside of our circle?
Seriously, why is it that whenever I open Twitter, I see fans of other artists making comments along the lines of “this is so inorganic” or “made no noise at all” when BTS reach new career milestones? Why is it that I’ve woken up to so many “takes” by white male journalists and curators ridiculing ARMY for our dedication towards purchasing music? Why do so many “powers that be” at radio and other mediums continue to side-eye or completely disregard BTS’ music and all the accolades it has received worldwide? And why is it that no matter what we do to support these artists who have had such a positive impact on our lives, we are labeled “bots”?
Plenty of thoughts surrounding this matter have entered my mind over the past year. The first one is the fact that everything I just mentioned is a reflection of what the music industry in America truly values. ARMYs are constantly told that the “charts don’t matter,” but they surely do. Is the Billboard chart system flawed? Of course it is. And yet, every major label continues to play the game and cranks all of their resources into ensuring their artist in the spotlight can rank as high as possible on the chart. Having the visibility of a #1 song and album on the Billboard charts has its benefits for not only the artist, but the label too. (After all, who doesn’t like being #1? The music business is very competitive, and who wouldn’t want to be a champion and enjoy all of the publicity that comes with it, which can ultimately benefit additional streams of revenue for the artist?) If charts didn’t matter, and if “ARMYs are so weird 😭 they’re so obsessed with charts,” then why were so many major artists bundling their albums with ticket sales or miscellaneous merchandise items back when Billboard allowed such a thing to take place in the form that it did?
Could it be because BTS and ARMYs are playing the game in a different manner, and still winning? When we purchase multiple copies of “Butter” MP3’s and remixes within limits that would allow our purchases to count towards the charts, we do it because we love the music. (Duh. Why would we spend so much time and money on something we don’t like?) Consciously or unconsciously, we’re playing the game too. But at the end of the day, we’re just buying music. We’re enjoying the music, and we’re putting our money where our mouth is. After all, BTS did mention in “Butter” that talk is cheap.
We just can’t have a conversation about alleged “chart manipulation carried out by those weird ARMYs” without briefly mentioning the faults of radio and streaming services. Traditionally, if you heard a song on the radio, the hope would be that you’d go ahead and buy the single or the whole album if you liked it. But as Rolling Stone has highlighted multiple times, the practice of “pay-for-play” is still well alive. Not only is it present in radio, but it’s also present on streaming services. If charts really didn’t matter, what is the reason for all of this? If we are indeed committing acts of “manipulation,” then why are we the ones constantly being thrown under the bus and not the rest of the music industry? Why is it that us ARMYs are always having fingers pointed at us? Those are rhetorical questions, of course. Here’s one that isn’t – does purchasing music make me “jobless”? (By the way… I am employed thanks to the grace of God!)
Any artist would hope that their fans will shell out however much it may be to purchase their music. If not, streaming their music would perhaps be the next best thing. These are two of the best ways to show your support for an artist, especially during a time when touring hasn’t returned to the scale it was at before the pandemic. So, why are we always painted out to be the bad guys for doing what a music fan should do?
Amongst many other things, fear.
Boy bands and young male singers (“heartthrobs” if you will) who have struck it big in America have historically sang about romantic relationships to a predominantly young female fanbase. Because of this, many artists have been often regarded as “less” or simply “disposable” once the “next big thing” comes around. Then came BTS – a group of seven young men from South Korea who have challenged the status quo since their debut. Long before releasing their first full-English single “Dynamite,” the group was already shattering records within the United States and had an astronomically large fanbase. “Dynamite” simply took everything to the next level.
There’s plenty of people watching BTS’ success in America from the sidelines, and they may be wondering “when will the act be up,” or how they can recreate the same level of success for their artist in the states. My instincts have also sensed that some industry figured have asked, “Why did these guys steal our artists’ spotlight, and how do we get it back?” Whether some have vocalized it or not, many fear the success of BTS because they simply haven’t done things the same way that everyone else has. Sure, you can buy placements on playlists with over 5 million followers. A promoter can entice a program director to throw a certain artist on power rotation by tomorrow. Banners on the sides of buildings in Hollywood and Times Square ads are an exciting sight to see. But no matter how much money is cranked into marketing and promotions, a fanbase ready to purchase music for what it is can’t be bought. Not just that, but a fanbase as diverse, strategic, and devoted as the BTS ARMY cannot and will never be duplicated. This is a terrifying reality for some, as there’s no formula or instruction manual to create this ever again for anyone else. We weren’t created in a lab like the Powerpuff Girls. We weren’t assembled in a factory like bots. We aren’t bots. We’re people, and together we make up the “general public.”
If feeling so passionate about this makes me “chart obsessed” or “weird for caring about numbers omg it’s not that deep 😭 *crying emoji 50 more times*” then so be it. At the end of the day, all of the artists on your playlists and their teams care about metrics. However, it doesn’t make me, or anyone else for that matter, a bot. If running into Target or better yet, my local independently owned record stores, purchasing four copies of an LP or single CD/7” vinyl for me and my friends isn’t considered bot behavior, then doing the same with MP3 copies of a song myself and million others love isn’t either.
Well, as we’d say on Stan Twitter… “okay stream.” And buy.