Since the very beginning, BTS‘ company brand was one that focused heavily on the relationship between artists and fans, as well as making music accessible to everyone. It stands to reason, then, that fans are now feeling exploited by HYBE, as the corporation takes drastic — and many would argue, unnecessary — measures to increase profits.
On May 2, an excerpt from HYBE’s recent conference call was made public, in which it’s confirmed that the company currently applies dynamic pricing to some of the acts under its label, namely SUGA and TXT. It’s further explained that while this is only the case for U.S. concerts, the plan is to expand this ticketing strategy to other acts that may perform in the country in the future. While dynamic pricing may not necessarily be the best strategy for other countries, HYBE is considering other ways to “boost concert performance revenue.”
This problem all started with ticket sales for the U.S. leg of SUGA’s world tour. Some fans were shocked to realize their ticket prices had changed while their payment was being processed, but at the time, most attributed the blame to Ticketmaster, which is widely known for gathering rage from different fandoms time and again. As the BTS ARMY is now discovering, however, dynamic pricing has to be approved by the artist or their label, meaning HYBE was behind the strategy the whole time.
I can’t believe I have to apologize to tm for thinking that they were doing dynamic pricing behind the companys back. Very disappointed really…
— Rosa⁷⟭⟬∞⟬⟭🃏🧑🏼🚀💙🪞D-DAY🥢🗓️| 아포방포 (@ilikeYoon7) May 2, 2023
Naturally, fans are outraged about this revelation, and quickly took to social media to protest the issue. The hashtags #NoDynamicPricing and #SayNoToDynamicPricing have been taking over K-pop Twitter for the last few hours, and there is no intention of stopping until HYBE backtracks on its decision. Proving there is no joking around, fans are also canceling merch orders, claiming they will no longer spend their money on it if dynamic pricing continues.
Dynamic pricing isn’t something new in the music industry, but for BTS fans, this is a betrayal of everything the band stands for. ARMY recognizes that concert tickets for the group and its member are always in high demand and that with inflation it would be normal for prices to rise. The issue lies with this strategy making prices skyrocket, to the point where people seated in the same section might end up paying vastly different amounts of money for their tickets, depending on when the purchase was concluded.
For many, dynamic pricing also makes performances inaccessible, turning BTS concerts into something only upper-crust fans would be able to enjoy.
While fans don’t blame BTS itself for this issue, ultimately, they are feeling undeniably exploited by HYBE, considering their constant readiness to support their favorite artist is being taken advantage of. Needless to say, this is not good for the company.