Is HYBE Applying The Same Streaming Trick For Their New Groups?

Netizens recently pointed out the weird pattern of ILLIT’s chart performance and raised suspicions of a streaming trick

According to netizens, the trick applying to ILLIT’s debut song is mass streaming during the so-called “zombie time”, which is from midnight until early morning, to stay in the charts. Of course, this means the song will drop significantly at noon, especially on Melon. It is similar to the typical streaming method used by male groups with solid fandoms.

Considering the fact that ILLIT is a new girl group, is their fandom big enough to do mass streaming? Or was there a trick from the group’s company HYBE?

In particular, ILLIT’s song did not appear in Melon within the first hour after its release and only entered Top 100 after a few hours. During the three days after it was released, the song rose 40-60 spots on the charts during “zombie time”. Such big rises were even bigger than that of another HYBE’s boy group TWS. 

Despite the upward trend of the title song, the other tracks in the album were completely ignored. All three b-side songs placed No.401, No.481, and No.479 and their positions did not change much. Even on Bugs, the easiest place for fandom to mass stream and push songs on top, ILLIT’s b-side songs still did not enter the chart. Similarly, TWS’s b-side songs also dropped out of Top 500-1000.

Fandom’s power can be proved through album sales. ILLIT sold a total of only 204,301 copies, so is their fandom big enough to make such big changes of 60 spots on charts with the mass stream? Some believe that if HYBE continues to apply this trick, charting during “zombie time” will no longer be difficult for their rookie groups.