A public broadcasting music program producer revealed, “For the Fukuoka Dome event, HYBE invited close to 100 journalists from various media outlets. They provided round-trip tickets on Japan Airlines in Class J and booked luxury hotels costing 50,000 to 70,000 yen per night, with all meals included. However, when it came to writing articles, the journalists were given strict guidelines on “phrases that must be included”, resulting in strikingly similar coverage across all media outlets.”
This lavish treatment, part of HYBE’s strategy for their 4-dome tour across Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka over 7-9 months, has left Japanese music industry insiders more wary than impressed. Many view it as a display of HYBE’s overwhelming influence rather than mere hospitality.
The report, published in the September 28, 2024 issue of Weekly Hyundai, has sparked varied reactions among fans. Here are some of the comments on the Korean online forum “theqoo”:
- HYBE has been engaging in this type of media bribery and soliciting favorable articles for several years now. I’ve heard they used to even buy chart rankings. While there’s nothing wrong with the artists under their management, and I support them, I’ve recently started questioning some of the company’s practices. I just hope the idols don’t get caught in the crossfire.
- I think this kind of bribery is quite common overseas. In Japan, hospitality often comes after the visit, but in other countries, the process of visiting itself is often considered part of it. Surprisingly, the actual work usually gets done normally despite this. Even though television’s influence may be declining, online articles still have significant impacts. Simply writing positively after receiving bribery is essentially free advertising. No matter how much criticism it receives, I believe it’s a relatively cost-effective strategy.
- HYBE seems to be spending excessively. I recently read an article about this issue. Their convertible bonds mature in November this year, so they need to secure 40 billion yen by then. To do this, they’ll need to either issue new convertible bonds or sell off assets. When BTS’s “Dynamite” topped the Billboard chart three years ago, HYBE’s convertible bonds were an attractive product (as investors believed HYBE’s stock price would continue to rise). However, due to recent controversies and BTS’s enlistment issues, it’s hard to imagine HYBE’s stock price rising significantly, making it unlikely for investors to buy HYBE’s convertible bonds.
- It’s relatively common for Korean game companies to invite not just journalists but others to events held overseas. Perhaps HYBE is continuing this practice because many of their employees previously worked in the gaming industry?
- They’re succeeding, but in a questionable way. They really have no shame, I feel secondhand embarrassment.
Source: Theqoo
