From the beginning of the formation of the singing group, BTS, there has been high expectations on what the group can achieve in the music business. They recorded and released their first songs in 2013 in both Korean and Japanese markets. At this time, K-pop was not as not popular as it is today. The group’s production team set out to get BTS to crossover to American audiences by developing and performing songs that are partially (and on a couple of tracks) entirely in English. To their earliest supporters, they are familiar with the type of music and performances the group likes to create. They have been streaming and buying their music for several years. However, since the group has cross-overed to pretty much every territory, it is safe to assume that these guys could one day be known as the music businesses’ top-selling and most popular boy band ever. When asserting the term “music business” it traditionally refers to the people in the suits and ties that try to get artist to magically create something that may be against what they stand for or what they are trying to achieve through their music. Generation Z does not see the music business in that way, even though it is a true perspective for many people. To this generation YouTube and music streaming services are what they think the music business is all about, many of them not realizing that how they are connecting to music today is a new phenomena that works for artists in some respects (if you’re able to get a billion streams) but for the majority of artists they will have to find a way to bring their fans to new platforms. BTS arrived internationally at a pivotal point in the business and they are among the most streamed and viewed musicians in the world.
The BTS fanbase is called The Army and on Sunday and Monday the group will launch two virtual events for their fans. It will include live performances and the ability for them to answer questions from the fans that are watching. It is unclear how they are going to choose who from the audience will be able to interact with the group; it’s probably determined by some random method in order to make it fair for everybody in The Army. The event is called BTS 2021 Muster Sowoozoo and it is currently trending on Twitter with #BTS8thAnniversary.
“We’ll have a chance to meet Army through online streaming,” the group said in a video announcement. “We’re working hard to prepare a great performance.”
The Sunday show will feature mostly their hit songs in Korean language. On Monday they will perform in Korean, but also English and Japanese.
Ticket prices for the virtual events are $46.10 for a single-day pass and $83.70 for a two-day pass.
The Army is likely to find these ticket prices to be acceptable, especially since the group did a mini-tour last year where ticket prices were between $700 and a few thousand dollars. The virtual events may seem less interactive than live performances, but most people in Generation Z will not have a problem with them streaming live performances.
While their live ticket prices have been steep, the group is still very philanthropic. In 2020 they donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement, which The Army matched every dollar in order to double the donation (within 24 hours). They also donated $1 million to Live Nation’s Crew Nation campaign to support live music during Covid-19. Live Nation has stated that it was one of their largest donations.
BTS’ record label Big Hit Entertainment wants to create a virtual environment with “realism” as the goal. They want the fans to feel like they are experiencing the show in a live setting.