In a recent revelation, an anonymous post on an online community has shed light on the dark world of K-pop album sales manipulation.
Claiming to be a record company employee, the poster exposed the deceptive practices used to inflate the sales figures of K-pop artists. According to the post, entertainment companies implement premeditated strategies to increase album sales. This includes hosting special events such as pre-order campaigns and fan signings.
The aim is to artificially increase sales figures and guarantee higher rankings on music charts. Entertainment companies contact the record company before articles about artists’ returns are published or they contact people with whom they have relationships.
The production house asks if they can organize a special pre-order event or a signing session for fans, etc.
- Entertainment Business: How many copies can you buy?
- Record label: What events can happen with x00,000 copies
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- nentertainment company: (Provides unreasonable number to organize events)
- Record company: Oh… Is this number difficult to adjust?
- Entertainment business: Other companies do this a lot, so it’s difficult.
- Record label: Can we add other elements (like events with special giveaways)?
- Entertainment Company: Um… No!
- Record company: (After numerous negotiations, the company is forced to buy with better conditions for the distributor).
- Entertainment Business: Please reflect the revenue in the rankings on the release date and let us know.
The process involves an agreement between entertainment companies and record labels, where unrealistic sales targets are set and purchases are made in bulk. These purchased albums are then marked as sold through barcode scanning, to ultimately be resold to fans. As a result, event-accompanied albums are effectively pre-sold before reaching consumers’ hands.
While some might consider this the work of a specific company, the post claims that such tactics are widespread with almost all major entertainment companies and K-pop idols allegedly involved in similar practices. On the other hand, less famous idols only ask for sales at events.
Some argue that this manipulation not only deceives fans but also distorts the true system of the music market. Additionally, this raises concerns about sustainability and wastage of unsold inventory. Even if only 10 companies use this trick, the number still reaches tens or hundreds of thousands of copies.
And this is what makes the situation worse day after day. Despite protests, the legality of these practices remains ambiguous, as the transactions involve legitimate purchases from record labels. Nonetheless, calls for transparency and accountability within the industry have intensified.
Here’s how K-Netizens reacted to the post:
– ” What ? They don’t show the record company’s sales figures? Could there also be manipulation? Is it impossible? »
– “Even if the first week’s sales numbers are abnormal, don’t sales still increase when they hold fan events and signings? »
– “Wow, I feel cheated. »
– “Rather than posting anonymously, why doesn’t the author of the post take it to the media so they can report it openly, like a documentary or something? »
– “Basically, it’s Sajaegi. »
