[sideeye emoji] · @citylovelights
28th Nov 2014 from TwitLonger
BAP INFORMATION SUMMARY: (2/3) A summary of TS Entertainment's atrocities during
(2014.11.27 writing)
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A summary of several points regarding TS Entertainment's atrocities
1. Treatment of the agency singers
One member (Himchan) was absent from an event without any advance notice.
Because the fans became chaotic after they arrived at the red carpet and the fans realized [he was gone],
another member (Daehyun) quickly took to his personal SNS account after the concert had finished to hurriedly apologize for Himchan's lack of participation (8:37pm)
(As it turns out, Himchan was sick so couldn't participate)
[IMAGE: Daehyun's tweet regarding Himchan's absence]
Because the fans worried, the member himself took to SNS to write another apology tweet (9:45pm)
[IMAGE: Himchan's tweet about his own absence]
Finally, nearly 2 hours after the concert had ended (10:47pm) the agency uploaded an announcement (?) apologizing for Himchan's absence.
The content was, "Out of respect for the member's wishes, we did not announce it in advance."
[IMAGE: TS Ent's tweet about Himchan's absence]
With this announcement it appeared that Daehyun, who had originally posted on Twitter to apologize, had no respect for his member hyung's wishes and uploaded something anyway,
and made Himchan seem like someone who made the fans worry so much by not announcing his lack of participation ahead of time,
and neglected the fans who came such a long way (Seoul-Changwon is about 3.5 hours) just to see their idols' faces.
Rather than being an agency that protects their singers, they deflected the arrow of blame onto them.
And this is hardly the first time. Every time a problem like this arises it's always the members who apologize first, and then later on the agency shields themselves from blame.
2. The situation of removing a specific member's face from a video through intentional malicious editing
In the Naver Starcast video, one member's face was unilaterally edited out before the video's release (to the extent that people who didn't know might think they were a 5-member group)
[IMAGE: http://mblogthumb2.phinf.naver.net/20141128_117/thewindy2_1417175044160fhU74_JPEG/img_20140903_174201.jpg?type=w2 and http://mblogthumb1.phinf.naver.net/20141128_48/thewindy2_1417175043672MkSbP_JPEG/img_20140903_174201_%281%29.jpg?type=w2 // Yongguk's tweets]
Leader Bang Yongguk wrote several tweets in the early hours of the morning, the content of which made the fans worry,
and not too much longer a Naver Starcast video (a video directly edited and uploaded by Naver) was released with his face entirely edited out.
Even in the full shots only 5 members are captured, and even though they were divided into pair teams to do missions, though the other teams came out just fine as two-member teams, when the Yongguk-Youngjae team came out only Youngjae's face was shown and the video experienced a sudden drop in quality. You can guess that Yongguk's face was intentionally edited to be cropped out of the video.
[IMAGE: http://mblogthumb1.phinf.naver.net/20141127_28/thewindy2_1417088418480MeFwy_JPEG/z.jpg?type=w2 // Stills from the patbingsoo making video]
(Only his hand comes out... There's no face and only his voice keeps coming out, and as I watch I forget what to say...)
Originally BAP was not a group that focused particularly on making popular songs, preferring instead to do activities with songs related to social criticism, and Bang Yongguk is a rapper who has done activities in the underground.
But I wonder if he can't do a song that he wants to do or activities he wants to do.
I wasn't sure if there was some kind of disagreement regarding musical direction, but
even if I say that, I doubt that the actions of a company that would send a warning to their singers by intentionally editing them out of a video would be particularly mature.
From now on, certainly, this company feels like they can wield not only the fans, but even their singers completely under their control.
3. In-ear problem
Two members, Daehyun and Himchan, had their in-ears left in a broken state for almost 3 months.
The agency did not appear to have the will to produce in-ears, so for 3 months they went up to the stage with non-functional in-ears. (Daehyun is main vocal)
It costs more than 1 million won to produce a quality in-ear, and because they must take an impression of the ear to match it with the individual, production time can be a month or longer.
Many fans gathered the cost of producing the in-ears and let the agency know, but
the company used 3 weeks' worth of schedules as an excuse for not even taking the in-ear impression, resulting in a situation of being unable to make the in-ears.
No matter how busy they were for those 3 weeks, it doesn't make sense not to have the time to simply take an ear impression, and it was judged that there was no intention of making the in-ears in the first place.
(The in-ears that the members originally used were all organized by fans as well)
The earphones were uncomfortable so the members would often mess up onstage or the earphones would fall out.
It appeared that the agency did not care about its members even enough to provide the basic equipment for them.
(A fan inquired about the in-ear situation by phone and was told that there was no need to tell them anything about the company singers' in-ears, and wouldn't speak any further.)
[IMAGES: Daehyun and Himchan with ill-fitting or removed in-ears devices]
4. An incident with the unilateral lack of participation in an international terrestrial event, M broadcaster's KWAVE in Beijing
On October 25, it was announced by Twitter in the early hours of the morning that BAP would not participate in a previously-arranged Beijing schedule (international, over the air).
[IMAGE: TS Ent's tweet about the Beijing KWAVE]
Many fans who had prepared to go to Beijing including hotels, airfare, and tickets were left hanging
(there were many fans whose tickets couldn't be cancelled so there was nothing they could do), and many fans whose pre-arranged tickets were cancelled.
This dawn announcement suddenly evaporated a few hours later. Those who called the agency to confirm were told that it was true they would not participate. The fans were in a state of giving up.
However, the day afterward, (10/25 the day of the concert), another tweet was uploaded confirming that BAP would participate as originally planned.
[IMAGE: TS Ent's tweet about re-joining Beijing KWAVE]
After the end of the event, according to a post by an event organizer (see below),
"The company that abruptly decided not to attend eventually decided to re-join after persuasion by the event organizers."
[IMAGE: A Chinese Weibo post by an event organizer.]
It wasn't that they were rejected by the broadcaster/organizers, but that the agency side unilaterally decided not to participate.
It's impossible to understand the balls necessary to unilaterally cancel not only an over-the-air event but an international concert.
Also, there was no explanation or feedback.
- This part was eventually explained by an article saying it had to do with the members' health. If they had notified saying that it was for health reasons it would have been enough,
but there's no explanation for announcing non-participation without alerting the fans, broadcasters, or event organizers.
And in the end they forced the members to attend the event through intimidation.
5. Not giving a chance to grow a reputation domestically by unilaterally cancelling established over-the-air appearances
Before BAP's debut, leader Yongguk had featuring activities, a unit activity with magnae member Zelo (BANG&ZELO - NEVER GIVE UP),
and they had a reality program through SBS cable channel, so many fans started to know them.
When they debuted they already had the title of "Huge Rookie." After that they had 3 straight years of activities without rest periods, and released 11 albums.
By highlighting their social criticism songs and strong warrior image, they were even able to attract the attention of many international fans, and in their debut year they won 14 domestic and international newcomer awards.
1st China Yin Yue Tai VChart Awards Korean Music Section Rookie Award
2nd GaOn Chart KPOP Awards Boy Group Section Rookie of the Year Award
22nd Hi-One Seoul Music Awards Rookie of the Year
Japan Asia Music Awards Rookie Award, Most Promising Group Award
Germany Remarkable Awards Rookie Award, Song of the Year Award
Europe So Loved Awards Rookie Award, Best Choreography Award
SBS MTV Rookie Award
Arirang TV Rookie Award
4th MelOn Music Awards Rookie Award
Mnet Asian Music Awards Rookie of the Year
Mnet Asian Music Awards PD's Choice Award
27th Golden Disk Awards Rookie Award
2012 Allkpop Awards Best New Boy Band Award
and others.
Next is BAP's main activity log.
(2012)
January - Seoul debut showcase (3000 people)
July - Malaysia 1st solo showcase (2000 people)
July - Malaysia 8TV 'Nite Live' Kpop Chart 1st place (2 consecutive weeks)
August - Taiwan g-music Kpop Album Chart 1st place (5 consecutive weeks)
August, September - Germany Asian Music Chart 1st place
September - Taiwan 1st solo showcase (2000 people)
October - Seoul BAP Official Fanclub Opening & Mini Concert (4000 people)
(2013)
January - America Grammys Choice BEST OF 2012 - from Asian singers only BAP and Psy were chosen
February - Seoul 1st solo concert BAP LIVE ON EARTH SEOUL (8000 people)
March - Taiwan g-music Kpop Album Chart 1st place
March - Taiwan FIVE MUSIC Kpop Album Chart 1st place
March - American Billboard World Album Chart 1st place
April - Malaysia 8TV 'Nite Live' Kpop Album Chart 1st place
March, April, May - Germany Asia Music Chart 1st place
May, August - America LA, San Fransisco, Washington, New York, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore 'PACIFIC TOUR' (50,000 people total)
August - Seoul BAP LIVE ON EARTH SEOUL WANTED
November, December - Japan Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo BAP 1ST JAPAN TOUR 'WARRIOR BEGINS' (40,000 people total)
December - Europe 'So Loved Awards' Triple Crown
December - Germany Remarkable Awards Quadruple Crown
(2014)
23rd Hi-One Seoul Music Awards Award
2rd GaOn Chart KPOP Award This Year's Discovery Award World Rookie
MTV EMA 2014 selected finalist (competing with One Direction, Bon Jovi)
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The thing that's most burdensome for the fans is,
during One Shot, which was popular not only domestically but with international fans (on YouTube its views are over 15,000,000), or during 1004 which secured BAP's first win since debut,
there was no follow-up activity and after just one short month of promotions, they went straight overseas for promotions. There was no chance for them to gain more recognition domestically.
After gaining a good reaction to a song they should jump at the chance to do follow-up activities and attract even more attention, but TS can't even understand the basic system that all the fans know.
No matter what, if the members and fans are doing many donations, doing volunteer service (in keeping with their promise for winning #1, the members and fans went together to an orphanage to do service work--even though they didn't earn any money they were still in the practice of donating to UNICEF, Save the Children, water pumps, etc), then what will you do?
How on earth can a company not know the 'media' in media manipulation. Even if the fans went ahead and uploaded comments and articles, and even made promotional videos, they gave no interest. Rather, if it was blocked it was blocked...
(Even when they were selected as MTV EMA finalists, when Bang Yongguk was nominated for the Shorty Awards, when they won a variety of different international awards, not a single bit of media play was done.
There was also either no announcement when they went to an important event or ceremony, or when they were a candidate for something, or else quite often there were situations in which they were so late that the fans already knew by searching.)
This time, between the clarification that wasn't a clarification from TS and the ceaseless articles bombardment of refutement articles, I finally came to realize for the first time that TS is a company that does media play well and works well.
I'm becoming curious of the reason why they didn't allow BAP to become popular domestically and instead forced them to work overseas.
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Even when such public relations as Laws of the Jungle came up, it was cancelled from the agency's side. There wasn't even the most minimal of opportunities for people to know their faces.
(A situation of even being in the final line-up for Laws of the Jungle)
http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=2836314 (Im Taeim·Im Changjung·Changmin·Bang Yongguk.. Confirmed for the jungle of Costa Rica)
At this time the word came out that it was cancelled because of conflicting schedules with the show and their South American tour dates.
It was a good opportunity to show their faces on terrestrial variety, but the situation was that because of being unable to identify their schedules, the appearance was cancelled.
What could be the reason for still having low popularity in Korea, despite doing this much ceaseless promotion and having these many overseas tours?
It was because of a lack of opportunity to show their faces on variety appearances or TV broadcast programs, and normal people who don't have an interest in idols are unable to recognize them.
They can't be stuck in an agency that can't even put out the basic effort to raise their awareness.
6. An agency that provides cause for the collapse of fandom
The agency does not receive feedback through SNS/email/phone/official fancafe.
If you upload a comment on the fancafe that expresses even a little discontent or criticizes the company, it's immediately deleted.
By entirely cutting out the opinions of all of the fans they've made the official fancafe into a ghost cafe,
and now the fandom's firepower is not united and is in a widely distributed state. The agency is a one-dimensional provider of fandom collapse. (It's known for being a return cafe~ Ghost cafe~)
[T/N: level up applications and comments are often "returned' if they fail to meet criteria set out by the fancafe. BAP's cafe is famous for returning more comments and posts than are accepted.]
In addition to the rude behavior by the agency's staff, the agency is in the practice of showing 'mercy' to fans
and there are many fans who, although the singers have done nothing wrong, have a lot of anger toward the agency.
Rather, although they've done nothing wrong, the members are constantly apologizing every time. An agency that blocks the way in front of the singer even when they've worked hard to clear a path.
7. An agency that ignores the opinions of fans who would like them to rest and continues to make them work
An agency that doesn't care for the minds and bodies of singers who are dealing with performing nearly 50 concerts in a 2 year period.
Since their debut BAP have worked so tirelessly without rest that it's given rise to the phrase "BAP-Who-Doesn't-Rest,"
to the point where it was the fans instead who were asking them to rest, but since their debut they've been working ceaselessly without rest.
Even when their faces weren't shining on broadcast, instead of resting they were either at events or promoting overseas.
-A summary of 50 concerts in 2 years + BAP-who-doesn't-rest's absolutely restless schedule-
[T/N: This is a pretty comprehensive list of every concert stop BAP has done in the last 2 years. There are a lot of them. Most of them are overseas. I'm not translating every name but I'm putting a star next to the domestic ones.)
(~For 1 year after debut, domestic activities without resting = creation of "BAP-Who-Doesn't-Rest" name~
2012.1월~ 1싱글앨범 "워리어" 발매, 활동/
2012.3월~ 후속곡 "비밀연애" 활동/
2012.4월~ 2싱글앨범 "파워" 발매,활동/
2012.7월~ 1미니앨범 "노머시" 발매,활동/
2012.8월~ 리팩앨범 "대박사건" 발매,활동/
2012.10월~ 3싱글앨범 "하지마" 발매, 활동/
10월 창단식/
2013.2월~ 2미니앨범 "원샷" 발매,활동)
[T/N: The above are the times and dates of their promotional activities in Korea]
(6 albums only in Korea in 2012, 5 in 2013)
(~단독 콘서트~
☆ 2013.2.23 서울/
☆ 2013.2.24 서울)
(~해외 투어~
2013.5.7 LA/
2013.5.10 샌프란시스코/
2013.5.14 워싱턴/
2013.5.17 뉴욕)
2013.5.24 도쿄/
2013.5.24 도쿄)
2013.6.9 대만/
2013.6.22 홍콩)
(Korea 2013.8.6~ Coffee Shop, Hurricane, Badman albums and promotions)
(~투어 이어서~
2013.8.8 싱가폴/
☆ 2013.8.17 서울 앙콘/
☆ 2013.8.18 서울 앙콘)
(2013.9월~ 일본 데뷔/
2013.10월~ 일본 1싱글 워리어/
2013.11월~ 일본 2싱글 원샷/
Until releasing their Japanese album, went to japan to do concerts, events, ceremonies, fameetings, music DVD etc)
(~일본 투어~
2013.11.19 고베/
2013.11.20 고베/
2013.11.27 나고야/
2013.11.28 나고야/
2013.12.4 도쿄/
2013.12.5 도쿄)
1월 BAP Official Fanclub Opening “2ND BABY DAY : Be My BABY”
1월 23rd Hi-One Seoul Music Awards
2014.2.2 필리핀공연
(Korea 2014.2.3~ first full-length album release, promotion)
2월달: Every day 1~2 fansigns, radio, broadcasts with schedules until dawn
(~단독 콘서트~
During promotions would have broadcasts and then immediately concerts
☆ 2014.3.8 서울/
☆ 2014.3.9 서울)
☆ 2014.3.12 라디오 앞마당콘서트
-Title song activities: broadcasts, fansigns etc-
☆ 2014.3.16 압구정 팬사인회
☆ 2014.3.17 라디오+광주 팬사인회
☆ 2014.3.18 인천 팬사인회
☆ 2014.3.19 쇼챔
☆ 2014.3.21 대구 행사
☆ 2014.3.22 대구 행사+대구 팬사인회
☆ 2014.3.23 팬사인회 2회 실시
2014.3.29 일본팬미팅 센다이
2014.3.30 일본팬미팅 오사카
2014.3.31 일본팬미팅 3시~,7시~ 2회실시
(2014.4.2~ 일본 3싱글 노머시,활동)
(~해외 투어~
2014.4.13 뉴욕/
2014.4.16 달라스/
2014.4.19 시카고/
2014.4.22 LA/
2014.4.27 런던/
2014.4.30 파리/
2014.5.3 뒤셀도르프/
2014.5.8 멜버른/
2014.5.10 시드니/
2014.5.18 대만/
2014.5.31 싱가폴)
(Korea 2014.6~ Where are you, what are you doing release)
(~일본 투어~
2014.6.4 후쿠오카/
2014.6.5 후쿠오카/
-During the tour, went to international concert; plane time 24 hours
through 4 different countries-
2014.6.7 뮤뱅 브라질/
2014.6.10 나고야/
2014.6.11 나고야/
2014.6.13 오사카/
2014.6.14 오사카/
2014.6.15 오사카/
2014.6.21 치바/
2014.6.22 치바/
2014.6.27 뮤뱅특집 사녹
2014.6.28 방콕)
☆ 2014.7.28 포항행사
2014.8.2 홍콩 행사
2014.8.16 중국 공연
☆ 2014.8.30 행사
2014.9.11 싱가폴 공연
☆ 2014.9.13 sgc 서울 공연
☆ 2014.9.19 충남 행사
☆ 2014.9.20 상암 행사
☆ 2014.9.28 한류드림페스티벌
(2014.9~ Japanese release and promotions)
☆ 2014.10.3 lg드림페스티벌
☆ 2014.10.4 인천행사
☆ 2014.10.19 창원행사
(2014.10.25 kmw 베이징/
2014.10.30 뮤뱅 브라질)
-----------Activities Disrupted---------
(~South America Tour-said they'd do a performance even in the "Alpines" where it's hard to breathe..~
2014.11.2 아르헨티나/
2014.11.4 산티아고/
2014.11.6 리마)
(2014.11~ Plans for release of Japanese full-length album)
(~일본 투어~
2014.12.6 후쿠오카/
2014.12.7 후쿠오카/
2014.12.10 요코하마/
2014.12.11 요코하마/
2014.12.13 오사카/
2014.12.14 오사카 - 콘서트를 3시간 텀으로 "하루에 두번"함/
2014.12.18 나고야/
2014.12.19 나고야)
-----------
The South America tour, Japanese album release and Japanese tour are not things that were cancelled because of the break in schedules, but rather just postponed.
It's been said that the South American tour will start back up next year in April. The Japanese album has already been recorded and the jacket photos shot, so it seems like it's practically all completed.
(They have also done domestic and international fanmeetings+ceremonies+events without rest but I'm exhausted from organizing so they're omitted. I only roughly included activities in the second half of 2014. In 2012 and 2013 they did similar events.
In the middle isn't a period of rest, but overseas events + domestic events + fanmeetings + Japanese promotions/Japanese events + Japanese fanmeetings, etc.
I have never seen them rest for longer than a week. When there are no concerts or events, it isn't a time for them to have a relaxing period with their families and friends,
and if you look in their making videos or at their SNS, you can see that usually they practice for concerts until 4~5am...)
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To do all these activities and only make 50,000 won per month... Looking at this, they make even less than me who works less and still has time to comfortably play with my friends.
If this isn't a slave contract then what on earth is TS's opinion of a slave contract???????
http://www.topstarnews.net/detail.php?number=84421&thread=0002r0002r0034
[IMAGE: BAP doing their greeting]
BAP agency, "This is not a slave contract, artists are our top priority" ... We won't let go, TS