Korean ARMYs Start A Boycott Of The “2021 New Year’s Eve Live” BigHit Entertainment Joint Concert
Previously, it was reported that due to the high prices and unsatisfactory location choice for the 2021 New Year’s Eve Live, Korean fans of BigHit Entertainment‘s artists were angered at the company. On 13 November 2020, the BTS Gallery Fan Union uploaded a petition to boycott the concert.
The union announced that “the BTS Gallery Fan Union will be boycotting the BigHit Label Concert that has been planned for 31 December 2020“. Following which, the reasons for the boycott were listed as translated below.
1. This would be the first offline concert since covid19
Due to the worldwide pandemic, BTS was unable to hold offline concerts for about a year. Fans have been waiting anxiously for a long time, for an offline concert that is able to connect the singer and fans. As such, fans are unable to accept the fact that not only is the concert on a smaller scale than usual, it is also a joint concert rather than a solo concert.
2. The appropriateness of the BigHit Label Concert
The singers under the label currently have not been active “under the same company” for a long time, unlike other companies’ singers. They are simply singers that have gathered under the premise of expanding the business. Both the singers and fans have yet to feel that they are truly under the same company. Hence, a label concert at this point seems that it is just for the sake of media play at this point. Fans are especially dumbfounded at how the company already plans on having this family concert yearly.
3. The outrageously expensive ticket prices
Fans are angered at the price of the tickets. The pricing this year for the joint concert is ₩270,000 KRW ($242 USD). Neither BTS concert tickets or other singers’ tickets, even for family concerts, have been priced as such. There has also been no information about the total running time for the concert or the order of artists performing.
4. The startling randomized ticketing
To get the tickets in itself is by raffle, and it is limited only to the official fanclub. However, for singers without official fan clubs such as Lee Hyun and Beom Joo, how will their fans attend the concert?
The union also states that they are opposed to BTS being a part of the 2021 New Year’s Eve Live concert. With the ticketing opening soon, BigHit Entertainment has yet to respond to the union’s official petition.
