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HYBE labels recently caused controversy when they released a new BTS merch called BTS RECIPE BOOK: The Book of Tasty Stories.
Netizens called out the label for hypocrisy by not releasing j-hope's physical albums in the name of their new ESG strategy.
j-hope's Jack in the Box album was recently released digitally. The company stated that there would not be a physical album, and the fans who purchased the merchandise in the name of the album would get 2 photo cards, a card holder and a QR code to access the songs as part of the package.
Fans called out Hybe for being biased when it came to releasing new merchandise in a physical form against j-hope's first solo venture.
HYBE labels came under fire for new BTS merchandise
HYBE labels released news of their new ESG strategy to make their company more environmentally sustainable. The decision came after several media and public debates on the unsustainable nature of the K-pop industry, especially with regard to album sales.
Mass purchase of albums to boost K-pop groups' popularity and then their disposal led to a problem of increasing plastic production and consumption.
Many companies have, since, implemented various environmentally conscious policies in the name of ESG, one of them being the decision to sell only photo cards instead of vinyls.
Hybe labels then rolled out the policy with j-hope's first solo album. Not presenting a physical version of the album caused concerns among fans regarding j-hope's inability to measure the success of his new project in the absence of album sales figures. Fans are worried that the strategy might also result in lower profits.
HYBE's recent release of BTS RECIPE BOOK: Book of Tasty Stories has angered netizens since they believe HYBE is being a hypocrite by not promoting j-hope's first album, but has no qualms about the environment when releasing less relevant BTS merchandise.
Fans have called out the company for trying to extract profit from the group's brand image by sidelining the artist's creative work.
The agency was also criticized for experimenting with the new strategy on j-hope's first solo project when other groups released physical versions of their albums.
Hybe labels have also come under fire for expanding their model by shifting to NFTs. Non-fungible tokens, acronymed NFT, are individual works of cryptographic art that can be bought and sold independently of one another. These tokens are detrimental to the environment as they contribute to the carbon dioxide emissions caused by cryptocurrency-trading.
HYBE recently upgraded its business model to focus on two new projects, one of which is a large-scale joint endeavor with Dunamu to establish an NFT exchange platform. Netizens from around the world criticized this move. They believe that the ulterior motive behind the decision is to give the company’s image a makeover so as to shift the focus off their upcoming plans that will be highly detrimental to the environment.
BTS' rapper j-hope released his first solo album Jack in the Box on July 15, 2022.
The More singer will be the first K-pop artist to be headlining the US music festival Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 31, 2022. The music festival will kick-off on July 28, and will continue for four days.
