Netizens are debating the move.
1 hour ago
HYBE’s marketing strategy for its fourth-gen boy group’s latest release has heated up online forums.
The boy group in question, ENHYPEN, recently made their comeback with their seventh mini album, THE SIN: VANISH, and the title track, “Knife.”
While the album itself came in 18 different physical versions, what has stirred the pot is the number of versions released for the title song. As pointed out by a viral post on Instiz, “Knife” is available across streaming platforms in 25 whopping versions. The post criticized HYBE for going to such absurd lengths to get a placement on the Billboard charts, calling the move “pathetic.”
| Instiz
Netizens were somewhat divided in their opinion. While some argued that this practice was common even for Western artists, others countered that it still didn’t make such marketing moves ethical or likable.
| Instiz
- “If the fans are okay, then, well…fighting on the Billboard streaming.”
- “People are saying it’s something that’s done a lot overseas, but in the end, it’s just a marketing tactic and a loophole that messes with the charts. What’s with the ‘everyone does it, why are you criticizing it?’ defense? Overseas artists get dragged a lot for doing that too.”
| Instiz | Instiz
- “That’s wild. So many versions of a single song.”
- “Wow, this is a bit…”
“HYBE and their dumb bullsh*t again… I’m cackling.”