In an article entitled, 'BTS And Their Fans ARMY Makes The Pop Charts Useless,' Music News Site Stereogum Discusses BTS's Achievements From a Negative Point Of View.
BTS (Bangtan Boys) again made history on the Billboard Hot 100 with their new single, "Butter". In light of this, an article appeared claiming that BTS and ARMY had rendered pop music charts "useless."
In an article titled, "BTS and Their Fans ARMY Makes Pop Charts Useless," music news site Stereogum examines BTS's achievements on the Billboard Charts, starting with their single "Dynamite." The article referred to this song as a "piece of product" with mass appeal.
BTS and their handlers delivered a piece of product designed to draw as many consumers into the whole as possible. They did it. 'Dynamite' came out in August 2020, and soon debuted #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first K-pop single to reach that height. ."
"The song got airplay on pop radio," wrote Tom Breihan of Stereogram. "Something that previously avoided BTS. It was a real hit. But then some funny things happened."
Breihan went on to mention BTS' chart success with Jason Derulo's remix of "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" and the title track from their "BE" album "Life Goes On".
The song, which has its own complicated history, was in the bottom 10 of the top 10 for a while. When BTS appeared on the remix, it went straight to #1. A few months later, BTS released the breezy midtempo ballad 'Life Goes On', and that was it. also debuted at #1," wrote Breihan.
Later in May, "Butter" was released and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Breihan described BTS's second English single as a "weird" song that "sounds a lot like 'Dynamite.'"
"Butter" achieved this remarkable chart feat despite not becoming, "the most popular song in America today," according to Breihan. He also attributed the song's high ratings to the "mysterious combination of streaming, sales, and radio play," and BTS's "relentless army of fans," who are working hard to improve BTS's music.
Breihan stated, however, that BTS is not the only artist who has benefited from the dedication of their fans. "Last year, the likes of 6ix9ine and Travis Scott armed their self-conscious fan base to propel a mediocre and unforgettable single to #1," he wrote. "Aided in part by scams like merchandise bundles."
Although Breihan didn't deny BTS' talent or achievements, he stated, "But it's really frustrating to see a phenomenon like this inflate the statistics, taking away any sense of accuracy in the way we store these records. Organic popularity, once the driving force behind pop music, is barely noticeable. there's more. turned into a battlefield for an army of fighting buffs."
In response to a volume article about BTS' achievements, fans flooded Stereogum's Twitter with counter arguments about what makes music valid, organic, and genuinely popular. Some have also pointed out the alleged bias in the American music industry, stating that ARMYs are not the only people fighting for BTS.
Journalists and music critics have also commented, including Lenika Cruz, senior editor of The Atlantic. "I've had a lot of thoughts about writing that silly stereotype, but the one I'm going to share now is that the author admits that he's loyal to the way the Billboard charts have always worked and isn't skeptical of the broken system that has defined what will become 'organically popular'. in the US," he wrote. (wk/chus)
