Who has Billboard on their payroll?

[jenglisbe]

May 18, 2018 10:28:42 GMT -5 Linnethia Monique said:

Not to mention other artists bomb iTunes - and more importantly streaming - and don't get the same coverage.

A K-Pop band has their entire album in the Top 20 of the US iTunes charts. That's some major sh!t whether you want to acknowledge it or not.[/quote]

So you think that deserves more media coverage than basically any other current act?

Also, what other 'major' source is covering BTS so often?

[Linnethia Monique]

May 18, 2018 10:32:45 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

May 18, 2018 10:28:42 GMT -5 Linnethia Monique said:

Not to mention other artists bomb iTunes - and more importantly streaming - and don't get the same coverage.

A K-Pop band has their entire album in the Top 20 of the US iTunes charts. That's some major sh!t whether you want to acknowledge it or not.

So you think that deserves more media coverage than basically any other current act?

Also, what other 'major' source is covering BTS so often?[/quote]
Forbes.

www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2018/05/18/bts-love-yourself-tear-already-broke-records/
www.forbes.com/sites/tamarherman/2018/04/24/tumblr-incorporates-k-pop-into-general-music-rankings-in-nod-to-globalized-state-of-audiences/
www.forbes.com/sites/cfthomas/2018/03/26/bts-the-k-pop-group-that-finally-won-america-over/
www.forbes.com/sites/tamarherman/2018/03/22/bts-label-big-hit-entertainment-more-than-doubled-its-revenue-in-2017/

www.forbes.com/sites/tamarherman/2018/03/02/btss-fan-army-aim-for-u-s-charts-with-streaming-music-buying-campaigns/

You previously told me to use Google and I think you should do the same.

[jenglisbe]

So they're paying Forbes, too. Nice.

Why isn't Billboard covering Kris Wu?

[Linnethia Monique]

May 18, 2018 10:46:47 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

So they're paying Forbes, too. Nice.

Why isn't Billboard covering Kris Wu?

Tweet or write an e-mail to Billboard for that answer. You seem to be the type to write angry letters about odd discrepancies.

[areyoureadytojump]

Billboard writes stories about artists who generate clicks.

clicks = more advertising revenue

I grew tired of all the Lady GaGa stories.

[Deleted]

I have no dog in this fight really, but I think w can dead the 'BTS pays Billboard and Forbes' with this:

An often-cited reason for the group's growth in popularity stateside has been its prolific use of social media, from broadcasting live-streams on Naver's V Live service while on tour to keeping up a steady stream of selfies on their shared Twitter account.

The boys' use of social media signals broader changes taking hold in the K-pop industry, which has traditionally been dominated by larger entertainment companies like JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment and SM Entertainment. The companies bring in hundreds of millions in revenue and have powerful backers: Alibaba bought a stake in SM in 2016 while the private equity arm of luxury company LVMH invested up to $80 million in YG back in 2014.

In comparison, BTS' management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, is a smaller outfit founded by the producer Bang Si-hyuk. The company made around $30 million in revenue in 2016, Bloomberg reported, citing local media.

But what Big Hit Entertainment initially lacked in financial firepower or influence within the K-pop ecosystem, it made up with a savvy use of social media.

www.cnbc.com/2017/12/29/bts-and-big-hit-entertainment-how-k-pop-broke-through-in-the-us.html


Basically, BTS's bank rollers are not even considered a major player in their own country, let alone a financial heavyweight in the US market. If all it took were money, surely we would have heard of a JYP, SM, or YG act first?

I agree that Billboard.com is a basic bitch that chases clicks, and as BTS is basically an exercise in maximizing clicks, it should come as no surprise that BB would be on it. But I think it's a disservice to BTS/Big Hit Entertainment to dismiss all of their efforts as merely putting a mag on a payroll. They would have had to present hard stats on BTS' fanbase and pull to get BB to even consider looking at them in the first place. Forbes meanwhile took note b/c a K-pop group making bank in the US is a first.
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Camila's management (Roger Gold/300 Entertainment) has long-established connections with Billboard and radio execs that they'd be foolish not to exploit (and I think Gold has a cousin who works at iHeart or sth, I forget the exact relation now). And that is really what it comes down to, having management that is either well-connected or hella aggressive and marketing-savvy. Even my own fave, Kelly, is at least partly benefiting from exploiting connections that other stars of her caliber (or higher) don't have. I don't say that to take away from the work she put in to build those connections. It is what it is.

[kanimal]

While "payola" is always conceivable, you can't make the case without providing examples of artists who don't generate massive web traffic and/or social media shares. The artists referenced in this thread are major draws in an online context, so it shouldn't be surprising that an online publication is giving them press.

BTS may not be a "hit" act in terms of traditional consumption metrics, but they're a massive online attraction. Particularly on social media, where their fans will relentlessly share coverage from the music media.

The same goes for Camila Cabello, Ariana Grande, etc.

In terms of general strategy, Billboard has definitely been trending toward the "clickbait" approach. Hits Daily Double has covered (and criticized) that transition ad nauseam.

The individual writers clearly take note of social media attention as well. I remember Gary Trust geeking out about receiving a Justin Bieber retweet on the Hot 100 countdown show. And that show itself clearly operates with a cognizance of social media - they'll always share chart updates on "stan faves" yet rarely pay as much mind to hip-hop, rock or country acts that do big things as charts.

So, my real takeaway is, I don't think you need to pay Billboard to get coverage. I think you need to get clicks and/or retweet - and get your fans to retweet - the F out of their content.
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Also, with regard to BTS, note that there are two US radio stations (KJ103 and KISS Chattanooga) that not only fervently support their music but also engage with their fanbase on social, while working to establish themselves as top BTS supporters.

I highly doubt a "payola" campaign would focus exclusively on those two mid-market stations.  This simply seems to be a case of music gatekeepers reacting to social media.