HYBE Tops Environmental Pollution List Due to Excessive Album Marketing

HYBE, the prominent K-pop entertainment company home to groups like BTS and SEVENTEEN, has been ranked first on the Environmental Pollution of the Year list. This ranking comes from a survey conducted by Kpop4Planet, a fan-driven climate action group. The survey, which involved over 10,040 global K-pop fans, highlights concerns about the environmental impact of HYBE’s album marketing strategies.

HYBE’s Marketing Practices Under Scrutiny

The survey, part of the Sustainable K-pop Awards 2024, points to specific marketing tactics used by entertainment companies. These tactics include:

• Including fan meeting entry tickets within albums.
• Distributing random photo cards.
• Releasing multiple album cover versions.

These strategies encourage fans to purchase multiple copies of the same album, primarily to boost initial sales figures. This practice contributes to increased production and waste, raising environmental concerns. Kpop4Planet emphasized that physical album sales in K-pop continue to grow despite the widespread use of online music streaming.

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Other Entertainment Agencies Also Ranked

Besides HYBE, other major entertainment agencies also appeared on the list:

• YG Entertainment secured second place.
• SM Entertainment took third place.
• JYP Entertainment was ranked fourth.

The online poll that determined these rankings took place from November 16 to December 17 of the previous year.

Kpop4Planet’s Actions

To bring attention to these issues, Kpop4Planet organized a demonstration outside HYBE’s headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. During the demonstration, they presented trophies shaped like K-pop lightsticks to symbolize the award results. The lightsticks, which represent K-pop’s unity and positive influence, were chosen to highlight the group’s commitment to opposing environmentally damaging album marketing practices. Kpop4Planet stated that they intend to continue their campaign alongside fans, using the lightstick as a symbol of their determination.

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