Newly revealed pages of HYBE's 'Music Industry Weekly Trend Report' contain detailed analyses written by employees, not just 'online comments'

by · allkpop

Additional pages of the 'Music Industry Weekly Trend Report', created by HYBE Labels for the purpose of briefing its company executives, have been revealed by Channel A

Previously, some pages of these weekly reports were publicized during the South Korean National Assembly's ongoing parliamentary audit on October 24 KST, when Kim Tae Ho, CEO of BeLift Lab and Chief Operating Officer at HYBE Labels, was summoned for questioning by the committee. When questioned about the slanderous content found in the reports, Kim Tae Ho replied that the documents were only "a collection of materials found through online monitoring" and which "did not reflect HYBE's official stance or judgement."

However, additional pages now made available by Channel A reveal that the weekly reports also contain detailed analyses by HYBE employees in response to the "online materials".

A newly revealed section of the report titled "Suggestions for Viral Marketing and Updates on Public Opinions on Online Communities" read,

<2023-10-25>
  • The first episode of the reality show released. There are no notable reactions on domestic online communities, but the actual trip did not begin on this episode, so we should wait until next week.
  • However, it is necessary to begin circulating viral promotional posts such as shorts or blogs to appeal to the public in the near future.
  • Youngseo stands out from the other members, but if we frame her character as a lazy cat who wants to appear like a queen, while the other members are framed like country dogs around her, we can definitely top groups like NMIXX. 
  • For members like Wonhee, if we can grab a photo of her where she looks like that famous Maltese with the black dirt on its face and circulate a comparison shot, and for the other members too, if we assign appropriate dog breeds per each member, we can appeal to predominantly female online and teen communities.
<2023-09-28>
- Crazy Summer
  • A fanfic published around the group's debut. It seems that this fanfic has become a household name among fans of 4th generation idols. Last week, because it was the anniversary of [blurred]'s reveal, the hashtag [blurred] even trended on Twitter. Many new and old fans showed adverse reactions, including members of the core fandom. Those fans who ship certain members together are particularly known to react sensitively to such content, and in regard to this specific fanfic, it's influence has become so powerful that the core fans are actually known to denounce [blurred] and participate in an unusual war of attrition among themselves.
  • At first, the relationship between Yeonjun and Beomgyu was significantly exaggerated because of this fanfic. However, the two members are actually known to go against each other. All of the members themselves are like cousins who are forced to spend all of summer vacation together, not the most appealing for members of the fandom who are shippers. Some are even spreading rumors that this fanfic was actually written by a fan of another group, and was then rewritten by substituting in the names of the main characters with Yeonjun and Beomgyu, but somehow ended up becoming a household fic in the community. 
  • Generally, the culture of fanfics has been pushed into the periphery with 4th generation idols, and yet, this particular fanfic continues to create an issue in the community. It must have something to do with the nostalgic flavor of traditional fan culture. In that regard, no matter how trendy TOMORROW x TOGETHER's music and performances might be, a need for the dramatic stories of K-Pop remains a key element in moving the core fans at the heart. In conclusion, this team could benefit from an extremely dramatic event.
<2023-07-19>
  • Based on the most recent research, the most popular fanfics on Postype are NCT fanfics. In the 'you' tag, all of the high ranked fanfics are about NCT. These types of pseudo-romantic relationships with their artists is a type of fan culture that is growing quite outdated, but it seems that this is the nature of SM fans to linger on outdated practices.
  • During Seventeen's rising days, some claimed that this team lacked core ships which made it difficult for fans to write fanfics, and this was the reason why they could not grow; however, they eventually went on to suggest new forms of fan culture more suitable for this age and paved the way for the culture known as 'Uh-Duk-Haeng-Duk' (If I'm going to be a fan, I might as well be happy about it). TOMORROW x TOGETHER also received the same criticism during their debut days, which resulted in many outside fandoms also showing interest in the activities of author [blurred], the writer of TXT's most well-known fanfic. At this point, we ought to take into consideration that these fans, who are incapable of moving beyond a fan culture based in fanfics, have tied themselves down to this idea. The old-fashioned attachment to the 'universe' that began from this culture continues to be reflected in the ways that the fans behave, even against other idol teams, which has earned the TXT fandom a reputation as 'that one fandom'.

Additional pages of the report's translation will be updated soon. 

SEE ALSO: ILLIT addresses criticism about their live vocals, says they’ve sharpened their performance skills for their comeback

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