According to the 2024 Sustainable K-pop Awards announced by Kpop4Planet, a group of K-pop fans united to respond to the climate crisis, HYBE took first place for “Environmental Pollution of the Year” due to excessive commercialization of the album , which has worsened the climate crisis.
This is due to entertainment companies’ marketing practices, such as including admission tickets to fan meetings, random photo cards, and multiple versions of album covers to encourage fans to purchase multiple physical copies in order to increase revenue. initial album sales (sales in the first week after release), the organization explained.
Kpop4Planet pointed out, “Even as the culture of listening to music online has established itself, physical album sales in K-pop are actually on the rise.”
However, the agency also received praise for its “Green Fan Meetings in the New Year” initiative, which shows hope for positive change in the industry.
In the survey, conducted by over 10,040 K-pop fans around the world, second to fourth place in both categories were occupied by YG, SM and JYP Entertainment respectively. The survey took place online from November 16 to December 17 last year.
Kpop4Planet held a show this morning in front of HYBE headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, presenting trophies in the form of glow sticks based on the award results.
It is also significant why the award trophies were in the shape of K-pop glow sticks, which recently filled the squares. Kpop4Planet explained, “The light stick, a symbol of K-pop’s unique unity and positive influence, has long been an important item for fans, symbolizing ‘a light that never goes out.’ We will continue our campaign with fans using the glow stick as a sign of our determination to stop the environmentally harmful practice of multiple album purchases by entertainment agencies.”
