A long time ago I made a decision about BTS: for me, personally, and I know this isn’t the case for many members of the BTS ARMY, I accepted the fact that it’s impossible for me to keep up with everything BTS. If only keeping up with BTS and BTS only was my official actual job, you know? Because to keep up with BTS takes up all the work hours in a day – which is, interestingly, the kind of relationship they build with their fans: a symbiotic work relationship. They work so much that it requires fans to work, not only in staying up to date but considering that so much of their fanbase is not Korean, there’s work in simply being a fan, understanding their language, learning their culture, and just the time zone alone!

 

Anyway, today is one of those days where it feels like BTS is clowning people because there has been, even by their standards it seems, an overwhelming amount of content. So much that I’ve already conceded that I’ll miss some in this post – which is why we’ll just focus on the business. 

The business of today is that Big Hit, their label, held a corporate briefing today. Per Soompi:

“Chairman Bang Si Hyuk started off by revealing that the company recorded 294 billion won (approximately $248.3 million) in consolidated revenue and 49.7 billion won (approximately $42 million) in operating profit in the first half of 2020, according to tentative calculations. Compared to the first half of the previous year, Big Hit has seen a 46.9 percent growth in consolidated revenue and a 27.1 percent growth in operating profit.”

An almost 50% growth in 2020 over 2019 in consolidated revenue and 27% in operating profit… DURING A PANDEMIC. Much of that, of course, has to do with BTS’s success – and remember, for recording artists, touring is where they make most of the money. They were expected to be on tour for much of this year. No one is on tour, but BTS is still out here counting their coins because they were able to pivot and innovate. 

 

More business: also announced today – their next album will arrive some time in the fourth quarter of this year, which would be their SECOND album of this year. 

And… 

In October, there will be another concert. This time it’ll be on and offline. Which means a limited number of physical in-person tickets will be sold for fans to be present and it’ll be streamed around the world: 

The BTS Map of the Soul ON:E concert is building off the success of their virtual Bang Bang Con: The Live show, a paid event (they got CDN$50 out of me), that took place back on June 14 during which, per Big Hit’s briefing today, “756,000 tuned in at the same time and 746,000 official merchandise items were sold”. 

Map of the Soul ON:E is happening on Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. Extra gratitude then from me, because I’ll need the rest. Already requested extra vacation days too from work.

 

But we’re not done.

They have a concert movie coming out. Break The Silence opens with limited screenings beginning on September 10 and around the world September 24. The first trailer for the film dropped today too. 

 

All of this is of course on top of the release of their new single “Dynamite” on August 21. And their new reality show In The Soop on August 20. And whatever the f-ck else I’ve missed because… I AM TIRED! 

Let me recover with j-hope. I just wrote about his side-part yesterday and today he showed off more of it. Might be my favourite hairstyle on him ever.