While BTS prepares for their March 20 comeback, their label HYBE is hoping this is the perfect time to test out their new business model. According to HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee, “scarcity” is going to be an important part of their new model for creating online and offline experiences for fans.
But K-pop already uses scarcity tactics. Common examples include putting livestreams behind a paywall and communication apps where you pay a subscription to interact with your favorite idol. What is HYBE going to do differently from the rest of the industry?
Jason Lee didn’t go into detail during his New Year’s address on January 2. He makes vague comments about integrating a “Fan to Fan model where fans can freely create and communicate, setting a new standard for the market, all while preserving the value of IP.” He also wants “to innovate future fandom businesses, we will design and test an integrated online and offline experience model based on scarcity.”
His words sound more like the corporate jargon CEOs spit out to please shareholders and investors. None of the quotes from his address sounds like an actual plan for HYBE. Which isn’t comforting since it’s speculated that Lee wants to test this scarcity model during promotions for BTS’s album Arirang and their 2026 world tour.
Why Scarcity is the Wrong Strategy Right Now
It’s been four years since BTS released an album as a group. There’s a lot of anticipation, but they’ve also gotten into multiple scandals over the past year. The group has been slammed by K-pop fans for promoting businesses with ties to Israel. People have been more critical of the group for things they did in the past, like releasing songs with questionable lyrics or behaving in a way that contradicts their clean idol image.
A scarcity model is the last thing BTS needs as they reintroduce themselves to the world after their hiatus. They need to please the fans that have been waiting for them, win back the ones that walked away, and lure in new fans all at the same time. Making themselves “exclusive” to the fans willing to jump through hoops to maintain the parasocial connection they feel with BTS only works in the short term.
Is HYBE Trying to Copy Blackpink’s Playbook?
It’s possible that HYBE is trying to recreate the same scarcity strategy YG Entertainment uses for BLACKPINK.
BP debuted almost 10 years ago but they only have two full albums to their name, three EPs, a handful of singles, and rarely promote as a group. Yet they’re extremely popular and are seen as one of the top girl groups in K-pop.
The problem is that BTS is the opposite of Blackpink.
From the very beginning, BTS’s brand was built on having a strong, parasocial relationship with their fans. They were the first K-pop idols to use social media to foster a connection with their audience instead of using it to just promote new music.
The members used to hold livestreams after their work day was done or in the middle of the night in their home. Their YouTube channel used to be updated regularly with vlogs of the members with a variety of content. You got short clips of the members goofing off during a short break from recording, eating. Some videos were mini documentaries showing BTS go about their day, whether it’s filming a music video or getting ready for a performance.
Their personas are crafted to feel relatable and personal. So much so that ARMYs will swear there isn’t a persona or mask that separates the real BTS from them. That what you see onstage is an actual reflection of who the group really is offstage (whether that’s true is a different article for another day).
Why Blackpink’s Model Works for Them But Won’t Work for BTS
BLACKPINK’s scarcity strategy works because it was part of their brand from the beginning.
Their fans were conditioned to expect long gaps between comebacks from the beginning. And when the group isn’t promoting together, the members stay visible through solo projects, fashion deals, and brand ambassadorships. The scarcity creates anticipation because Blackpink’s fanbase has remained stable or kept growing despite the long breaks.
BTS doesn’t have that luxury. The four-year hiatus wasn’t a strategic choice to build mystery. It was mandatory military service that fans had to endure. The fandom has already experienced forced scarcity. Adding more on top of that is tone-deaf.
And unlike Blackpink, BTS have lost a lot of Korean and western fans over the past four years. They can’t afford to lose more people by making themselves inaccessible. They need the opposite approach: more visibility, more engagement, more reasons for people to remember why they loved BTS in the first place.
What Could HYBE’s Scarcity Model Actually Look Like?
Since Lee’s announcement was short on specifics, we can only speculate about what HYBE is planning to do. Maybe it’s exclusive presales requiring expensive memberships. VIP-only events most fans can’t afford. Fewer livestreams of their concerts or behind-the-scenes content. Tiered access systems on Weverse that lock casual fans out of interactions with the members.
From HYBE’s perspective, scarcity can justify raising prices for tickets or merchandise. A small group of ultra-dedicated fans spending a lot of money could be a more reliable source of revenue than a larger, casual fanbase. That looks good in quarterly earnings reports.
But BTS’s real power was their omnipresence. For a long time, they were the dominant group in K-pop. They were literally everywhere, anywhere, all at once.
Their pervasive influence on global music helped break them into Western markets. You saw them on talk shows in the morning or the evening. You heard them on the radio doing interviews. Their UN speeches and stadium tours mattered because they represented a movement.
A scarcity model contradicts the accessibility that made BTS’s relationship with ARMY feel special. The fans who watched those livestreams at two in the morning. Who got excited when their favorite member responded to their Weverse comment. Who loved BTS because they felt “down to earth.”
What happens when that access becomes a premium product most can’t afford?
The Contradiction HYBE Can’t Ignore
The irony is that HYBE is announcing a scarcity strategy while BTS prepares for a 79-show world tour across five continents. That’s not scarcity, it’s saturation. Which means even HYBE knows BTS needs maximum exposure right now, even as their CEO talks about exclusivity.
You can’t have it both ways. Either BTS needs to rebuild their presence and reconnect with their fandom, or they’re confident enough to play hard-to-get. Trying to do both at the same time shows HYBE hasn’t figured out which problem they’re trying to solve.
It’ll be interesting to see Lee’s scarcity model is more than just corporate buzzwords, and HYBE actually implements it during BTS’s comeback. We’ll find out if you can do a complete 180 on an artist’s relationship with their audience without destroying what made it special in the first place.
I’m betting you can’t.
