BTS Responds to Allegations of Billboard Chart Manipulation

The group BTS is responding to the idea that they are manipulating the Billboard chart to land in the top position for the hit songs.

A recent Billboard article said, “So while other singles on the Hot 100 typically rely on streaming for the majority of their weighted points (followed by airplay and then sales), the chart-topping performance of BTS’ ‘Butter’ in July, for example, was propelled mostly by sales, the bulk of which flowed directly through BTS’ own webstore, say sources familiar with the matter. That webstore, those sources say, does not recognize prior purchases or limit how many copies a fan can buy, unlike iTunes, which notes when someone already owns a copy.”

Click inside to read BTS’ response…

“It’s a fair question,” RM, a member of the group, told Billboard in response. “But if there is a conversation inside Billboard about what being No. 1 should represent, then it’s up to them to change the rules and make streaming weigh more on the ranking.”

He added, “Slamming us or our fans for getting to No. 1 with physical sales and downloads, I don’t know if that’s right…It just feels like we’re easy targets because we’re a boy band, a K-pop act, and we have this high fan loyalty.”