On May 23, an online forum was created by netizens on Pannchoa with the title, “Evidence of TWS Committing Digital Sajaegi.“In the post, the author shared a screenshot from the group’s “Our Memories: Now”teaser and highlighted that the video only received 80,000 views.
“Sajaegi refers to the act of manipulating music charts through strategic purchases of digital or physical sales. This practice is often used by companies to artificially inflate their views and album sales in order to gain unfair advantages in terms of success, exposure, impact, and virality.”
The author also alluded to the public’s lack of interest in TWS’ upcoming comeback with the sajeagi remark.
“OP noted that the views had reached 80k 11 hours ago.”
K-netz shared their opinions on the claims in the comments section, with some mentioning the group’s chart manipulation controversies. You can find their comments below:
“Wow, this is a Korean group from HYBE, but you’re telling me they only got 120k views in just a day? Lol, seriously nobody even knows the members’ names nor their faces.”
(Photo: pann.nate)
“I feel like this group is for chodings (elementary students) because nobody around me listens to them.”
“Let’s wait and see them commit sajaegi again.”
“I’ve never seen a choding fangirl on TWS, it’s all about SEVENTEEN and RIIZE.”
This is how internet users from around the world responded:
“I’m a SAI but I can’t deny there’s something fishy behind everything of this and if it’s true I would be sad because HYBE didn’t let them grow naturally.”
“We could’ve gotten a fromis_9 comeback yet PLEDIS is wasting their money on this snooze fest of a group.”
“I didn’t want to believe in the accusations at first because it’s such a dangerous thing for a rookie group but it’s undeniable.”
“Like you don’t see idols covering the song all the time, it doesn’t really play that much in variety shows, they didn’t become a syndrome with lots of fangirls. It’s just too suspicious.”
“This group has had the most suspicious rise in charts I’ve seen in a while.”
“HYBE definitely does sajaegi, but usually, they supplement it with playlisting, advertisements, getting influencers to use the audio on TikTok, YT, IG, etc., to make it less apparent.”
“But with this group, all they did was push it on the charts as much as possible, which made it so obvious.”
PLEDIS Entertainment debuted TWS on January 22, 2024, with their first mini album “Sparkling Blue”and title track “plot twist.”However, in February, TWS faced accusations of chart manipulation on the digital song charts.
According to sources, it took around four to five weeks for LE SSERAFIM’s “Perfect Night”to climb the rankings. Netizens have drawn comparisons between the success of this song and that of the song in question.
Shortly after its debut, “plot twist”quickly rose to the top 100 on MelOn and reached the top 30 within two weeks. On Bugs, it achieved the second spot. Additionally, it was reported that TWS had amassed more than 18,000 individual listeners, a remarkable achievement for a K-pop group.
Netizens also pointed out a decrease in the number of unique listeners for IU, Taeyeon, RIIZE, and LE SSERAFIM. This sparked speculation that PLEDIS Entertainment may have employed the sajaegi method to generate more buzz for TWS.
Despite facing criticism, the boy group’s fans have taken to social media to defend the group, citing their strong music and highly anticipated debut as the reasons for their success.
Do you have any thoughts on this? Share them with us in the comments section below.
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