BTS’s J-Hope Left To Promote His Own Tour As Fans Slam “Useless” BIGHIT MUSIC Efforts
As BTS’s J-Hope gears up for his highly anticipated HOPE ON THE STAGE world tour, fans frustrations are mounting almost as high as their excitement as they hit back at BIGHIT MUSIC’s lack of promotional support.
Despite the tour’s kick-off date being less than two weeks away, ARMYs say the agency’s silence has been stark since ticket sales notices were released back in early January. In the weeks that have followed, marketing content and tour updates have been virtually non-existent.
In fact, according to fans, the majority of the promotion seems to be coming from J-Hope himself, who recently created his own TikTok account.
@iamurhope 삥빡뽕뿜뿜빡뺌 D-17
Marketing efforts on official platforms like Weverse have been minimal, and fans have had to find most crucial tour information through local ticketing platforms rather than BIGHIT MUSIC’s official channels.
Hoseok smart af. He's keeping his audience engaged in his contents through tiktok and counting down to his concert bcz we know, big acc BIGHIT_MUSIC is dry.
— •🃏 (@acejunghsk) February 6, 2025
On top of that, the ticketing experience has only fueled fans’ frustrations further. In the midst of ticketing preparations, for example, US fans discovered that they needed to purchase separate American memberships for presale access — despite already holding global memberships.
We demand Hybe treat j-hope solo tour ticketing the same for Global & US memberships the way they have done for their U.S. tours before.
Hybe must allow more fans to attend their artists' tours without region restriction.@BIGHIT_MUSIC@bts_bighit@weverseofficial pic.twitter.com/uk94onWWRd
— 제이홉 투표팀 (@VoteForJhopeKR) January 15, 2025
With additional issues around obstructed view ticketing, many have been left feeling understandably confused.
seeing how hybe treats hots tour is giving me headaches… no announcement for pre-sales no announcement for side view ticketing they made everything more confusing compared to other bts/solo tours but they didn’t give us any explanation… is hsk finally an independent artist or? pic.twitter.com/2kAguHZA8v
— 𝓱𝓸𝓹𝓮 | 🎈👜 (@MapOfTheHoseok) February 12, 2025
Livestreaming plans for the tour, meanwhile, have drawn just as much criticism. Despite the high premium pricing of ₩165,000 KRW (about $114 USD) for a three-day streaming pass, nearly equivalent to an offline ticket, the concert will not be streamed in 4K resolution.
jacked up your prices and not even offering 4k quality SMH !!!!!!!!@bts_bighit @weverseshop https://t.co/0n3YYNuQbx pic.twitter.com/CCSU8ZYjJ4
— 🌻 | ʰᵒᵇᶦᵘᵃʳʸ | semi ia (@j__inthe__air) February 14, 2025
As the start of the tour approaches on February 28, ARMYs’ frustrations have reached a peak, leading many to hit back against BIGHIT MUSIC and HYBE on social media.
BIG HIT and HYBE are such mediocre and useless companies. Ever since Hobi was discharged from the military, he hasn’t stopped working, yet they still don’t give him the recognition a world-class star like him deserves. For years, we’ve noticed these companies’ lack of…
— J-HOPE GLOBAL FANCLUB (@JhopeGlobalFan) February 13, 2025
While many are particularly dissatisfied with both companies, however, not every fan has been as damning. Promotion for J-Hope’s upcoming music, for example, has stirred up disagreement. Despite some fans expressing frustration that the news of J-Hope’s collaboration with Pharrell Williams, Don Toliver, and Speedy, “LV Bag,” was revealed by Don Toliver himself rather than BIGHIT MUSIC, others feel that the rollout isn’t quite an example of agency mistreatment.
KEEP IN MIND BEFORE ANYONE STARTS WITH THE USUAL COMPANY MISTREATMENT/APOLOGIZE TAGS THAT HAPPEN EVERY 3-5 BUSINESS DAYS THAT HOBI IS FEATURED ON THIS SONG MEANING BH/HYBE ARE NOT RESPONSABLE FOR THE PROMOTION OR ROLL OUT OF THE PROJECT. LETS JUST ENJOY THE NEW MUSIC.
— 💜⁷ ʙᴛs ʏᴇᴀʀ ! (@danilovesbts) February 15, 2025
Regardless, for the many fans who have felt frustrated by HYBE’s efforts, the timing is particularly disappointing given that the HOPE ON THE STAGE tour is one of J-Hope’s first major activities following his military discharge back in October last year. According to the agency, J-Hope is also set to make his solo comeback in March 2025, though little additional information has been shared.
