The ugly BTS v. Recording Academy dispute isn’t showing any signs of resolving: Now, the K-pop mainstay’s performance videos are no longer live on the Grammys’ website and YouTube channel.
Those pulldowns entered the media spotlight in reports out of South Korea, though it was eagle-eyed Army diehards who first spotted the removals. Meanwhile, a few of these same superfans (plus others who aren’t quite fans) discussed the possibility that BTS or the group’s Hybe agency may have requested the deletions.
Additionally, at least one observer pointed to the takedowns’ purportedly arriving before the confrontation boiled over – meaning before all seven BTS members announced plans to forgo submitting music for Grammys consideration. As things stand, though, neither side appears to have commented publicly on the matter.
Nevertheless, it’s clear that the videos in question are no longer live on the Grammys’ site and channel but remain available on BTS’ own YouTube account.
Also apparent is Army’s dissatisfaction with the development; navigating to the Recording Academy’s Instagram page and tapping a photo at random will bring up no shortage of ticked-off comments.
“You can rewrite the categories,” a passionate supporter wrote in part, “but you can’t rewrite history. BTS didn’t change music to fit the Grammys, the Grammys changed because of artists like BTS. Records remember. Charts remember. Stadiums remember. Millions of us remember. I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER. Awards recognize greatness. They don’t create it. DO BETTER.”
“Jungkook’s live stream has more viewers than the Grammys’ live stream,” another fan weighed in.
“As of today, Grammys, you’ve lost my interest. Goodbye,” a now-former Grammys follower added.
The latter two comments are particularly noteworthy. Recent years’ relative ratings comeback aside, it’s not a secret that the Grammys and award shows generally have been struggling with viewership as of late. And technically, a BTS livestream did come close to scoring an audience-size win five years ago.
Put differently, the Arirang act, which entertained fans in New Jersey over the weekend and has North American concerts scheduled into September, certainly boasts widespread appeal. However, genre-related factors mean the group’s music might fail to resonate with a number of voting members.
Even so, one could argue that catering to the mainstream and avoiding a largescale disagreement would have proven a wiser course for the Recording Academy from the ratings perspective and otherwise.
As things stand, leading K-pop players are moving forward with ambitious plans for an award show of their own, and as noted, irked comments are flooding social posts.
All this said, if the Grammys’ long list of since-resolved controversies and dust-ups is any indication, a solution (retooling the new “Best Asian Pop Music Performance” category may be a good first step) wouldn’t be without precedent.
To be sure, it wasn’t too long ago that the AI-powered “Heart on My Sleeve” soundalike track was very briefly eligible for a Grammy; widespread pushback promptly elicited a policy change.
And while various boycotts have come and gone – some quietly, others with a couple parting shots – questions remain about whether genres including country are actively being snubbed as well.
