Posts : 73 Reputation : 0 Join date : 2009-08-10 Age : 31 Location : California
Subject: SM Gone too far? Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:09 am
T/N: this is a long article, don't try to read it all in one sitting xD but everything is important (: aja aja hwaiting!
Yes, you read the title correctly.
For years now, Cassiopeia has not been on good relations with SM. There has been constant bickering to and fro from the beginning. In fact Cass were pretty much fanclub babies when they had to butt heads majorly with SME.
Let's take a walk down memory lane at the beginnings of the hectic relationship of now, the Worlds Largest Fanclub and Koreas leading Entertainment company (SM pales in comparison already don’t they?). When TVXQ were still fresh and young SM gave them their first challenge. SM was going to either take away a member or add one.
That is where the 5+1=0/5-1=0 movement came about. Cass was infuriated, they did not want their beloved boys to be altered, the very reason they entered that fandom was to support them as a whole. So how and why could SM dare to add or subtract a member? Push came to shove and Cass ended up boycotting all SM products, including of course, DBSKs.
You can imagine SM was not very happy but had to comply, 3 years ago SM wasn’t what it is today. They could not afford to lose DBSK or their fans since they had so much potential. And potential they had indeed. DBSK are now one of, if not the biggest boy band in Asia. In the record books as DBSK, and as Cassiopeia, you can't really deny that these two are dedicated to one another.
But why a boycott, why now? And what has this got to do with SNSD?
A lot of what pushed them to the edge has happened since their debut, and because of their disapproval of SNSD. For years as some of you know, and some of you don't, SM has been disregarding their fans. Not just Cassiopeia, but pretty much every FanClub under SME. Shall we take a run through?
Jumping BoA:Well, simply put, when is the last time they saw her? Her last official release in Korea was back in, 2005 was it? "Girls on Top". Her Korean fans have barely seen her and she has been unbelievably active in Japan that some in Japan consider her a native. And when did Jumping BoA finally get to see their star? When SM was lacking in sales in SMTownLive in Seoul and needed the 'moneymaker' BoA to rescue them, by pulling in some Jumping BoAs. Now how insulting is that? For your entire fanclub to be ignored until the company needs some star power? Let's not forget her sudden trip to the US now, wasn't she supposed to come back to Korea?
TRAXians: Do you know who they are? My point exactly. Another example of poor marketing and sending off again to Japan. They haven’t been active for an extremely long while, although their main vocals Jay (Typhoon) has had an operation on his vocal chords, I’m pretty sure he has recovered by now.
Shapley: Need I mention the lack of promotions for CSJH The Grace? These poor 4 talented girls have also been shipped off to Japan to start all over again, after finally getting some recognition in Korea. Not forgetting the well known "stealing of color" issue earlier this year, where SNSD fans were favored over Shapley, although Shapley are the senior fanclub.
E.L.F: Where do I start? Honestly I have no idea where to begin with ELF. ELF have suffered in their short life span as well, when Cass succeeded in keeping their boys together, SM has walked all over ELF and they are still suffering due to the "sub group/extra member" issues.
Chocolates: Zhang LiYin does not get any backing deserving of her talents. The poor girl has been in China, her native country, and doesn’t get much support from SM in terms of promotions. Her fans are suffering continuously and one of the biggest insults was when in SMTownLive08 ShangHai, ZLY only sang two solo songs while other hoobaes (juniors) had more songs to sing.
Ayumi Lee: Her fans still to this day wonder what is happening with her promotions. She had joined SME with the hopes of getting better backing, but now has been shipped to Japan as well, as an actress. She is continuously ignored and left in the background. And where was she SMTownLive?
And that's me being extremely vague. The artists and the fans suffer, and of course the fans are the only ones with the voices, considering that they are not bound by contract. And with the past SM has had with contracts and artists leaving the company, you know that their contracts will be iron clad and very very specific.
Now on to Cassiopeia and their reasoning for such a bold act. As I have previously mentioned, Cass have been constantly mistreated and disregarded by SM ever since they were established as an official FanClub. Cass and SM have never really seen eye to eye, but they have not reached their limits like this since the member fiasco.
You have to bear in mind the happenings of this year of the FanClub, and they go like this:
TVXQ and Japan: TVXQ announced after their "O Jung.Ban.Hap" album promotions that they were leaving to Japan to stay for almost 2 years (1 year and 7 months). What happened in Japan? A lot of things in terms of the boys. Openly the TVXQ boys have expressed certain episodes of their lives in Japan while they were away, and a lot of saddening news was disclosed. Cass as any fanclub would, care immensely about their boys, so the DBSK boys clearly declaring that they had gone through depression in Japan, and had gotten so ill sometimes that they would "cough up blood" would upset them. SM has a shady past in regards to their treatment of idols and Cass know that, so if these instances were declared publicly, just what could be hidden? Only some times have the members been seen to collapse and sent to Hospitals secretly, and only when fans witness these moments do they know about it (as opposed to other artists having such news spread in the media). Also the emergence of "Big East" as a separate fanclub, why would they have a seperate fanclub when "Cassiopeia" is "worldwide"?
SNSD: Oh dear, where do I begin? Cassiopeia initially had no qualms with this group. It only began after time.
Girl's Generation: Think for a moment and be reminded of what exactly the largest percentage of SMs customer base is. Girls right, pretty much "sonyeos", who are young unmarried women. Cassiopeia contains many male members, yet the majority of this fanclub (as any boy band FC would be like), contains mostly girls or "sonyeos". SM as you know doesn’t quite like Cassiopeia ever since they boycotted them the first time round. Nevertheless, having SNSD emerge and cause such a negative ruckus in terms of their disrespect and lack of humility, has angered Cass (and nearly everyone else), because it was their money that got them there in the first place. Think about it, over the years SM has taken a lot from the Cass piggybank and invested in other artists, when the artists are deserving there is no need to say anything, but with SNSD they just pushed them too far. Especially since they were meant to "represent" them as their generation, quite insulting when they haven’t done anything that paints them in a positive light.
SNSD fans and their lack of better judgment and cyber-abuse: Ever since the girls debuted and they had a "loyal" fan base, their fans have been entering other FCs territory and bashing. It's not surprising to see some renegade fans attacking other FCs, but the consistency and common nature of these negative and malicious messages and "flooding" has just reached ridiculous levels. Thus, making fans of other FCs uncomfortable and suffocating them within their own fandom. It's not just the bashing but the sheer level and immorality of the things they say is just, wrong. I really would not rather quote one incident that involves a reference to U-know Yunhos anti-fan attack.
The SNSD girls: Their constant disrespect to other artists, including of course DBSK has just gone too far. Being "friends" is not something you can actually clarify unless of course you are them, and since SM makes sure to make out that SMTown is a "family" it's not exactly legit if they seem friendly anyhow. They have constantly shown disrespect in the level of "language" they use with DBSK and other seniors in the business. Not using the right honorific is very important in Korean culture and they know it, but don’t seem to care.
Tiffany: It's nice of her to make sure she insults everyone, isn’t it? She claimed that Cassiopeia looked like "insects" as they wave their red balloons. Sounds like a bitter comment to me, after all an Ocean cannot be compared to a puddle, can it?
Claims of SNSD fans: saying that DBSK were "sexually harassing" the SNSD girls, although initially no one really cared about the Haptic CF.
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The Boycotting of SNSD - Dream Concert: Of course after all, the boycotting took place as a "silencing and demonstration against SNSD and their existence. No one seemed to really appreciate how amazing a feat it truly was. Three of the largest Fanclubs in Korea, joining together to go against the existence of such an insulting group of the Korean Nation, and the young girls they are meant to represent. Funnily enough even the mere fact that these FanClubs involved in the boycott can be regarded "rivals" was ignored, and SNSD were left as the "poor poor victims".
SM Entertainment: It's bad enough being ignored and disregarded with your idol sent to another country, but when you stand up for something you believe in and the company that represents your Idol makes you out to simply be "crazy obsessed and jealous fan girls", just takes the cake. SM deserves an article unto themselves to speak of their ill-doings of their fanclubs, the very people that make them who they are. SM plenty of times has made Cassiopeias' efforts against SNSD look like the acts of crazy, jealous fan girls. Firstly after Dream Concert, they made a documentary on Mnet making out as if DC was not planned and that the ones that were involved were of the crazy obsessed fan variety, jealous of SNSD and their contact with their idols. Secondly the boycott of SMTownLive in Seoul was covered up, although pictures clearly indicated the lack of fans. And more insultingly they made the 'X'ing in ShangHai again the actions of "jealous Cassiopeia" of the Haptic CF, singling out Cassiopeia. Those accounts would also indicate that any other boycott was for that reason, and that reason only. What ever happened to not biting the hand that feeds you?
Mirotic: It's hard to ignore this song and it's possible meanings. Now, don’t be naive in thinking that people are being far too paranoid in thinking this has a lot to do with Cassiopeia, and not in the positive light. Now that you know the past problems (and there are more, believe me), how could it not be an attack at Cassiopeia? SM have proved time and time again how malicious and cruel they can be to the treatment of the fans, why not go this far? Also, it's seriously naive to think that SM being a business and an Entertainment Company of such a large stature, would not invest a lot of money and research in to the market and the songs that they will be releasing. A lot of the money goes in to making sure that the products they are selling go by their standards, they would make sure that what comes out will be checked time and time again. So its hard to say that they didn’t know or think that Cassiopeia would read between the lines, after all shouldn’t they know the customer they've had for nearly 5 years? An extremely loyal customer at that.
Unfortunately after the documentary on Mnet and through out the years that SM has supported ill treatment of not only their stars, but the people who support them, it's influenced others to think negatively about them. Cassiopeia and ELF especially. Personally, I know Cassiopeia and have watched them grow and seen how mature they have become, they even showed their maturity as a young fanclub, but this video after the release of Mirotic speaks for itself:
T/N: sadly the video isn't posted online, but there's the following translation:
0:07: To those who dislike TVXQ and Cassiopeia 0:14: Do you hate us that much? 0:16: If you really hate us, can you teach us the reason why? *Bashing of Cass for being crazed/obsessed. That they should be cursed from the day they were born. "Music Bank's Standard for Selection criticized by TVXQ's fans. Change it to our liking!"* 0:44: News about lines for the new TVXQ album 0:46: They look pitiful. Are they trying to imitate SeoTaiji's fans? 0:53: Did we do something so wrong? 0:58: Then we'll show you something. 0:59: Seo TaiJi's fans. 1:05: We were merely standing in line, just like them, but we get bashed. 1:08: What did you say about other groups? SeoTaiji's still the best! Big Bangs still the best! Its admirable how they were able to sell all those albums 1:12: But do you know what they said about us? 1:13: They have 800,000 fanclub members but how come they only sold 100,000? TVXQ's newest albums sales low - after two days, only 300,000 sold. 1:20: And that we forced Music Bank to change the ranking in the album sales chart, we acknowledged that we shouldn't have done that. 1:23: But something similar has happened before. 1:25: Don't you remember what happened when Epik High released their album? 1:27: The album sales aren't accurate, add the number of album sales. 1:30: There were rumours like this, but we didn't say anything 1:37: But now, for us, it is a big issue. 1:40: And also, there was an incident like this 1:42: While TVXQ was in Japan 1:44: Music Industry in Depression 1:46: People were complaining that no one was buying albums 1:48: But now that we are buying albums 1:50: 'Look at that crazed obsessed fan wasting money' 1:52: Yes, you're correct 1:54: Whether we buy the album or not, 1:56: We will be cursed and bashed either way. 2:01: But you know, 2:03: You might be forgetting this 2:09: But we're people too. 2:13: We also bleed when we are pricked by a needle 2:16: We get hurt when we get stepped upon 2:20: Just like others, 2:25: We get hurt. 2:30: But, but.. 2:35: Everyone, you also don't know this 2:38: We Cassiopeia, 2:40: Look strong on the outside 2:43: But when no one is looking, we cry silently while trying to stop the tears.. 2:47: You guys didn't know that.. 2:49: You didn't acknowledge that.. 2:55: We would also like, for a little bit, 2:56: Just for a little bit, 2:58: For you to like us.. 3:00: To appreciate us.. 3:02: Warmly, thankfully.. 3:05: Can't you give us a chance? 3:08: Is it not possible? 3:12: Lastly, 3:14: When we're hit, we get hurt 3:18: That we're also human 3:20: Just please remember that. 3:25: Thank you for watching.
This was from the DBSK Daum, posted by a VIP. Yeah a Big Bang fan, and it's funny also how the people who were posting messages of support were not only Cassiopeia but ELF, Triple S, Wonderfuls, SHINee Worlders, VIPs (the most messages were from them) and Primadonnas (FT Island). For such a "crazy obsessed" fanclub, they sure have a lot of supporters don’t they?
If you're interested in what these fans had to say, here are some highlights by our great Staff translator thatsdumb.
Spoiler: FIRST BATCH OF TRANSLATIONS: CASSIOPEIA'S COMMENTS
[Cassiopeia] As a Nuna fan, I've been hurt a lot.. I have to be careful about how people see me, and it burdens and scares me. I can't proudly say out loud that I love our boys. But I know it must be harder for the younger fans, they must hurt more.. But we have to be strong for our boys. They are still there so we can't give up right?
[Cassiopeia] This are not just news articles. When TVXQ releases their single, I spend money, and my friends call me crazy/obsessed fan. But of course I also want to see their pictures and their DVDs so I buy both versions of the album (A and B), and I am called a crazy fan once again. When they come out on varieties on special shows, I also spend money and then I'm perceived as a crazy fan..
[Cassiopeia] There's a reason why we like them. We just.. like them. We want to give them everything we can, and so we try our best. You guys, when you have boyfriends or girlfriends, don't you feel the same way? You want to protect them, take care of them, buy things for them, feed them. As fans, we want to do what we can as fans to our beloved artists - that’s just simply it.
[Cassiopeia] ★We are just showing a strong image for TVXQ but we are just people, young people at that. Just because there are many members means that each member is strong.
[Cassiopeia] We live always being cursed, but we go one just to catch a glimpse of TVXQ - that’s just our simple joy. Can't you like us? Why do we always have to be cursed? We're people too. We do things for artists we love. We love and like TVXQ, that’s why we're acting like this...
[Cassiopeia] Until when do we have to be cursed? If you don't like us, just say so. Don't drag TVXQ into this and curse them too. For TVXQ, we are being careful in every action we take. For the Dream Concert, we spent the night waiting just to see them take the Korean stage in such a long time. Can't you like us even just a little bit? It’s hard being cursed all the time.
SECOND BATCH OF TRANSLATIONS: OTHER FC's
[V.I.P] Be strong Cassies.. Because there are a lot of members in your FCs, people perceive you a certain way. But now that TVXQ are back, Cassies and TVXQ together can show your true characters.. Be strong.. And don't mind those comments
[V.I.P] Cassies are the strongest, but these weird articles come up, and anti's write all these horrible things. It’s sad to see you guys hurt.. I don't know why anti's are always picking on groups that are doing well..
[E.L.F.] Cassies be strong! And don't forget that we are always on your side ^^
[E.L.F] Whatever we do, we are always labelled as crazed fans. It makes me so sad.. And makes me so mad. I want to curse them all for you.. (I'm sorry if you guys are hurt). Be strong!
[WonderFul] Cassiopeia are nice people, and of course when you like one group, as fans, you stick together for the artist. People who look down on the fanclubs are do not understand at all.
[WonderFul] You are well-mannered Cassies, so just don’t mind them
[TripleS] I am touched. Everyone be strong! These anti's must also be fans of other artists, but how can say such harsh things..
[Primadonna] Ah, I saw this a while ago at a blog. I understand your feelings. As a fan, I understand where you’re coming from. I also heard from school that I was such a crazed/obsessed fan.. But don't mind them. Be strong!
Now back to the boycott. How could I even say that they are being boycotted when they are still selling so many albums? Easy, it's all about the statistics.
Think back, before the DBSK boys came back in to the Korean Music Industry, what was everyone saying, or what was everyone thinking?
<blockquote>DBSK will dominate the Music Industry </blockquote>
<blockquote>DBSK will breathe life back in to the slump-ridden Music Industry </blockquote>
<blockquote>No one can compare to DBSK </blockquote>
<blockquote>No matter how good or bad DBSKs single is gonna be, Cass will make sure they're Number 1. </blockquote>
How many times have you seen people post similar things? And also how many WonderFuls out there were worried that DBSKs comeback would overshadow the Wonder Girls? No offence intended, but Wonder Girls in terms of fandom can not compete with DBSK. So how come in all of the charts, the Wonder Girls and their single "Nobody" beats out DBSKs "Mirotic"?
Mnet Charts: I'm going to look in to the Mnet Charts in detail, and leave to you the links of plenty of Korean charts to look at in your own time. (All statistics are according to time of print, they may change)
As you can see, DBSK are not doing as well as they should be. In fact, DBSK should be riding so high in the charts that no one can touch them. But what happened in their first comeback appearance on Music Bank when their single was released? Wonder Girls won first place in the Charts while DBSK were fourth. And after 2 weeks of appearing on SBS Inkigayo, DBSK lost out on the Mutizen to Lee HyoRi. To be honest, that should have been the first indication to fans that DBSK were being boycotted.
For references sake, here are some more charts and the DBSK Mirotic Rankings on them. The rankings are solely at time of print.
As DBSK, you know DBSK, they should be topping every one of these charts, as now Wonder Girls are doing. 800,000+ registered Cassiopeia and that's not including the non-fans that will purchase the music. Also not including the non-registered DBSK fans. Some statistics though have been confusing people, and I will take out a moment to explain them.
The 300,000+ Pre-orders
Pre-orders are just that, pre-orders. As in they are either orders directly from consumers or resalers (i.e. Internet music selling sites and Record Stores). So basically in regards to consumers, they order these albums and put them on "reserve", not until the day the album is released is the money exchanged and the album is actually bought. Same with the stores, not until the album leaves the premises or website as a paid-for product is it recorded as a "sale". Pre-orders are impressive but it is a clear indication that these albums were not all sold. Now, 100,000+ albums being sold is a great thing for the Music Industry, but not something expected from DBSK, who were meant to give the Music Industry the "kiss of life". (Not forgetting that 100,000 is an eighth of Cass).
Hence this piece of information:
Something else that's confusing people is Music Banks K-Chart that listed DBSKs Fourth Album as Number 1.
Take a close look at that image. The date clearly states the 1st of September to the 22nd, problem is, DBSKs album wasnt set for release until the 24th, and even that was pushed back to the 26th. So how come its 1st in the K-chart? Well let me tell you something about the K-Chart, it’s a round up of the top providers for cell phones (music), online music purchases and offline, and since the Pre-orders were so many, Music Bank included them in the tally. That was what the Cassiopeia video was referring to.
I hope everything is clear in regards to statistics. Now another indication to the Cass boycott should have been more obvious than statistics and numbers. All you need is to listen and perhaps keep a sharp eye on faces. Now I suggest for the sake of making things clear, for you to watch all the videos that I will provide.
Now for people to really see how big a deal it is, you all need to watch the "Purple Line" comeback performances in February on Music Bank and Inkigayo, listen to the chants.
Inkigayo - Purple Line - 24th Feb
Music Bank - Purple Line - 29th Feb
Inkigayo - Mirotic - 28th Sep [video has been taken out..look it up on youtube]
Music Bank - Mirotic - 3rd Oct [video has been taken out...look it up on youtube]
That is not Cass, the one we know and have come to get used to. If anything there is faint yelling and other FCs cheering. You also need to look at the faces of the boys to realise that something is a little "off". My respect for DBSK though has shot through the roof. Their professionalism is extraordinary, and despite the mental strain and illnesses they perform near-perfect every time. If you are still not convinced at the boycott, I just say time will tell.
Is it also odd that the DBSK Music Bank appearance this Friday has been cancelled.
Apparently there have been some ridiculous rumors that the Korean Cassiopeia has taken up the Japanese style of attentive listening during performances. That is all just fan speculation, and I am guessing that they too have noticed the lack of crowds and cheer. One of the charms of K-Pop is the chanting and the fandom, it's a big part of that culture to come to performances with chants in mind, balloons in hand and a hearty spirit, that culture cannot change overnight. This takes planning and coordination to do and for people to regard it as just a "wake up and walk out" kind of event, they are sorely mistaken. Cassiopeia with all evidences lined up has started their boycott.
Now refer back to the first image I posted. That is Cass at the Asia Song Festival 2008. Lacking in fans but that one section was filled. Read what it says, "TVXQ No.1", do you realise the significance of that now? Cassiopeia came to send that message to DBSK, that to them they are still Number 1, but this fight must be fought for the sake of their fandom, their idols, SM Entertainment and the suffering fans. Cassiopeia are extremely dedicated and as one can imagine it is breaking them up inside to have to do this, but SM as well as other Entertainment Companies must know that fans cannot be disregarded. Fans should be seen as Number 1 themselves. If anything we should applaud and support Cassiopeia for making such a huge sacrifice in the sake of their boys, other FCs and changing the Industry itself. This will be set as an example to other Companies and show them that fans are not their "slaves" and must be seen as equals.
______________________________________________ All Sites linked. So much thanks to queenbee, who without I couldnt have had half this information. Thanks also for translations by thatsdumb and Angel for links.
Last edited by Bento_box on Wed 08 Oct 2008, 9:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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