When K-pop group ATEEZ debuted at No. 42 on The Billboard 200 albums chart in September, it was not only a coup for the band but a direct result of the power of fan interactions to sell albums.
Much of that credit goes to Hello82, a company established in 2018 to harness the rabid K-pop fandom that exists outside of Korea. The company drives fans to its website through geographically targeted YouTube channels—North America, Latin America and Indonesia, with an Arabic channel on the way—featuring a variety of short-form content.
Once there, enthusiasts who enter via a free sign-up are privy to exclusive programming that includes livestreamed concerts but also content that goes much deeper and broader. Artists and band members participate in virtual activities, photo shoots and videos. A recent activation saw the girl group ITZY playing a virtual round of the game Mafia with a group of fans.
Not surprisingly, that kind of access flows to sales of albums and merch, which Hello82 sells directly on its site.
“There is trust and recognition of Hello82 as a go-to place for K-pop content,” says Sang Cho, founder of Hello82 parent company KAI Media. “And then we work with artists on their album sales cycles. Artists generally appear on the Hello82 channel two to three weeks before an album drops, and that kicks of the sales cycle.”
In the case of ATEEZ, which also played games and created unique content for fans on the site, Hello82 serves as the exclusive retailer for the physical version of the band’s EP in the US.
“This is a milestone moment for ATEEZ,” says KAI Media CEO Jae Yoon Choi. “We know how important making the [Billboard] list is to all artists, especially K-pop idols, and of course how important it is to their fans. We are thrilled to have been a part of promoting this album.”
So while fandom looks a little different in the hybrid world of virtual experiences, the core element of deep connections between audience and talent, and among individual fans, is not only alive and well—but in many cases is even more elevated.
“The interesting thing with these live events is we always see an uptick in sales right after the show, for four to six hours,” says Cho. “It’s almost like when people go to concerts and are walking out the door and walk by a concession stand. That’s the kind of effect we’re having.”
Cho envisions the virtual world on Hello82 growing even more robust as live shows return.
“It’s great that live events are coming back, as people do want to have a shared experience. But what the last couple years allowed to happen is this mindset shift that Yes, you can have a fun engaging experience virtually as well,” he says. “The key is, and what we focus on, is making sure that experience is different. If you just replicate what happens in real life and put it on a flat screen, it loses its effect. Both things can coexist and complement each other.”
Super-Serving Super Fans
Driving direct connections with music artists, athletes, actors and other influencers is the business model at fan engagement company 237 Global, which counts Shawn Mendes and his management AG Artists as investors.
The company creates direct-to-fan apps—the ShawnAccess app it launched for Mendes has been downloaded more than 700,000 times—that not only facilitate talent interaction with fans but also serve as hubs to sell concert tickets, merch and both virtual and in-person VIP experiences. 237 Global also provides interactive tour experiences. The company counts Justin Bieber and Panic! At The Disco as clients, and it has had a presence on dates during the Alanis Morissette, Hella Mega and Lynyrd Skynyrd tours.
“Our mission is to get every major celebrity, and emerging celebrities, into the App Store and Google store with their own presence,” says Mark Weiss, the former Warner Bros. Records executive who founded 237 Global. “I want to shout it from the rooftops. We want to connect every fan to them in some meaningful way.”
The concept is resonating. During the past year and a half 237 Global has launched apps for 24KGoldn, 311, Barenaked Ladies, Tate McCrae and Weezer. Iann Dior, Avril Lavigne, New Kids on the Block and Trippie Redd apps are on the schedule, and the company is expanding into other verticals such as working with the SmartLess podcast that features Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes.
“For some artists who don’t tour as much… we’ve gotten to do virtual meet and greets with them that did really well. And their fans were really grateful,” Weiss says. “Whether active or passive or just helping out, these are kinds of things we are here to do. The more we can prove launching an app will improve your overall sales across the board, the better received we will be in the industry.”
Fans X Fans
Key to the business of fandom are the connections fans make with each other.
Virtual fan relationships have been a significant contributor to the success of intimate livestream performances for artists including Melissa Etheridge, who began selling direct access to virtual shows from her home studio early during the pandemic—to the tune of $50,000 a month—that included not only music but extensive chat and bonding.
“It’s not just entertainer to fan, there’s also fan to fan. You find your people,” says Brandon Frankel, head of partnerships at live-streaming platform NoCap. “One of the things we’re trying to accentuate is encouraging people to consume our content together on the screen, as they would in real life.”
While NoCap is steeped in the livestream realm, it is also propelling fan interactions in real life. For its “Travis Barker House of Horrors” concert event, which includes performances by Barker, Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Black Bear and Iann Dior and will air Halloween weekend, the company staged a show for a few hundred guests. For a recent livestream of a sold-out Russ concert in Las Vegas, the company launched a contest encouraging fans to host an IRL watch party and funded the winner’s party.
Response was strong, Frankel says, because “people are excited to gather again, and music is a great conduit. You have to diversify what you’re providing the end user, the fan, because the market is very saturated.”