These days, the newly formed Kpop group RIIZE is making headlines, sparking controversy because of “sajaegi.” What’s that? The allegations made against the boy band following the decrease in the sale of its first album have become a big question.
RIIZE is a Kpop boy group formed sometime in 2023, signed under SM Entertainment. Who are the members of the group? They are Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee, and Anton, respectively.
Being a fan, did you not listen to RIIZE’s recently released song – Love 119? It’s incredibly good. However, one must note that it made its debut single album on 4 September 2023. It goes by the name – “Get a Guitar.” To be more particular about it, the album consists of one title track of the same name and another single – Memories.
Moving on with RIIZE’s sajaegi controversy, many people are not aware of what it means. Also, why did the sale of the aforementioned album decrease? The Kpop group has organized more than 60 events, requiring fans to purchase albums for special privileges and benefits.
Not to forget to mention, RIIZE’s album – “Get a Guitar” coveted the title of “Million-Selling” just during the first week of its release. What happened? Here is everything we know.
RIIZE Controversy Related To Sajaegi: Everything To Know
Before getting into the controversy, one must note that ”Get a Guitar” garnered a total sale record of 1039600 copies by the end of release month in September.
Unfortunately, the sales record decreased to 1038084 in December. That’s quite a prominent declination. After coming across the drop, people were not just surprised but confused, too. Why did it happen? Did RIIZE use any illegal tactic initially to increase the sales number?
As discussed earlier, RIIZE has used multiple fan events extensively. It continued even when the band was done with the promotion of the “Get a Guitar” album. The reason behind such declination has been nothing but these events.
Concerning “sajaegi,” it’s a Korean term referring to fake voting. In other words, in the world of Kpop, it stands for unethical or illegal manipulation of chart rankings. The accusation was made on 11 January 2024. That’s right, a few days ago.
The tactic includes the use of bots and computer farms to artificially show an increase and high figure in the streaming numbers and boost chart positions.
Naturally, the decline in the chart sales record confused many fans, and some ended up accusing RIIZE of sajaegi. As far as the reason is concerned, the agency of the Kpop group, SM Entertainment, collaborated with the album distributors to place orders in advance.
In other words, it meant that it forced people to buy the album in bulk in the first week, even before the physical distribution.
Fans took part in the discussion on social media, expressing their opinion regarding RIIZE being accused of fake voting. One person wrote, “SM pulled a fast one to build hype for RIIZE so they could have the ‘Million-Seller’ title, but in the end, we won’t ever know if they were capable of selling a million albums just with their debut…”
Another person shared that whatever fame RIIZE has achieved so far, especially as the “rising rookies,” were all fabricated. It was all lies. Some even claimed that if someone cheats, then he or she needs to make sure not to get caught. While some shared that RIIZE should be awarded the “Best Sajaegi Award.”
On the other hand, some fans also defended the rookie group, calling the accusations very much baseless. A fan shared that someone must be triggered, accusing RIIZE of sajaegi, for doing good on charts. She also cited that the sales record varies and fluctuates, having nothing to do with the cheap strategy. What’s your say?
Do you believe that the accusations of sajaegi were true in the case of RIIZE? Many devoted fans cited that the allegations made against the Kpop group also affected the reputation of the group to some extent.
It’s not just about the SM Entertainment. Each of the agencies in the Kpop field tries hard to market themselves as the top company. However, it should also take care of the methods and marketing strategies. What do you think of the scandal?
