Little Pink Starfish

Since Sedalbaekil used the official site’s own streaming function, the broadcast was overall quite smooth.

The fact that there were no random trolls alone significantly improved the quality of the broadcast.

Of course, that didn’t mean there were no toxic solo fans or attention seekers, but compared to other idol streaming broadcasts, it was much cleaner.

Still, from the fans’ perspective, there were some disappointing aspects. The official site felt too dry.

It wasn’t lacking in functionality.

In fact, it had more than enough features.

What other idol group ranks monthly top customization rankings on their official site?

What fans felt was lacking was the design.

Even in the current streaming, there were very few ways for fans to express their emotions.

But this was unavoidable.

After all, the one who designed the official site was Han Shion, a seasoned regressor heavily influenced by macho American culture.

And the one who implemented it was CEO Kang of ANB Engine, who had the pure soul of an extreme engineering nerd.

[Hello!]

[Greetings, Time Travelers.]

[Hyung, that’s too stiff.]

It was the second streaming since the fandom name had been decided, but Han Shion was still persistently calling them by their full name instead of TT.

He claimed it was out of respect, but everyone knew the truth.

TT sounded too cute, and Han Shion had a pathological aversion to anything cute.

[Then I’ll call you Double T.]

[That’s worse…….]

There were some fans who disliked Han Shion’s attitude, but surprisingly, not all.

Because if you kept asking, he would eventually give in.

Breaking down.

[…TT.]

Watching Han Shion collapse like that was quite amusing.

And so the streaming broadcast began.

The members introduced the K-pop Struggle and State Of Mind fanchants they had prepared in advance and talked a bit about the upcoming music show appearance.

The conclusion was simple.

There was nothing to prepare.

Just bring your membership card and ID.

The rest would be taken care of.

-????

-What do you mean “taken care of”!

Even as the fans kept asking, the members confidently repeated the same answer.

Around that point, it was time for what had become Sedalbaekil’s identity: “that time.”

[I’m drinking water…….]

[Water is precious…….]

[Water is life…….]

It was the mid-broadcast commercial time.

-lolololol

-Where’s your soul lol

-If you’re gonna use your soul like that, can I have it?

What started as a joke at the fans’ request during the first streaming had now become Sedalbaekil’s signature.

But surprisingly—

-Huh? The label’s showing?

-It’s a broadcast accident! lol

Even the advertisers had their eyes on this.

[Fresh and lively water drawn directly from deep underground.]

[Not “fresh and lively,” it’s “full of vitality and purity”……]

[I don’t think you personally drew it……?]

[Water full of vitality and purity, drawn from deep underground.]

[Ah, the refreshing, clean taste!]

-lol what do you mean clean taste for water lol

Though it seemed half-joking, it was actually all scripted.

It wasn’t just for the stream, but also scheduled to be uploaded on official channels.

As the commercial segment was ending, Han Shion spoke.

One of the unwritten rules of Sedalbaekil’s streaming was that after the mid-commercial time, there would always be some kind of announcement.

Of course, the announcements weren’t always grand.

Sometimes they announced big things like music show appearances (before articles were published), but most of the time it was minor.

They had revealed fan songs made during breaks or shared the members’ health checkup results.

In other words, while they continued the tradition of post-commercial announcements, it wasn’t always treated as a major event.

This time, there was an announcement.

[An album will be released.]

[It’s a full album with 13 tracks.]

But this was no small matter.

---

[Sedalbaekil announces release of first full album]

[13 tracks including Colorful Struggle and State Of Mind!]

[Sedalbaekil builds self-sufficient ecosystem, pre-orders begin through official site]

[Sedalbaekil breaks away from traditional album sales marketing!]

Articles about Sedalbaekil’s full album flooded in.

At the same time, the marketing and viral campaigns launched.

Sedalbaekil finally had a dedicated promotion and marketing team.

It was Team Leader Seo Seunghyun, who had moved from BVB Entertainment to Sedalbaekil, and the team he built.

Of course, there were also critical articles.

[Official site -> linked to online retailers? Will chart counts be accurate? Some point out that it’s extremely vulnerable to bulk-buying.]

[Sedalbaekil’s album sales method, a criticism of idol album market practices.]

[Sedalbaekil, debuted through a survival show—will their lofty ideals be respected?]

These articles weren’t just because of Lion Entertainment.

This time, other entertainment companies that had remained neutral toward Sedalbaekil also stirred.

Because Sedalbaekil was infringing too much on industry etiquette.

---

[Summary of Sedalbaekil’s streaming. Only objective information, no personal opinions.]

…And for SBN music show, it’ll be prerecording + live broadcast. Prerecording song is K-pop Struggle, 150 people attending.

Choi Jaesung’s “Stunumje” is being filmed. Seems like another variety-type project but no details given.

Now the album talk.

It’s not an EP but a full first album.

K-pop Struggle will be included as a bonus? hidden? track, total 13 tracks including Colorful Struggle.

Title track seems to be State Of Mind but not 100% confirmed.

Since the album title is <The First Day>, some speculate there may be a title track of the same name.

Now the surprising part.

Pre-orders are being taken on their official site. The site is linked with retailers.

The main reason for using their site seems to be the merch—fans can select photo cards and merch of their chosen member.

What goes to stores will be random.

So if you want your desired photo card or merch, pre-order.

Album price is 13,000 won…;;

According to Han Shion, they want to minimize the fan sign cut-off line.

There will be no store purchase ranking system, and sign event will be fully random draw, one entry per person instead of per album.

But since this requires a lot of manpower, they’re still figuring out logistics.

Maybe fan sign draws will only happen through official site pre-orders? Then one draw per account.

He hopes fans will only buy what they need. Though he joked that one copy feels a bit lonely and two copies could be gifted to friends or family.

After that……

(skipping)

.

.

(Adding based on comments)

No mention of other groups’ sales methods during broadcast.

They only said: “We just want to do it this way.”

No malicious intent.

---

To many Korean entertainment companies, Sedalbaekil’s album sales strategy posed too many threats to their marketing logic.

The price was too low, and fans could choose the merch and photo cards they wanted.

They were trying to sell only as many albums as fans actually wanted, lowering the fan sign cut-off line as much as possible.

If an unpopular group had done this, they would’ve been laughed at.

It would’ve seemed like a desperate attempt at an honorable death since their albums wouldn’t sell anyway.

But Sedalbaekil was different.

What they did wasn’t seen as “different.”

It was seen as “ahead.”

If the current top group adopted this method, what would happen to the others?

If they continued as usual, they might be criticized.

That’s why many entertainment companies were frowning and standing up.

Naturally, other groups’ fandoms also reacted sensitively.

This positioning could make it seem like only Sedalbaekil cares about their fans, while others are obsessed with money.

But then, completely unexpected support came for Sedalbaekil.

First, from environmental groups, oddly enough.

In 2017, national discourse on carbon neutrality hadn’t reached its peak yet, and national agencies weren’t fully established.

But discussions about reducing plastic and carbon were already common.

Environmental groups occasionally spoke in favor of USB albums rather than physical CDs.

While talking about something unrelated, these groups suddenly mentioned Sedalbaekil.

-We’re not saying people shouldn’t enjoy culture. After all, we live in the era of homo ludens (the playful human).

-But that cultural enjoyment shouldn’t rob future generations of their future. I read this morning about Sedalbaekil’s marketing approach—it’s brilliant. Such smart young people……

The second unexpected support came from a famous streamer, a former moderately successful idol who now did personal broadcasts online.

Though they often shared funny industry stories, they never stirred controversy—but now they mentioned Sedalbaekil.

-Honestly, most idols probably wish they could do it like Sedalbaekil. The problem is their companies won’t allow it.

-I think the reason talented idol singers aren’t treated like musicians is because of how their marketing is handled.

-The enjoyment of the music itself is always pushed to the back. That’s just how companies operate.

-Of course, this only applies to artists who’ve already passed the break-even point and are receiving payouts.

At this point, the idol scene’s atmosphere began to shift slightly.

When you think about it, it made sense.

It’s not the idols or fans deciding on the marketing, but the companies.

Of course, it’s natural for capitalist logic to enter idol marketing.

Maximizing profit isn’t a bad thing for companies.

But it was true that sometimes the way companies handled it could be annoying.

-(photo)(photo) Today’s K’s Twitter. Isn’t the photo of one physical album kind of symbolic?

-To be honest, K has often expressed concern that fans spend too much money.

And needless to say……

-lol Hip Shion. Turns out he wasn’t trying to be an idol. He’s just doing whatever he wants lol

-At 13,000 won even I want to buy one? Just Colorful Struggle and State Of Mind alone guarantee the album’s quality;

-lol if you’re gonna buy it, pick which member’s photo card you want lololol

-Can’t I get no photo card version.

-Think of the sea turtles suffering from plastic!

-Smart young man.

-But seriously, they seem to have spent money on the music video too. Where are they earning money?

-They don’t have a company taking a cut, remember.

-Don’t worry. They’re becoming a blue-chip in advertising. (link)

-You mean Fresh & Lively? Honestly kind of want that bottled water now.

–Clean taste lol

The general public, completely detached from idol culture, applauded Sedalbaekil’s moves.

All of this happened in just one day.

Entertainment news, social news, music charts, real-time searches, SNS buzz volume, etc.

Sedalbaekil hit number one across all indicators.

“Ugh……”

“Get up. It’s 3 a.m. Time to head out.”

They were waking up at 3 a.m. for their first music show appearance.