by When I opened the solo album of group BTS member J-Hope released on the 15th, there was no CD. An album without a CD can feel like a steamed bun without red beans. The secret key is in the QR code. By recognizing the QR code attached to the package on the Weverse Album application, album purchasers can own the album contents, such as music and photos, as digital files. It is a Weverse album that Hive first released in May.
Hive is not the first agency in the music industry to release a CD-free album. When the group Victon released their 7th mini album ‘Chaos’ in May last year, they added a platform album containing only photo cards instead of a physical CD. Reading the QR code with the one-take application made it possible to access the music contents, such as music and photos. Groups Apink, Brave Girls, Weekly, P1 Harmony, and Billy also released digital platform albums through 1 take.
The most significant advantage of CD-free albums is less waste to dispose of. Physical albums are usually challenging to recycle because they are mixed with materials such as thick paper packaging, plastic CDs, and vinyl-coated photos. K-Pop for Planet, a climate action group, made up of K-pop fandoms, has urged major agencies such as Hive to come up with countermeasures, saying, “Entertainment companies that are accelerating the climate crisis should improve their physical record culture.”
Lee Da-Yeon, an activist of K-Pop 4 Planet, told Cookie News on the 18th, “I realize that there is a growing interest in the climate crisis online, especially among women in their teens and 20s.” It is analyzed that Generation Z is accepting the slogan of K-Pop for Planet, ‘There is no K-pop on a dead earth’ as ”their future.” The activist said, “A video of a campaign to improve the physical music culture in front of Hive’s office building in front of Earth Day in April spread online, increasing supporters,” said the activist. It seems that a consensus has been formed.”
Have you responded to this request? In March, SM Entertainment produced the 2nd regular repackage album of their group NCT Dream with eco-friendly materials. The album was made with FSC-certified paper, quickly biodegradable soybean oil ink, and a UV-blocking coating that does not emit volatile organic compounds. YG Entertainment’s group iKON and WINNER also presented eco-friendly albums using FSC-certified paper, low-carbon eco-friendly paper, soybean oil ink, and environmental protection coatings. WINNER recently released a card wallet made from large recycled banners used at concerts as a commemorative product (MD) and received a good response from K-pop climate activists.
The activist said, “K-pop agencies have implemented a policy of purchasing multiple albums, such as including random photo cards in the physical album package or allowing them to apply for a fan signing event. Many K-pop fans accept spending to support their favorite singers. Still, they point out that agencies that only place the responsibility of handling physical albums on their fans are irresponsible. The top priority is to ensure that K-pop agencies continue to provide green options (eco-friendly album options) such as digital platform albums.”
