BTS BTS hit big with the most successful virtual concert yet

BTS are the best selling artist of 2020, and their label, Big Hit Music, deserves credit for the innovations they have championed in driving fandom – particularly with virtual concerts. Map of the Soul: ON:E is the most successful virtual concert yet, selling 993,000 tickets and earning $35 million in revenue. The production and user experience have set the mark on how to deliver an engaging, innovative and lucrative virtual concert.

The two-day event provided HD multiview tickets that allowed fans to view different angles of the performance, and ranged from $44.55 to $90, which could include options for one-day and exhibition access. For members of A.R.M.Y (the BTS fan club), there was an opportunity to buy limited tickets, which included discounted tickets, single-view, post-show access, and cash for the Weverse store. The exhibition is essentially a virtual BTS museum featuring photos, music and lyrics, choreography, tour history and auto-generated personalised messages from BTS. Fans could easily spend an hour consuming all the content that was available as they went from room to room. The build-up to the show also included a clear guide on how to access and enjoy the experience, making clear that, unlike a live show, this could, and should, be enjoyed with good food, comfortable clothes and headphones.

Merchandise was always going to be a key driver of monetisation. The camera wasted no time on focusing on BTS members wearing the abundance of products that could be bought at varying price points. Fans could purchase a special edition Army Bomb for the show, which is a light stick that flashes and responds to the performance once integrated. Lightsticks are common in K-pop, but they were particularly useful in a virtual concert when it came to allowing fans to be seen.

It is worth bearing in mind that this is a new format and experience for the artists too. When BTS asked their fans to shake their lightsticks and saw them respond, it delivered a profound realisation that this connection with a global crowd is real and can work. Simulating the crowd experience was also delivered from a fan-to-fan perspective, with live chat groups of Army members.

The production of the show itself was made to be watched on a screen. With the virtual concert being a video format, BTS have shown that artists can get away with essentially stitching together cinematic visuals and exclusive music videos in between songs in a way that could never be as effective in real life. The venue also offered an impressive array of all-encompassing LED screens that are reminiscent of the virtual sets used in shows, like the Mandalorian. The show also featured limited use of augmented reality, as fans could see their webcams overlaid on AR graphics.

The concert is not without its challenges. Many fans were hesitant to engage with the multiview and interactive function, as there is a risk it could disrupt the internet connection. This demonstrates that there is still a trust issue with the interactive features of virtual concerts. Unlike concerts in games, like Fortnite, that are taking place on a high-powered console, many fans watching on lower-end laptops are anxious about losing the stream.

Another clear challenge was that BTS miss their crowd of fans. It was, without a doubt, a challenging and emotional experience for the BTS members. However, considering there is limited space in the venue for IRL fans, future virtual concerts have the potential to kick off tours or album releases, and also provide some of the most intimate and high-value tickets.