A band member has spoken up about being offered a chance to engage in chart manipulation.

On the November 26 broadcast of the podcast “Jung Young Jin and Choi Wook’s Maebul Show,” Sultan of the Disco drummer Kim Ganji was asked his thoughts on rumors of certain artists using digital chart manipulation. The subject has recently drawn attention again as Block B’s Park Kyung shared a post accusing several artists of engaging in it.

Kim Ganji shared in response that his band has been contacted by a broker, which is a concept that was also explained by music critic Kim Jak Ga in a recent interview.

The drummer revealed, “The broker said, ‘You guys have been doing this for about 10 years, so it’s about time that you make it big in this industry. There is somewhat of a context, so [the chart manipulation] can be hidden.’ The offer was for profits to be divided with a ratio of 8:2, with the broker taking 8.” He explained that even if the artists don’t have money, chart manipulation can still be done through this division of profits and the broker paying for any costs initially.

He continued, “It can’t just happen, so they give natural exposure to the new song through Facebook pages like ‘Live Performances That Give Goosebumps’ and make it seem like the rankings are suddenly rising due to viral marketing. We thought about it but rejected.”

Kim Ganji added, “From the point of view of less famous artists, it can be inevitably tempting.”

Music critic Bae Soon Tak also said he does not know specifically about the artists mentioned by Park Kyung but noted, “I looked at the graphs [of their chart rankings], and their graphs rise drastically within two hours. They are able to break through even when idols release new music, so it can only be seen as chart manipulation when artists without fandoms suddenly rise at 2 a.m.”

Bae Soon Tak concluded, “The real problem is people who say that even if a song is manipulated on charts, it’s okay if the song is good. Is it excusable just because they’re good at making music although morally wrong actions were taken?”

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