As the boy group returns in March, labels adjust comeback strategies to capture spillover momentum
As BTS prepares to release its highly anticipated new album “Arirang” on March 20, other K-pop acts planning comebacks around the same period are recalibrating their schedules to navigate the ripple effects of the group’s return.
Within Hybe, which houses BTS’ agency Big Hit Music, affiliated labels are moving in strategic alignment with the comeback. Rather than avoiding the period altogether, some groups are timing their releases to benefit from heightened attention on K-pop as a whole — a so-called trickle-down effect.
Case in point is Tomorrow X Together, which confirmed on Thursday that it will release a new album in April, less than a month after BTS’ return. The release will mark TXT’s first Korean release in nine months, following its fourth studio album, “The Star Chapter: Together.”
Industry observers say the timing was deliberate.
“From Hybe’s perspective, BTS’ comeback creates opportunities for synergy among its subsidiary labels — or more precisely, spillover effects,” music critic Lim Hee-yun said Monday. “Even if groups don’t promote at exactly the same time, releasing albums in a similar window and overlapping tours or content shoots naturally disperses BTS-focused attention toward junior acts.”
Lim added that Hybe has a strong incentive to maximize momentum beyond BTS itself. “There isn’t another group at BTS’ level right now, so Hybe needs the next tier to grow. This comeback isn’t just about BTS — it’s about extracting additional value from the moment.”
According to a source familiar with Hybe’s internal planning, the timing of BTS’ and TXT’s comebacks was coordinated as early as the second half of last year.
“The plan was always for BTS and TXT to return with a gap of one or two weeks, either before or after each other,” the source said. “The idea was to keep them within the same promotional window, potentially with collaboration opportunities in mind.”
The source added that Enhypen had initially considered a comeback in March or April but moved its release up to January to avoid overlapping too closely with BTS.
The calculus shifts, however, for groups seen as direct competitors.
Major acts have largely steered clear of March. Exo released its eighth studio album “Reverxe” in January, while Ive and Blackpink are set to release their second full-length album “Revive+” and third EP “Deadline,” respectively, in February. Big Bang is expected to stage its return around April, coinciding with its appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
“Generally speaking, there’s very little upside to scheduling a comeback directly against a group at BTS’ scale,” Lim said. “Public attention inevitably gravitates toward BTS. From a promotional standpoint, it’s a clear disadvantage.”
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com
