Anyone that thinks that if all members enlist together BTS won't take a hit is lying.

No fandom no matter how loyal they are can withstand a 18 month hiatus, if your counter to that is "But Blackpink?" you're wrong, they might not release music as a group but they're always active in the public eye, last year they had 2 members release solo's and 1 member doing a drama+ tons of endorsement activities , that's not the hiatus bts will be facing, bts will have to be radio silent for 18 months.

I'm not saying BTS will flop or anything (even if they lose half of their fandom it will still eclipse any other group by a mile) but their momentum will be disrupted for sure.

The best option for them (if the are not exempted) is to let the hyung like enlist first and makne like promote since they have still at least 5 years till they have to enlist.

But then again, how is it fair to j-hope and RM since they basically have to enlist 2 years early, it all depends on their loyalty to the bts brand.

i mean yeah it would take a hit, especially in terms of casual fans but what can they do? it's better to not worry about popularity and instead think about what they want from their career long term

i think that's what they are going to do and decide based on what they want from their group and individual careers

I'll be supporting either way

as someone following this closely, i’m

gonna nicely ask everyone to drop this topic for a month or so and wait for news. until

then, anticipate a few other announcements from BTS that should cheer you up.

They are already legendary. Going down is inevitable but they already left their marks in the music history books. Like MJ’s peak was Thriller IMO but he kept getting hits after that (but not to the impact of thriller), but people already know he’s one of the legends.

Some of you guys are stupid and act as if BTS can’t record anything before entering the military. They can release contents in between to keep the fandom fed. It’s not rocket science

They will take a hit. That's why hybe is doing everything they can to get that exemption for them.

But even if they take a hit, they will still be bigger than the rest of kpop. case closed.

If the Proof era was better planned and released at the end of year with a couple of surefire hit songs included it could very well serve them for 18 months…my main gripe is this. I feel like HYBE fails at strategy. They desperately need to get over their ego and allow UMG to take over on release strategy (or should have let Sony finish their job after two successful years of pandemic era smash singles).

Even if exemption didn’t happen, there’s still plenty of time this year for new music, a tour AND the anthology — in hindsight, this will become obvious. But in times of uncertainty, HYBE becomes a deer in headlights.

I'm not lying, 18 months enlistment together >>> than stan staggered enlistment that may take 10 years.

I really believe that

Armys around me are already moving to new 4th gen groups.

Quote from Dried Orange & Olive Lamb (47)

Some of you guys are stupid and act as if BTS can’t record anything before entering the military. They can release contents in between to keep the fandom fed. It’s not rocket science

But who will be there to promote them? We all know how incompetent HYBE is, when BTS isn't actively engaged in the promotions.

I don't understand why people have this OT7 or nothing agenda. They can still have comebacks and concerts as a 4-5 member unit. On top of that, everyone can focus on their solo careers. It's seriously not as bad as people want it to be.

Quote from Dried Orange & Olive Lamb (47)

Some of you guys are stupid and act as if BTS can’t record anything before entering the military. They can release contents in between to keep the fandom fed. It’s not rocket science

No they can't, earning any sort of external income during enlistment is not allowed. Psy had to redo his enlistment due to one performance and even baekhyun wasn't allowed to release any prefilmed content during his enlistment

Quote from Breaded Rhubarb Turkey (935)

They will take a hit. That's why hybe is doing everything they can to get that exemption for them.

But even if they take a hit, they will still be bigger than the rest of kpop. case closed.

They can avoid it by letting the maknae like promote

it is the cycle of a kpop boy group life

Why do fans want them to enlist together? Wouldn't they rather have continuing content? By the time the youngest are enlisting the older ones will be done. They can do solo projects and sub-units, even solo tours and fanmeets. If all 7 disappear for 18 months (2 years if the new President actions that soon) they will inevitably hemorrhage fans.

Also - Army's - y'all want those 7 tearful goodbyes and 7 tearful reunions. You know you do. You'd feel short changed with only one.

Quote from Stewed Mustard & Thyme Yak (878)

Armys around me are already moving to new 4th gen groups.

They already lost a lot of hype. The hiatus and anthology killed it. Still bigger than the other bg but declining steadily.

Quote from OP

No they can't, earning any sort of external income during enlistment is not allowed. Psy had to redo his enlistment due to one performance and even baekhyun wasn't allowed to release any prefilmed content during his enlistment

perhaps at least this part of the musty rules can be revamped, since they’re going through a total re-examination of how this and all future situations are going to play out

I think looking at the past will not be helpful anymore

They will take a hit for sure. The hype for this comeback is very low and with the uncertainty of another one this year, along with the fact that they might enlist all together will make things worse.

People need something to hype and this badly planned comeback, the same songs and the lack of a new concept might turn people away, and no matter how much Armys will say it's ok, it will cause problems.

I mean, look at those 4th gen bg sales. They got new fans and a lot of them are Armys who need something exciting.

Plus, Hybe didn't think their marketing strategies well. Like only a part of the fandom will hype their making this game or whatever. They are keeping their image hostage in order to milk them with the nonstop new merch and the games.

They have one of the biggest artists in the world and they are keeping them hidden in order to promote their platforms and ventures. Profits over common sense.

Things don't look very promising for their enlistment, no matter what they decide to do.

Quote from Brined Mustard & Thyme Horse (363)

it is the cycle of a kpop boy group life

yes but BTS are the biggest artist in the world and should not be subjected to this career-sabotaging fate just because “that’s the way things used to be”. it’s time to create new rules that reflect new realities.

Quote from Dried Orange & Olive Lamb (47)

Some of you guys are stupid and act as if BTS can’t record anything before entering the military. They can release contents in between to keep the fandom fed. It’s not rocket science

I'm pretty sure that's illegal or something. I remember Baekhyun had nearly gotten into a huge controversy because (I think) his youtube channel was uploading pre-recorded content while he was in military service, and people thought he was making money off of it. I think what happened was that it turned out his channel wasn't monetized or something like that. If BTS tried to do the same it might land them in even hotter water if they accidentally end up making money off it.