Please Take a Second to Vote in This Poll, as Your Vote Will Help Settle a Long-Standing Question of How to Account for Sub-Group Music Show Wins

As some of you might know, I have a thread that tracks music show wins.

One of the topics that keeps coming up (ever since I posted the original thread on the old forum) is the issue of how to account for EXO-K's wins for their song "Overdose".

Here are the facts for your consideration:

• EXO debuted in 2012. The group had 12 members divided into two sub-groups (not the same as a sub-unit) of six members each: EXO-K (who performed in Korean) and EXO-M (who performed in Mandarin).
• Some of the group's early songs were released in three versions: one sung by EXO-K, one sung by EXO-M, and one sung by EXO (the entire group).
• With the exception of "Overdose", all of the group's early music show wins were awarded to EXO as a whole, and not to EXO-K or EXO-M.
• However, in the case of "Overdose", its wins were specifically awarded to EXO-K and their version of the song.

Therefore, the question is: Should EXO-K's wins for "Overdose" be combined with EXO's overall wins?

Quote from peachyjoon

it's still exo, but it's a sub-unit. i don't think it should be counted for the whole group name

Ah, so EXO-K is generally considered a sub-group, not a sub-unit of EXO. But should sub-groups be treated the same as sub-units when it comes to music show wins?

Quote from dizzcity

Two questions:

• Was there a Mandarin release of "Overdose" that was performed by EXO-M? What about a combined version? If "Overdose" was only performed in Korean, and only by members of EXO-K, then it should be kept separate.
• What was the specific political context at the time that could have played a role in the division? (i.e. what were the state of Korean-Chinese relations, were there Chinese members in the middle of lawsuits, was SM under investigation for anything, etc.?)

Question #1: Yes, there were also EXO-M and EXO versions of the song released. I just did a search on YouTube, and from what I saw, only EXO-K performed the song on Korean music shows; I couldn't find a performance with all 12 members. Conversely, in China, EXO-M promoted their version of the song.

Question #2: Unfortunately I can't comment on the geopolitical climate at the time, since I simply don't remember. However, the Overdose EP was released on May 7 2014, which was shortly before Kris' lawsuit. Luhan's lawsuit came in October that year, while Tao's was the following August.

Quote from chaesooo

how does gaon or hanteo consider them?

I don't have access to Hanteo data, but I just checked Gaon, and it appears that they do distinguish between EXO-K, EXO-M, and EXO, both physically and digitally.

Quote from peachyjoon

isn't sub-groups and sub-units kinda the same deal? it's parts of a group promoting without the rest of the group. or have i misunderstood something?

The way I see it, the distinction between a sub-group (like EXO-K) and a sub-unit (like EXO-SC) is that a sub-unit performs a completely different set of songs compared to the main group, while a sub-group performs different versions of the same songs.

Quote from jiminhell

if you also count sub units of other groups together with the main group wins, yes, if no, then no

Ah yes, I generally don't believe in combining sub-unit wins with main group wins. However, since EXO-K is a sub-group instead of a sub-unit, I feel that their wins could possibly be treated differently, and combined. That's why I'm trying to figure what the AKP community thinks on the matter. This is actually an issue that's unique to EXO. I can't think of another group in the same situation.

Quote from dizzcity

I think I would probably include it. Since EXO-K is not an official sub-unit, but simply a sub-group of members who perform in one language, I rule it as similar to groups who perform on music shows with members missing (due to illness, injury, military service, etc.). It just so happens that EXO performs on music shows with half their members being in a foreign country.

A thoughtful conclusion. Actually, I believe it's the same justification for inclusion that I was presented with when this topic first came up on the old forum.

It looks like no more votes are coming in. So based on the results of the poll, I will plan to combine EXO-K's music show wins.