First things first, get a free trial of YouTube Premium if you haven't already.
Second, if you are slammed and simply cannot manually search and play Smeraldo Garden Marching Band for the first 24 hours, you can either make a queue (instructions here), or you can link your YT account to Scener.
You know how you can link a Spotify or Apple account to Stationhead and a "DJ" runs a playlist on a channel, while other listeners interact and it always keeps it fresh and counting? Well, you can do the same thing with your YouTube account if you link it to Scener. It's free.
BTScener will be hosting a listening party for the first 24-hours of SGMB. If you cannot roost on YouTube and click around on filler songs, they can do it for you. Follow them on Twitter to get reminders and tips.
Literally all you have to do is make a free Scener account (Chrome extension, make a username and password) and then click this link when SMGB drops and join the streaming party.
When the party is over, unlink and go back to managing your own YT accounts using your desired playlists (the channel Jimin on Youtube makes some good ones, for example).
I am going to give this Scener streaming party a whirl for the first time with one of my family bundle accounts, and if it works well, I'll be using it for all my YT accounts when Muse drops because I am a Dope Old Army and at some point my meat carcass needs sleep.
In any case, remember these YouTube streaming tips that are hard-won by ARMY who spent a lot of time fine-tuning best practices:
So you wanna see BTS in person? Who doesn’t! That would be so dope.
Let’s chat about it.
Whew, okay, as a toddler ARMY, I worry I’m biting off more than I can chew with this one, because I’ve never been to a BTS concert. But since friends have been giving me good advice about trying for tickets to Yoongi’s tour, I will take a crack at it, share what I have heard, just in case it’s helpful.
So far, the only BTS-related concert we know of for 2023 is Suga’s Solo Tour.
In order to buy tickets, you have to jump through several hoops:
First, you better have an active ARMY membership. Deadline for that (for this concert) is past but you should still get one anyway.
Next, you will have had to apply for ARMY PRESALE. You gotta do this on both Weverse—which will give you a confirmation code/QR—and then you gotta do it again on Ticketmaster.
DO NOT FORGET TO PUT YOUR ARMY MEMBERSHIP ID NUMBER INTO TICKETMASTER.
This will allow you to ENTER INTO A LOTTERY to try for tickets.
IF you win this lottery, you will get an email on the evening of Tuesday, February 28th giving you a special login code for tickets during ARMY presale.
ARMY presale goes live on March 1st at 3pm your local venue’s time.
Research your venue ahead of time so you know the seating arrangement and tiers, in case you have preferences about where you sit.
I have no idea which seats are “good” seats for a stadium (some have a single stage set up at one end, some have ramps or multi mini-stages in the middle). I hear that standing by the front or barricade is really loud and intense so know your limits.
UPDATE:
Go ahead and log in to your Ticketmaster account now and put in TWO debit or credit cards (or gift cards). One as your primary; one as your backup in case something goes wonky. Save that info in your PAYMENT OPTIONS so you won't waste time plugging in numbers the day you want to buy.
On the day of the ticket sale, get onto the site at least ten minutes before the tickets are released, then refresh the page no more than 10 seconds before the release time to improve your chances of getting to the front of the queue. For example, if tickets go on sale at 3pm on a Wednesday, hop on the Ticketmaster site at 2:50pm, then refresh the page 10 seconds before 1pm.
You will then be entered into a queue along with a max of another 2,000 people. There could be 200,000 other people ahead of you, but YOUR cohort of 2,000 will be automatically queued and you can do nothing but wait for your turn.
DO. NOT. REFRESH. ONCE. IN. QUEUE. You will lose your place.
Stay in queue, deep breaths, and wait for your turn, then let the Hunger Games begin.
You want to take a few seconds to pick your seats, then check out IMMEDIATELY.
Note: if you are not handicapped, please leave seats marked WC (wheelchair) and the ones next to them (for companions) to those who truly need them.
You can only purchase up to 4 seats per lottery code, unless as a group you get an agent and try to purchase a box ahead of Presale, but those cost thousands of dollars and there is a waiting list and I have no idea how you actually get that done.
If by some miracle there are tickets left over from ARMY’s special presale, the following day opens to general presale. Then tickets go on sale to the public the day after that. (But we all know they are gonna sell out completely in minutes, and then after that there will be online trading and mark ups and whatnot.)
For step-by-step info, checkout Ticketmaster’s post here:
New Shows Announced in the U.S.! SUGA | Agust D has announced SUGA | Agust D TOUR IN U.S. and he wants to make sure fans have the best acces
If you got tickets, the next thing you’ll want to do is book travel and accommodations immediately because mark-ups will skyrocket. Look for safe and well-rated hotels, motels, Airbnb, etc., in walking distance if possible.
Things to consider:
Can you take a bus or train to the area to save on airfare? How are you going to eat? Food at the venue will cost a lot but taste cheap. How are you getting to the venue if everyone is competing for cabs? Do you have a safe and non-obvious place to hide your cash on your person?
These are logistics you’ll want to play out thoroughly before your concert (Roo says, having never been to a popular music concert because she’s a giant musical theater nerd who only goes to the symphony—but this is what my older ARMY friends tell me.)
If you’re part of a community with fellow ARMY traveling to your concert site, it’s always a good idea to meet up and travel together (strength in numbers). Also check the rules of your venue to see if you need to use a clear plastic bag or if cell phones are not allowed, that sort of thing.
A lot of times ARMY are kind enough to bring freebies and giveaways, like stickers or crafts and such. Sorry to “Mom” you guys, but, please think twice before eating or drinking anything that a stranger hands you. If it comes it original brand packaging, cool. Otherwise, maybe don’t risk it. Not that ARMY has a history of poisoning or drugging people but, ya know, stranger danger.
Finally, it’s cool to bring posters and banners and things to hold up during certain moments in the concert when cameras pan to that—but please don’t block others’ views behind you. ARMY are supposed to be considerate and polite. Tickets and travel are expensive; don't ruin others' experiences.
Folks also say that you’ll likely experience a post-concert “high” and then a “drop.” So maybe have some self-care on hand. Make sure you have ways to hydrate. Bring some Kleenex and throat lozenges. Have a soothing playlist at the ready for when you try to sleep that night. Enjoy every ounce of it and then build in some time to decompress. Plan something fun to look forward to soon after.
This is now the extent of my knowledge when it comes to preparing for concerts.
I’m gonna try for tickets for Newark on the 29th but it’s my first time ever doing anything of the sort, so I’m prepared for the likelihood I won’t get one of the 16,000 seats available that one night. If that’s the case, I will try not to be too disappointed—I figure it’ll help me save on travel and accommodations in case Jimin ever decides to tour on this side of the world.
In any case, should you ever find yourself trying to go to a BTS concert, please share tips and tricks and have a good time.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
DISCLAIMER:
I am a Dope Old Person and have been ARMY since January 2022. So I still have a lot to learn.
I’m making mini-tutorials for people like me who are comfy with technology but totally new to voting, streaming, and buying Kpop stuff.
If you know of better, more up-to-date information, please comment or DM me so I can make sure I’m not spreading misinfo. Please be polite; we are on the same team!
Feel free to apply whatever you learn here to other BTS members and other artists; I’m Jimin-biased so I am focused on helping Jimin at this moment in time, but I’m OT7 so rest assured I’ll put my shoulder to the wheel for all our members!
So how does charting work when it comes to Billboard?
Hey, fam. Let’s get into it.
First off, this information mostly pertains to folks living in the United States or Puerto Rico. If you live elsewhere, you’ll want to pay attention to the rules for your own country and concentrate on helping the boys chart on Hanteo and GaOn (Circle) charts so they can win awards in Korea.
Second, did you know there’s more than one Billboard chart to focus on?
The first chart is Billboard Hot 100. This is the music industry standard.
This chart is focused on singles. They track how well the singles do for 1 week (from when it drops on Friday night until the following Thursday.) The chart usually updates by the following Tuesday morning.
Streaming is the most dominant factor, but sales and radio play also are important.
Jimin is releasing singles for FACE and we want them to chart well, so if you can afford it, it’s important that you pre-order the digital singles for “Set Me Free Pt.2” & “Like Crazy” at the official BTS store.
(The single CD for “Like Crazy” is also available for pre-order if you can swing that!) You can buy those things here and they will count for the charts:
If you have Amazon Prime, it’ll let you connect to your account and you can pay for it that way—super convenient.
Now hear me out: If you can’t afford it, that’s okay. Don't stress out.
Please save up to buy the album on iTunes and Amazon, if you can do that, and either way, just be prepared to work your butt off streaming the singles online. (I will be posting a mini-tutorial on streaming soon).
But don't neglect the singles. Hot 100 very much matters.
The second chart is Billboard 200. Getting BTS members on this chart at least is a matter of honor.
This chart is focused on albums and EPs.
Roo, what is an EP? I’m glad you asked!
EP stands for Extended Play. It’s for mini albums, like FACE, that typically have 6 or fewer tracks and run less than 30 minutes. For EPs, it’s great to stream the songs in the order of the original tracklist, so all songs have an equal chance to chart.
LP stands for Long Play. That refers to a traditional album with 6 or more songs (sometimes more than 12!) that run longer than half an hour.
Of note, we saw photos posted on social media in 2022 of Jimin working with a bunch of artists and producers who do not seem to be featured on the mini-album FACE. It is therefore possible (I am not making promises) that he might have plans to release an LP later. Let’s keep an eye out.
Anyway, back to Billboard 200.
This one is a big one and we simply must help Jimin to place well here. In order to make the chart, Billboard tracks pure sales, and something called SAS (streams and sales) which combines TEA, SEA, and SES.
What is up with the alphabet soup, Roo? Again, so glad you asked.
TEA stands for Track Equivalent Albums. In this case, 10 tracks = 1 album.
SEA stands for Stream Equivalent Albums. If you cannot buy the album, you need to stream your guts out. As far as I can tell, the following formula still holds true:
--1,250 streams from a premium stream (such as a Spotify Premium account) = 1 album/unit sale.
--3,750 streams from an ad supported stream (such as a free Spotify account) = 1 album/unit sale.
So if you sign up for a free trial for Spotify before FACE comes out, your streams will count 3 TIMES AS MUCH as a free account’s efforts.
And you need to stream 1,250 times for it to count as an album sale. Please be ready to have a device devoted solely to FACE streaming nonstop for a week.
SES stands for Stream Equivalent songs. Here’s the formula for that:
--125 streams from a premium stream (such as a Spotify Premium account) = 1 song unit.
--375 streams from an ad supported stream (such as a free Spotify account) = 1 song unit.
Like Hot 100, Billboard 200 tracks from Friday night through to Thursday night and posts results the following Tuesday.
Finally, there’s something called Billboard Global 200.
This includes world-wide songs counted in 200 different territories. The chart tracks both streams and downloaded sales.
A note about digital sales: it’s not enough to just buy. Once you buy, you gotta DOWNLOAD IT onto your device or it won’t count.
Also please note that streams only count from official sources (subscriptions and ad-supported platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music). Playing your digital copy on WeVerse does not count for Billboard.
By the way, did you know YouTube has a Music platform for charting, beyond just watching the official music video on regular YouTube? Check out YouTube Music and get familiar with it!
Now this is important so please pay attention.
Do not use a VPN when you are trying to chart something. VPN hides your IP address, which makes you look like a bot or a non-US/PR user, and that disqualifies your efforts. TURN OFF YOUR VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK WHEN YOU STREAM.
I found all these very helpful explanations around Billboard Charts from this source (all credit to them):
A guide on how to stream & purchase BTS’s music.
Please note, however, that much of their info came from 2021 so I’m not exactly sure it’s all still accurate. As I learn more, I will update. If you know of better info, please comment or DM me so I can update this post!
Feel free to reblog or share this post with others so we can spread the word and share the techniques.
Be on the lookout for mini-tutorials coming soon on how to stream on different platforms. We have a whole month to practice until FACE drops and you really do need time to get used to switching between accounts and figuring out the best playlist techniques.
Stay strong, Jimin stans! By March 24th we will be in good shape and as prepared as possible to help our IT BOY. He's worked hard for us, now it's our turn.
I am a Dope Old Person and have been ARMY since January 2022. So I still have a lot to learn.
I’m making mini-tutorials for people like me who are comfy with technology but totally new to voting, streaming, and buying Kpop stuff.
If you know of better, more up-to-date information, please comment or DM me so I can make sure I’m not spreading misinfo.
Feel free to apply whatever you learn on my posts to other BTS members and other artists; I’m Jimin-biased so I am focused on helping Jimin at this moment in time, but I’m OT7 so rest assured I’ll put my shoulder to the wheel for all our members!
Let's get into it!
First up -- Save the Dates for FACE:
Next up, you're gonna want a Twitter account. Yes, it can be a hellscape. Yes, you're gonna have to block assholes. But also, it's pretty crucial as a source of real-time info AND promotion for Jimin and BTS' work.
You can find me under the handle roo_bastmoon
On the bird app you'll see the following really useful accounts:
For everything, follow @JiminGlobal
For streaming guides, follow @pjm_streaming
For funds (to donate or request) so you can purchase albums, follow @jiminfunds
For voting tutorials and links, follow @voteforpjm
For news and updates, follow @pjm_data
For daily articles, follow @naver4jimin (clicking helps with brand index and social media engagement)
For amazing YouTube playlists, please check out JRJ.
And of course, please follow all official accounts (Tumblr puts a limit on how many links I can list, so here's a screenshot and you'll need to search by name):
Finally, please take a moment and download SPOTIFY, YOUTUBE, and the following apps to help Jimin win awards. I’ll get into more on these later. You don’t need to let them track or notify or spam you. Just have them on hand for when it’s time to take action as Jimin appears on music shows!
Stay tuned for more posts around how charting works, how to stream and vote, and good community resources.
P.S. I TRULY welcome better information at any time--so don't be shy with suggestions for improvement--but do not bring drama or the cult to my door. If you don't like something in my tutorials, DM me like a grown up and educate me as to why. Please do not get into heated debates because you don't like some accounts or sources. You are most welcome to go make your own tutorials!
Streaming on YouTube (on your phone or web browser) helps BTS members’ songs chart on Billboard and for other awards. It’s actually hugely important and one of our most useful tools, since we don’t get radio play.
You need to follow some simple guidelines to make sure your streams here count.
First, get in the habit of always signing in to your YouTube profile.
If you can sign up for a Premium account free trial, your streams count three times as much!
Next, save the official BTS channels, artists, songs, and playlists you like to your Library.
Please try to play the latest songs as least once a day, then work on milestone goals for the group when you can.
Here’s a great example of a playlist to bookmark and run in the background of your day:
Please read full playlist description ✨ Let's support all the members equally during this new chapter!💜 This is an update on streaming rules
Now, when it comes time to stream FACE, be sure to like <3 and subscribe to the OFFICIAL RELEASE.
The first 24 hours are the most critical, followed by the first week.
UPDATE: Billboard only counts the first 50 times you play a song in a 24-hour period. For a whole album plus filler songs, that might be doable. To chart a single, you’ll need to make more than one premium free trial account. You must be logged in for your streams to count.
This will be true for the title track prerelease on March 17th and for the entire album release on March 24th.
Do not click on lyrics videos, reaction videos, or anything except the OFFICIAL RELEASE from the OFFICIAL SOURCE.
Sometimes clout chasers will make their channels and videos look very similar to the real deal; don’t give away your streams!
So you’re going to want to sign in and turn off Autoplay and Shuffle settings.
Then click on the official music video(es).
Plug in some headphones if you like, but keep volume in YouTube and on your device at 51%. They say they don’t track device settings but I think it’s just better to be safe than sorry.
Play the entire song. All of it. Wait for it to be fully done. Even if you are on a free account and must endure ads. Even if the ads are at the end.
Once the song(s) finishes, click on something else. Another BTS video is great. Let that play for at least 30 seconds, up to 60 seconds to be safe.
Then this is important: go to the search bar. Search the official name of the song or album. Find the official music video from the search bar. Click it. Play it all the way through.
Yes, this is manual labor, but it’s the safest and fastest way to make sure your stream isn’t filtered so we can get the best numbers in the first 24 hours of a release.
Please try to do it this way starting the moment FACE drops and keep doing it for as long as you can.
If you have a friend in another time zone, maybe tag-team each other so someone is always streaming hard.
After that first day, you can rely on playlists. Good ones will have FACE songs often, in order of original track list, sprinkled with other BTS songs near milestones throughout.
The more you can keep an eye on your YouTube streams and get through about 30 seconds of another song, then back over to official FACE videos, the faster you will help it climb the chart.
If you just simply do not have the time and cannot interact, that’s okay. Being an ARMY involves some work, but it shouldn’t cause panic attacks. Maybe set a goal for yourself to play FACE song(s) as much as you can the first 24 hours. Try to at least play the title track 10 times that first day.
If you’re celebrating Ramadan and are forbidden at this time to play music, many people are planning to mute and stream silently. If you’re comfortable only using headphones and not playing aloud, also great. There’s a good chance it might not get filtered, so try it if you can and feel comfortable. Please always put your conscience first—Jimin would want you to honor yourself.
For those who can play on a device those first 24 hours:
Do NOT loop. Do NOT engage Autoplay. Do NOT partially play the song(s). Do NOT play any version but the official versions from BTS.
The goal in the first 24 hours is to have nice, clean streams (especially of the title track but also of all official FACE content), then click around a little bit for 30+ seconds or so, and go right back to official FACE content. If you can keep up that energy the first week, awesome. But if not, playlists are your friend.
I like to stream YouTube on my desktop and Spotify (the app itself or in a Stationhead streaming party linked to my Spotify) on my cell phone so I can have both going at once.
As far as I know, you don’t have to keep swapping out YouTube accounts because there isn’t a limit of the first 20 plays or something like that. You can just park yourself on that platform, sign into your premium trial account, play FACE, play something else for 30 seconds, and get back to FACE for as long as your endurance allows.
For more info, follow these helpful accounts on Twitter:
PJM Streaming
Jimin Charts PH
Here’s some good playlists to practice with until FACE drops:
There are some useful tips summarized here, if you want to bookmark it for future reference:
Here’s our guide to properly streaming an artist’s song/album on iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Please feel free to share this post to help spread the word. Any updated information is always most welcome!
DISCLAIMER:
I am a Dope Old Person and have been ARMY since January 2022. So I still have a lot to learn.
I’m making mini-tutorials for people like me who are comfy with technology but totally new to voting, streaming, and buying Kpop stuff.
If you know of better, more up-to-date information, please comment or DM me so I can make sure I’m not spreading misinfo. Please be polite about it, though—we are on the same team!
Feel free to apply whatever you learn here to other BTS members and other artists; I’m Jimin-biased so I am focused on helping Jimin at this moment in time, but I’m OT7 so rest assured I’ll put my shoulder to the wheel for all our members!
Just FYI, you BUY music on iTunes and it counts toward charts.
You STREAM music on Apple Music and it counts toward charts.
NOTE: If you buy the songs on iTunes, you need to DELETE THEM FROM YOUR LIBRARY BEFORE you stream with Apple Music, or else it won’t count.
That’s why I like to stream on other platforms, because I have all of BTS’ discography on my iphone and I feel weirdly protective of it, but with Apple Music, you don’t have to keep swapping out accounts, you can just continuously stream and it all counts. So you make use of what you got and are about to comfortably sustain okay?
Go right ahead and login to Apple Music, then bookmark BTS’ channel:
Listen to music by BTS on Apple Music. Find top songs and albums by BTS including Old Town Road (feat. RM of BTS) [Seoul Town Road Remix], D
Then take a few moments and watch this beginner’s guide to streaming for comebacks (it’s an older video but the info still checks out):
The day something drops, it’s just a good rule of thumb to be prepared to stream on different platforms for any and all devices you have. Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon music are the big ones. (I have a work computer, an ancient laptop, a cell phone, a smart TV, and an Alexa. The first 24 hours of FACE, I’m just embracing headphones where I can and a riotous cacophony where I cannot. Because once you JimIN, you can’t JimOUT.)
Do your best, don't stress. Put in your best effort toward goals, and then just relax and have fun! Our IT BOY is gonna give us a great album!
Please go ahead and share this so the word gets out. If you know of better information, please share and I will update!
Here is a really fantastic 9-minute video that shows you step by step how you get BTS tickets from Ticketmaster.
In this case, it was for the PTD Vegas tour, but there are some invaluable tips here, like what to do if the site crashes or there is lag.
UPDATED:
A great thread about strategies for purchasing tickets:
It goes super quick. You have SECONDS. So please familiarize yourself with your venue's floorplan and figure how your price range and limitations well ahead of time.
DISCLAIMER:
I am a Dope Old Person and have been ARMY since January 2022. So I still have a lot to learn.
I’m making mini-tutorials for people like me who are comfy with technology but totally new to voting, streaming, and buying Kpop stuff.
If you know of better, more up-to-date information, please comment or DM me so I can make sure I’m not spreading misinfo. Please be polite about it, though—we are on the same team!
Feel free to apply whatever you learn here to other BTS members and other artists; I’m Jimin-biased so I am focused on helping Jimin at this moment in time, but I’m OT7 so rest assured I’ll put my shoulder to the wheel for all our members!
