The latest episode of “Music Bank” delivered not just musical excitement but also a wave of controversy as the vote unification process took an unexpected and puzzling turn.
The failure of vote unification has left fans and netizens scratching their heads and demanding answers.
In this week’s showdown on “Music Bank,” it was the battle between IVE‘s two hit tracks, “Baddie” and “Either Way,” that had the K-pop world in a frenzy.
As is customary, the winner was meant to be determined through a combination of factors, including digital sales, physical sales, K-pop fan votes, social media engagement, and a crucial component: broadcast points.
However, it was the allocation of these broadcast points that has ignited a firestorm.
IVE‘s chart-topping “Baddie” took an astonishing turn by securing the entire share of broadcast points available, leaving “Either Way” with an unprecedented and seemingly inexplicable score of 0 in the broadcast points category.
The unexpected outcome has triggered outrage and confusion among fans and netizens, who are questioning the fairness and transparency of the vote unification process.
Online comments quickly filled with criticism, most of it directed at Starship Entertainment, the agency behind both songs.
“Starship-ah… Wow, their physical and digital points are overwhelmingly winning, but all because of the broadcast scoreㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. Their company is legendary at doing their work poorly,” lamented one netizen. Another echoed the sentiment, saying, “Starship really sucks at doing their workㅋㅋ.”
Questions about the term “vote unification” soon flooded in, as netizens sought to grasp the nuances of the system.
One user inquired, “What do you mean by ‘vote unification’?” Another user attempted to provide an answer, stating, “All the broadcast points went to Baddie, and Either Way got 0. IVE’s broadcast points all went to Baddie.”
However, a few astute netizens later pointed out that “Either Way” did not technically have a zero broadcast point score, further muddling the situation.
Amidst the controversy, a different group of fans took the opportunity to extend congratulations to TXT, a different K-pop group associated with a separate agency. The central question, however, remained unanswered: Why did Starship Entertainment opt for a triple title strategy, pushing “Baddie” even though “Either Way” seemed to be more popular in certain aspects?
One netizen attempted to offer clarity, remarking, “Simply put, Baddie’s results surpassed Either Way this week. But last week, Either Way was higher, so they should’ve put the broadcast points under Either Way insteadㅋㅋ…”
As fans continue to debate and the K-pop community waits for more information, this incident underscores the need for greater transparency and fairness in K-pop music competitions like “Music Bank.”
Source(1)
