Because I just started my day and I'm letting this go before I continue going on about my business: these are my thoughts about the BAD promotions I left under the most recent ATEEZ promo on Instagram (which I didn't think it would come a day that I'd actually objectively feel this way about anything KQ and ATEEZ related but here we are).
As my followers know, I love ATEEZ from the bottom of my heart as I've been a fan of theirs since pre debut. Knowing the history of what we all went through to getting to where we are today, I find it absolutely unfathomable and disgusted by the blatant disrespect to us as supporters of this group. We are in an era of kpop music releases and conceptualization where companies are finding ways to cut corners, maximize profit, and continue pushing out dog shit content at the expense of the integrity of the artists and their fellow fans.
I'm sure for many of my followers and mutuals, this is something that I've been more or less vocal about on this blog, and a lot of my analyses and other longer thought pieces on this blog have been a personal favorite for many, so this post is no different from me expressing my stance and PRAYING that other ATINYs will stop deluding themselves and playing dumb by letting KQ get away with no longer delivering the quality and integrity that we all know and love from this group.
This is not about unsupporting ATEEZ, this is not about "well what about their feelings, wouldn't they be disappointed?" What about our disappointment? This is the first in awhile that I've been enraged, flabbergasted, and angered knowing that this is a litmus test for every group and company that'll use this as a signal to believe that they can cut corners, no longer feel the need to fairly compensate creators and artists that are READY and able to work (myself included), and pushes this narrative that in the end, the fans will support it regardless of the drastic drop in quality.
I no longer had interest in purchasing this physical album release, and this is a signal post for any ATINY or follower of mine who does not find this post favorable to unfollow me, because this is not what myself and reaching almost 900 people on just one comment alone as of 10:58AM on a Tuesday want.
I leave you with a simple analogy and existing examples of this dog shit genAI content: You're a regular customer who's expressed loyalty, support, and contributed to the spread and news about this small local restaurant you stumbled upon on a random outing on a Thursday afternoon on your day off. You're thoroughly impressed by the vibe, the service, and most importantly, that the food and drinks served to you is of utmost quality each and every time you've visited this place. Hell, the quality seems to get better and better each time you come back for more. You support the services offered, the employers have integrity and a backbone, and most importantly, the chefs love their craft to the point of being able to taste their love through their meals.
Then all of a sudden, you find yourself returning to the establishment and it had a completely different rebrand. Different color scheme, different brand identity, you even asked the staff what happened.
"They changed management a few months ago, lots of people have been asking": well I'd be damned.
The free water tastes like tap, they bumped their prices up, the meal arrives cold and you can immediately tell the quality of the ingredients changed despite them doing their best to emulate the same order you place every time and most importantly, the chefs no longer have a pep in their step like they used to. The energy of this space is dead, including yourself.
But a few months later on that same stroll you take each Thursday afternoon, you glance through the window of the very establishment that became unknown to you: some of those same patrons continue giving their business to that place, knowing damn well they keep leaving unsatisfied.
Nostalgia, blind support, loyalty, and opting out of having morals and integrity: that is not the same establishment and people operating that business that I know and love. It's all the same, and if I were you, because I'm no beggar or pleader to people, if they are fully intent on letting it happen to groups like KATSEYE, LE SSERAFIM, BTS, so on and so forth, playing in your fucking face and fanning themselves with your own hard earned money and support: I request of you to look inward and realize that you have a choice in everything that you say or do.
I advise everyone to be mindful of how they express their love and support for an industry that'll happily under deliver a shitty and faulty product knowing that in the end, you'll gladly hand over your disposable income, PTO, and most importantly, your own pride supporting companies and groups that are sending a message clear as day: you're nothing but a means to an end, and it starts with us. You hit them where it fucking hurts: their pockets. Instead of investing in fairly compensating in artists and designers who not only deliver, but put their efforts and soul into their craft, KQ is risking the returnability of their most prominent and loyal supporters, newcomers who finally wanted to give ATEEZ a chance, and you should be angry and enraged about it. From enjoying Michelin Star excellence to a "hear, damn!" fast food meal thrown together into the pack of wolves, this is not what myself and other ATINYs stand for. Do as you will with this information.
