"The amount of incompetence" — Fans criticize HYBE for alleged mismanagement & lack of promotions for BTS' j-hope's solo world tour, Hope On The Stage

Recently, fans and netizens have been criticizing HYBE Labels and BigHit Music for their alleged lack of promotions for BTS' j-hope's upcoming solo world tour, Hope On The Stage. Since the tour was announced on January 10, 2025, netizens have been unhappy with the agency's lack of efforts to bring more traction to the solo world tour, which will kickstart on February 28, 2025.

Many fans also pointed out that the ticketing information regarding the tour was inadequate. The buyers were not made aware of seating restrictions, and fans also experienced a lack of consistency in the information released about the tickets, as per allkpop.

Per the outlet, people also pointed out the difference in membership policies for the North American shows. The U.S. shows from HOPE ON THE STAGE required people to purchase a separate American membership. This prevented people with existing global membership from accessing the tickets' presale. The same led to much confusion among fans due to the agency's lack of communication.

Fans also noticed that the live-streaming costs for the idol's South Korean concert was priced at 165,000 KRW. However, the prices were almost similar to an offline concert price, and the quality was also not promised to be of 4K resolution. One X user voiced criticism by writing:

"The amount of incompetence from hybe. The delayed announcements and poor instructions that may miss out on registration."

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Here are a few fan reactions to HYBE's alleged mismanagement and sabotage of BTS' j-hope's upcoming solo world tour.

"They underestimate him in his tour! He can do stadiums easily but booked arenas instead……….." said a fan on X.

"BIG HIT and HYBE are such mediocre and useless companies. Ever since Hobi was discharged from the military, he hasn’t stopped working, yet they still don’t give him the recognition a world-class star like him deserves. For years, we’ve noticed these companies’ lack of professionalism towards j-hope," added another fan.

"It is insane when you see the level of promotion they are giving a tour with tickets this expensive...You don’t even have to hire another company, just post about it on your SNS even twt posts seems a lot of effort for them," commented a netizen.

More fans and netizens expressed their frustration on the issue.

"It's evident they don't want him to reach a new audience... all they're doing is limiting him. It is easy to suspect that it is bad for them if he succeeds," stated a fan.

"It is not even lazy at this point is mismanagement .. like the arenas are tweeting about the tickets more than the label," added an X user.

"Their last post about the tour was on the 6th, and since then NOTHING. It looks like the company is not invested in the tour's success," said a netizen.

All you need to know about BTS' j-hope's recent solo activities

BTS' j-hope or Jung Ho-seok is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter housed under BigHit Entertainment, now rebranded as HYBE Labels. The idol was discharged from his mandatory enlistment on October 17, 2024, following the successful completion of his service as an assistant drill instructor.

Returning from his military enlistment, he threw the first pitch at the second game of the KIA Tigers vs. Samsung Lions match in the 2024 Korean Series in October 2024. In November 2024, j-hope attended the Audemars Piguet AP House Seoul Flagship Grand Opening Party.

BTS' j-hope will kickstart the Hope On The Stage tour with a three-day concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul from February 28 to March 2, 2025. The tour includes several stops across Asia and North America. Here are the dates and venues of the shows announced so far:

March 13 to March 14, 2025 - Barclays Center, Brooklyn, United States
March 17 to March 18, 2025 - Allstate Arena, Chicago
March 22 to March 23, 2025 - Palacio De Los Deportes, Mexico, Mexico City
March 26 to March 27, 2025 - Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, United States
March 31 to April 1, 2025 - Oakland Arena, Oakland, Japan
April 4 / April 6, 2025 - BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, United States
April 12 to April 13, 2025 - SM Mall of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines
April 19 to April 20, 2025 - Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
April 26 to April 27, 2025 - Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore
May 3 to May 4, 2025 - Indonesia Arena, Jakarta, Indonesia
May 10 to May 11, 2025 - Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand
May 17 to May 18, 2025 - Galaxy Arena, Macau, China
May 24 to 25, 2025 - NTSU Arena, Taiwan, Taipei
May 31 to June 1, 2025 - Kyocera Dome Osaka, Osaka, Japan

Additionally, BigHit Music announced that BTS' j-hope will release new music in March. However, the details haven't yet been announced.

About the author

Aishwarya is a pop culture writer who covers K-drama and K-pop at Sportskeeda. After completing her Bachelor's in English and Communication Skills, she sought a job that allowed her to explore her passion, and being a K-pop and K-drama reporter felt like the ideal fit. Aishwarya has 3 years of experience under her belt and previously took on several internships in the industry that further motivated her in choosing writing as a career.

Aishwarya believes in conducting extensive research and verifying facts with the help of reputable sources to produce accurate articles. She also spends a significant amount of time on Twitter to understand how netizens are reacting to the latest trends in the industry before crafting her content.

She admires SUGA from BTS for his dedication to his work and aspires to immerse herself into the things she loves, just like him. If she could go back in time, she would jump at the opportunity to be part of ""Reply 1988,"" a K-drama set in a time when neighborhood relationships were cherished and interpersonal connections were of utmost importance. Although she loves how technology has advanced, she would also love to experience living in an era before it was invented.

When Aishwarya's not writing and reading about the latest developments in the industry, she spends her time crocheting, sketching, cycling, reading Mangas, and cooking.

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Edited by Riya Peter