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Is BTS giving fans a 'Dynamite' bundle? Army defends band saying 'they are too sexy for this'

While bundles are not a new feature, Billboard's recent rule changes exclude bundles in the final tally, which means their charts might start looking very different henceforth

The BTS Army has found itself having to defend the group's choice to sell physical copies of their upcoming English single, 'Dynamite', out August 21. The issue, it appears, stems from whether the physical release counts as a bundle or not, which some, particularly Army, see as an underhanded way to drive up sales figures so a single or album can chart higher on Billboard.

A bundle, put very simply, is when an artist's merchandise is bundled together with their music, which essentially comes as a free add-on. This means every item purchased that comes along with music contributes to the song or album's final sales tally, allowing it to chart higher. BTS has notoriously shirked this trend, opting instead to sell their music separately from their merch. Despite this, the group has had no difficulty charting well in the US, indicating the pull their brand has even without the use of bundles. And considering Billboard announced earlier this year that they will no longer be counting bundles on the album and song charts, BTS' established model is likely going to work quite well in their favor. As one fan pointed out, "In a time when Western artists are running to release their albums before the change of bundle rules...BTS comes back selling music. As simple and fair as that." While this fan does not specify, the most recent artist to have used this method is Taylor Swift, whose surprise 'Folklore' album came bundled with artwork, photos, and a digital copy, something BTS has elected to not do with many of their own releases.

But it appears this may not be entirely true anymore. BTS's upcoming 'Dynamite' release is going out in the form of some gorgeous-looking vinyls and cassettes. And for some, these products look a lot like merch that just so happens to include music, which would essentially make it a bundle. This has left many fandoms upset, largely owing to the Army's disdain for bundles in general. One fan asked, "Lemme get this straight. Armies sh*t on other groups for having bundles, But their favs are using bundles. BTS are using Bundles to help chart in the US?" and another mused, "IDK why Armys thing bundles are the biggest drag...Y'all would eat that sh*t up if BTS did it too."

Army have fired back, however, that 'Dynamite' is not being released as a bundle, with one fan, pointing out that the vinyl and cassette releases are still music, asking, "Are people suggesting that BTS is bundling music with music?" But as another Army further clarified, the 'Dynamite' physical products are being sold without a digital copy being added on, meaning "It's not even bundling music with music." Other fans stated BTS does not bundle music with merch because "they're so confident that they can get numbers without these tactics," adding, "they're so sexy for this."

As more users took to Twitter to argue that the 'Dynamite' release was, in fact, a bundle, exasperated Army began declaring 'They don't know how bundle works."

Some users did, however, point out that the way the US market works is different and bundles as a driving force for sales are a rather unique concept introduced specifically for the Western charts. One user added that it could also be "a generational thing," owing to people viewing "physical sales (namely vinyls and cassettes) as purely esthetic/merchy," which could be the reason they see this as a bundle.

This still, however, does not make 'Dynamite' a bundle release. As another fan points out, "In BTS' case, 1 vinyl purchase = 1 sale. As opposed to a bundling where 1 vinyl ends up counting as 2 sales." Additionally, on top of 'Dynamite' vinyls and cassettes not being sold with a digital add-on, merch for the release is being sold entirely separately, without being bundled with any music. One fan clarified, "You don't get music by purchasing these things, you get MERCH only."

Unfortunately, the debate doesn't appear to be dying down anytime soon, and the Army finds itself having to repeatedly reiterate what a bundle is. One evidently frustrated fan stated, "I can't believe how Army have to explain that music on vinyl & cassette is not merch or bundles," while another pointed out that BTS has had plenty of time to jump in on the bundling game but haven't, stating "It's what we call play fair and square."

And other fans found it increasingly "embarrassing" that their fellow fandoms didn't know "what a bundle is" and "the difference between an album and a single," while others found it far more upsetting that "they don't know what cassettes and vinyls are."

And naturally, some Army also noted that BTS deciding to sell bundles now when the rules are changing would not be in their best interest anyway, while also reminding their fellow Armys that "BTS never sold a bundle. It has always been their music. Have faith in our artist. We've reached number 4 without one. They wouldn't do it now, also not when the rules have changed."