ARMYs angry after record label vice president ridicules their demands with a link to a Taylor Swift song

June 23, 2024

They accused the agency of sabotaging BTS.

koreaboo

30 minutes ago

BTS fans demand an apology from GET IT records following a controversial interaction on X (formerly known as Twitter) involving one of the company’s senior executives, beam KurzekaThe Vice President is accused of ridiculing the army’s demands with a rather unexpected response.

Billboard BTS

Earlier this week, BTS’ Jimin announced the release of his second album, MUSEis due to be released in July.

Anticipation is high and ARMYs are preparing to support the album through streaming and purchases to ensure its success. As part of their preparations, fans have made several requests to the record label responsible for distributing and promoting Jimin’s album.

Geffen Records hasn’t even posted any content from MUSE’s Jimin on Instagram.

Please do better @GeffenRecords @UMG @BIGHIT_MUSIC pic.twitter.com/T2lShHiUnX

— MELROSE (@Melkenstock) 23 June 2024

A fan took to Twitter to directly address GEFFEN Records and Kurzeka, requesting iTunes pre-order links for Jimin’s new single “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” and urging the company to release a European version to boost the single’s placement on the UK charts.

Kurzeka Armies — | *@X (formerly known as Twitter)*

Kurzeka then sent a response that no one expected. Instead of addressing fans’ concerns, he responded with a Spotify link to “Us,” a song by Gracie Abrams featuring Taylor Swiftand even added the caption “Song of the Year.” Kurzeka’s response was perceived as dismissive and unprofessional by the loyal fan base, and sparked a wave of massive backlash against the vice president and the company as a whole.

Apparently a high-ranking official at Geffen Records is openly messing with us… an official at a label that is supposed to represent BTS’ interests and take care of their releases… This is so disrespectful and unprofessional that it drives me crazy. pic.twitter.com/OeZaKoFkKF

— gomooshin⁷ (@taesoothe) 22 June 2024

The army officials immediately expressed their disapproval, accusing Kurzeka of mocking their legitimate concerns and questioning his professionalism. The incident quickly escalated, prompting Kurzeka to deactivate his Twitter account and LinkedIn profile.

Tears in my eyes because he even deactivated his LinkedIn? I literally deactivated all of his social media. Dude 😭😭😭

We still need that apology and the link to pre-save and pre-order

GEFFEN APOLOGIZES TO JIMIN
BIGHIT, TREAT JIMIN LEGALLY pic.twitter.com/jxbiQe0dio

— Star ✨ MUSE by Jimin (@minieskies) 23 June 2024

Fans are now demanding that GEFFEN Records issue an official apology and take action against Kurzeka, arguing that his response not only disregarded their demands but also showed a lack of respect for fans and the artists they support.

.@GeffenRecords And @bts_bighit please look at this extremely unprofessional behavior of @raykurzeka . At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he messed up Jimin’s second week. Probably all of BTS’ other releases as well. pic.twitter.com/kOvmMv7VFN

— Katchimolala (@permylastemail7) 23 June 2024

.@GeffenRecords How do you hold Ray Kurzeka accountable? Will he be disciplined, as he is clearly unfit to hold a SVP-level position? We know he hides from social media, but will you allow his bad behavior by mocking a consumer?@bts_bighit

— Katchimolala (@permylastemail7) 23 June 2024

We need to send a mass email to BigHit about @GeffenRecords openly sabotaging a signed BTS member. This is certainly a violation of their contract with BTS, a contract that earns Geffen millions. BTS’ representatives at Bighit need to know about it and demand a review of the contract’s execution.

We should probably… https://t.co/6GG4iBkdn8

— gomooshin⁷ (@taesoothe) 23 June 2024

It is unbelievable that this was the answer from @GeffenRecords SVP for streaming at Request iTunes pre-orders.

This behavior is disrespectful and does a disservice to the artist the label IS SUPPOSED to represent.

We had issues with availability during FACE and now with MUSE. … pic.twitter.com/0oN8DcwD26

— Jimin Global | MUSE (@JiminGlobal) 23 June 2024

How GEFFEN Records will react to these demands remains to be seen.