It all started when the organisers of this year’s Korean Music Wave in Singapore Fatfish Entertainment, received enquiries from fans, who wanted to know how they could show their love for the idols the way it’s usually done in Seoul.
This kind of fan behaviour that goes beyond handmade boards and well-rehearsed chants is what many call “fan support”, the bulk of which comes in the form of personalised lunch boxes and rice wreaths for the singer, band or sometimes, the entire concert crew.
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Transparent lunch box prepared for BIGBANG’S Seungri and his team in 2011
But Fatfish seems to have completely gone off the mark when they gave “fan support” the green light and posted this message on the KMW Facebook page:
“We have received numerous requests from fan-clubs about fans support. We have come up with 2 programme for fans support on food and transport. Would like to remind everyone that this is entirely voluntary. Fans need not participate if they don’t feel like. The support is only a token of the requirements we need to prepare for the operation of the event, nevertheless we thought it would be good for us to allow fans to engage with us to prepare for the event. All the valued feedback we received from fans are much appreciated.”
The phrases “food and transport”, as well as “the support is only a token of the requirements we need to prepare for the operation of the event” convey the message that the KMW team is harnessing money, not creativity nor love, from the fandoms in order to ease the event logistics.
And we’re not just talking about one fandom, nor two or even three — there are about 14 acts flying in from Seoul for the show happening on Nov. 16 (including three members of Girls’ Generation; top photo), so you can imagine what that will do for the KMW budget.
Already some fans are questioning the credibility of “programmes” Fatfish has offered, details of which have been disseminated to the different fan clubs.
One Facebook user described the programmes as being “out of line” and advised fans to think rationally before contributing.
Another user was also skeptical: “Exactly how are we supposed to help? We use our own cars to drive the idols to the event? If that’s so I would LOVE to help if it means I can get closer to my idol.”
Despite the warning signs, many fan clubs are still pooling money, which will go to KMW’s supposed “fan support” programmes.
This BAP fan club‘s target is a whopping SGD1,000, while Shinee Singapore is giving out photo cards and earcaps to donors, to raise money for “food”. which in the case of KMW means sports drinks, mineral water and tidbits.
This is a far cry from the kind of “fan support” that exists in Korea, where a strict protocol is observed to make sure idols receive safe, productive gifts and give due recognition for them.
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S’pore fans probably won’t get the chance to try something like this; Wall Street Journal
Bigbang’s Seungri, for example, got these great lunchboxes delivered to him and his stage crew got in 2011 and A Pink’s personalised, fabric covered bentos were so impressive they got featured in a Wall Street Journal story.
Let’s hope Fatfish has some good use of the five-figure sum we suspect is going to stream in as a result of this “fan support” initiative.
Also, whatever happened to adoring fan letters?
