Pop star Ariana Grande is joining Weverse, a superfan platform owned by HYBE, but why are pop stars worldwide joining the app? Here is what we know about Weverse and the reason why they are joining the app.
What is the Weverse App?
Weverse is a platform where artists and fans can interact directly. Artists use the app to post updates, livestream, and sell merchandise. HYBE, the company behind Weverse, calls it a ‘super app’ because it offers features like machine translation in 15 languages. For example, when Jin from BTS did a livestream after his military service, the app initially crashed but quickly resumed, gaining over 2 million views in just 10 minutes. Since its launch in 2019, Weverse has averaged over 10 million active users per month by the third quarter of 2023. Impressively, 90% of these users are from outside Korea.
Why is Ariana Grande Joining Weverse?
Ariana Grande is joining Weverse as part of a partnership with HYBE America. Although they haven’t revealed the date of her channel HYBE revealed that they will also continue working with her cosmetics brand, R.E.M Beauty. This change comes after Ariana stopped working with her longtime manager, Scooter Braun, who is now the CEO of HYBE America. This partnership has sparked excitement among K-pop fans.
What Does HYBE Seek to Gain?
In a 2022 interview, Joon Choi, the President of Weverse, explained that the app’s users are extremely enthusiastic fans. Before Weverse existed, fans had to go to different websites to buy merchandise and watch videos, and HYBE didn’t have a single place to keep track of all these fans. This is why they decided to create Weverse, which combines all these services in one place. Weverse is also part of HYBE’s plan to grow bigger as a company. For example, HYBE bought Exile Music, a music label that focuses on Spanish-language songs, to start reaching fans in the Latin music market. Overall it’s an effort to expand their influence and connect with more fans around the world.
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