The most sought-after free ticket in Seoul this month is for a show where nobody performs. On Aug. 19, which marks the 20th debut anniversary of K-pop icon BIGBANG, fans are expected to pack the Mulbit Stage at Yeouido Hangang Park, western Seoul, for drones, fireworks and a DJ set built entirely from songs the group will not be singing. The album will make an appearance, but the band will not. It is an unusually literal illustration of something the industry has been moving toward for years. Somewhere between the collapse of physical albums, CDs and the arrival of the algorithm, the act of hearing a record before everyone else stopped being a courtesy extended to critics and became a product with a venue and a guest list. The trend traces back to 2022, when BTS member J-Hope played his solo work "Jack in the Box" for an invited crowd — celebrities Zico, BIBI, HyunA and Yoon Mi-rae — ahead of its release. The event worked because it was closed, and the people who could describe it became the story. Pop culture critics followed, and their notes on production choices reached fans befor