A public apology has been issued by Geffen Records in response to the uproar around a social media statement made by one of its executives.
A fan of BTS’s Jimin asked about his upcoming pre-release single “‘Smeraldo Garden Marching Band,” on X, the previous Twitter platform, earlier this week.
“Where are the iTunes pre-orders for Jimin’s ‘Smeraldo Garden Marching Band’ out next week June 28th?” the fan tweeted, tagging Ray Kurzeka, senior vice president and head of streaming at Geffen Records, its parent company Universal Music Group, and Geffen Records (BTS’s U.S. distributor). In order to make a greater impression on the UK Album Chart, also supply an EU edition devoid of arbitrary additions.
Ray Kurzeka responded by linking Gracie Abrams’ “us.” featuring Taylor Swift and writing, “song of the year…”
After receiving backlash from fans who perceived this remark as contemptuous or even demeaning, the hashtag “GEFFEN APOLOGIZE TO JIMIN” went viral on X.
Geffen Records Apology Statement
An employee of our label issued a single post on his personal social media account in response to an inquiry from fans of Jimin. This was made by mistake and in no way reflects either the views of the employee or those of our company. Both he and the company are deeply sorry that this happened. The post does not comply with the company’s social media policy.
Our compliance team is addressing this with him directly and implementing enhanced controls across the company to assure that it never happens again. As we address this matter, we request that fans refrain from any personal attacks.
We wish to assure you that the scheduled release of Jimin’s second solo album, “MUSE,” will proceed as planned without any impact.
Upcoming Releases
Jimin will release his pre-release song “‘Smeraldo Garden Marching Band'” featuring Loco online on June 28 at 1 p.m. KST, three weeks before his second solo album “MUSE” is set to release on July 19.
Geffen Records stresses that it is dedicated to professionally managing social media interactions and making sure Jimin’s much awaited new album is released without a hitch.
