Spotify is teaming up with BTS to give fans around the world an interactive way to celebrate the group’s upcoming fifth studio album ARIRANG.
The streaming platform announced a series of global fan experiences designed to build anticipation for what it calls the group’s “comeback of the decade,” offering ARMY new ways to engage with the music and the band ahead of the album’s release.
The campaign begins March 13 with “Decoding Arirang,” an interactive in-app scavenger hunt that kicks off the countdown to the album launch.
Through the experience, fans will search the Spotify app for seven virtual wax cylinder fragments hidden across BTS’ artist profile and related content. Each fragment represents one BTS member and unlocks a secret voice recording in which the member shares personal reflections connected to the album’s lead single.
According to Hannah Pichay, PR lead of Spotify K-pop SEA, the concept draws inspiration from an early moment in Korean music history. In 1896, seven Korean men recorded songs with ethnographer Alice Fletcher using a wax cylinder, which is considered the first recordings of Korean music and one of the earliest instances of the country’s music being heard abroad.
Spotify’s digital scavenger hunt echoes that history by inviting fans to reassemble a modern version of the wax cylinder.
“The fragments will be hidden in various spots across BTS’ Spotify profile, and fans will have to explore playlists and other features to find them,” Pichay said.
New fragments will drop daily, with clues shared through Spotify K-pop’s account on X. When fans collect all seven pieces, they unlock a final “ARIRANG easter egg” that assembles BTS’ virtual wax cylinder, reveals lyrics from the album’s lead single and plays a special message from the group.
The in-app hunt is part of a broader Spotify campaign called SWIMSIDE, which will also include immersive pop-ups in select cities and other fan-focused experiences tied to the comeback.
“Think of this as a treasure hunt for fans. We hope ARMY have fun discovering the fragments, listening to the members and sharing their finds,” she added.
The “Decoding Arirang” feature launches on the Spotify app at 9:00 p.m. on March 13 and will remain available for a limited time after ARIRANG arrives on the platform.
