K-pop 's Shady Business Secret
The Korean pop or K-pop industry over the last decade has experienced a major increase in popularity that has made it a billion dollar competition for foreign music industries. They are especially known for their extravagant music videos and visual aesthetics, which have attracted worldwide followings. K-pop companies are also infamous for being brutally strict on training and restrictions for their trainees and idols. They fixate on the business growth over the musical talent and content. The problem that stems from creativity and commerce overlapping in the Korean pop industry is the unethical treatment of its trainees along with the racialization and exploitation of idol groups in different global markets, due to the commanding force of the industry.
The last decade has seen the rapid globalization and popularity of the korean entertainment industry worldwide, which is known as the Hallyu wave. It expanded into international markets through social media platforms such as Youtube, which served as a method of free mass distribution, securing many international fans. Having recently broken into the American and European market, K-pop exists as Korea’s biggest export, the industry itself being worth $3 billion. This results in creativity being determined by how much business flows into the industry internationally. As a result, there is looming pressure on the industry to continue growing and making big money. “K-pop is a business in which
The Internet has transformed the music industry immensely over the years. Some will argue that it has helped in a positive manner, while others would say it has destroyed the music industry. With the use of the Internet, independent artist have broke down many barriers, which seemed impossible in the past. Independent artist, have been given the opportunity to find success without the need of a major deal from a music label. Artists have gained access to a number of new ways to reach out to their audience and have been forced to adapt to the change by acquiring a bundle of new skills. With the direction that the music industry has been headed, a lot of music professionals have became very little to no value to industry with results in loss of jobs. “According to 2014’s year-end Nielsen Music statistics, the added attention has resulted in indie artists increasing their market share from 34.6% in 2013 to 35.1% in 2014, once again, gaining more sales than any other major label group (Westergreen)”. The tables have turned to where the music labels are in more need of the artist, rather than the other way around. Although this is the truth, major record labels want to do business with artists who have already PROVEN themselves in the music industry. They not only want your music, but they also want your fan base as well. There now have been artists who were invisible in the music business who now get exposed to an audience that is big enough to support them. There’s an
The K-pop fandom community is anImagined nation. It is formed through the consciousness of the members of the K-pop fandom community. As an imagined community, the K-pop fandom is limited. Its transcendence from physical geographical sphere to the virtual sphere creates a limited access for the K-pop fans. The social discourse existing within the K-pop fandom community acts as homogenizing agents that identify and creates the cultural identity of the K-pop fans. This cultural identity is authentic to the members of the K-pop fandom community for it is created from the shared experiences resulting to common significations exclusive to the K-pop fans. The authenticity of the identity categorizes the insider and limits the outsiders. Therefore
On the first day, the views of Pop Parade sat at 120 thousands, which was three times more than that of Music Choice. Over the first 11 days, Pop Parade’s popularity steadily decreased to 40 thousands views on the 9th day and then increased dramatically to 150 thousands views on the 11th day. The number of views of Music choice fluctuated between 20 thousands and 60 thousands views then stopped at slightly above 20
This fan post shows a poem created by someone who identified herself as a Kpopper. The poem states that Fan Girling is the author’s hobby, but studying is her priority. Many people do not understand her because of her hobby. K-pop is her inspiration to achieve her vision to be successful. The poem also says that as a fan girl, she wants to go to Seoul Korea to marry her bias. The poem states that as a K-pop fan, she emphasized that music has no language barrier because communication through the heart is better,
Some new and unknown artists could apply this way of promotion in order to introduce their music large audiences without bearing the huge cost of traditional advertising and promotion. Some reputed artists who are confident in their fans’ willingness to pay for their music may also try to cut down record companies costs to earn more profits. In order not to lose contracts with artists, your record company should highlight your roles in supporting artists’ professional career. As the core business of record labels is about investing in and bringing artists to the major market, we should improve our equipment to provide high record quality to artists and adapt some changes in our promotion campaign to help artist build deeper and engaging relationship with their fans. Rather than traditionally advertise artists’ albums through costly channels such as radio and TV, we should consider marketing artists through digital-led channels such as music websites, social networks ie. Facebook, Twitter, which are less expensive compared to traditional channels while still have strong coverage with customers. By cutting costs on traditional advertising channels, we may increase advance and royalties for artists to attract them to the company while still maintain our shares per album sold. Your record company may also strengthening our relationship with artists by
Highlight in your personal certain instinctive journey from attempting artisan to pop popularity with Katy Perry in the enjoyable and also unusual universe of Katy Perry Pop.
To start off, I will be explaining what Kpop is, what is the “Hallyu” wave, and Local vs Global identities. My second section is the K-pop production: what idols are, how idol groups are formed so that will be like recruitment, training, the so called “death contracts,” etc. My third section will be about where K-pop differs from American pop. This will already be mentioned in the first section but this will be in depth research on such “differences,” and this section will actually require me to use a lot of YouTube videos. This section will have me using a lot of react videos where “Americans” react to Kpop or vice versa. The fourth section is the real deal: the mula. Where does the money come in from, where does the money go to, why is so much money being spent, etc. For my last section this will be where my conclusion is formed.
Music has always acted as an effective vehicle to enhance people’s lives and connect people together. Ever since the advent of the Internet, news and pop culture has been able to easily reach millions of people not only in the United States, but across the world. Music has become an even more effective medium over the past decade through the use of websites and programs that allow people to listen to music and view media online. To this day, music represents one of the major avenues of pop culture and media that people consume on the Internet daily. Social media websites like Facebook and YouTube have over a billion users (Protalinski; “Statistics”). Media that gets posted to websites like these have the potential to be viewed by some of the largest and varied audiences in the world. Artists have the ability to release music videos and promotional material online, which contributes significantly to the amount of units they sell. In 2015, many artists were able to sell millions of units and
With the internet taking over, the music market is now moving from what was once blockbuster albums which sustains widespread popularities and achieve enormous sales, to single hits streamed online with fifteen days of fame. Getting on top of the Billboard chart was usually used to define whether is a music group successful, but while still relevant, it has also been argued with a new era of online based sales, distribution, marketing and brand making outlets, all which reach out to a different kind of target that requires their unique marketing strategies, which we should take into account when we try to define the success in the music industry nowadays.
The music industry has been around for over two centuries (PBS). Its volatility can be measured by its ability to shift and change according to its time period, the technologies that arise through the ages and the public’s shift in musical taste. The music industry is comprised of many different components, organizations and individuals that operate within it. Some of these components include the artists who compose the music themselves, the producers that engineer the sounds created by the artists, the companies that handle distribution and promotion of the recorded music, the broadcasters of the music such as radio
Modern day pop music only differs slightly from the perspectives of a consumer or listener while taking the aspects of sound, conception, and behavior into consideration. Sound being the literal sound generated from pop’s rhythm and beat. Conception the history of modern pop, where it came from, and why it is relevant today; and behavior being how the genre can affect mood and behavior. All three aspects will contrast two similar, but distinctly different perspectives derived from personal experience with both; however, with a stronger emphasis on a consumer perspective. Beginning by marking the differences between that of a consumer and a listener. While both perspectives want similar things from their pop music, they both go about it differently and influence the genre in different ways.
The Korean music industry had drastic changes over the last ten years. Whereas before only about a handful of artists debuted, recently a minimum of twenty groups join the challenge each year. The recurring presence of countless different artists creates great competition within the industry. Due to the oversaturation of promoting artists, many groups feel pressured to quit after failed attempts to retain the attention of the public. However, Korean artists like SHINee and Big Bang, veterans of the music business, have thrived through difficult times and succeeded beyond expectations. Both had to endure harsh training in their early years before they stepped on stage, a date that was undetermined to all of them. These experts of musical and staging experimentation have been able to supply the high demanding audiences release after release. Both five-member groups as Korean male citizens will soon have to fulfill their service requirements in the army. Though they are nearing their mandatory enlistment dates, these musicians only keep endorsing their works in all types of media and through live shows. Although both international groups have similar ethnic backgrounds, SHINee and Big Bang differ greatly in their concerts, performances, and discography.
Popular culture is generally believed to be comprised of a variety of elements. For example, popular culture covers the most contemporary and instant aspects of our lives. These aspects can often show the characteristics of rapid change, especially in today’s highly technological and informative world in which, people are highly influenced by the universal media. Certain standards of behaviour and common beliefs are reflected in pop culture. Because of its cohesion, pop culture both influences and reflects people’s daily life. Moreover, brands can reach iconic pop status. However, these aspects are not constant and may change rapidly. (Abbott and Sapsford, 1987).
Remember back in 2012 all the way through 2013, when all you heard everywhere was “Eh, sexy lady Op, op, op, op Oppa Gangnam Style” to Psy’s wildly popular song “Gangnam Style” which has garnered over 2 billion views and counting on YouTube. The genre of this ever so popular song is K-Pop or Korean Popular Music which was virtually unknown to most before the “Gangnam Style” boom. To some, such as myself, have been an avid K-Pop fan long before the release of “Gangnam Style.” I have been listening to K-Pop now for about 5 years and it has brought me the utmost joy to my life, introducing me to many things culturally and linguistically throughout Asia such as being able to pick up and understand certain words and phrases. My love for the K-Pop genre is quite great, on May 21, 2012 I went to a K-Pop concert in Mountain View, California, my iTunes music library has over 400 K-Pop songs, and have even began watching Korean dramas. Since discovering K-Pop I have become less and less interested in American pop music and am overall bored of its mainstream music. K-Pop music is heavily influenced by American music, but K-Pop brings a new freshness to the pop genre. I strongly believe that K-Pop is better than its American mainstream counterpart.
In the years following the collapse of Asia’s economy in 1998, South Korea turned to alternative exports to assist in both the restructuring of the nation’s financial strength and it’s reputation in international markets. As a result, pop-cultural exports such as films, television dramas, pop music and celebrities associated with these forms of media discourses have found growing popularity in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan; as well as many other East and Southeast Asian countries. This growing popularity of pop-cultural exports has proved to be a tool in constructing a contemporary national image and encouraged the emergence of the ‘Korean Wave’. According to Huang (2009) ‘Hallyu’ or the ‘Korean Wave’ refers to the “...popularity of South Korean culture in other Asian countries” however, with the increased availability of digital media and the increase of social networking, the definition of Hallyu has grown to include Western Societies.