Assessing future of K-pop at Seoul International Music Fair
- 5 years ago
Over the years, K-pop has cemented itself as a widely popular and instantly recognizable music genre around the world.
With the buzz around K-pop showing no sign of burning out,.... experts and representatives of the music industry have descended on southern Seoul the heart of K-pop to attend the Seoul International Music Fair.
Always with an eye on the future, they are trying to stay one step ahead of the game.
Lee Min-sun reports.
The 2019 Seoul International Music Fair, South Korea's biggest K-pop fair known as Mu:Con, is back for an eighth year at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul.
Against a backdrop of music showcases and a business marketplace, experts, music festival directors and industry people are gathered under one roof to discuss the convergence of music, culture and technology.
One of the top agendas is K-pop as a global music trend and the future of K-pop based on a statistical analysis of the global fan base.
"Lots of fans don't just like one K-pop group, but listen to a bunch of different artists outside the ones they say are their favorite. YouTube videos featuring other musicians mentioned by K-pop idol groups are being flooded with comments. So, it shows K-pop is expanding to cover a broader range of Korean music. K-pop is being redefined."
In the past, the typical path for a K-Pop group to achieve international fame was to become popular in South Korea first and then enter the global market based on their solid fan base at home.
But many of the so-called "3rd generation K-pop groups" are often more popular overseas than they are in South Korea.
Based on an analysis of YouTube viewership, the overwhelming majority of K-pop content is consumed overseas.
In fact, consumption in South Korea accounts for a mere 10 percent of the global total.
"For 3rd generation idol groups, becoming successful in South Korea is not as important as before and they are primarily targeting overseas markets. It's becoming more important to come up with a new strategy and planning that fits the new trend."
Experts also suggest a closer analysis of the K-pop fan base to better understand the current trends as fans are no longer just passive consumers.
They are increasingly becoming active producers of K-pop, reproducing content and marketing their favorite stars on their social media accounts.
Lee Min-sun, Arirang News.
With the buzz around K-pop showing no sign of burning out,.... experts and representatives of the music industry have descended on southern Seoul the heart of K-pop to attend the Seoul International Music Fair.
Always with an eye on the future, they are trying to stay one step ahead of the game.
Lee Min-sun reports.
The 2019 Seoul International Music Fair, South Korea's biggest K-pop fair known as Mu:Con, is back for an eighth year at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul.
Against a backdrop of music showcases and a business marketplace, experts, music festival directors and industry people are gathered under one roof to discuss the convergence of music, culture and technology.
One of the top agendas is K-pop as a global music trend and the future of K-pop based on a statistical analysis of the global fan base.
"Lots of fans don't just like one K-pop group, but listen to a bunch of different artists outside the ones they say are their favorite. YouTube videos featuring other musicians mentioned by K-pop idol groups are being flooded with comments. So, it shows K-pop is expanding to cover a broader range of Korean music. K-pop is being redefined."
In the past, the typical path for a K-Pop group to achieve international fame was to become popular in South Korea first and then enter the global market based on their solid fan base at home.
But many of the so-called "3rd generation K-pop groups" are often more popular overseas than they are in South Korea.
Based on an analysis of YouTube viewership, the overwhelming majority of K-pop content is consumed overseas.
In fact, consumption in South Korea accounts for a mere 10 percent of the global total.
"For 3rd generation idol groups, becoming successful in South Korea is not as important as before and they are primarily targeting overseas markets. It's becoming more important to come up with a new strategy and planning that fits the new trend."
Experts also suggest a closer analysis of the K-pop fan base to better understand the current trends as fans are no longer just passive consumers.
They are increasingly becoming active producers of K-pop, reproducing content and marketing their favorite stars on their social media accounts.
Lee Min-sun, Arirang News.