BTS on hiatus means death of kpop wave in the west?

    No I do not think kpop will die out. It will always have stability in the sense that it will maintain a loyal fanbase and they will check out for the artists. It's the massive economic bubble that is around its western push that I am focusing on. I think it's a possibility that 10 years down the lane the industry might once again be relegated to the kcon level. Blackpink's upcoming comeback is going to be very detrimental. Also knowing SM ent. is going through some ownership crisis all the eyes are there. I think the narrative that kpop is this growing future of music might change that's all.

    Interesting pov you have there. I agree with some points you made, especially the 1st and 5th paragraphs.


    I don’t agree with the 3rd one though. Kpop is still growing in Japan. After BTS , twice and to an extent seventeen, the rest of the groups following this list are in 4th Gen. So 4th Gen is definitely growing in Japan. And after BTS released dynamite, I feel like a new audience was opened again in Japan even if there was a bottleneck growth.


    As for the west I have no hope for kpop. The kpop bubble has gotten bigger largely thanks to BTS presence in the western market. So more kpop fans are supporting more kpop groups and now it’s much easier for these kpop groups including 4th Gen to chart well on BB 200 which is very dependent on fandom power. Even if they chart for a short time, they still chart more frequently compared to before


    However for the hot 100, I honestly don’t see any change in the future for 4th Gen groups. They need more casual listeners and better radio deals. Also with the new billboard rules in place it will be very difficult for these groups with such a small US fanbase to even chart good on hot 100.


    If kpop wants to succeed in the west without waiting for BTS to return, they need to change the way they approach the western market. What has worked for largely part of the Eastern market may not do so well in the west. Some strategies need to change. I’ve already seen some groups taking new a new approach to this by going to big festivals where they are more likely to gain new listeners. But a lot of work can still be done

    Kpop reached it’s peak in the pandemic, every groups fandom doubled and so did sales, streams, views. Give it a year and you’ll see everything stabilising.

    Bts’s absence will not cause a decline in kpop but it will definitely decrease it’s media visibility and hype. Bts is really the only group that was competing with their western peers

    If you keep your bais aside kpop is almost synonymous to bts in most places aside from SEA, japan, china and korea

    Quote from mochicake

    Kpop reached it’s peak in the pandemic, every groups fandom doubled and so did sales, streams, views. Give it a year and you’ll see everything stabilising.

    Bts’s absence will not cause a decline in kpop but it will definitely decrease it’s media visibility and hype. Bts is really the only group that was competing with their western peers

    If you keep your bais aside kpop is almost synonymous to bts in most places aside from SEA, japan, china and korea

    Always back up a claim


    Not true outside sea.

    Quote from bobsyouruncle

    even if it "dies out" its built a pretty solid core international fandom if that makes sense :pepepizza:



    im lacking sleep bye

    This right here. The industry has pulled in a fairly solid audience at this point that extends beyond just BTS. This is evidenced by the selling power of other groups and their placements in the Billboard 200.


    K-pop was, is, and probably always will be a niche genre in the West and that’s ok.

    Quote from Millano

    Always back up a claim


    Not true outside sea.

    I mean you didn’t mention which claim(?) I should back up but I guess you meant the “kpop is synonymous to bts” part?

    For a person who is into kpop, they will obviously know more kpop groups but for someone that isn’t into kpop or just heard of it ,Bts will definitely be a group that’s most associated with it.

    And it’s not even a claim it’s lowkey a fact.

    I don’t think the wave is dying. The kpop niche is still a niche but the size is huge and won’t be closing anytime soon.


    What might be affected is the rate of growth for the niche. Bts isn’t just popular. They generate a lot of buzz and hype that help grow the Kpop pond itself. Bts = Kpop, so even when the people bts attracted due to hype don’t become an Army, they can be added to Kpop pond and like other Kpop groups instead. I have seen many kpop fans entering the niche that way.


    This ability from BTS is hard to replicate at the moment. 4th Gen is still in the process of growing themselves within the current Kpop audience. But they are putting up a good fight defending the size of the pond.


    Bts maybe on hiatus but they are having individual activities. This is also good in preventing the pond from contracting and their fans from leaving. If we have an element of luck, and a member did an English single that become a smash hit, it will help generate buzz for Kpop as well. Bts as a group will always be the strongest. But as individual I think the members can bring in a new segment of fans depending on how successful their projects will be.

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