I don't understand why SM doesn't promote Red Velvet in US

    Red Velvet has the least confusing concept in SM, a small number of members, a discography that appeals to the west, and interesting concepts that western audiences would love. SM keeps overthinking and overdoing their attempts to break out into the west, but they fail to realize they have the key in the company right now, being benched because Naevis is going to be a soloist all of a sudden??

    Quote from godkingteshub

    Ifans just don’t understand business. A few songs from their velvet catalog won’t automatically make the group a runaway success in America. Looking at the group holistically, they don’t have the marketability or “swag” of a BPink. The members are very reserved, sometimes noticeably anxious. If some random Americans go deeper into their discography they’ll find more Rookies, Zimzalabims, Umpah Umpahs, Power Ups than they would be comfortable with. Wendy has also said offensive things about Black people TWICE and never apologized.

    Most people checking out their music casually are still kpop fans, yet Twice, BPink, or even Loona tug more at their stan heart than RV, so they never became more than just casual listeners.

    RV has a lot of good things going for them. It’s just that their overall build is not suited for the type of American advancement y’all are dreaming up for them.

    No one said anything about them automatically becoming a runaway success. This is about their untapped potential, something SM never made a serious attempt to realize. A group with actual good vocalists, English speakers and an R&B slant? Take away some of their goofier, more experimental concepts & focus more on their "velvet" side and that's about as obvious a recipe for success in the west as you can get, guaranteed or not. The rest of that was typical godkingteshub, so I won't even bother responding.


    SM is falling behind the other big companies (and almost got eaten by one of them) because of their complete and utter failure to adapt to Kpop's globalization and successfully popularize their artists outside of Korea. The fact that they've had such an appropriate group to accomplish this with the whole time, and have just left them sitting on the sidelines while they instead push an oddball virtual concept backed by a group of frankly mediocre live performers (which probably appeals much more to East Asians than anyone else) is the most baffling part of it.


    And no, it has nothing to do with Twice or anyone else. The fact that them and a couple other groups have made such inroads in the US only proves it's possible and worthwhile, it doesn't have any bearing on the appropriateness of SM trying to do the same with RV. They should've started trying years ago, and in fact made their first half-assed attempts before those other groups arrived.

    Edited 5 times, last by xviper2k ().

    Quote from xviper2k

    No one said anything about them automatically becoming a runaway success. This is about their untapped potential, something SM never made a serious attempt to realize. A group with actual good vocalists, English speakers and an R&B slant? Take away some of their goofier, more experimental concepts & focus more on their "velvet" side and that's about as obvious a recipe for success in the west as you can get, guaranteed or not. The rest of that was typical godkingteshub, so I won't even bother responding.


    SM is falling behind the other big companies (and almost got eaten by one of them) because of their complete and utter failure to adapt to Kpop's globalization and successfully popularize their artists outside of Korea. The fact that they've had such an appropriate group to accomplish this with the whole time, and have just left them sitting on the sidelines while they instead push an oddball virtual concept backed by a group of frankly mediocre performers, which probably appeals much more to East Asians than anyone else, is the most baffling part of it.


    - Wendy is a good vocalist, Seulgi does alright, and Joy is so-so but they are far from the talent that would impress even the least jaded Americans


    - Wendy is the only English speaker and her nervous personality wouldn't make her a good spokesperson for a Western audience, not to mention her two racial comments


    - their perceived strength basically lies on the velvet songs chosen for them. but these don't come from thin air and take time to find. you can give these songs to other singers who better fit the rnb image and tone, and they'll get more mileage from them


    - despite their discography, RV still lags behind Twice and BP in western fandom by a large margin. it already took SM a lot of effort to make RV's dual concept a success in it's own right. so if they are going to take a serious aim at the American market, they might as well invest on an American group from the ground up, and not try to contort one made specially for the Korean/East Asian market

    - They may not be one of the greatest collections of musical talent ever assembled, but they are objectively one of the most talented groups in Kpop. And not just vocally, where several members shine reasonably well. Seulgi is one of the best dancers and all-around talents in the entire industry. If Kpop were a video game, she would arguably have the highest overall stats of any character.


    - Wendy is fluent, Yeri speaks conversational English, and all of them at least understand English. "Nervous" Wendy hosts her own radio show. While she was wrong to do it, it's mostly people who dislike Wendy in the first place who still harp on her racial faux paus. Everyone else has moved on. It's not like she's consistently, openly racist.


    - No one's songs just appear out of thin air, and unless they're writing them themselves, you could theoretically give any artist's songs to anyone, so not sure where you're going with this. Red Velvet fit the R&B "velvet" image and sound like a glove, something that's been proven time and time again throughout their group, sub-unit and solo activities. It suits them infinitely better than their more childish "red" concepts IMO, especially as they age.


    - Using your logic, Twice and BP never should have worked in America, as they too were made specially for the Korean market. While BP's "louder", raunchier image lends itself pretty easily to western success, everyone and their mother said the same things about Twice that you are saying about RV. Guess what, it's still working for them. All it took was some actual promotional effort from their company, something RV doesn't have going for them. And their "velvet" discography is much more American in style than even Twice's most recent songs. The idea of an American group made specially for the American market is a new concept within Kpop companies, one that none of them have followed through with yet. Given the recent success of groups that weren't made specially for America, it's also a concept that's not actually necessary.

    Quote from xviper2k

    - Using your logic, Twice and BP never should have worked in America, as they too were made specially for the Korean market. While BP's "louder", raunchier image lends itself pretty easily to western success, everyone and their mother said the same things about Twice that you are saying about RV. Guess what, it's still working for them. All it took was some actual promotional effort from their company, something RV doesn't have going for them. And their "velvet" discography is much more American in style than even Twice's most recent songs. The idea of an American group made specially for the American market is a new concept within Kpop companies, one that none of them have followed through with yet. Given the recent success of groups that weren't made specially for America, it's also a concept that's not actually necessary.

    Twice did well in American because they could attract kpop fans. BPink did better than Twice because they not only attracted kpop fans but also young people from the general audience because of their youth oriented swaggy concept. They had the imagine going for them. SM sees this, how can RV compete if they can't even appeal to kpop fans to the same degree as the other two.

    SM specialize in creating fandoms, not making regular Americans love their groups. Sure, RV could do well, but as they try to tackle on the American market, they are missing opportunities to make easier and less costly profits for SM in Asia.


    RV already had their stint in America, but there was just not enough organic buzz to keep things going. They had a fanmeet in Chicago. The few casual non-kpop fans who were curious got confronted by problematic things they said.


    At the end of the day SM is a business, and they will do what's better optimized to get money for themselves. Fans have a lot of wishful thinking as if it's so easy to win over the American market, but that's not how a business operates.

    RV never created buzz or attracted the general public in America, because how could they? Their only tour went unpublicized outside of Kpop circles and consisted of tiny venues full of pre-existing fans. Their low-budget concerts were practically glorified fanmeets. There was literally never a chance for growth outside of Kpop fans. I also think it's unfair to say that one of the biggest girl group mainstays can't appeal to Kpop fans. They can, it's just a lack of promotion and financial backing that's doomed them so far.


    Korea's not a missed opportunity. They've done about all they can in Korea, and as an aging girl group, it would be in their best interests to expand their reach outside of the extremely fickle & ageist Korean market as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer they plan on remaining active, but their future would be much more secure with an international profit base to pull from. Twice & BP won't have to worry about any of this by the time they reach RV's average age, because they've already secured that success elsewhere.

    SM has few connections in the US. None of their groups have ever made it big there.


    Aespa only went to Coachella.


    This is why if you were a SM fan, a Hybe partnership would have beneficial for SM's groups. But now Kakao who has little experience is in charge.

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