is it just me or is the kpop industry starting to slowly prioritize singles & quick eras than albums etc

what do you mean starting?

Kpop has always been a single driven industry. ESPECIALLY for girl groups.

Music shows are built around performing the lead single.

Festivals book vased on the performance of lead singles

Only a handful of idol albums get critical acclaim and nominations off of quality rather than performance on the charts.

I’m not sure if this trend of mini albums on debut is new at all but I like it

Well you’re right but its the same across the board.

In 2014 Calvin Harris did an interview saying he’d never actually release an album again because people just don’t consume albums.

Music used to be a luxury and there weren’t many options so people would buy albums in order to get a lot of new music at once. Eventually people started buying albums, but because of radio play and music video production, a specific single needed to get a lot of money put into it other than music production and so companies need to make that money back.

Scenario 1:

I buy a Twicecoaster lane 2 from Twice, but how many of those songs am i streaming? (Album Profit - song production costs for unstreamed 12 songs + streams profit - MV cost for 1 song) some profit if tons purchase

Scenario 2:

I JUST stream the title from that album, like most consumers (same album from scenario 1)

(1 Streams profit - 1 MV cost - 1song production)

Scenario 3:

New Jeans, Super Shy, ETA, ASAP and Cool With You ALL get to be singles promoted, a little separated in time. And you stream ALL of them AND purchase

(6 Stream profit for EVERY song + album profits - 6mv costs - 6 song profits)

If you ask me though, the real genius is the international appeal their music has because THATS where the scharole is

isn't kpop always like that

a full album like a Western singer is very rare, in kpop if you don't cb at least 2 times a year, you gonna lose all the hype (unless you are BP)

that's why K-pop fans always complain about company mismanagement

but Aespa reason is because of SM tbh

The problem is that Kpop fans are used to getting tons of content. At least two albums per year which means at least 12 songs per year. Some groups have gone bonkers with like 20-25 songs per year (Twice and BTS), like that's just WAY TOO MANY SONGS. You just saturate and saturate or end up with a trillion disposable B sides that nobody cares about.

In the old days, artists would come out with one album every 2-4 years. Basically BP's discography of 30-40 songs in 7 years was the norm, maybe even on the high side.

But could you imagine the outcry from fans if our faves came back every three years with 3-4 singles and 12 songs total for the album? We would have riots and trucks every week.

I think all artists should be capping their total song releases to 8-10 each year, with 3 singles and 5-7 B sides. Of course, my caveat would be that these would all be REAL songs, not 2.4 minutes long. At minimum, the singles would be about 4 minutes long with shorter versions to be used during performances. However, some of the B sides should be real artistic endeavors going for 5, 6, 8 minutes in length, allowing the songs to breathe, allowing the idols to show other sides of their talents like vocals.

In my opinion, It was always like that. Groups doing differently are rare.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

The problem is that Kpop fans are used to getting tons of content. At least two albums per year which means at least 12 songs per year. Some groups have gone bonkers with like 20-25 songs per year (Twice and BTS), like that's just WAY TOO MANY SONGS. You just saturate and saturate or end up with a trillion disposable B sides that nobody cares about.

Not that I don't agree with most of what you said but... sometimes it's nice from a consumer perspective for products to not always be about profits. Sure less songs per album is more profitable from a business point of view but it doesn't exactly scream "we care about our customers"

I disagree on too many disposable bsides and nobody carrying about them. As a Once, I very much appreciate that Twice has this massive discography. Their recent bside releases in past 2-3 years have been the highest quality, I listen to some of the bside as much as title tracks and certain bsides are iconic for performances on concerts (ex. Rollin, Go Hard)

Plus you also don't see the unintended long term effects of frequent releases on fan loyalty. Twice wasnt always my top group but i can tell you their releases is one of the main reason they are now.

I think its just you

Not sure what’s going on with boygroups but girlgroups haven’t changed anything drastically. It’s the same. Full album has always been a luxury for the biggest groups.

It is what it is!

Quote from itiswhatitisss

less investment = more profit model

I dunno my friend but literally every business is trying to get a higher return on investment

the less investment possible for the maximum possible return

and I'm pretty sure kpop isn't any different