Are there any fandoms who have helped paved the way to bring awareness to Kpop, other than ARMYs?

It is well known how ARMY asked Target stores to put BTS Albums on their shelves and since then, it is no longer uncommon to see BTS albums on store shelves. Then other Kpop groups followed suit and now every Target stores in the US carry Kpop albums . BigHit started distributing albums through Amazon. This is all now a common occurrence. Just a typical Tuesday.

For radio plays, BTSx50 states was created and organized as a community with structure divided up into 10 US regions, including Central, south Central, Upper Midwest, Lower Midwest and 4 States. Each region is split up into 5 to 6 "state" groups. It is 100% run by 68 volunteers who makes time from their normal lives to promote BTS. They did this because they knew it was needed to chart on the billboard. A thick skin was needed talking to one DJ after another in order to pitch this Asian Boygroup into mainstream America.

To get nominated for Top Social Artist, social engagement was needed. ARMYs mobilized and used hashtags at any given time to increase the number of social engagements for BTS. it worked. They got noticed. BTS was nominated. 300 million votes were casted on their first nomination. Since then, other Kpop groups were nominated alongside BTS. It was historic.

Xenophobia started to creep in as western industry can no longer ignore BTS but were still not invited to sit at the same table as the western artists. ARMYs started questioning the requirements to be nominated but the music industry was not ready for it. Voila! A kpop category was created to appease ARMYs and make it look like Kpop is being recognized. BBMA, AMA, and VMA all have Kpop categories.

There are many, many more that I can point out.

There are so many organized fandoms in Kpop. Can someone please enlighten me about things other fandoms have helped paved that other Kpop groups have benefitted from?

Quote from The-Wise

Some people won't bear the thruth but it's mostly Army fandom who have done the most that's why BTS & Army is at now. You can trash some Army for being toxic but it what it is with Kpop communities, like Football or NBA, there are always fanwar and will always be at the same times, who benefit it ? SK economy so all the other Kpop group which is good for the country.

While I do believe that ARMYs did so much to bring awareness to kpop, I still want to hold on to the belief that, somehow, other fandoms have taken some steps too. I'm very interested in knowing what it was.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

I do agree that Army did a lot to raise Kpop visibility in the US. However, this was not their primary intent. It was more a happy byproduct, a happy accident.

I dont think any fandom does anything for "kpop". They only do it for their faves. Army would sell every other group and the entire industry down the river, if it meant helping or protecting their faves (remember how they kept trying to pretend that BTS weren't Kpop lol). As would Blinks, Onces, etc.

When i first started getting into Kpop, BP was just starting to really blow up in the US. First Hot 100 hit, KTL also blowing up here. But it wasnt Sheeran stans, Drake stans, Swifties, or Arianators dragging BP when BP started charting every song in the Hot 100, BB200, etc. It was Armies that were shading them. This is why i fought so many battles and wars with Army on this forum and became known as Blackpink's Champion

Army were saying the same insults to other Kpop acts that locals would say about BTS - manufactured artificial robots and non artists controlled by their labels.

Army dont care about anything but BTS. Just like every fandom dont care about Kpop or any other group, just their faves.

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No, they didn't do it for other Kpop groups. Not at all. Everything ARMY did was for BTS, no doubt at all. But in doing so, they opened up opportunities for other groups. You cannot deny that. Everything that they've done for BTS is what other kpop groups have now enjoyed being a part too. Whether it's accident or not, it is what it is. They became a part of what ARMYs have started.

Dragging and shading is all part of this community, unfortunately. This is not only prevalent in Kpop but other fandoms as well. You fought battles for BP against ARMY while ARMY also fought their battles against BP stans and whomever they feel tries to discredit BTS. There are toxic stans everywhere.

But that's not the point I'm trying to make. I am asking if any "accident", as you call it, happened from other fandoms that other kpop groups and their fanbases have benefitted from.

I'm sure, there must be something that other fanbases have done that even BTS received as a token. I just don't know what it is. If you know, why don't you tell me?

Quote from ISaidISaid

You know that whole separate space called “enter-talk”/“fan talk” that exists? It exists because people couldn’t stand EXOL spamming everywhere about exo 😭

Those cute kpop dolls you see for all idols that fansites and others sell? It’s an EXOL thing as well.

Tbh a lot of kpop culture in Korea is pretty much entirely because of kexol. I’m pretty sure they are the most defining fandom in Korea in the turn of 2nd to 3rd gen.

That's what I'm talking about. Big or small, it started a culture.

Quote from Slayurfaves

yes but I'm afraid you don't want to know the answer lol

Do tell. I may or may not agree but what matters is if you honestly believe whatever that contribution was.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

Hmm, i'm not sure if this can be attributed to fandom, but how about what BP did without stepping foot in the US? AIIYL hit Bubbling Under when BP was 10 month rookies in 2017. Then their next single actually charted in the Hot 100 in 2018.

I wasnt in Kpop back then but from everything i've seen, what BP did was unheard of. A group this young charting like this with Korean songs and literally zero US promo. No appearances in the US, no push by YG or anyone, not even a feature on Buzzfeed lol. It was the definition of virality. I think this showed that Kpop GGs have a place in the US and jumpstarted BP's rise to Coachella, which in turn opened a lot of eyes regarding what GGs are capable of outside Asia.

But whether this can be attributed to Blinks in the US is something im not sure anyone knows. Someone who was around in the summer of 2018, who followed BP religiously back then, and who understands Hot 100 charting as well could probably answer this question better.

I think it's more of a BP accomplishment rather than what a fandom did to "accidentally" open an opportunity for other groups. The other commenter mentioned "kexol kpop doll". That's starting a culture in Kpop. Every group has some sort of dolls nowadays.

Quote from dizzcity

I still remember when the ONLY way to get English subtitles for variety show episodes involving idols, or even MV lyrics, was for fan translations to subtitle them. The fandoms of the 2nd generation groups worked hard to allow people in other countries to understand the MVs and what their idols were saying on the variety shows. If that's not spreading K-pop, I'm not sure what else can be.

Something that 3rd-generation and 4th-generation fans take for granted nowadays (subtitles in English and even multiple other languages for idol videos) had to be worked on for weeks at a time by 2nd generation fandoms to spread awareness.

That's good to know this was started by the 2nd Gen. I had no idea. Thank you for educating me.

I'm not sure about being taken for granted by the succeeding generation, though, but as far I know, English subtitles are now done almost in real time.

Quote from Knife

Blinks and Orbits. Both fandoms were heavily active on Twitter and other social media platforms during BTS' peak, using all sorts of ways to get locals to stream. Orbits created a post promoting Chuu and Yves as a billionaire lesbian couple and locals thought it was legit so they went to stream LOONA (

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Blinks just did a great job getting BP on the charts, there's not much else to say about them other than that they are diehard fans.

I know people that were introduced to kpop through these fandoms

Holy moly! That was very creative way of promoting! Love it.

Quote from ABoredStan

I don't know if this paved the way to anything, but because of them, because it happened, we now have what we have.

I think Shinwha's fan (Shinhwa CHANGJO!) started the rice donation first or some sort of donation. Great cause for any fandom, I don't care if they want to boost their faves image up, I still think it's a great thing to do. Fans does alot of good deeds nowadays. Unfortunately, we only hear the obnoxious loud ones.

I think Yuri from SNSD made the fancam became a thing and then Hanni from EXID boosted that greatly afterwards. Which all thanks to the fans themselves. Now we get tons of high quality fancams.

Fans chant probably started from 1st gen's fans too. Fanclubs, fans name, all are 1st gen I think.

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Fan chants and Fancams. Those are definitely part of the established Kpop culture. Fanchant especially is embedded in the culture that even get non kpop people in awe. The widespread fancams on the internet made watching kpop performances more enjoyable. I would even say, it has piqued curiosity and interest of non kpop audience. I personally enjoy watching BTS fancams. It's great watching the performance from a different perspective.

Though I don't look at the charitable donations from fandoms as paving the way or creating a culture, it is a very commendable act and something I believe should continue. I agree with you when you say we don't hear much of the good deeds because of the obnoxious loud stans. ARMY has a network of charitable programs worldwide through ONE IN AN ARMY. Other than BTS, I take pride on what ARMY have done for humanity through those charitable programs.

Current Campaign | One In An ARMY

Learn more about our current campaign, how to donate, and our collective impact.

www.oneinanarmy.org

Quote from turtleneckjoon

Idk if it’s true or not but shawol started trend of fantaken photos because they attend shinee official activity like fanmeeting & fansign with pro camera?

when i was not into kpop i remember reading article of a shawol winning international photography contest and the replies basically said “as expected from canon goddess fandom (because canon=camera brand and tele lens looks like cannon). And the photo was amazing, natgeo competition level

Idk if i get the details correct but basically pretty idol hd photos started by shawols lmao

I'm not sure how I can categorize that but it sure is a pretty good take. Were all the photos associated with Shinee all in vividly clear HD at that time? If Shawol's level of photography spread through the other fandoms that made them follow suit, then I would say that it is Shawol's contribution in the development of the Kpop culture.

Quote from chilltime

we blinks didn't do anything. it was all yg mediaplay./s

not sure if it counts because it's only 1 blink. taylor swift keeps playing pink venom in her eras tour so it should count for awareness right?

There's only so much YG can do. Blackpink is big. You, as part of the Blackpink fandom, put them up there. Do not underestimate what you guys have done. There has to be something that Blinks have started that either created an awareness or contributed to the Kpop culture.

Quote from Afriyieau1

I’m not sure but I heard that the HOT fandom was what started making fandom activities look more official and well planned. They had fandom heads that helped to organize birthday celebrations, group anniversaries, fanchants etc.

I think they are the OG and the standard for how most kpop fandoms operate

Oh wow! It's so interesting how these things started that just became a regular part of Kpop. Never underestimate what a fanbase can contribute, big or small, to how this culture will be seen in the next decade.

Quote from Afriyieau1

Also to add armys started that goal milestones for comeback. That one was pretty recent. It was for dynamite.

We always had a goal for things like YouTube and such but it was the first time we made a sheet including all the other charts and then this famous army editor made a video edit that went viral. It accrued more than 12M views on twitter alone. As always armys got dragged for being chart obsessed by other fandoms but after seeing how organized we were for dynamite debut, they started to copy it too

Also when BTS posted 7 for map of the soul comeback and armys decided to add 7 to their dn to support the comeback. It soon became a trend on twitter and fandoms did similarly too

These are the ones I remember for now

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I was a baby army at that time. ON era, to be exact.

The goal for charts is now a regular occurrence. The little "7" for sure had spread because, on twitter, you will see other fandoms using the little numbers, whether it's 4, 5, 7 or 8. Those are the numbers I notice a lot.

I completely agree that those are the trends that are now part of Kpop.