Can K-pop quit S Korea?

    Check the article


    K-Pop Paradox: Why Some Acts Find Global Success But Face a Disconnect Back Home
    K-pop's paradox: why some acts like ATEEZ and Stray Kids find global success but face a disconnect back home in Korea.
    www.billboard.com


    But of course, a better question is even if the international market is growing and S. Korea is the fourth largest market for Kpop,

    "Why should Kpop quit Korea?"


    It is not as though music needs additional investment according to market.

    It is just a matter of preferences and that will vary within Korea and in every market.


    So WHY WhyKnock ?

    Someone has said that KPop is becoming like the English Premier League, where everyone comes to play and not too many people having any loyalty or affinity with England or English soccer tradition.


    S. Korea is a proxy for China, but since China is opening up, SK's importance will dwindle even further.


    it is interesting that the EPL-lization of Kpop is growing by leaps and bound after its Greatest Gatekeeper was defeated by Bibi in February 2024. Till then all foreign idols in Korea had to reckon with the Greatest Gatekeeper of All but now that is no longer necessary.

    Kpop as an industry and not a genre specifically means it will follow where the money is


    and if there is more money to be had internationally that's where kpop will go however not all groups can shift internationally because of lack of resources/popularity/language etc etc

    Quote from selfmate

    Kpop as an industry and not a genre specifically means it will follow where the money is


    and if there is more money to be had internationally that's where kpop will go however not all groups can shift internationally because of lack of resources/popularity/language etc etc

    It seems the companies are all moving away from Korea since there are no more money to be made from there

    A group still needs Korea for their early years. As a group matures they can rely on the global market. Most groups won't have that privilege. Not every non-big 4 group is Ateez, Dreamcatcher,Kep1er and a few other groups where they don't need to have a strong presence in Korea to succeed.


    There will always be groups that are much more popular in Korea than globally. A group like Oh my girl for example wouldn't survive if they had to abandon Korea. Likewise, a group like Dreamcatcher wouldn't survive if they ignored international market and tried to win Korean market over. Every group will continue to be case by case, but kpop growing globally adds better chances for a group to survive

    Quote from StanGIDLE

    A group still needs Korea for their early years. As a group matures they can rely on the global market. Most groups won't have that privilege. Not every non-big 4 group is Ateez, Dreamcatcher,Kep1er and a few other groups where they don't need to have a strong presence in Korea to succeed.


    There will always be groups that are much more popular in Korea than globally. A group like Oh my girl for example wouldn't survive if they had to abandon Korea. Likewise, a group like Dreamcatcher wouldn't survive if they ignored international market and tried to win Korean market over. Every group will continue to be case by case, but kpop growing globally adds better chances for a group to survive

    OMG is a mature group and its members are slowly moving into acting.


    There are no 4th gen acts which concentrate in Korea only. Even the nugu CSR had a Japanese member and is now trying to eke out something in Japan. Kiss of the Life has 2 American and 1 Thai members.


    The diminishing number of younger people in Korea means Korea-only acts are no longer viable. So the transformation has occurred. Those who are likely to be more popular in Korea only are now being stirred into trot instead.

    Quote from WhyKnock

    OMG is a mature group and its members are slowly moving into acting.


    There are no 4th gen acts which concentrate in Korea only. Even the nugu CSR had a Japanese member and is now trying to eke out something in Japan. Kiss of the Life has 2 American and 1 Thai members.


    The diminishing number of younger people in Korea means Korea-only acts are no longer viable. So the transformation has occurred. Those who are likely to be more popular in Korea only are now being stirred into trot instead.

    Fair point. I don't think there's a current 4th or 5th gen group that is similar to OMG in that regard. The closest would've been Fromis_9, but they've disbanded.


    I have noticed most NUGUs are attempting tours in the US. I agree that companies can't rely solely on Korea. I guess the groups that didn't try to seek international markets might not be able to afford it. I am unsure if Rescene is popular in Korea but it seems most of their efforts seem to be focused on Korea.

    Quote from StanGIDLE

    Fair point. I don't think there's a current 4th or 5th gen group that is similar to OMG in that regard. The closest would've been Fromis_9, but they've disbanded.


    I have noticed most NUGUs are attempting tours in the US. I agree that companies can't rely solely on Korea. I guess the groups that didn't try to seek international markets might not be able to afford it. I am unsure if Rescene is popular in Korea but it seems most of their efforts seem to be focused on Korea.

    I have not heard about Rescene so I don't think they are that popular, and it does have a Japanese member and has a Japanese agency, so it will promote in Japan if it can.

    Quote from WhyKnock

    I have not heard about Rescene so I don't think they are that popular, and it does have a Japanese member and has a Japanese agency, so it will promote in Japan if it can.

    They're somewhat nugu. They managed to average 30k sales with each release.


    This discussion made me realize that even some Jpop companies are attempting to branch out a bit. I have noticed more jpop acts are performing in Korea, US, and Europe. I don't remember that many attempting to perform outside of Japan. I think with streaming it allows acts to seek an international market.

    Quote from StanGIDLE

    They're somewhat nugu. They managed to average 30k sales with each release.


    This discussion made me realize that even some Jpop companies are attempting to branch out a bit. I have noticed more jpop acts are performing in Korea, US, and Europe. I don't remember that many attempting to perform outside of Japan. I think with streaming it allows acts to seek an international market.

    30k is not that bad for a nugu act. It will probably find a niche.


    It does not hurt for JPop acts to branch out to Korea since more eyes are on there, increasing their exposure.

    The question is "does an agency/group actually need to separate out their music for Korean/West?"?


    The location specific aspects are,

    1. Lyrics - it is easy/cheap to put out English/Korean versions of songs. Besides most lyrics in pop are crap anyway. This also applies to censorship rules. Create different versions - NSFW, kiddie etc.,


    2. Promotional activities - again this is largely on the internet. very few need physical presence - Music shows/interivews at best.


    3. Concert tours - where again Korea can be one of the stops.


    So why should a group explicitly move away from Korea and if so, what exactly would signify that?

    WhyKnock  selfmate ?

    Because any time spent in Korea is basically a waste of time

    Promotions are not cheap and if they are in Korea the ravages of fans cannot be avoided


    English lyrics are cheaper and often blend into the tunes better


    Acts not doing Korean promotions too much are also not watched by the Korean media. Since they don't know who the idols are there is no point watching them

    Promotions are not cheap anywhere, perhaps it is cheaper to film in S Korea and use everywhere.


    Cultist fans are key to Kpop. Can't do without them.


    Most guide tracks anyway are English these days, so that cost is inbuilt. Not a reason.

    "Better Blending" is just your subject perception.


    Pop has largely siloed. I don't think people in the West are watching Western media for Pop either and they definitely care even less about Kpop stars.

    Korean media at least would care enough.


    None of these are solid reasons why agencies should desert Korea.

    Music is not a tangible product like say cars, phones or semiconducter chips, that investment needs to be sunk on locational markets and there a choice has to be made on which market best deserves the investment- produce locally or supply.


    It is largely 'supply' , produce anywhere, supply anywhere.

    In that context, they could spend some % at home, makes little difference.

    like I said before money


    money is the only reason why a kpop company should really do much of anything (especially those that are not the top groups)


    let's take album sales for instance - I'm pretty sure the kpop companies have the data on how much of their total album sales come from which region (I don't think the general public has access to that data - I might wrong) and therefore how much revenue/profit is generated from that region


    and if a certain region sells more then a company might be more inclined to promote more heavily in that region for example


    in terms of separating out the music - it depends on the group and the identity of the group and where the money is coming from...


    Like it is obvious most of the BP members (both individually and as a group) are targeting the west and twice for example are targeting the west with their group music

    You are talking revenues, yes SK is not the top earner.


    But the question I am asking is production costs, what exactly are agencies spending "more" to keep S Korea in consideration?


    My point is that their cost in effort/money for SK is insignificant.

    They need do little special or specific to SK.


    Then there is no incentive to quit SK, however there is still prestige if they succeed at home or rather lack of prestige if they don't

    well revenue doesn't matter as much as profit


    and obviously undertaking international promotions may be more costly due to travel costs, visas, language issues and unfamiliarity with the foreign localities etc etc


    but for the most part I agree with you my friend - I don't think kpop groups will ever not promote in SK unless you are a soloist like a Lisa or Rosé who are big enough to not need SK per se

    Then there is no reason to spend time in SK at all since cost and benefit wise it is a net sink

    Quote from WhyKnock

    Then there is no reason to spend time in SK at all since cost and benefit wise it is a net sink

    There is no significant "cost", then any benefit is good.


    And the fact remains, for SKZ, Dreamcatcher etc., even if they win the world, the lack of success at home, will be a shade to the stature.

    Quote from bbgc

    There is no significant "cost", then any benefit is good.


    And the fact remains, for SKZ, Dreamcatcher etc., even if they win the world, the lack of success at home, will be a shade to the stature.

    That will change since SKZ looks like it will have the largest album sales. It is going after that title this year.


    Dreamcatcher was a minor act in Korea to begin with so it never expected to gain any traction in there

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