It's Sad

Fifty Fifty has had higher monthly listeners than all these other than BTS

gens have always been a stupid concept

Quote from Aeicy

gens have always been a stupid concept

It made kind of sence for 1st-3rd the generation, but not after that.

A bit suprised Twice is that hight still and boygroups have a problem?

The 3rd generation was international and marked the peak of K-pop. Even the 4th generation looks weak compared to the 3rd. but ı agree 5.gen looks nugu atp.

And with those big 3 3rd gen groups still active or soon to be active again, they'll never be surpassed with that level of numbers, unless some really big hallyu wave happens again.

But I don't think it will... Squid Game s3 and KDH, despite their popularity, don't seem to be kicking a new wave off

Quote from Styxx

All it takes is being unique, current 4th and 5th gen are all just copies of the 3rd and 2nd gen hence nobody really cares.

I think it needs more than just that. It also needs that unique moment in time, that "cultural zeitgeist" around kpop as well, one that drives a huge enough number of NEW fans to the group to get those numbers. BUT one that not only does that, but draws listeners AWAY from the already established Big 3 Groups and NOT drive more listeners to them and raise their numbers as well. Because right now, even new kpop fans are going to probably find much of their initial introduction to kpop via BP/BTS/TWICE, or encounter them very soon after. With maybe, MAYBE the next 4 groups (and Stray Kids) as follow up.

Without that, I feel the "Big 3" here have an unassailable lead.

Quote from Styxx

Part of it is the personalities, BTS, BP, EXO and even Twice(less so with them god bless Nayeon and Jeongheon) are all pretty flawed in that aspect. The newer groups are clearly PR trained to a ridiculous degree where you don't ever see their real personality just what is the perfect response.

In the latter gens idols like Jin, Suga, Rose, DO and a few others literally would not be allowed to act the way they do

I think thats a really valid point and one I've been crowing about, the homogenisation of kpop groups into PR trained, safe but increasingly generic groups where the individual doesn't stand out. Companies trying to ape the NewJeans model in entirely the wrong ways.

I still stand by my theory that one contributing factor in why BP took off so hard was giving the members individual instagram accounts and NOT being super controlling of their content. It let new fans easily and immediately get an attachment to the members without needing to deep dive (also led to the rise of akgaes though).

I really think Western audiences in particular want groups where members are immediately identifiable and "different". We like to be able have our favourite and follow the "Spice Girls" model where each members is a "character" almost. The sporty one. The prince/princess. The"punk". The tough one. The sensitive artist. We much prefer that "We are a team, but a team of individuals". KDH lampooned that well, especially with Saja Boys members.

The 3rd gen and early 4th gen groups really honed in on that, and I kind of think ITZY (and maybe LSF, although I think thats debatable) were the last ones to really do that.

It's also probably why there is a stronger than I expected interest in Katseye. The groups members are all unique and identifiable.

BTS, BP and Twice not only have built a big fandom over the years but they also have casual listeners. They are also still currently active.

NewJeans would have surpassed all these has beens by now if not for the HYBE sabotage

All of these wall of texts just because of a seriously flawed metric.

Quote

Your monthly listeners are your total listeners in the last 28 days - including people who’ve streamed your music from active and programmed sources.

Audience segments on Spotify - Spotify

Basically, anyone has a comeback recently, or having a trending song will have higher monthly listeners than usual.

This metric is UNSTABLE. And unstable number shouldn't be used to compare anything, it's stats 101.

For example:

- NewJeans's monthly listener was 25 millions in Aug 2024

- Fifty Fifty's peak monthly listener is 37 millions

Higher than most of 3rd gen groups.

Capturing the data in different times would yield different results.

Quote from Styxx

Nah its more than this, new gorups have fandoms but they lack the special sauce that causes the fandom to grow fast.

They are more entertaining and definitely have that special sauce but their fandom are also loyal. For example BTS haven't made a comeback for 3 years but their fans are still there listening to their music and supporting the group.

It's superior. I cannot tell apart idols from new groups. They all sound snd look the same.