Do you guys think there is hope for the new generation boy groups?

    So I saw some articles about the latest Kingdom episodes and how the ratings were not favorable. Something about it getting lower ratings than RTK. (Although some defenders said that TV ratings mean nothing since the show is directed towards teenagers)


    Looking at the 4th generation boygroups' digital performance, it's obvious they are doing bad. I'll go as far as to say people are not listening to them at all.


    I think some factors are responsible for this:

    1. Oversaturation of the market.

    2. The push towards the international market and hence the musical direction, thus alienating the domestic market. We rarely see these idol groups promoting on variety shows and other promotions too. But kpop's growth on the global scale is very limited to certain few groups indicating that the global market is not open to kpop as a genre but certain few acts.


    My question is, do you think if the boy groups change their sound (all collectively) they have a better chance at gaining more recognition or is it too hopeless?

    If the general public in SK could actually feel accommodated to their music more, we'd see a big change. Because they still seem to be stuck in 2012-2018 when 3rd generation was rising. And yes, the global market isn't feeling accommodated with Kpop as a genre, but with just a few groups.

    if the only thing one considers is digital performance then maybe no unless a group gets a viral hit or something but why measure things only by digital performance instead of $$$$ earned

    Quote from selfmate

    if the only thing one considers is digital performance then maybe no unless a group gets a viral hit or something but why measure things only by digital performance instead of $$$$ earned

    What you are saying is true but I am talking about relevancy not revenue. Not to say revenue is not important. In fact in this streaming age that's the most important thing. But as someone who likes to observe the charts to me it seems that the music industry as whole is in a weird phase: sales are dying and while for idol music it is indeed on rise there is no guarantee it will last for long. So the future generation's performance becomes more important, or exactly in which field they are performing. If fandoms are the alternative to a streaming focused market then it's important to observe how they behave and to what extent their influence extends. Are they able to influence charting on an impressionable level or if they behave in a more traditional manner.

    Quote from quantumphysics

    What you are saying is true but I am talking about relevancy not revenue. Not to say revenue is not important. In fact in this streaming age that's the most important thing. But as someone who likes to observe the charts to me it seems that the music industry as whole is in a weird phase: sales are dying and while for idol music it is indeed on rise there is no guarantee it will last for long. So the future generation's performance becomes more important, or exactly in which field they are performing. If fandoms are the alternative to a streaming focused market then it's important to observe how they behave and to what extent their influence extends. Are they able to influence charting on an impressionable level or if they behave in a more traditional manner.

    interesting so in terms of relevance the new bg are probably not as relevant since they don't capture the public's attention the way they did in previous gens.

    but then the same can be said of most groups period even gg who most in the past year or two have failes to capture the gp attention

    if we talk about fandoms then obviously the answer is no they can't influence charting as can be seen even by the bigger bg of the 4th gen and even some 3rd gen bg

    It sure feels like it's too soon to press the panic button. Yes, it's the lowest debut of the series, but reading the stories, it doesn't feel like this was ever really a blockbuster show in ratings, despite what we may think in kpopland, considering the other two versions started off at 0.5%, and this one started at 0.3%, based on what I read in articles. (I'd be interested how many watch it online though, if it mirrors teenage behavior in the US who don't watch things on TV.)


    If you can sell millions of albums and sell out concert tours without the GP's "awareness", do you really need it? Are we all looking at an outdated model in what we consider success? Streaming adds to the nichefication of the entire music industry, not just kpop, as does the proliferation of digital content - you are not forced to just watch or listen to one thing or the same song or TV show multiple times, but rather can choose to curate your content. Because people are choosing what they want to listen to, that mass media becomes less important. They don't play HER on the radio stations and I don't need them to because I don't listen to those radio stations.


    I'd also go back to a point I keep making about music - people can be successful without GP recognition. In looking at the U.S., The Weeknd had the top album of the year, played the Super Bowl halftime show, had a song that was utterly unavoidable, and yet Twitter was full of GP asking who he was. Dude made a hell of a lot of money without some random boomer recognizing him, yet most people my age know exactly who he is. Stop worrying about what the GP thinks - they recognize very little in who is the hot artist right now in any country...


    As for fandoms, I'll never understand why fandoms being an artist's key support are seen as such a bad thing in kpop. In Western music, there are many many many artists being carried to lucrative success by their fandoms. From Taylor Swift to Beyonce, to older acts like U2 and the Rolling Stones, their fandoms carry the bulk of their success and drive the largest portion of their business. That said, just as the industry is changing, so are fandoms. It seems like 4th gen fandoms are much less interested in powering their group up the charts - which is fine, they are still interested in purchasing their products, going to their tours and watching and interacting with their social content. Again, this I think reflects a shift in priorities. They don't care if they chart, they care about the album and seeing their faves and what's new on social. I totally get it. And that's fine - again, the industry is changing..

    ..............................................................................................................perfume

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    very well put!


    Thanks for such a well put answer.

    That's a perfect explanation.

    :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

    Before groups needed to rely on the Korean market first then expand internationally. Now they can enter the international market directly. So now they are able to survive without a big domestic support. I think that's the main change.


    But when the international market grows tired of K-pop in 10 years, then that maybe will be the end.

    4th gen boygroups are making more unconventional & experimental music so i understand why korean gp is not interested in them, but even groups that make songs that are gp friendly or favorable to much wider demographic (not just teen) are flopping in korea soi guess koreans are generally not interested in kpop music not checking them out.

    There is one thing that'll never make sense to me regarding bg stats. Rarely is the streaming/charting in Korea or international is proportional to their album sales. The fandom power is not shown in music consumption. Only few bgs have both. U don't need gp to show consumption.

    Just look at some trot singers and see their streams on Korean platforms. Its huge and fandom driven. Even izone was a fandom driven group and show consumption.

    These bgs don't have great international streaming or charting stats either for claiming to have international fanbase.

    ✿༺ 𝒲𝒪𝒩𝒴𝒪𝒰𝒩𝒢 ༻✿

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