How low is the "kpop standard" for success?

Lmao u hit the nail with that one .

other kpop acts songs are labeled good even when they are literal noise or with repetitive tired beats with incredibly cringy lyrics .

If they do somewhat okay saleswise for a bg and manage to be in melon top 10 (no paks are necessary) for gg , or miraculously managed to chart in bubbling under, then they are an absolute success and are dethroning BTS.

The standard for KPOP is mediocrity it's depressing.

Quote from magicwand18

Inspired by the comments in a recent thread by one of akp's more desperate trolls, I am genuinely curious to learn what stans consider the standard to be in order for a song/album to be considered successful in kpop. With BTS, kpop stans seem to have an astronomically higher threshold in mind for them with every subsequent release but do not seem to feel the same for their own faves strangely enough. Comparatively, what are the standards of success for other groups that aren't BTS? Are these standards determined in reference to who is #1 in kpop at present or is relative to the growth of kpop over time?

Stan19 feel free to chime in

Lol, the troll talked about how some Kang Daniel song didn't reach Dynamite Level. For me, a successful album is 100k-200k sold. A successful song is a song that manages to enter the korean charts/ very succesfull especially if it is a boy group). I feel like people set the standard for BTS way to high, and the troll said On was a flop lol. On promotion created a lot of fans and it peaked #4 on the Hot 100 (definitely a flop).

Quote from a_song_calling_f

Lmao u hit the nail with that one .

other kpop acts songs are labeled good even when they are literal noise or with repetitive tired beats with incredibly cringy lyrics .

If they do somewhat okay saleswise for a bg and manage to be in melon top 10 (no paks are necessary) for gg , or miraculously managed to chart in bubbling under, then they are an absolute success and are dethroning BTS.

The standard for KPOP is mediocrity it's depressing.

Wow, you are really right about charting the bubbling under and dethroning BTS one. I have seen people saying SuperM was going to talk over BTS after they got into charts.

Well they hold BTS to different standards always, but then they also cry when some Armys say that BTS is much bigger than Kpop and far beyond it.

The standard is definitely set higher for BTS.

I mean people were saying Dynamite flopped just cause it didn't reach Number 1 on Melon on its first day (even though it was against SSAK3 & reached it like 2-3 days after release).

Also for BTS.

What is a national hit for them is set higher than for others.

When other idol groups get songs on DNA/Fake Love/IDOL level it is called a national hit but as many notice, Those 3 songs of BTSs are never called national hits while only their songs like BWL/Dynamite/Spring Day are, even though for other groups, they get around DNA/FL/IDOL level or slightly lower and its suddenly a national hit.

People will likely call Butter a flop if it doesn't outdo Dynamite (which is stupid because Dynamite is a whole ass global hit that made IFPI's Top 10 Singles chart with only 4 months of tracking, like of course that will be hard to beat).

These days ON and LGO are considered flop so you need to do better than those songs to be called atleast decent, charting wise.

Quote from worldlove27

The standard is definitely set higher for BTS.

I mean people were saying Dynamite flopped just cause it didn't reach Number 1 on Melon on its first day (even though it was against SSAK3 & reached it like 2-3 days after release).

Also for BTS.

What is a national hit for them is set higher than for others.

When other idol groups get songs on DNA/Fake Love/IDOL level it is called a national hit but as many notice, Those 3 songs of BTSs are never called national hits while only their songs like BWL/Dynamite/Spring Day are, even though for other groups, they get around DNA/FL/IDOL level or slightly lower and its suddenly a national hit.

People will likely call Butter a flop if it doesn't outdo Dynamite (which is stupid because Dynamite is a whole ass global hit that made IFPI's Top 10 Singles chart with only 4 months of tracking, like of course that will be hard to beat).

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Another interesting narrative that is now being spun is refusing to call Dynamite a national hit cause it is in English and erasing all of its association with Korea saying it is an American song as if no other Kpop groups ever sang songs in English in which they had no songwriting or composing involvement.

Success in charts & awards has and will most likely be the only thing that many k-pop fans will use to label a song 'successful or the opposite 'a flop'. I mean I can't really blame them, as that is what shows how much hype & recognition that song is getting.

I also agree that k-pop fans will obviously set some type of higher expectation on bigger/well-known groups, and that needs to stop. But honestly, those are not even "expectations" most of the time, instead they are standards that fans will use, and if the artist does not follow through with those standards, it is used against them.

Many k-pop stans also need to understand that success comes from something bigger than just numbers

and fellow user icyruios perfectly stated this

Quote from icyruios

For me so long my faves are doing better than their previous comeback, it is success.

I don't need them to be top tier or chart topping, success is when they are making songs that they love and are passionate about, and that there are loyal fans supporting them. Success is when you taste happiness from people appreciating your music because of the hard work you put into them.

Standard is different for every group. It is something you compare, what have you previously done. If you are Jobless, getting a job is success, but if you already have the job, you aim for better salary for success. If you have to halve your salary, even if that salary would be good for normal person, it is considered as flopping, because you are used to living on a higher standard.

To at least chart on Melon at number 100

Billboard bubbling under

I'm gonna answer, albeit somewhat arbitrarily.

150k album sales

Single enters Melon 24Hits Daily Chart

Spotify: Single reaches 20M streams/Album reaches 40M streams (this is the minimum)

Single peaks top 100 of Gaon Digital

More:

Their faves to...

- feature on Vogue magazine and the likes

- be a brand ambassador of a luxury brand

- be interviewed by E! Entertainment

- appear on James Corden show and the likes.

That's also success by Kpoppies standards, I think.

Quote from magicwand18

your speaking on individual markers on success, im talking more on the comparative markers ie. groups compared to each other or criteria for certain things like national hits

Well national hits are extremely rare since only few mainstream groups can reach top 10 melon. kpop is extremely saturated these days and imo group is already successful, if they can earn enough money and sustain consistently their comebacks.