Define Kpop: Genre or Industry

  • ​Is Kpop MORE a distinct music genre OR is it a music industry premised on a location - like Hollywood? 10

    1. more an Industry (7) 70%
    2. both or Can't say (2) 20%
    3. more a Genre (1) 10%

    Is Kpop MORE a distinct music genre OR is it a music industry premised on a location - S.Korea, like is Hollywood?


    If it is an industry, then how are some Korean artists considered as Kpop and others aren't?

    Example, Paul Kim - among the most successful charting artists in Korea, is he considered Kpop or not?


    Pop, itself simply means popular music and can be any genre or mix of genres.

    Kpop, then is simply popular music from Korea. But what made Kpop unique, was the idol trainee system, where instead of labels discovering talents, idols are groomed in-house.


    But there are many successful artists today in Korea, who may not be from such a idol trainee system. Are they considered Kpop?

    Edited once, last by bbgc ().

    • Official Post

    It's more of a designation word to me like anime. Anime isn't a genre though many people use it as such, it's just a short hand way to say "animation from Japan". It's just something that brings to mind a certain style or collection of ideas.

  • It's more of a designation word to me like anime. Anime isn't a genre though many people use it as such, it's just a short hand way to say "animation from Japan". It's just something that brings to mind a certain style or collection of ideas.

    Anime for the most part has a distinctive style which differentiates it from say Western animation and as you mention, ideas. - so it is more a genre.


    But Kpop, the genre are same as the west and there is not genre limitation either, everything from R&B, hip hop, jazz goes into 'Pop' and 'Kpop'.


    So how is a korean artist considered as Kpop or not?

    • Official Post

    Anime for the most part has a distinctive style which differentiates it from say Western animation and as you mention, ideas. - so it is more a genre.


    But Kpop, the genre are same as the west and there is not genre limitation either, everything from R&B, hip hop, jazz goes into 'Pop' and 'Kpop'.


    So how is a korean artist considered as Kpop or not?

    Anime is not different from western animation though, nor does anime have a specific style. It has a stereotyped style, much like K-Pop does. Both bring to mind specific things, but also encompass a wide variety of genres.

  • In the narrow definition of "Kpop", it's an industry based upon the distribution of a genre. In the broad definition, it's the entire non-classical industry.


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