The hub of K-pop and global pop music.

The hub of K-pop and global pop music.

 

 

BTS's fight with him has begun in earnest. The phenomenon that clearly shows this is winning his song at the top of the Billboard chart. The new song "Permission to Dance" pushed out "Butter," which had been ranked No. 1 for seven consecutive weeks, and took a new No. 1. Filling the first and second places with their own songs certainly means the existence of a fan base. It is different from how it happened to win first place. It is the first time in three years that he has filled the Billboard chart with his songs in the first and second places like this in three years since Drake in 2018, and it is also the first time in 33 years since Michael Jackson.

No one knew that BTS would create this phenomenon. It was a Korean music climate where prejudice and jealousy against idol music were prevalent. How should we accept this? BTS' achievement was possible because of the fundamental change in the music distribution structure. Music is consumed through SNS, not through existing music sites. In particular, digging into this was the music video strategy.

The high-quality music video was made complete, making everyone enjoy it and fascinating. Fascinated listeners look for other songs and finally pay and consume music. Of course, he wants to share his favorite song with others, so he shares not only the song but also the content he finds again through SNS. This is not just the passive music user, but the birth of a content minor, or digital content miner, who actively discovers and values music. This requires a considerable brand effect, especially the fandom effect needs to be strongly aggregated. Storytelling works well here.

In particular, BTS had plenty of room to appeal to the younger generation around the world, where hopes and setbacks intersect, due to the adversity story of a dirt spoon artist who suffered all kinds of difficulties. Moreover, music, lyrics, and communication discourse representing peers have formed absolute values based on integrity. Music is not just consumed with songs or lyrics, but it has once again recognized that it loves the artist's worldview or mental value.

 

 

 

Naturally, those whose worldview does not sympathize with their mental values are bound to devalue. The more devalued the stronger the fandom becomes. Such a powerful fandom acts as a musical platform as mobile culture progresses. On the outside, it appears to be SNS, but in business administration, it forms a fan community business model. K-pop, as well as BTS, is already serving as a platform for world pop music. This is why BTS is not just a Korean musician, but a world-class artist, and the center of world popular music. This is because many creators with novel musical senses around the world are collaborating.

However, I think it is more appropriate for K-pop to act as a hub for global popular music rather than a platform. It is the so-called digital hub effect. It is more focused on the fact that the platform is derived from the meaning of a station. The hub has a very strong network centrality. A platform that simply contains and produces content becomes like the fate of an early Internet portal. The reason why Naver strengthens its live performance or Netflix is making every effort to secure original content is not just a platform, but a strategy to establish itself as a hub.

Therefore, responsibility and practice have become important to K-pop along with planning, creation, and marketing strategies necessary for the role of cultural hub. How many dreamers around the world can set up a place and yard where they can realize their dreams, this becomes a stepping stone for K-pop to further boost the happiness of humanity around the world as well as music. It's a fight against oneself. The process of BTS competing with his songs and even his activities so far is also a battle against ourselves. Not only K-pop but also idol music, which has been persecuted by Korean society, is awakening again.