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K-pop Fandoms and Protest Culture

Joseph Hwang In the 1980s, South Korea achieved democracy through a constitutional amendment that allowed direct presidential elections in response to civil resistance against military rule. This constitutional shift came at a significant cost, with ordinary citizens sacrificing their lives so that future generations could establish a nation grounded in their cherished values. Today, the older generation of South Koreans plays a pivotal role in this democratic legacy, as the freedoms and values they fought for have nurtured the global rise of K-pop. For this generation, protests are ingrained in their culture, yet they believe such actions should not be necessary. The term “martial law” is particularly sensitive for them, as they are acutely aware of the oppressive military dictatorships in South Korea’s history, where it was a tool for controlling dissent. Just hearing the phrase triggers memories of the violence that occurred during pro-democracy protests. However, on December 3, 202...
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Posted by Joseph Hwang

Short Form: The New Viral Platform for Promotions

 Joseph Hwang


* This article is based on the “2023 Music Industry White Paper” published by the Korea Creative Content Agency, part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea.


1. Different aspect


Before, short-form video platforms were not mainstream media. Their influence was not decisive and did not impact the public. But today, they are no longer ignorable media.


Especially for K-pop artists, short-form platforms have become essential promotion tools for their global activities.


There are some distinguished points with the early cases to the recent chart in the Billboard Hot 100 through the new examples such as NewJeans and Fifty Fifty.


In the cases of BTS, Blackpink, and Twice, they charted in the Billboard Hot 100 for the addition of music downloading by their core fans in the US instead of the lack of the number of streaming. This means that those K-pop artists already had core fans in the US for a long time. On the contrary, the new faces NewJeans and Fifty Fifty didn’t have any organizations to support them in the US, but they overwhelmed the pop music market in the US, which is not yet in place, where their fan base is using the short form platform. This is a new aspect that did not exist before.


2. TikTok


One of these short-form platforms is TikTok. Until now, this platform has not been a mainstream promotional tool for pop artists. However, the promotion world has changed.


This change is not only for the K-pop industry but also for the worldwide music industry. No matter what genre it is, the phenomenon of hit music on the TikTok platform entering the charts in the opposite direction has been repeated. For example, 13 of the 14 songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022 were powered by TikTok, and 10 of the top 12 songs of the year on the UK Official Singles Chart in 2022 were powered by TikTok.


3. The importance of viral promotion


The individual strength of streaming per hit song is weakening, while TikTok is increasingly taking its place in viral marketing. In 2020, when the hit songs appeared in the base of TikTok, most people doubted how long the promotional power on TikTok would last while maintaining its destructive power as a medium. However, when you consider that 42% of the 160 million newly registered songs worldwide in 2022 were played less than 10 times, it’s a massive opportunity for non-mainstream artists to have a way to break into the mainstream market. Viral marketing via short-form platforms is the most effective tool in the present. There are still many opportunities to show and introduce the various artists’ new songs and extraordinary dances to the world. The world is changing with the rebellion of the minorities. Of course, there are a lot of fake statements from online users, but nowadays, virality is almost the only way to increase the authenticity of a user. In this sense, short-form viral tools are essential. The power of publicity comes from the authenticity of the user.


Please don’t forget this: “The music products are experience goods.”



* References and quotations:

https://welcon.kocca.kr/ko/info/trend/1953646

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