Cultural Post # 4 K-pop Music Industry
Korean Music Industry: “The Big Three” As someone who is naturally very curious and wants to figure out the history of how things were originally created and then evolved throughout the years. As a BTS fan, you will often hear "yes they are a third generation idol boy group" I would become very curious as to who was their predecessors and why the industry works the way it does.
Music has greatly evolved in Kore throughout the passage of time, in the 80s music was mainly controlled by the government and there was little intervention with a lack of record labels.
As globalization rises in the early 90s we see the establishment of "Idol Groups" to meet the needs of the now powerful youth. This created the initial K-pop wave with artists now incorporating hip-hop styles like DUEX, Seo Taiji and the Boys as mentioned before, H.O.T, and SechSkies. From their creation, they are extremely popular and start to sell out their albums, with minimal backslash firm parents and the other generation. Sadly due to IMF a tragic economic downturn in Asia, there is a brief break from the creation of Idol Groups.
Since the establishment of the modern Korean pop music industry in the early 90s, there has been a market oligopoly. Three main companies often referred to as, “The Big Three”, are recognized as the creators of the three-tier entertainment system. These companies are Jin-Young Park Entertainment or JYP, Yang Goon Entertainment or YG, and Star Museum Entertainment or SM. The founders of each company have previously worked in the Korean music industry as successful artists. Yang Hyun-suk of YG Entertainment, for example, was part of the hip-hop dance group Seo Tai-ji & Boys, noted for creating dance idol-oriented music. Arguably these large Korean entertainment houses have significant roles not only in creating and developing the market for K-pop but also in reshaping the overall market for Korean popular music. Korean entertainment agencies actively scouting their future acts to train and develop their skills.
The second generation of K-pop managed to accomplish more in terms of international success, as K-pop is now being exported to other parts of Asia. The groups that were most popular at this time were Lee Hyori, Rain, and DBSK. This is the point where Korea separates from J-Pop and begins to create its own image. However, it was not until the Third Generation or wave that artists like EXO, Big Bang, and BTS start to receive international success from the western world. K-pop becomes a household word in America and groups are now actively promoting it in the United States. While the concept and overall music sound have not dramatically changed from the 90s First Generation, it is now being wildly accepted and received abroad. To the American audience, there is some sense of bizarre connotation to K-pop the history is so much richer than what may be perceived. My recommendation is to listen to some of these older songs and think of them like a time capsule.
Replies
Hi Valentina! Thank you for sharing this! I am also really interested in the K-pop music industry. I started to learn about Korean culture because of K-pop when I was only 14 years old. I think the history of the K-pop music industry you mention is really interesting since I have never actually paid attention to it.