Reasons Behind Korean Music Award Ceremonies Expanding to Foreign Countries

The lineup for the annual domestic music awards that celebrate the beginning or end of the year is being revealed one by one.

This year’s MAMA Awards are scheduled for November 21 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, USA. The festivities will then continue in Japan at the Kyocera Dome Stadium on November 22 and 23. The ‘MAMA’ ceremony boasts a rich 25-year history and is renowned for its innovative stage concepts and an impressive array of participating artists, drawing significant attention annually.

Since 2010, ‘MAMA’ has consistently been hosted overseas, with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic when international travel was limited. The award show aims to transcend the traditional boundaries of Korean music, predominantly featuring domestic artists and resembling a K-pop award ceremony.

The ‘2024 Asia Artist Awards’ (commonly referred to as ‘AAA’) will take place in Thailand’s ‘Thammasat Museum’ on December 27, celebrating Asian artists. Initiated in 2016, ‘AAA’ has gained traction by recognizing both local singers and actors. Its international reach expanded, beginning with Vietnam in 2019 and later hosting the event in Japan in 2021.

This year, the ‘Seoul Music Awards,’ an event with a legacy of 33 years, has announced that it will for the first time be held internationally. The ‘33rd Seoul Music Awards’ is set to occur at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 2, 2024. The organizers have confirmed the attendance of over 20 prominent K-pop stars, expressing strong confidence in the ceremony’s success.

The increasing global popularity of K-pop has sparked greater international interest in domestic music award shows. Furthermore, the rising ticket prices for international performances compared to those of domestic events may necessitate such overseas decisions for revenue generation. Nonetheless, the rigorous schedules of artists, who frequently travel abroad, alongside local fans who may miss these events despite them being domestic awards, understandably leads to some disenchantment.

As domestic music awards extend their global reach amidst K-pop’s soaring popularity, the question remains whether these ceremonies, akin to K-pop festivals, will meet the expectations of local fans who are now abroad.

Source: naver

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