The Decline of K-pop Popularity in Recent Years

According to Edaily, the negative consequences of K-pop’s rapid industrialization are becoming increasingly noticeable. While the scale of the K-pop industry has significantly expanded in recent years, there are rising concerns about its waning competitiveness due to a lack of uniqueness among its idols.

Experts highlight the internal conflict between HYBE Corporation and ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, which has recently surfaced as a long-standing issue. This conflict escalated when Min Hee-jin accused ILLIT, a group under Belift Lab (a HYBE subsidiary), of copying ideas from NewJeans (managed by ADOR). Edaily noted that this stands in stark contrast to HYBE’s previous assertions of fostering synergy through diverse artistic expressions.

From HYBE’s situation, many experts worry that K-pop is prioritizing fame and profit over individuality and musical identity. This trend could lead to an immediate decline in K-pop’s popularity.

Shim Hee-cheol, a professor of entertainment management at Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts, remarked: “The term ‘pop’ in ‘K-pop’ implies that this genre is highly popular. However, if K-pop focuses solely on mainstream appeal, it risks repeating the same fate as J-pop, which lost its competitiveness due to standardized music.”

Mass-Production of K-pop Idols

HYBE is a leading entertainment entity in South Korea, having quadrupled its revenue from 441 million USD in 2019 to 1.6 billion USD in 2023. This rapid growth has established HYBE as a formidable force in K-pop, made possible through its “multi-label system,” consisting of various subsidiaries.

This multi-label system was designed to decrease the company’s reliance on specific artists or record labels. Each subsidiary operates independently, fostering competition among them and thereby enhancing profits. HYBE has six subsidiaries in South Korea, including Big Hit Music (managing BTS, TXT), Pledis (Seventeen, TWS, fromis_9), ADOR (NewJeans), Source Music (LE SSERAFIM), Belift Lab (ENHYPEN, ILLIT), and KOZ Entertainment (Zico, BOYNEXTDOOR).

Through this multi-label approach, HYBE has been nurturing the next generation of K-pop stars following BTS. Notably, NewJeans has made a significant impact on Billboard’s singles and album charts, currently ranking as a top K-pop group and recently placing third on Korea’s list of the 40 most powerful celebrities, trailing only BlackPink and soccer player Son Heung-min.

Other HYBE groups like TXT, ENHYPEN, and LE SSERAFIM have also found success not just in South Korea, but in the US and Japan. This success stems from internal competition to create unique content.

However, the recent discord between HYBE and Min Hee-jin has raised concerns regarding the individuality and uniqueness of K-pop. HYBE has accused Min Hee-jin of attempting to gain control over ADOR, despite holding 80% ownership of the company. Min Hee-jin accused HYBE of permitting ILLIT to deliberately mimic NewJeans.

In a past press conference, Min Hee-jin stated, “If you copy NewJeans, that group will become a second NewJeans, leading to negative consequences for the company in the long run.” She expressed frustration with HYBE’s focus on short-term profit, which undermines artistic individuality and the creative freedom of its subsidiaries.

Experts believe the dispute over ILLIT mimicking NewJeans is significant, given the involvement of a leading company in the entertainment industry.

Min Hee-jin criticized HYBE for “enabling” Belift Lab to imitate NewJeans and lamented the industrialization of K-pop. She indicated that K-pop often leverages popular trends to achieve quick profits. Consequently, experts fear that K-pop is becoming a “factory” for mass-producing idols. In recent years, catchy music has been key to groups’ popularity, with many also releasing English songs as part of their strategy to penetrate the US market.

Survival shows have further accelerated K-pop’s transformation into a “factory.” Judges and trainers frequently select contestants based on their ability to meet public expectations, rather than recognizing fresh talent.

Popular culture critic Jeong Deok-hyun stated, “This appears to be the downside of the evolving K-pop market. The music industry needs to reconsider the multi-label system.”

The Future of K-pop

In contrast, in the US, major stars emerge every year, including pop artists like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Victoria Monét. These singer-songwriters write their own music and share personal stories, resulting in music that is more distinctive and competitive.

Experts suggest that K-pop should take inspiration from the US and cultivate diversity. Popular culture critic Kim Heon-sik stated, “We need to establish a system that enables a variety of music and artists to flourish.”

The practice of selling idol group albums with random photo cards of members is another “chronic issue” in the K-pop music market, according to experts interviewed by Edaily. Korean entertainment companies often produce albums with multiple versions, randomly including photo cards or posters of group members in each album.

This practice results in varying production quality and design across album versions, with entirely different photo cards even within the same edition. This tactic boosts album sales as fans purchase numerous albums in hopes of acquiring the photo cards or posters of their favored members, leading to situations where fans keep only the photo cards and discard the rest of the album, including the CDs.

Renowned music critic Lim Jin-mo expressed concern, stating, “K-pop is acknowledged for its visuals and performances. However, in a scenario where it lacks artistic persuasiveness, I’m worried that this may adversely affect K-pop’s golden era. We need to present an exemplary image that aligns with K-pop’s current global status.”

Source: ZNews

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