The Economics of K-Pop
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- Опубліковано 7 лис 2019
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Music by Graham Haerther (www.Haerther.net)
Audio editing by Eric Schneider
Motion graphics by Vincent de Langen
Everything else by Evan
This includes a paid sponsorship which had no part in the writing, editing, or production of the rest of the video.
Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com
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Love coming home to your greatly enjoyable and beautifully animated videos 😁
Actually there was a masterclass with SMTOWN! So sadly, you're came late.
background music ruined the video. please stop adding background music.
@ 1:08 you say 75% are physical and only 18% are digital. That leaves out 7% of music sales are... not digital not physical... Imagined music sales?
Lol will skillshare turn me into a Korean person, otherwise I don't think you can be in a k-pop group as a non-asian person.
The economics of K-pop
**Starts talking about Japan**
,хуйню спорол
Of course China must be there too
They're related
And right they're all Asians
BTS every year with a Korean album releases a Japanese album even tho they don't speak "japanese". They have to learn it to do so - Japan is a crucial market for Kpop groups and they cater to these japan and Korea more because are only buying here more.
Did I just hear vending machines sell puppies?
No mistakes bro, I heard that too!
puppets
someone please explain
Eyal Kutz Now that makes alot more sense since I was using subs I automatically assumed puppies too
I thought vending machines that dispensed used women's underwear was weird... I presume they have airholes🙄
While I agree Kpop is more organized and strategic in commercializing music, let's not kid ourselves into thinking other pop music is made in garages by people who just do it for fun.
well indeed but lemme remind you of bill wurtz
well, if you watched the video, it says that it's more political and it's manufactured in a reverse process
@@rbx211 theyre attempting to use science on musi
Ikr, pop used to be quite like kpop back in the days and it still is 'til some extent, people usually call those artists industry plants.
Although other American artists have more liberty, it's still more limited to the indie genre.
@@Cecilia-ky3uw @RBX2 I think the video was misrepresenting a bit and made it sound like NORTH Korea was using music as a political weapon lol. The Korean gov did create a fund in the 80’s to boost entertainment biz which the major labels benefited from like how Samsung and Hyundai was fostered but they are still independent businesses, just as the labels are. How you execute with the funds is up to the creativity and sweat of the beneficiaries. You can’t engineer a viral hit like Gangnam nor can any gov force create global hits like BTS or Squid Game or Parasite. At the end of the day, it’s still music and entertainment which has to resonate with people.
I am not sure calling Kpop reverse engineering is appropriate. It almost makes it sound like there’s a cheat formula to creating popular music that others don’t use because of whatever reason. Did you know Netflix “designs” their originals based on customer data? Is that bad?
"a cd they will probably never play" glancing back at my five kpop albums i have never played but instead looked at the photobooks and cards i got from them "im being called out"
there's a really interesting video on how kpop was able to maintain physical sales. "commercialization of kpop" or smth, but if you want to know the basics, the albums are more than just a cd. you get a cd, yes, but it's usually member specific so there are different versions. then there are photobooks, which is just a booklet filled with member's photos. you also get photocards specific to the album (or "era") and often random, so you will only get 1 or 2. maybe a poster, a bookmark, a popup.
take twice, the nine member girl group (the one shown at the end in the mv for TT). for their album fancy, there are three separate versions (A, B, and C) which means three separate photobooks. you also get one of nine random lenticular photos, one of each member. the cds are also one of nine for each member. you will then get a random 5 out of 90 photocards (10 of each member). you will also get a random 1 of three sticker sets. if you preorder, you will also get a poster plus a photocard set for the album version (A, B, or C).
it's a collectable.
here is a guy opening FOUR HUNDRED fancy albums and still not getting every single item possible ua-cam.com/video/zQ0N4qCRL2M/v-deo.html
I have about 15 albums, and I actually play them.
Am i the only one who listens to the cds or..?
lol i listen to the cds...
I never thought you'd talk about kpop
Now that's the cross-over I waited for!
He secretly has all of BTS' music!
I was finna comment the same thing
Dude is a lowkey twice fan, check out his old video
as long as he can insert China on a video...hell definitely do any topic for a content
Spotify: I will take over the world of music
K-Pop: Hold my shiny pink CD
Murat D SHINee*
@@lynx3845 ?????
@@aryawndni Izza 2nd Gen Kpop Boy Group
@@GroovyZulu But they promote Kpop music here in Spotify India? I don't think they have a beef per say.
@@GroovyZulu it is not because of korea government. Spotify didn't launch their app in korea market. But good news! Spotify started their service last week haha
Next topic: The Economics of Anime
you know what..it isn't that bad of a idea
Nnnaaaaannniii
That's an easy one. Over worked , Under paid. Love watching anime just for it to get canceled or delayed indefinitely. lately, All I see on Crunchyroll is trash with maybe like 1 or 2 hits. I'm tired of decent Action animes getting 12 episodes only to be never heard of again.
@@MrGlutting Sounds less like an economics issue and more like a "my tastes don't line up with the target demographic of any anime I've heard of" issue. The economic issues you mentioned take up four words, and while certainly not _inaccurate,_ they're very _reductive._
Timothy McLean But there is an issue of anime running for a single season and just..
Well, ending. Not getting finished or if it was finished, it was rush.
13 episode cycles are not healthy for animators and fans, but it is great for business.
The video left out an important fact that agencies have talent scouts that search for talented individuals from all around Asia to nurture from a young age. Just like how football teams scouts for talented players.
yeah. i found it kind of weird how the person speaking in the video made it seem like the trainees/idols have no musical talent/passion/skills n just get through bc they look good n follow rules
When making a video you have to make specific choices surrounding time and the over arching message you want to send. The clear message here was that K Pop is entirely different in formation from the more traditional western approach.
Your point is valid but it would have added clutter to the clean story being used old in ten short minutes
But kpop isn't nearly as popular in its home country sadly
true they do scout, but those people with the natural talent are not exactly put up front, and that's why it's more of a product
@@OopsFailedArt kpop is like pop in the 90s. if you were around then, you'd probably understand
“Something respectably authentic about how transparency manufactured it all is” - love that!
Describes the MCU as well.
That was a great line
transparently
adverb
@@BothHands1 me fail english? thats unpossible!
I'm not really interested in K-pop, but the fact that YOU have something to say about it, now I'm curious
cool story bro
save yourself. don't fall into the void.
@@winston5135 exactly don't try to even wade into it even the smallest thing will.get you sucked into it
That's my same thoughts as well!!
I used to be heavily invested in Kpop 4-5 years back.... First you listen the music then you watch some random montages that pop in ur feed featuring ur Artists. These maybe funny, talented, savage whatever... This are just compilation of clips... As you appetite grows you'll start watching the whole as they call it "Variety" shows and then some idol does a cameo in a 20 episode K-Drama so you watch that. You go further into them, to feel a personal connection with them and connect with them on this app called "V-Live" where they live-stream and talk to their fanbase in real time. I personally started having this viscous thought that If I don't watch the latest V-live or that show where they appeared as Guests... I'm less of a/an [fandom name].... Only to realise this is endless... No matter how good their intentions are I physically cannot keep up with the content and simultaneously be productive in my field. I just stopped being part of the "Stanning" culture just because it draws alot of crucial time. You just forget what Kpop really was for.... The Music instead you become fans of their Personalities, their Aesthetic, their collective fandom, and what not. The Labels usually package the CDs with like Albums of Photoshoot, Signed cards,1 random photocard of of the total members (some people collect them all) and Poster. The companies usually put out several sets of the album Set-A Set-B with different photocards and photoalbums WITHTHESAMECD and people collect all. The CDs are super irrevelant because large portion of the fanbase devote their time to STREAM their music videos. I now just casually listen to Kpop or just relisten my favs because some are actually quite... good... There is alot of diversity within the genre that calling the whole thing trash doesn't do justice.
Explaining K-pop
*Using Sakura background*
REEEEEEEEE
i mean there is a kpop idol named sakura
seungwendy but she's from japan...
Rana true but she's a kpop and jpop idol at the same time
It's a cherry blossom and is common in east Asia 🌸 and sakura mean cherry blossom in Japan
3:46 I don’t understand how after all these years, people still call it “Gaeng-nam style”. Psy only freaking repeats it in the song 74920186 times
👏THANK👏YOU👏
Liaison is a thing in the US
🤣🤣🤣🔥👍👍👏 so true. It had to be said!
It's called an accent
@@adikumar6536 Accent affecting pronunciation is only excusable for tones present in words that are not commonly present in the speaker's first language. The correct pronunciation is simply with the letter 'a' pronounced in the same tone as in 'articulation' and 'alma-mater'. There is definitely zero excuses for an american who can speak engish to mispronounce the Gangnam and simply blame it on their accent. The problem here is either stubbornness or ignorance.
So basically K-pop artists train like knights but like a model and singer's versions
knights : you are stupid
Except with fewer aristocratic bloodlines and more tournaments.
@@timothymclean Well yeah... Except that
No, American artist just don’t put in a lot of effort and are over paid for their music.
i want to see a battle royal, thunderdome style conflcit where prospective K-Pop stars fight for the chance to be in a major band, even though most of them are weak and woozy from their strict diets.
The irony of the number one hit Guatnam style is that by design is anti kpop. So seeing all this manafactured carefuly state crafted being completely over blown by song that de-pants the whole genre is hilarious.
Tons of chicks flock to Korea to be fucked by Korean boys
Gangman style*
That's called Hip Hop ;)
guatnam style??
Wantan Style? I think that is a chinese typical dish xP
The Economics of K-POP
Video starts: Visiting Japan....
Kpop makes most of their revenue in Japan. Korea needs Japan more than Japan needs korea
@@erikjj235 exactly not
@acammtt opposite lol
@Hernando Malinche Bc Japan and china copies every korean styles these days. They do have money but that it.
@Hernando Malinche These days Japanese and chinese kids love korean things. Even Janpanese entertainments copy kpop. Uh, you got the idea?
Pretty disingenuous to talk about kpop idols complaining about low wages and constant spotlight and then use footage of Seungri being mobbed by the press for being involved in a prostitution/drug ring.
Bruh 💀💀💀
What I thought.
literally thought the exact same thing
up
Alma U as far as I know he wasn't proven to be guilty for it (except gambling)? It's a typical thing for people in power if they wanna damage someone to accuse them of said things. As a Russian this happens so many times in my country so I do believe a same pattern was used
Video about K-Pop:
*Still manages to involve China*
china is here
is there
*is everywhere*
@obanos thanos is he really?
China is somehow more important to k-pop then Korea.
China has such a crazy large potential consumer market that not mentioning it when talking about anything that is internationally sold would be leaving out a critical component.
Korea was a part of china.
7:56 Here is the China section for those wondering why did PolyMatter do a non-China related video
Korea used to, and partially still is in China's sphere of influence.... soooo also China???
@@canadiancrafter5100 lol no. Fuck their government.
next youll say entire asia was china
Canadian Crafter Korea and China are on each others fucking throats buddy, literally all the 3 East Asian giants want to punch each other.
@@idontknowanymore9966 Oh sorry I meant historically... nowadays, China's mostly keeping NK as a bit of a barrier
I'm glad you've covered the economics of Kpop, but the well-cycled notion that it's a "government sponsored" project is absolutely false. Like farm subsidies or tax breaks for auto industry, the Korean government simply made loans available at a lower rate, gave tax breaks, and gave financial assistance that is less than 8% to 10% of a typical agency's annual budget. The Korean entertainment industry is brutally competitive among themselves, like any industry in a capitalist system would be. It gets a small boost from government programs, sure, but by no means it's "government sponsored" or it's some sort of a national effort like the New Deal in US history.
This is exactly what I wanted to say.
This is oddly specific..
Jae Barclay because people who want to talk about kpop industry has this instinct to paint kpop into a bad light. Pathetic
@@would_have.. same. also he mentioned multiple times in the video that kpop idols/trainees have no interest, passion, talent, skills in music and are just manufactured and crafted to sing n dance on stage which is also hugely false.
most of them, if not all, dreamed of being singers and performers and have unbelievable amounts of passion for music.
they wouldnt go through all that work n stress if they simply had no interest.
@Tasneem J where did he say they had no interest in it? The "manufactured" bit may have been repeated a bit too much but his Skillshare plug at the end even said you need a lot of motivation to learn to make it in K-Pop 🤣
It's also worth noticing that some people like me experience and enjoy KPop almost like you would a sport. We follow trainees since before they debut, root for your groups for music show wins, and some even trash talk other "teams." Each member has a "position" or role they play in the group, and some groups drop or take on new members with time. New groups are compared to former legends. Its very different to the rest of the music market.
Follow? More like stalk
@@death5913 Bro majority of us are broke underage fans
We can't stalk shit lmao
Shut up weeaboo
@@moon_wei LMFAOO
@@death5913 no, saesangs stalk, fans or "stans" as we call yourselves (not the negative Eminem Stan) are just that, fans, we follow their socials, listen to their music, buy the merch and we go to concerts
“Everything from umbrellas to PUPPIES”!? THAT WAS JUST CASUALLY SLIPPED IN THERE!
Gearóid Hughes They meant puppets
citrus I legit think its puppies because its actually a thing
@@mrtorch6827 no way, no f-ing way!
I think the whole "Japanese vending machines sell weird things" thing is a little blown out of proportion, most of them just sell drinks. There are quite a lot of them though
@@mrtorch6827 forbidden sushi 😈
I am always impressed with your ability to talk about complex boring topics and make them totally interesting and easy to understand. I don't think you get enough credit, keep it up!
The topic isn't really boring...
First China now Pepsi Korea
*is there no end to this man's power*
Yeah, but he really doesn’t know kpop or how it became big in the USA or how America/Western market makes money off K-pop.
@@HANITAI. I mean, it depends on the person. Normally i wouldn't be interested in something like that.
Countries shouldn't underestimate soft power. South Korea has become one of the most important cultural centres in the world. Music, fashion, make up, cinema, tv series, skincare products, manwha, electronics, cars, korean food, etc. It's actually very impressive and interesting who the changed their country in a very short time. Also want to add that the idea of idols being this "mindless" pseudo artists with no real talent, artistry or personal input in their music is not entirety true. It is a VERY commercial genre (like mainstream music in general) and there's a training system, but that doesn't mean that the idols themselves are just there or that they don't have any type or creativity nor direct connection with their music. It really depends on the company, artist and/or group. Day6, (G)-Idle or BTS (to name three examples), write and produce most of their music. They talk about mental health, philosophy, youth, dreams, etc. And the famous group of BTS, came actually from a very small company at that time, debuting in 2013. They have always been very creative and hard working and they didn't have it easy. Their albums cover a big range of genres and topics. With a series of their albumes they made millions of people read 'Jung's Map of the Soul' a classic about psychology and philosophy. Idols in general are very talented artists who work hard in their craft. They sing, dance, rap, produce, write music and some of them even play instruments. You can like pop or not, you can like mainstream music in general or not but seeing kpop as JUST a making money machine is not it. It is a making money machine, and also it can be very creative and inspiring because most of the time more than one thing can be true at once. Life is not just black and white. I've been into korean music for 10 years (Not just pop but indie and hip hop as well) and I've seen everything, from AMAZING artists with talent and increible concepts and music to very dull and repetitive stuff. I love this type of videos, very entertaining and informative BUT as happens with generalizations we may put everything and everyone on the same bag and people may think that all kpop is the same comercial and unartistic thing when is not. Kpop is vary diverse and it's fascinating to dive in the genre and discover it from inside. It's so rich. When I discovered kpop in 2010 I thought that it had no soul and also that Idols where untalented pretty faces but I gave it a change and I'm glad I did it because I discovered a vibrant industry with a lot of nice and talented artists. The industry has some really negative aspects that I'm very aware of and also like everything in this life, it has very cool and amazing aspects. Every industry has a bad side and a good side, the kpop industry is no different. We consume thing from industries all the time and every one of them have their own flaws (That doesn't mean that we should be ok with everything an industry does just because we like what the produce). And because everything has a bad side and every industry is flawed, why do people think the kpop insdustry is worse that the american one for instance? Why are american big artists very creative and inspirational but koreans are ''mass produced" fake artists? That's a pretty weird conclusion if you ask me. And this whole ass comment is just to say that kpop is more than what it may appear at first glance. This could go much depper and talk about what's art and what's not, capitalism, the music industry in general, western vs. eastern mindset, hypocrisy by western media, etc. But I will stop here. Feel free to reply if you think we can have a nice debate or conversation. Have a nice day y'all.
Not G-Idle, but Soyeon produces and writes most of their songs.
@@puppchenschnuppchen4984 Minnie too
that soft power builds an international reputation and therefore countries want to trade with you for your products and media, thus u rich now bro
That was long
Can you please paragraph this? Too hard to read.
"Instead, CDs are sold as merch, often with different covers to encourage buying several."
*Looks at Map Of The Soul 7 album covers*
Now that makes sense.
i heard a lot of kpop ... even though i dont understand a single word, there is just something so different about it
Yeah, thats what I feel with Jpop too. I don't understand anything, but it sounds good to me
No shit
It's the beat, you don't need to understand a song to like it...
I hate it. Sounds like shit.
The difference is that it’s shit
Polymatter talk about K-Pop? Wow!!! It's History!!!
Selalu cepat komen ya inspect history :)
@@PRAS223 buset .. ternyata bukan cuma mimin yg dari Indonesia 😅
walah ada inspect history 😂
if you were watching the video, you'd here that it's part of a political tool. that means it's funded and subsidized by the government. what I'm saying is that this video might have been influenced or funded by the SK governent
@@rbx211 but most groups aren't funded by the government...
2070
Grandchild: “Grandad, how did the Koreans take over the world?”
Me: “I’m not sure, but they had some BOPS”
"you see child, it all started with cute korean girls dancing...."
@@felipeneves7260 **cute boys**
@@followleifenggoodexample3578 cute boys and cute girls.
It's never gonna happen. C-Pop is coming. BE READY.
Edit: There is no such a thing like C-Pop. It's C-Rap. And it cannot win others heart either. Keep it up K-Pop.
@@asmeet2005 C-Rap
as someone who’s been a fan of kpop for a while now here’s a few things i wanna discuss:
he says that kpop artists are not ‘found’ but ‘created’ , im not sure whether this is the right way to put it as these trainees were still ‘found’ through street casting, school casting or auditions. companies sign what they believe is potential in these people and build upon it through training. this point is also only works for ‘idol’ culture specifically as the rest of the korean music scene (k-indie, k-hiphop etc.) still works under the ‘western’ system where you’re found and signed to a label in an ‘agency’ type relationship or create your own (take youwillknowv for example)
also his point about trainees having their musical passions formulated over a conference table through the companies, dont get me wrong i know how much the companies control their idol groups’ looks and concepts and for that to be sellable it needs to fit their chosen theme, but many idols i know of had a musical passion before they became trainees, some even active in the underground music scene before (take rm from bts as an example). their musical passions are often already there but use the companies to propel them to success, just because they train doesn’t mean their passions have been completely formulated too
‘some [idol groups] invent touching origin stories’ - yes in some cases this is true as it sells, but it’s normally not well received by fans especially in the west (we want genuine honesty from our ‘idols’ not made up ones). a reason why bts were so successful in the west is because of their own humble and honest origin story that was not plastered as a means for making profit, but rather communicated through their music to gain reliability and therefore fans
but other than these few points i found this video accurate for the most part and explained the economic and political power behind kpop well. as a fan, i know the industry is far from perfect and littered with practices that i don’t entirely condemn, however i would like to open a discussion surrounding this quite negative view of kpop that is often protrayed in western media. these ‘idols’ are still as much as a ‘musical artist’ as any other, they still participate in producing, performance, writing etc. their words stay with fans for their meaning not just their commerciality or excitement found through buying pretty merch (i for one listen to the cds lol). kpop is economic and manufactured but that is not always a bad thing.
Thank you for saying this. I learned from your post. I just started liking KPOP in March 2020 (NCT). I am a big fan of Boy bands my whole life! I see how the KPOP members talk about their training and lives. I see how they are manufactured and how Korea is using entertainment for politics. But as a Fan of boy bands and POP music there has always been a create the band manufactured area in music. There are plenty of schools of music where children go and learn music and/ or dance just a strict as portrayed in KPOP not all then make it to be well known artists. And Talent Shows are very popular since forever, as a fast track to success. The fact the these Guys and Girls have trained and are selected as the best of the class to be in these KPOP groups shows that they have talent in Music and Dance. Training to become an expert in a field is not wrong. As long as they are well compensated for their hard artistic work and are encouraged to create art/ music and have input, as well as having excellent working conditions they should be loved for their work!
Which is why I like his summation at the end of the video the best. Regardless of whether its manufactured or not, K-Pop brings joy to millions around the world. Who cares if it's manufactured. It's still enjoyable and fun to listen to. As long as you like it, that's what matter the most
of course your musical taste is respectable, but kpop idols are the McDonald's of music, sure it's good at times but honestly it's not really very artistic. Now, money has always been important for the music industry and the US model also has artists making trash for money, but I don't listen to it. I think that it's one of those idealistic desires, to ask people to please stop listening to such musical fast food but it honestly is a dream. But I think the kpop thing crosses a line at which they are copying western music styles becasue of course we are the ones who innovate and make new music.
It's all manufactured. It's a business. Money.
You are probably right, but they all remain the very rare exceptions to the majority of realistic standards of the video.
whenever you test a topic, majority becomes the mode that's just normal.
I am able to learn Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, how to dance, how to sing and be a Korean star
Thanks to Skillshare 10/10 recommended
who paid you to say that
As a collector of kpop albums I can confirm that none of the over 150 albums in my house have been played. I don’t even have a disc drive that can play them.
I love how bighit is now included in the biggest companies, couple years ago they would only have included “Big 3”
I mean western music probably isn't that much less "fake" aswell tbh
Western music can convey bad, harmful messages
@@-1f it cater to their market
@@-1f There are two overly-narrow words in your statement: "Western" and "music". It's a potential problem with all media, produced by any culture. The solution is not to avoid music or Western sources of stuff, it's to be aware of how media can influence you and try to vote for ethical media with your wallet. Practically speaking, mostly the former...
@@-1f lmao and kpop can't? you sound stupid as fuck
Our stars have hundreds of millions of dollars, because they hire their own employees that put everything together. Sometimes they hire people to write the music but that's still their choice and our choice to listen to it, I agree pop hasn't been nearly as authentic as Rock as in the 80s, but it's still okay. Can't compare to Korea though. Kpop stars work less than minimum wage and either accept only seeing their family a few days of the year as they work the rest in non-negotiable contracts, or just end up joining the evergrowing list of kpop stars that have committed suicide. Girls' Generation makes $60 Million in revenue, but one the girls can't pay off her father's $30k in medical debt. In-fact even after they become massive hits and celebrities, they struggle to overcome the debt they owe to the record company for teaching them while they were still in school and only being offered 5 hours of sleep every night. Even the monsters like BTS only have like $5 mil each, despite generating $6 billion. They only get to see 0.1%, instead of 100%
Talks about K-Pop, still mentions China.
Wendover is also making a video on the logistics of K-Pop (featuring planes)
wendover x kpop would be gold!
FR LMFAO
FBI- Stay right where you are!
From what I’ve heard, China consumes a lot of K-Drama and K-Pop content and plays a huge role in South Korea’s economy
because the Korean music market isnt that big they go to Chinese and Japanese markets
6:09 Talks about the financial hardships of a trainee... *puts footage of Jennie, a chaebol daughter on both her parents side* (means she's very rich since birth, her father owns a hospital and her mother is a CEO and shareholder of an entertainment conglomerate).
Her being rich has nothing to do with the hardwork she had to go as a trainee. Many western artists also debut with capital.
@@muskanverma9301 we're taking about FINANCIAL hardship sweetie. Are you not able to read? Can any of you argue without dragging western artists in between?
@@rini9325 dumbass this random ass person saying Jennie's mother is ceo, and you believe it so easily?
@@muskanverma9301 But Jennie do have a wealthy background, her mother is a major shareholder in one of Korea's biggest entertainment company.
i used to never really be interested in k-pop, only having heard of it once on the news. but after watching this video in 2019 i started exploring it more, and i've been a fan for almost 2 years now.
Polymatter: Gangnam Style proved that a song didn't have to be written in English to be popular in the west
Dragostea Din Tei: am I a joke to you?
Asereje (The Ketchup Song) : am I a joke to you?
@@cloroxbleach2520 Those songs are from 2002 and 2004. UA-cam haven’t yet existed. Literally the internet population of whole world was less then billion. You asking for billion views is as if someone from 2000s asked about how many TV top charts are current songs hitting. Answer would be “as much as those “views” at the start of 2000s”.
Heck, even older songs like "Sukiyaki" and "El Cumbanchero".
What about numa numa?
@@CarlosSanchez-en6mr Dragostea Din Tea is the proper name of the Numa Numa song
something not mentioned that I also find fascinating about kpop is the music shows where artists perform on a semi-live show with a different show of the same concept aired 6 days a week (i think) for a chance to "win" that week judged on a range of factors and showcase their new song. This comes with a unique "win" culture and sense of in-group mentality comparable to sports where you really want your favourite group to "win". Western pop just doesn't have that weekly kind of thing apart from the big award shows eg. Grammys. For me, it was one of the most foreign parts of the kpop industry when I first discovered it.
ahh actually, they don't perform to win. that is chosen by fan voting, mv view count, etc
they mean to do it as promotion of the new song but to most of us it's more like a chance to see our faves and rewarding them for their hard work
@@hamtaru yeah sorry i worded badly! I meant that they perform and someone wins at the end, but throughout you're kind of wondering who will win as you watch them perform their new songs and see the standings throughout
A bit exaggerated in some spots and some misleading clips, but pretty interesting 👍🏻
@@bigoudiii It doesn't give that image to me xD The video has pretty objective facts.
@@bigoudiii but that's true no one gives a Fck Abt K-pop or bts Xcept teen girls😂
Prithvi Dpopeinz Kpop isn’t just BTS / boy groups though. Kpop is an umbrella term for basically any music from Korea (even songs that aren’t ‘pop’ songs). There’s actually some really good music if you just look
@@xhornoz4514 well not that there's anything wrong with teen girls but they have a lot of male fans and older fans. Plus the industry is making hella money to get Simon Cow and the west wanting part of it soooo 🤔🤔🤔
@@xhornoz4514 no one cares about bollywood either.🤣😂
Kind of a bittersweet ending on that one. Also explains why my freind likes K-pop and what she meant by it technically not representing all of Korea's culture.
Anthony Wilcox uP
It's mostly Western styled song but in Korean with efforts on dancing and visuals
Kpop is a reverse engineered western music
As a side note, anyone who believes that popular media of any sort represents the culture of a country is an idiot
Me hears word "skills" at end of video
*Turns off video*
based
Based
Everything is correct except for the fact that Kpop isn’t a genre. It’s just music mostly and usually sung in Korean with a bit of tweaks, it does have its own 'sound' but all the songs can't be put into one single 'genre'.
For example, TXT's LO$ER=LOVER and Oh My Girl's DunDunDance are not the same genre. Yet they are both Kpop.
Kpop is actually an industry.
SOMEONE HAS SAID IT, THANK YOU
he did say that in the video at 6:35
While this is true, it is important to remember that the idols themselves aren't completely fake. Most do have a genuine passion for some part of the job and may contribute a lot into the music. Also, authenticity varies group to group or lable to lable. Great video!
Edit: What I am basically saying is: the companies are the super commercial part, but not necessarily the idols themselves. And this is more like a very general, mainly the really big groups, representation of kpop.
It depends on the person really, there are idols who have genuine passion for music, there are idols who just wanted to be famous and there are idols who saw the k-pop industry as being a better option than going to school and studying.
About being fake at the end, can we apply this logic to other areas? Other usual pop industry, Disney, Hollywood movies, and even art, religion, etc. ?
1:10 And what is the rest of those sales? I'm confused...
Generally concerts but also venue music fees, movies etc.
Pretty sure concert profits would blow both out the water
@@peterbae3 This is revenue not profit. Artists make the most from concerts sure, but they aren't 'blowing' the rest of the industry.
Stealing probably xD
Or renting ? :0
@@yoshimurahirihito idk if the kpop industry works that way. Pretty sure the labels take most of the live performance profit too. Concert ticket prices for kpop are comparable to american music festival prices, not including all the extras they sell at these events, meet ups etc.. And these regularly sell out. If the artist was getting the most of this then their net worths should be comparable at least to american musicians
There’s one thing this vid needs... *Kpop*
Avery the Cuban-American YOU ARE EVERYWHERE
Is this a YT rewind refference?
Avery the Cuban-American I heard that comment
Please
No
ISORROWPRODUCTIONS
More and more k-artist are producing and writing their own music though. you should have mentioned that.
Sierra D thank you. Both the groups I stan, BTS and Monsta X make and write a lot of their own music. BTS especially
Stray kids write and produce all their music too
Akdn 02 i don’t really stan stray kids but I do know that they make a lot of their own music! (;
yes but they where trained to do so
@@luigicaracho401 no
The Kpop industry: we treat our idols like products, manipulate their image in whatever way necessary to make as much money as possible, contribute to south korea's high suicide and plastic surgery rates, help cover up dr*g, p*dophilia and r*pe scandals and do not care in the slightest about what the public thinks of our business practices
Kpop stans: OPPA!!!! SARANGHEYO!!!!
Just today I had a conversation with my student who is really fan of twice. She is aware of the struggles that Kpop stars need to go through but she still really loves them. I don’t know but when I see Kpop stars I really feel pity for them. It seems like they are trying their best to survive in beauty contest, their main enemy being time and fans itself.
davranbek rozmetov The struggles that k-pop stars go through can also be inspiring for students, since education in Korea is so competitive and gruelling for students. I had some students who I would ask them why they liked k-pop groups knowing this. They said it gave them motivation to keep trying their best to succeed. If their favourite member from BTS or Twice could put in that much hard work and succeed, they believed they could too.
That's a bittersweet message.
each twice member made about $5mm this year
they're 21 yo and international stars
i don't feel pity for them
i do feel pity for the average joe toiling away for years with little compensation or appreciation
Twice work hard but they are well rewarded. No one is forcing anyone to become a Kpop star...
@@jewellui >gets recruited at 11
>Signs a 7 year contract
And the Korean culture is very different
Having a foreign member is actually very recent "strategy"... Infact most korean band are still entirely of korean descent members.
1:18 when you thought you were watching a video about korea and see your family's shop in the stock footage.
Wait for real thats crazy
kpop is like an accelerated version of the music industry in america
I laughed when he said that western artists start at their parents garages... majority of singers nowadays are products from Disney or nickelodeon shows, the hypocrisy lol
@@BellroseJewel Only pop singers, Pop isnt even the most popular genre anymore, you think any rapper is fabricated by a big corm in america?
@@francogiobbimontesanti3826 Did you know that kpop is not even the most popular genre in Korea?
Kpop groups barely maintain a position at number 10 at Korean end-of-year charts (unless a viral song every other year).
Only exception is BTS and oh surprise, BTS's rappers were promising but poor underground rappers before forming the group (one of them leaving his hometown to sell his song on the streets in Seul, one year before joining the group), they also recorded one of their albums at an actual garage (the irony)... but this badly researched video used them as an example of all Kpop generalisations.
Ignore that, you agree with me that US pop singers are fabricated... why does this video make it sound as if this is an alien strategy invented by Korea. I hope you can see the hypocrisy now, the whole thing sounded so condescending.
@@BellroseJewel Kpop is not only one genre either, most of the Korean industry works this way, it happens in the west as well just not in the same extent. Also disney popstars are constantly amde fun of in the west while in korea their stars are glorified. And the west isnt just one country, Name any other western country that does this, even poorer western countries like Colombia or Brazil dont have these practices. While in asia you see the some thing in other countries like japan and Thailand
@@francogiobbimontesanti3826 Look, I am going to be quick.
In Korea been an idol is not glorified. They usually try to become actors or soloist to get more respect.
Also, Korea has other genres like Metal, rock, hiphop, country music called Troth. All of them more respected withing the music industry.
Also, you named 2 countries on Asia with way less developed 'idol' industries. I can name UK and Canada with their rigged talent shows.
Most importanly, this video is about Korea so other countries don't matter.
So you agree that the USA have industries that prefabricate singers as well and the Owner of the channel was being hypocrital for alienating them?
5:09 Appealing to larger audiences while not generating unnecessary internal conflict YG Entertainment while managing BLACKPINK
-OK bye
Sorry I don't get what you want to to say
Sorry I don't get what you want to to say
Japan has almost exactly the same industry with their idol groups. It's just that they mostly focus on the domestic market alone.
correct.
J-pop is too different for foreign tastes and idol music is not really respected in Japan either.
Yeah Japan idols don't need the international market to thrive, while Korea needs it.
Except for Silhouette by Kana Boom lol, it's a very popular song because of Naruto
@@NaNa-wy2tk That is because the main consumers of KPOP are Japanese people. Korea needs Japanese people while Japanese people need Korea.
Seems like interest in K-Pop has been overtaking J-pop for the last 15 years.
kpop sounds more modern and interesting
probably bc most songs are composed internationally
choreos is also great
Yea Ive been living in Japan for a while and I rarely listen to Jpop but Kpop I listen to almost everyday. Jpop is generally more for a Japanese audience instead of international.
Only in the west
US uP
KPOP is also more "free". For instance, JPOP MVs in UA-cam are sometimes only accessible in Japan due to strict copyright laws in Japan. While KPOP MVs have no country restrictions and has a loose copyright law. Same thing goes in Spotify. I literally have 2 Spotify accounts where one is specifically used for Japanese songs, and i bought the premium for it so i could listen to JP songs that are restricted.
It was actually a debate that new kpop group, targeted toward American audiences reached #1 on Billboard, but they only got there because they were giving out their CD in a "bundle" when you bought their merch. People didn't think it was fair.
I am thoroughly surprised by the politcal usefulness of Kpop. It reminds me of ballet being a form of political power in french courts under king louis the 14th
Or sports under the USSR in the cold war.
Heres the thing tho fundamentally you dont need to focus on soft power when you have any of any other power because economic, military, and other powers help you with "convincing" the others either way
BTS has a book called “The Notes” so I bought that. Other than that I have no other merchandise. I just listen to music.
You are the first youtuber that showed me the sources! Thx you bro! I will certainly refer to your video in my next digital economy publication or conference presentation! :D
Keep up with the quality work! :D
RIAJ that was I needed :D
I honestly cant believe this. im taking a class to fulfill my writing requirements and its based around geography and borders. my final essay that I just turned in was about Kpop and politics and how kpop has crossed cultural and political borders in both North Korea and china, and here you are, with a 10 minute video explaining exactly that 😭😭😭😭
Plot twist : Polymatter bought rights to your essay
Polymatter feels like gen Zs CGP Grey.
Peter Johnston you me a gen Z
hey, i still watch cgp grey!
ok boomer
I hope if anybody has an interest in learning more about kpop, watch a video made by kpop fans or, at the very least, music related to get to know it, cause this is very badly done.
I mean WTH is all that intro about Japan when the video is focusing on the music of another country? XD
and the conclusion in that part is that physical records are sold in japan BECAUSE of Kpop, as if Japan itself doesn't produce their own music, that Kpop /followed after/.
I tried to watch it to see if at some point it would actually explain the industry, but it was very oversimplified and generalized.
That seamless segue to the Skillshare ad was smooth as hell.
It’s honestly insane how big hit is now among the big companies like yg sm and jyp. Thank you for incorporating them.
Well big hit is bigger than the big 3😂😂😂
@@nehakiran525 since when?
@@joshua6rup since mid 2018 and 2019 , bighit income report showed billions and trillion in won while the Big 3 are "relatively" successful 🤷♂️
@@nehakiran525 I guess if you look at it that way it makes sense. I was just thinking based on the fact that BigHit is completely reliant on BTS and the only other successful group(that I have heard of anyways) is TXT. To be fair they are a new company and will probably be firmly cemented as one of the BIG companies soon. But the other three companies have multiple highly rated groups, and I don't even know if BigHit has a GG or not.
@@joshua6rup But u cant ignore the sheer amount of success bighit has with ONLY ONE grp and yes it acquired a gg its gfriend
The way you pronounce Gangnam style is... not the way Psy did, I'll say.
“Usually sold to fans that will not play them” Lmaoo damn he right
thanks for adding the sources!!! it helped me gather information for my research on Korean soft power resources 😁
I definitely can see elements of manufactured content and the very obvious goal of profit, but the point made about fans wanting to learn new skills is the point I loved the most. Obviously the physically "perfect" people and hard bops sell, but one thing I love (that I'm not sure most people acknowledge) is the schedule and work required. I learned about this fairly early on, and it makes me enjoy the specific idols more because I know how hard they're working and it motivates me to do more. Sure they might not be xyz, but their willingness to learn and grow continuously is what makes them so successful. The more one suffers and struggles the more one grows, and that's why most idols are at the top - because they've made the necessary sacrifices and developed exponentially within a short time (about 10 years) which when you think about the standard rate of development, this usually takes 30 to 40 to achieve financial and social stability. I'm sort of rambling here, so I'll stop and move on to my next point.
My only real problem with kpop (excluding the sometimes near abhorrent conditions they're put under at times) is the fact that we seldom, if ever, get to see the REAL idols. I would really like to see more REAL idols, because having the veil break is hard, but it's easier when you realize they are real people too and go through similar struggles as you - which makes you want to know their genuine selves. Lastly, stan TWICE, Red Velvet, Mamamoo, and Hyuna.
yes, before Gangnam there never was never an non-english international hit like Ai Se Tu Pego, Lambada, Numa Numa, etc
@Lackluster Octoling Not really, in those times people didn't had UA-cam or social media, you cannot tell how many people know these songs based on UA-cam views...
ai se tu pego was a hit in the us? I remeber that song being released like months before gangnam style took the world by storm
99 luftballons?
@@noelaguirrechavez4462 Aí se eu te pego* (Oh, if I catch you).
La Bamba was first hit in Spanish. Garota de Ipanema was the first in Portuguese.
1:35
*my cd player playing outro:tear in the background*
SuperstarK , Where Tony Stark searching for singer/Dancer to promote his iron Suit....
Nice vid, does a good job explaining the basics of kpop. Just one thing: the trainee period is usually shorter than 5-10 years. For example: for the members of TXT, a new group under BTS's label, the trainee time ranges from 2 to 4 years. 10 years is the longest an idol has ever been a trainee and is super rare.
True, training period is shorter
IF TRAINEE IS REAL TALENTED, OR ATTENDED SCHOOLS ABOUT PERFORMING ARTS.
Love coming home to your greatly enjoyable and beautifully animated videos 😁
Big hot only got big within three years tbh that's a big Acompisihment with one group but at the same time it took them more then 9 years to do thay
They end up soon...as BTS i getting irrelevant
@@mohammadabdulazis9990 lol
@@mohammadabdulazis9990 this didn't age well at all. Especially after the Grammy nom
True, with one group, indeed more than amazing.
You have the smoothest ad transitions in the whole UA-cam.
You haven't seen Real Life Lore then.
I swear to god just yesterday I was wondering that I haven't seen polymatter video for a while and today I see a new video in my feed.
Idk this is actually the first time I hear someone say "there are four big labels: YG, SM, JYP and Big Hit". Thnx for including big hit lol ppl just keep mentioning the other big three
It is because Big Hit Entertainment is a private action corporation, which means they won't appear on stocks market. On the other hand, JYPE, SMEnt and YGEnt are not private. You can buy actions from them in stocks market. That is why Big Hit is usually excluded.
0:10 "Japan feels like taking a trip to the future"
Sorry, but this is where you totally lost me lol
Puppies dispenser
Is this forbidden sushi?
depends its a bit mixed, but considering the beautiful Urban Sprawling(yes I used to be a Civ Player and Yes I Love Maps)
@@Cecilia-ky3uw I was completely dumbfounded by your comment, had no idea what to say, so I showed it to my coworker at the desk neighboring mine and he said, "sounds like a person who has never actually been here."
@@Umekopyon To be honest Ive been there but that was like when I was 6
Ok, I have to say this......Your videos are very well formed and so aesthetic!! It's so good to watch.
polymatter has an eerie talent of casually bring up his sponsor fitting to his video.
The first thing I said when I got into to kpop was the business is genius
That super old BTS footage, oh my God.
😂😂😂😂
The reason why japan and South Korea sell more physical albums are because kpop albums are way more fun to have for example you have photocards, photobooks, stickers and many more items. While American artists usually just sell the cd and don’t put any photobooks or photocards
Fantastic video! Very informative, you learn something new everyday!
@9:40: "But there's something respectfully authentic about how transparently manufactured it all is" I'm not sure what to do with this sentence?
Same
cause this dude has to remain neutral on even the nastiest of industries somehow
Well they are open and honest about it all being manufactured. They don't try to hide anything or manufacture backstories, they openly say: This is a money-generating maschine.
I’m pretty sure he’s saying that it’s comforting that the industries that make these K-pop groups don’t try to cover up that they’re manufactured and made for mass production. they’re open about their motives which most companies aren’t
@@Authoity4576 So the science of manipulating, exploiting , and distorting the thoughts and judgments of the masses by an unscrupulous few is *now* a good thing and should be applauded - because it is so weakly veiled?
7:29 when ur Salty about losing Hoi 4
Underrated comment over here! XD
@@michielo5162 innit 😂😂
This video was surprisingly mostly accurate, props. One thing missed was about the personalities and how they pick different personalities to attract different fans. Actually, personalities are manufactured as well, as the members are coached and trained to be the "funny one", the "quiet one", the "clumsy one", the "flirty one" etc. Usually they take their original personalities and have them exaggerate or expand on it so its not complete acting, but thats also manufactured too. Makes me second guess how they are when the cameras are off.
you should really put mid roll ads on all your videos over 10 minutes! your content is definitely worth it!
3:37 IS THAT LARVA BRUH I LOVED THAT SHOW AS A KID
Damn!!
He was right about WeWork months ago!!!
You're awesome!
Pretending that the average western celebrity started their work in a garage with nothing but a dream...
Has anybody noticed that those important years mentioned in the beginning has all a reply drama, Reply 1988 and Reply 1997?
Next video: why oncologists are so required professionals nowadays.
@@as_if6224 nah, i dont think so. If i said WHOS WATCHING IN NOVEMBER 2019??????
than i would.
"so required professionals" what does that mean? In demand? I'm not sure what's worse, your grammar or asking questions with obvious answers.?
@@mirzaahmed6589 lmao, you said exactly what I was thinking. I think asking a question with such an obvious answer is much more annoying than his bad grammar.
@@mirzaahmed6589 i also eat pork
You dare to decorate your Korean-related video's thumbnail with Japanese national flowers. Never expect any Koreans appreciate this....
I'm Korean and I have no problem with it -_-
Us Americans & Europeans don’t care 🤷🏽♂️😂 so it’s fine
It's okay, anyway Japanese national flowers came from Korean peninsula long ago.
@@bryantav6843
Because y'all are of AMERICAN and EUROPEAN descent. Y'all are WHITE, not ASIAN. You have no right to speak for the Asian community.
Only Polymater can mention the words "Terminal High Altitude Air Defence" and "BTS" in the same video
I like how it shifted from Kpop to Skillshare like clockwork.
This video has so many small errors.
From spending the first minutes talking about Japan rather than S.Korea😑
To saying that there are "four" big entertainment labels, when it's only the first three. To showing footage of Jennie when talking about "trainee financial suffering", when girl is born into wealth 🙈🤣
Excellent use of maps! From this I learned:
2:37: South Korea started looking for world markets for pop music in Iran;
2:51: "What is Love" is translated to Cantonese in Algeria;
6:34: Algeria again is critical to Kpop localization;
6:39: Pop comes from Nebraska, techno comes from Bolivia, rock comes from Australia, and hip-hop from Mongolia;
6:48: Jpop comes from India!
Dude kpop training is hardcore. Even if you don't get into a group, it'll be impressive on a resume and be hired anywhere
CD's as a form of merch?! Now that's a novel idea!