Boy bands have to audition in the West too. How else would they get into a label? They send in their music or are noticed by a manager or a producer or something. One Direction was made from contestants of X Factor,a music survival show for which you have to audition. In the USA,they just try to make it seem like it's just bros that got noticed by a big label and got lucky (the concept of Big Time Rush) but no, often it's people who either send in their music or video on their own or they get spotted performing on the street,a stage on or on an audition for something. Although, nowadays it's mostly social media,connections and nepotism (usually the later two) K-pop and J-pop (J-pop started it) are just more straight forward,they will just have open auditions,it's easier for them this way and they get to have more artists on rotation in their label.
Boy bands have to audition in the West too. How else would they get into a label? They send in their music or are noticed by a manager or a producer or something. One Direction was made from contestants of X Factor,a music survival show for which you have to audition. In the USA,they just try to make it seem like it's just bros that got noticed by a big label and got lucky (the concept of Big Time Rush) but no, often it's people who either send in their music or video on their own or they get spotted performing on the street,a stage on or on an audition for something. Although, nowadays it's mostly social media,connections and nepotism (usually the later two) K-pop and J-pop (J-pop started it) are just more straight forward,they will just have open auditions,it's easier for them this way and they get to have more artists on rotation in their label.