University Report: Global Success of the Korean Pop Music Industry

This report examines the global success of the Korean Pop Music Industry, exploring the factors that have contributed to its worldwide popularity. It highlights the role of Korean dramas in spreading Korean culture, the impact of the internet in globalizing K-pop, and the key elements of the music management companies. The report focuses on major entertainment agencies like SM, YG, and JYP Entertainment, discussing their unique styles, marketing strategies, and international partnerships. It analyzes the industry's revenue models, the influence of government policies, and the challenges faced, such as underpriced music and the importance of international markets. The report also references the impact of these agencies and provides insights into the industry's overall growth and future prospects.

Running head: GLOBAL SUCCESS OF KOREA’S POP MUSIC INDUSTRY
Global Success of Korea’s Pop Music Industry
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1
GLOBAL SUCCESS OF KOREA’S POP MUSIC INDUSTRY
The spread of the culture of Korea was initiated by the first TV shows of Korea known as
the dramas that became one of the very popular shown in Asia. Then, came the great wave that
was spread in the rest of the world that has become possible due to the internet. The popularity
that has been associated with the drama has drawn a lot of attention of the cultures that are
present in Korea (Lathrop, 2013). Moreover, the knowledge of music is an integral part of the
drama as the main and popular songs are repeated very often during the various episodes namely
SHINee’s Stand by Me, in the drama called Boys over Flowers.
However, to understand the increasing form of the globalization of the K-pop music around the
globe, it is very important to understand the key elements that are played by the companies that
promote the management of the pop music (Song, 2015). Several management agencies in Korea
that includes the S M Entertainment, the YG Entertainment and the JYP Entertainment takes the
main actors of the industries of K pop and are usually referred to as the Big 3 because they have
the strong amount of the market shares and the operations in the International markets. Each of
the agencies have their own styles and focuses on the certain type of the music that mainly
produces the Hip Hop and the R and B images, the SM specializations in the pop and the dance
and the JYP and the R&B dances and pop.
The YG Entertainment has been founded by the former member of the Seo Taiji & Boys[+],
Yang Hyun-Suk (Lindsay, 2015). YG who are the recording the artists that are including the Big
Bang, PSY, Seven and the 2NE1 and the companies have the partnerships with the various forms
of the labels for managing the International releases such as countries like Thailand, China,
Japan or in the Philippines. It has been observed that the first half of the YG Entertainment have
recorded the sales of the revenue of more than seventeen billion (Song, 2015).

2
GLOBAL SUCCESS OF KOREA’S POP MUSIC INDUSTRY
The various Industry observers have reported that Mogul who was believed to have the vineyard
of California is very much fascinated with the music. Of the biggest label of the S.M is
considered to be the most formulaic and it is very much unclear that whether it will be involved
in the diversification of the rock, electronica and rap. However, the market of Korea is in high
demand of the pop music and it is clear niche that they wants to go beyond that which is tricky
and they will do very well with the amount of resources and talent they possess. However, it has
been observed recently that in Southern part of Korea that has done the recoup in those
investments. For all sorts of the passion there are fans of the homegrown that have not been
paying enough for the K pop music. It has also been found that the CD industry has come to a
stagnant level and the sites are hugely underpriced with some of the charges that are just few
cents for the songs.
It has been reported by the company representatives that the advertisements bring in the far more
amount of the sales of the music. The Korean musicians performs for the turf in the home,
however, the main supply of the money comes actually from Japan.
The act starts with making the money, they have the broken form of the business models that are
been underpriced, and they are actually creeping to the activities that are based on abroad. The
South Korean Government has been the keen object for promoting the new form of the
international identity that has the rival of the image of being the cool cultures. The sole questions
that have arisen are that whether the industry has been the famous for the music or due to their
problems.

3
GLOBAL SUCCESS OF KOREA’S POP MUSIC INDUSTRY
References
Lathrop, T. (2013). This Business of Global Music Marketing: Global Strategies for Maximizing
Your Music's Popularity and Profits. Billboard Books.
Song, M. (2015). Global online distribution strategies for K-pop: A case of “Gangnam
Style”. Broadcasting and Communication, 16(2), 85-121.
Kwon, S. H., & Kim, J. (2014). The cultural industry policies of the Korean government and the
Korean Wave. International journal of cultural policy, 20(4), 422-439.
Hughes, D., Evans, M., Morrow, G., & Keith, S. (2016). The New Music Industries: Disruption
and Discovery. Springer.
Lindsay, S. (2015). Masculinity and alcohol in postfeminist popular culture: teenage boys
consume music videos: a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, NZ (Doctoral dissertation,
Massey University).