BTS’s Popularity in the West and Why Others are Lacking
K-Pop is one of the greatest rising trends in the world of international media, sweeping across Asia and the west to become one of the most popular genres of music in the world. Despite the genre’s rise to grandeur, just how many musicians are truly benefiting from this rise in popularity?
Coming into prominence in the mid 2000s K-Pop slowly started to replace J-Pop as staple east Asian music genre in the west. SInce then the genre has only experienced an upward trend, especially starting from 2016 when only two Korean where on the world album year end chart for 2016, those two being BTS and Got7; at positions six and nine for BTS and fifteen for Got7 (Billboard. Year-End 2016). Since then more and more Korean musicians have been appearing on the weekly and monthly world album chart as well as the year end chart as well. In 2018 of the fifteen top selling albums on the Billboard world album chart, ten where by K-Pop musicians and the top three albums where all by BTS from their ‘Love Yourself’ series (Billboard, Year-End 2018). However, of the seven Korean artists on the list three are either BTS or members of the group, and of the five Korean artists in the top ten only two aren’t BTS related. So while the genre may be popular now, just how many artists are benefiting from it, or are just a select few true benefiting in a grand way from the western market?
In Korean the music market has long been dominated by what is called the “Big 3” or the three most powerful music entertainment companies in Korea, SM Entertainment, JYP ENtertainment, and YG Entertainment. These three companies have had the greatest control on the Korean music market since the late 90s and musicians who debut under them are almost guaranteed to succeed. All three companies have idol groups that are popular in the west and yet they aren’t the ones dominating the western market. BTS is a group from a small label that was expected to stay small and eventually disband from lack of success, but they didn’t, BTS has become an international sensation unlike most other musicians of the modern age.
BTS is easily one of the trendiest artists as of the last year or so, but when it comes to other Korean musicians few are at the same level of popularity, as Caitlyn Kelley notes, “BTS sold 212,953 album sales, while Love Yourself: Answer and… BTS’s cumulative album sales in the U.S. added up to 603,307.” which is an impressive feat for a foreign artists in the United States. While it may be nice that BTS is succeeding, but they seem to be the only ones breaking the hundred thousand marks, with other big artists like EXO selling nineteen thousand albums in the US (Benjamin) and BlackPink only selling around nine thousand (McIntyre). In Korea EXO and BlackPink are easily BTS’s biggest competitors selling millions of copies of their albums, and yet they lack BTS’s western strength. Even though it may appear that Korean musicians have figured out the tools need to break into the western market, it however seems that the west is still picky as to who receives its love. This is most likely caused the the fusing of two different types of ‘stan’ culture from the west and from Korea, a nation in which stan culture is very potent. Western fans have already been familiarized with western stan culture or supporting a musician/act no matter what, to the point of physical violence, stalking, and ignoring severe misdeeds they may have committed. Korean stan culture is on a level above that due to having a smaller distance between the fans and celebrities thanks to Koreas condensed size creating fans called ‘sasaengs’ who have physically attacked and abused idols such as when a fan put super glue into a drink that Yunho of the group TVXQ drank and had to have his stomach pumped (“TVXQ”). The fusion of these two cultures may have created not a more selective market but a more selective and aggressive fandom, for BTS was able to gain more popularity via their strong social media presence. BTS’s fans, also known as ARMYs, also share a strong social media presence like the band some of them worship, constantly advocating for the band they love whenever they can. Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, pretty much any social media platform will have some sort of BTS fan account. Now it would be expected that if there are more people listening to BTS than that would help other Korean artists, for if someone started listening to rock after being a pop fan you you expect them to listen to more rock musicians, right? Wrong, many BTS fans don’t listen to other Korean musicians, now for some it’s just that they like BTS’s style/sound only, no other group has appealed to them, but for any they simply wouldn’t listen to Korean acts. The fandom has members who believe listening to another Korean musician is ‘betraying’ your stan, some just refuse to listen to other groups such as the one fan who told the group B.Heart “You’re not BTS, I only like BTS’ to their face and walking away ignoring their flyers (‘BTS Fan’). Now not all fans are like this but with the anonymity of the internet fans like this are free to do as they wish and are even more aggressive leading to hostility between ARMYs and fan of not only western musicians but other Korean musicians at times causing a divide between ARMYs and other fandoms.
Now this large and aggressive fandom is not the sole reason that BTS has become so big the west, as widespread media attention have helped them gain notoriety across the world but fandom helps the ship keep sailing, and ignoring its influence would be foolhardy. While it may seem like other groups like EXO, BlackPink, Got7, Twice, and Red Velvet may be gaining traction in the west their own fandoms behind them it may take a while and for now BTS shall remain the Korean Kings of the west.
Sources
Benjamin, Jeff. “EXO Earn First Top 40 Entry on Billboard 200 With 'Don't Mess Up My
Tempo'.” Billboard, 13 Nov. 2018, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8484700/exo-billboard-200-chart-dont-mess-up-my-tempo-album.
This source has helpful insight into the sales of EXO in the US and their past records in the US compared to Korea.
“BTS Fan Insults A New K-Pop Group Face To Face.” Ulzzang Style, 13 Feb. 2019,
ulzza.com/bts-fan-insults-a-new-k-pop-group-face-to-face/.
A unique aspect of how some BTS fans tend to interact with other Korean musicians they encounter.
Herman, Tamar. “Boy Bands, TWICE Top South Korea's Gaon Charts Best-Selling Physical
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A helpful list of the best selling Korean artists on the Gaon chart and how most of them are boy groups, with Twice being the only female group. It also highlights the importance of physical sales for Korean artists both domestically and abroad.
Herman, Tamar. “South Korean Group BTS Has One Of 2018's Best Selling Physical Albums In
The U.S.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 July 2018,
This source highlights BTS sales and success in the US and Korea, along with how their social media presence has helped them amass a large fandom.
Kelley, Caitlin. “BTS Made Huge Gains In America With Second-Highest Album Sales In 2018.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 28 Apr. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/caitlinkelley/2019/01/06/bts-made-huge-gains-in-america-with-second-highest-album-sales-in-2018/#4090bdbf5ec2.
This source further looks into BTS success in the US and Korea off of their sales both physically and digitally and other record they have set around streaming and non-music based success.
Litovsky, Dina. “40,000 BTS Fans Can't Be Wrong.” Vulture, 10 Oct. 2018,
www.vulture.com/2018/10/bts-and-the-army.html.
A look at how BTS is a unique group that was supposed to fail when you look at the structure of the Korean market and how they where able to succeed.
McIntyre, Hugh. “Blackpink Hit A New Chart Peak In The U.S. As Their 'Kill This Love' EP
Debuts.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 15 Apr. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2019/04/15/blackpink-hit-a-new-chart-peak-in-the-u-s-as-their-kill-this-love-ep-debuts/#798bac38eab1.
A look at BlackPink and their success in the US.
“Top World Albums - Year-End 2018.” Billboard,
www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2018/world-albums.
The placement of artists on Billboard's year-end chart for world albums in 2018.
“Top World Albums - Year-End 2017.” Billboard,
www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2017/world-albums.
The placement of artists on Billboard's year-end chart for world albums in 2017.
“Top World Albums - Year-End 2016.” Billboard,
www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/world-albums.
The placement of artists on Billboard's year-end chart for world albums in 2016.
“TVXQ Yoonho, ‘Super Glue Drink Terror... I Coughed Out Blood and Got Panic Disorder.’”
KpopStarz, 4 Oct. 2012,
A look int Korean fan culture and just how dangerous it can be.