Digital Marketing and Korean Pop Music

Korean Pop Music has its special marketing and branding system. The popularity of each K-pop band or K-pop star can be determined by four different weekly music shows. “M Count down”, “Music Bank”, “Music Core” and “Inkigayo” -- they belong to four major television stations in South Korea. In order to support one’s favorite K-pop music, fans have to finish a list of “homework” and compete with each other at the same time. Social media is the key and the platform for accessing the K-pop world.

For instance, there are six parts included in M Countdown weekly chart: digital music sales score (50%) -- total weekly sound source ranking of four domestic online sound source companies (Mnet, Melon, Soribada, Bugs); album sales volume score (15%) -- based on the Hanteo Chart sales volume data; social media score (15%) -- YouTube official MV score;  popularity score (10%) -- global online voting results from Mwave and Mnet Japan homepages and based on preferences of 1000 people, male and female, ages 15 to 39 of 50 nominated songs collected through research experts Macromillembrain; broadcast score (10%) -- Mnet and KM broadcast score; live broadcast real time voting score (10%). 

To be honest, this ranking system is not objective enough to reflect the quality of music. We could state that good music will attract more listeners and loyal fans. However, the use of social media in this whole K-pop evaluation system is highly inefficient. In order to get higher score, loyal fandom will get on YouTube and watch the same MV over and over again every single day. Sometimes, it creates a huge bubble, which leads people to overestimate some part of Korean pop music culture.  

I must say that looking from the profit side, and ignoring the authenticity and quality of music, K-pop is doing an amazing job on digital marketing and branding. So far, the peak is the success of Gangnam Style, which highly relies on the power of YouTube. Nevertheless, there is only one PSY, and if Korean music wants to explore its market, it has to come up with new strategy which needs to be different from Gangnam Style. Digital marketing is still the best and easiest way to approach potential listener and follower, but as time goes by local television shows scoring system may be out of the system.

http://mwave.interest.me/mcountdown/vote/