DOCSLIB.ORG

Multivariate Analysis of Korean Pop Music Audio Features

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Multivariate Analysis of Korean Pop Music Audio Features MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF KOREAN POP MUSIC AUDIO FEATURES Mary Solomon A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF SCIENCE May 2021 Committee: John Chen, Advisor Junfeng Shang Copyright © May 2021 Mary Solomon All rights reserved iii ABSTRACT John Chen, Advisor K-pop, or Korean pop music, is a genre originating from South Korea that features various musical styles such as hip hop, R&B, and electronic dance. Modern K-pop started with Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 and has since evolved through stylistic eras called ‘generations’ to become a worldwide sensation. K-pop’s global popularity can be recognized by the success of groups such as BTS and BlackPink. How do the musical qualities of K-pop songs contribute to the genre’s popularity? Furthermore, how have the musical qualities contributed to the evolution of becoming the global phenomenon it is today? To explore these questions and more, multivariate analysis will be performed on a curated dataset of 12,012 K-pop songs and their audio features. The audio features, collected with Spotify’s Web API, include variables such as Danceability, Loudness, Acousticness, and Valence. The audio features contribution and trends in the evolution of K-pop will be analyzed with nonparametric statistical approaches, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Logistic Regression models. MLR and Logistic Regression will also be used to examine the relationship between the audio features and popularity. Finally, dimension reduction of the audio features performed by Principal Components Analysis paired with K-means clustering will be utilized to explore the possibility of optimizing song clusters within K-pop. iv This thesis is dedicated, in memoriam, to Kim Jonghyun, Choi ‘Sulli’ Jin-Ri, and Goo Hara. Their artistry, talent, hard work, and influence in Korean pop music will continue to live on in their legacy. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. John Chen for his supportive guidance and encouragement throughout this process. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Junfeng Shang for serving on my committee and providing valuable feedback on my work. Overall, I extend my gratitude to the Bowling Green State University Mathematics and Statistics department for being a supportive community, providing endless amounts of help and always encouraging my exploration of creative research pursuits. Additionally, I would like to thank all of the music teachers who have nurtured my lifelong passion for music. I would like to extend a special thanks to my friend Minso Choi for providing Korean to English translations, allowing me to thoroughly perform this research. Finally, I give my greatest appreciation to all of my friends and family who have cheered me on throughout all of my endeavors. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................... 1 CHAPTER 2 BACKGROUND ................................ 3 2.1 Defining K-pop .................................... 3 2.2 K-pop Generations .................................. 4 CHAPTER 3 DATA COLLECTION ............................. 6 3.1 Overview ....................................... 6 3.2 Spotify Audio Features ................................ 8 3.3 Data Filtering and Selection Criteria ......................... 10 3.4 Distribution of Data .................................. 11 CHAPTER 4 MODELING STRATEGIES FOR SPOTIFY AUDIO FEATURES . 15 4.1 Overview ....................................... 15 4.2 Multiple Linear Regression .............................. 15 4.3 Binary Logistic Regression .............................. 16 4.4 Variable Selection ................................... 19 4.5 Regularized Regression ................................ 20 CHAPTER 5 NONPARAMETRIC ANALYSIS OF AUDIO FEATURES . 22 5.1 Introduction ...................................... 22 5.2 Methodology ..................................... 22 5.2.1 Wilcoxon Sum Rank Test ........................... 22 5.2.2 Kruskal-Wallis Test .............................. 23 5.3 Comparing K-pop Generations ............................ 24 5.4 Comparing Male and Female Artists ......................... 29 5.5 Comparing Group and Solo Artists .......................... 31 vii CHAPTER 6 CLASSIFYING NEW GENERATION SONGS . 34 6.1 Introduction ...................................... 34 6.2 Minor Mode Results .................................. 35 6.3 Major Mode Results .................................. 36 6.4 Comparison of Minor and Major Mode Models . 37 CHAPTER 7 PREDICTING SONG RELEASE DATE . 40 7.1 Introduction ...................................... 40 7.2 Data Preparation .................................... 40 7.3 Model Assumptions .................................. 41 7.4 Minor Mode Results .................................. 43 7.5 Major Mode Results .................................. 45 7.6 Comparison of Minor and Major Mode Models . 48 CHAPTER 8 PREDICTING POPULARITY ......................... 49 8.1 Introduction ...................................... 49 8.2 Linear Regression Approach ............................. 49 8.2.1 Data Preparation ............................... 49 8.2.2 Minor Mode Results ............................. 50 8.2.3 Major Mode Results ............................. 53 8.2.4 Comparison of Minor and Major Mode Models . 54 8.3 Logistic Regression Approach ............................ 55 8.3.1 Minor Mode Results ............................. 55 8.3.2 Major Mode Results ............................. 56 8.3.3 Comparison of Minor and Major Mode Models . 57 8.4 Comparing Linear and Logistic Regression Approach . 58 CHAPTER 9 PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS . 59 9.1 Introduction ...................................... 59 viii 9.2 Methodology ..................................... 59 9.2.1 Principal Components Analysis ....................... 59 9.2.2 K-means Clustering .............................. 60 9.3 Dimension Reduction: PCA ............................. 61 9.3.1 Data Preparation ............................... 61 9.3.2 Minor Mode Results ............................. 62 9.3.3 Major Mode Results ............................. 65 9.3.4 Comparison of Minor and Major Mode Results . 67 9.4 Clustering on the Principal Components ....................... 68 CHAPTER 10 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS .......................... 71 CHAPTER 11 CONCLUSION ................................. 73 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................ 76 APPENDIX A WILCOXON PAIRWISE COMPARISON RESULTS . 79 APPENDIX B MLR AND LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL RESULTS . 82 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 3.1 Idology’s Generation Theory Table .......................... 6 3.2 Translated Idology Generation Theory Table . 7 3.3 Distribution of Popularity, Acousticness, Instrumentalness, and Speechiness. 11 3.4 Distribution of Energy and Loudness. ........................ 12 3.5 Distribution of Duration, Danceability, Tempo, and Valence. 13 3.6 Frequency of Musical Keys .............................. 14 7.1 Distribution of Month Release ............................ 41 7.2 Distribution of Transformed Month Release . 42 7.3 Diagnostic Plots for Minor Mode Song Release Dates . 43 7.4 Diagnostic Plots for Major Mode Song Release Dates . 46 8.1 Distribution of Popularity ............................... 50 8.2 Distribution of Transformed Popularity ........................ 51 8.3 Diagnostic Plots for Minor Mode Popularity . 52 8.4 Diagnostic Plots for Major Mode Popularity . 53 9.1 Scree Plot for Minor Mode Principal Components . 62 9.2 Scree Plot for Major Mode Principal Components . 65 9.3 Silhouette Plots for Optimal K ............................ 69 9.4 K-means Clustering Scatter-plots ........................... 70 1 Full Logistic model for Minor Mode Generation Classification . 82 2 Stepwise Logistic Model for Minor Mode Generation Classification . 83 3 All Possible Subsets Logistic Model for Minor Mode Generation Classification . 84 4 Full Logistic Model for Major Mode Generation Classification . 86 5 Stepwise Logistic Model for Major Mode Generation Classification . 87 x 6 All Possible Subsets Logistic Model for Major Mode Generation Classification . 88 7 Full MLR Model for Minor Mode Song Release Date . 90 8 Stepwise Linear Regression Model for Minor Mode Song Release Date . 91 9 All Possible Subsets Linear Regression Model for Minor Mode Song Release Date 92 10 Full MLR Model for Major Mode Song Release Date . 94 11 Stepwise Linear Regression Model for Major Mode Song Release Date . 95 12 All Possible Subsets Linear Regression Model for Major Mode Song Release Date 96 13 Full MLR model for Minor Mode Song Popularity . 98 14 Stepwise Linear Regression Model for Minor Mode Song Popularity . 99 15 All Possible Subsets Linear Regression Model for Minor Mode Song Popularity . 100 16 Full MLR Model for Major Mode Song Popularity . 102 17 Stepwise Linear Regression Model for Major Mode Song Popularity . 103 18 All Possible Subsets Linear Regression Model for Major Mode Song Popularity . 104 19 Full Logistic Model for Minor Mode Popularity Classification . 106 20 Stepwise Logistic Model for Minor Mode Popularity Classification . 107 21 All Possible Subsets Logistic Model for Minor Mode Popularity Classification . 108 22 Full Logistic Model for Major Mode Popularity Classification . 110 23 Stepwise Logistic Model for Major Mode Popularity Classification . 111 24 All Possible Subsets Logistic Model for Major Mode Popularity Classification . 112 xi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 4.1 Classification Assessment: Confusion
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gangnam Style’
    POLITICS, PARODIES, AND THE PARADOX OF PSY’S ‘GANGNAM STYLE’ KEITH HOWARD∗ ABSTRACT In 2012, ‘Gangnam Style’ occasioned large flash mobs, three of the early ones taking place in Pasadena, Times Square in New York, and Sydney, Australia. Today, Psy, the singer of ‘Gangnam Style’, is regularly talked about as having brought K-pop to the world beyond East and Southeast Asia, and Korean tourism chiefs are actively planning a Korean Wave street in Gangnam, the district of Seoul lampooned by the song. But, ‘Gangnam Style’ has proved challenging to K-pop fans, who have resisted its gender stereotyping, its comic framing, and its simple dance moves that subsume the aesthetics of movement under a sequence of locations and action vignettes. At the same time, foreign success has given the song, and its singer, legitimacy in Korea so much so that, despite lyrics and video images that critique modern urban life and caricature the misogynistic failures of its protagonist, Psy headlined the inauguration celebrations of Korea’s incoming president, Park Geun-hye, in February 2013. This paper explores the song, its reception and critique by fans and others, and notes how, in an ultimate paradox that reflects the age of social media and the individualization of consumerism, the parodies the song spawned across the globe enabled Koreans to celebrate its success while ignoring its message. Keywords: Korean Wave, K-pop, popular music, parody, mimesis, consumerism, social media, Gangnam Style, Psy. INTRODUCTION In 2012, ‘Gangnam Style’ occasioned large flash mobs, three of the early ones taking place in Pasadena, Times Square in New York, and Sydney, Australia.
    [Show full text]
  • On Modulation —
    — On Modulation — Dean W. Billmeyer University of Minnesota American Guild of Organists National Convention June 25, 2008 Some Definitions • “…modulating [is] going smoothly from one key to another….”1 • “Modulation is the process by which a change of tonality is made in a smooth and convincing way.”2 • “In tonal music, a firmly established change of key, as opposed to a passing reference to another key, known as a ‘tonicization’. The scale or pitch collection and characteristic harmonic progressions of the new key must be present, and there will usually be at least one cadence to the new tonic.”3 Some Considerations • “Smoothness” is not necessarily a requirement for a successful modulation, as much tonal literature will illustrate. A “convincing way” is a better criterion to consider. • A clear establishment of the new key is important, and usually a duration to the modulation of some length is required for this. • Understanding a modulation depends on the aural perception of the listener; hence, some ambiguity is inherent in distinguishing among a mere tonicization, a “false” modulation, and a modulation. • A modulation to a “foreign” key may be easier to accomplish than one to a diatonically related key: the ear is forced to interpret a new key quickly when there is a large change in the number of accidentals (i.e., the set of pitch classes) in the keys used. 1 Max Miller, “A First Step in Keyboard Modulation”, The American Organist, October 1982. 2 Charles S. Brown, CAGO Study Guide, 1981. 3 Janna Saslaw: “Modulation”, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 5 May 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com.
    [Show full text]
  • Netease Cloud Music and Big Hit Entertainment Team up to Launch BTS' Song Catalog
    NetEase Cloud Music and Big Hit Entertainment team up to launch BTS' song catalog HANGZHOU, China, May 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NetEase Cloud Music, China's leading music platform, entered into a partnership agreement with South Korea-based Big Hit Entertainment, whereby the Chinese platform will launch BTS' repertoire of songs on the platform. Big Hit Entertainment, a South Korea-based entertainment company focused on music, represents and manages BTS, the company's leading all-male group, which debuted in 2013. BTS is comprised of seven male vocalists: RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook. BTS, the abbreviation for Bangtan Sonyeondan, also stands for Bulletproof Boys and Beyond The Scene. Since the group's first appearance, they have received several major awards at music festivals held in South Korea as well as some international events. In 2017, they were named Top Social Artist by Billboard Music Awards, garnering the group worldwide attention. This February, they were again listed as an award candidate, competing with international superstars. Recently, NetEase Cloud Music launched BTS' widely popular catalog of songs on its platform, including MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) (Feat. Desiigner), DNA, Spring Day, Not Today, Blood Sweat & Tears, Fire, Dope and I need U. In addition to music copyright, NetEase Cloud Music will cooperate with Big Hit Entertainment on artist and music promotion, marking the start of a close collaboration that will cover all aspects of the music business. The two parties look forward to jointly driving the popularity of music artists and their works via multiple channels, while offering higher quality music services to wider audiences.
    [Show full text]
  • Focused on Mise-En-Scène Element Somi Nah
    World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences A Study on Fantasy Vol:6,Im No:6,ag 2012e s represented on the Films: Focused on Mise-en-Scène Element Somi Nah Abstract—The genre of fantasy depicts a world of imagine that Losing technisches Kuriosum [2], the competence of reality triggers popular interest from a created view of world, and a fantasy is replication in earlier periods cannot fascinating audience any defined as a story that illustrates a world of imagine where scientific or longer. Consequently, film makers soon began to pay attention horror elements are stand in its center. This study is not focused on the narrative of the fantasy, i.e. not on the adventurous story, but is to novel possibilities of the film media. Georges Méliès, a concentrated on the image of the fantasy to work on its relationship contemporary figure along with the Lumière brothers, tried not with intended themes and differences among cultures due to meanings to reproduce reality via films but to visualize what was of materials. As for films, we have selected some films in the 2000's impossible to realize in reality by the properties of optical that are internationally recognized as expressing unique images of devices serving for making up films. The train in Méliès's films fantasy containing the theme of love in them. The selected films are 5 does not arrive at a station in reality but does fly to travel pieces including two European films, Amelie from Montmartre (2001) and The Science of Sleep (2005) and three Asian films, Citizen Dog through the universe.
    [Show full text]
  • Key Relationships in Music
    LearnMusicTheory.net 3.3 Types of Key Relationships The following five types of key relationships are in order from closest relation to weakest relation. 1. Enharmonic Keys Enharmonic keys are spelled differently but sound the same, just like enharmonic notes. = C# major Db major 2. Parallel Keys Parallel keys share a tonic, but have different key signatures. One will be minor and one major. D minor is the parallel minor of D major. D major D minor 3. Relative Keys Relative keys share a key signature, but have different tonics. One will be minor and one major. Remember: Relatives "look alike" at a family reunion, and relative keys "look alike" in their signatures! E minor is the relative minor of G major. G major E minor 4. Closely-related Keys Any key will have 5 closely-related keys. A closely-related key is a key that differs from a given key by at most one sharp or flat. There are two easy ways to find closely related keys, as shown below. Given key: D major, 2 #s One less sharp: One more sharp: METHOD 1: Same key sig: Add and subtract one sharp/flat, and take the relative keys (minor/major) G major E minor B minor A major F# minor (also relative OR to D major) METHOD 2: Take all the major and minor triads in the given key (only) D major E minor F minor G major A major B minor X as tonic chords # (C# diminished for other keys. is not a key!) 5. Foreign Keys (or Distantly-related Keys) A foreign key is any key that is not enharmonic, parallel, relative, or closely-related.
    [Show full text]
  • SNSD and the Art of Bridging The
    Situations Vol. 3 (Winter 2009) © 2009 by Yonsei University Mariah Junglan Min1 [email protected] The Art of Crossing the Line Although the intensive coverage provided to the new all-boy and all-girl bands through the Internet and in more traditional media such as television may make it seem as though such they have long dominated popular music, the current explosion in popularity of idol groups begun only two years ago. What is more, this is not the first time that such groups have stormed the K-pop charts. The first wave of massively popular idol groups was in the late 90s, when a veritable army of teens made their debut as singers. Korean multi-entertainment companies recognized the business potential in well-trained young and attractive stars, and the feverish reception from the public confirmed this. The result was that H.O.T., Sechs Kies, Shinhwa, Fin.K.L., S.E.S., and G.O.D. enjoyed chart success and outstanding album sales. Around 2002, this first golden age of idol groups came to an end. Most of the first wave of idols split up, while some individual members went on to pursue solo careers. Although some groups did continue, with Shinhwa performing as recently as 2008, the moment of the idol group seemed to have passed. For a short time, the K-pop scene was now host to a series of successful solo artists, such as Rain and Yi Hyo-ri, the latter a former member of the all-girl band Fin.K.L. In 2004, the first forerunners of the second wave began to appear, with TVXQ, for example, releasing their first single that year.
    [Show full text]
  • The Globalization of K-Pop: the Interplay of External and Internal Forces
    THE GLOBALIZATION OF K-POP: THE INTERPLAY OF EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL FORCES Master Thesis presented by Hiu Yan Kong Furtwangen University MBA WS14/16 Matriculation Number 249536 May, 2016 Sworn Statement I hereby solemnly declare on my oath that the work presented has been carried out by me alone without any form of illicit assistance. All sources used have been fully quoted. (Signature, Date) Abstract This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis about the growing popularity of Korean pop music (K-pop) worldwide in recent years. On one hand, the international expansion of K-pop can be understood as a result of the strategic planning and business execution that are created and carried out by the entertainment agencies. On the other hand, external circumstances such as the rise of social media also create a wide array of opportunities for K-pop to broaden its global appeal. The research explores the ways how the interplay between external circumstances and organizational strategies has jointly contributed to the global circulation of K-pop. The research starts with providing a general descriptive overview of K-pop. Following that, quantitative methods are applied to measure and assess the international recognition and global spread of K-pop. Next, a systematic approach is used to identify and analyze factors and forces that have important influences and implications on K-pop’s globalization. The analysis is carried out based on three levels of business environment which are macro, operating, and internal level. PEST analysis is applied to identify critical macro-environmental factors including political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological.
    [Show full text]
  • Identity Under Japanese Occupation
    1 “BECOMING JAPANESE:” IDENTITY UNDER JAPANESE OCCUPATION GRADES: 9-12 AUTHOR: Katherine Murphy TOPIC/THEME: Japanese Occupation, World War II, Korean Culture, Identity TIME REQUIRED: Two 60-minute periods BACKGROUND: The lesson is based on the impact of the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II on Korean culture and identity. In particular, the lesson focuses on the Japanese campaign in 1940 to encourage Koreans to abandon their Korean names and adopt Japanese names. This campaign was known as “sōshi-kaimei." The purpose of this campaign, along with campaigns requiring Koreans to recite an oath to the Japanese Emperor and bow at Shinto shrines, were to make the Korean people “Japanese” and hopefully, loyal subjects of the Japanese Empire by abandoning their Korean identity and loyalties. These cultural policies and campaigns were key to the Japanese war effort during World War II. The lesson draws from the students’ lives as well as two books: Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood by Richard E. Kim and Under the Black Umbrella: Voices from Colonial Korea 1910-1945 by Hildi Kang. CURRICULUM CONNECTION: The lesson is intended to use the major themes from the summer reading book Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood to introduce students to one of the five essential questions of the World History II course: How is identity constructed? How does identity impact human experience? In first investigating the origin of their own names and the meaning of Korean names, students can begin to explore the question “How is identity constructed?’ In examining how and why the Japanese sought to change the Korean people’s names, religion, etc during World War II, students will understand how global events such as World War II can impact an individual.
    [Show full text]
  • Audio OTT Economy in India – Inflection Point February 2019 for Private Circulation Only
    Audio OTT economy in India – Inflection point February 2019 For Private circulation only Audio OTT Economy in India – Inflection Point Contents Foreword by IMI 4 Foreword by Deloitte 5 Overview - Global recorded music industry 6 Overview - Indian recorded music industry 8 Flow of rights and revenue within the value chain 10 Overview of the audio OTT industry 16 Drivers of the audio OTT industry in India 20 Business models within the audio OTT industry 22 Audio OTT pie within digital revenues in India 26 Key trends emerging from the global recorded music market and their implications for the Indian recorded music market 28 US case study: Transition from physical to downloading to streaming 29 Latin America case study: Local artists going global 32 Diminishing boundaries of language and region 33 Parallels with K-pop 33 China case study: Curbing piracy to create large audio OTT entities 36 Investments & Valuations in audio OTT 40 Way forward for the Indian recorded music industry 42 Restricting Piracy 42 Audio OTT boosts the regional industry 43 Audio OTT audience moves towards paid streaming 44 Unlocking social media and blogs for music 45 Challenges faced by the Indian recorded music industry 46 Curbing piracy 46 Creating a free market 47 Glossary 48 Special Thanks 49 Acknowledgements 49 03 Audio OTT Economy in India – Inflection Point Foreword by IMI “All the world's a stage”– Shakespeare, • Global practices via free market also referenced in a song by Elvis Presley, economics, revenue distribution, then sounded like a utopian dream monitoring, and reducing the value gap until 'Despacito' took the world by with owners of content getting a fair storm.
    [Show full text]
  • Barbara Allen
    120 Charles Seeger Versions and Variants of the Tunes of "Barbara Allen" As sung in traditional singing styles in the United States and recorded by field collectors who have deposited their discs and tapes in the Archive of American Folk Song in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. AFS L 54 Edited by Charles Seeger PROBABLY IT IS safe to say that most English-speaking people in the United States know at least one ballad-tune or a derivative of one. If it is not "The Two Sisters, " it will surely be "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"; or if not "The Derby Ram, " then the old Broadway hit "Oh Didn't He Ramble." If. the title is given or the song sung to them, they will say "Oh yes, I know tllat tune." And probably that tune, more or less as they know it, is to them, the tune of the song. If they hear it sung differently, as may be the case, they are as likely to protest as to ignore or even not notice the difference. Afterward, in their recognition or singing of it, they are as likely to incor­ porate some of the differences as not to do so. If they do, they are as likely to be aware as to be entirely unconscious of having done ·so. But if they ad­ mit the difference yet grant that both singings are of "that" tune, they have taken the first step toward the study of the ballad-tune. They have acknow­ ledged that there are enough resemblances between the two to allow both to be called by the same name.
    [Show full text]
  • Pop and K-Dramas: a Billion Dollar Business
    Jain Muskan, Nelly Kavira Mangu Mangu, International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology. ISSN: 2454-132X Impact factor: 4.295 (Volume 4, Issue 1) Available online at www.ijariit.com K-Pop and K-Dramas: A Billion Dollar Business Muskan Jain Kavira Mangu Mangu Nelly Christ University, Bangalore, Karnataka Christ University, Bangalore, Karnataka [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT The paper demonstrates how the South Korean Pop music and TV-dramas have proven their mark around the globe. With the ever growing popularity of these entertainment methods from Korea, they are not only topping music and tv charts but also evolving into a business worth billions of dollars and most importantly it looks sustainable with the innovation and disruption they are bringing into the world market. Keywords: Pop Music, TV-Dramas, South Korea, Disruption, Innovation. INTRODUCTION When in the 1990s diplomatic relations were made between China and South Korea, South Korean soap dramas like ‘What is Love’ began airing on Chinses television. It soon gained a lot of popularity, with millions of Chinese tuning in to watch the show with their friends and family. Cut to some years later in the 2000s and now in the second decade of this century, there are hundreds of Korean TV series and Korean Pop bands making waves internationally. It is therefore evident how the impact fully the South Korean culture is being propagated across the globe. Being a country that boasts of heavy exports of cellphones and gadgets as such as well as cars and other automobiles have now added K-Pop and K- soaps in the leading export industry, quite possibly on the 2nd or 3rd place.
    [Show full text]
  • The K-Pop Wave: an Economic Analysis
    The K-pop Wave: An Economic Analysis Patrick A. Messerlin1 Wonkyu Shin2 (new revision October 6, 2013) ABSTRACT This paper first shows the key role of the Korean entertainment firms in the K-pop wave: they have found the right niche in which to operate— the ‘dance-intensive’ segment—and worked out a very innovative mix of old and new technologies for developing the Korean comparative advantages in this segment. Secondly, the paper focuses on the most significant features of the Korean market which have contributed to the K-pop success in the world: the relative smallness of this market, its high level of competition, its lower prices than in any other large developed country, and its innovative ways to cope with intellectual property rights issues. Thirdly, the paper discusses the many ways the K-pop wave could ensure its sustainability, in particular by developing and channeling the huge pool of skills and resources of the current K- pop stars to new entertainment and art activities. Last but not least, the paper addresses the key issue of the ‘Koreanness’ of the K-pop wave: does K-pop send some deep messages from and about Korea to the world? It argues that it does. Keywords: Entertainment; Comparative advantages; Services; Trade in services; Internet; Digital music; Technologies; Intellectual Property Rights; Culture; Koreanness. JEL classification: L82, O33, O34, Z1 Acknowledgements: We thank Dukgeun Ahn, Jinwoo Choi, Keun Lee, Walter G. Park and the participants to the seminars at the Graduate School of International Studies of Seoul National University, Hanyang University and STEPI (Science and Technology Policy Institute).
    [Show full text]