Special Topic Paper
Well, here it is. This is my research paper that you might remember me talking about and asking for help on a while ago. I've been slow in posting it mostly because I forgot, but also because I'm not the happiest with it. I'm putting it up now and I'll be back later on to read through it again for the first time in almost a month. I might make some changes but I'll probably end up leaving it. I got so fed up with it in the end because I just feel like I don't have anything to back me up. Talking with everyone gave me a lot of ideas and theories, but in the end that's still what they are. I wish I could really know about this and understand. I feel like I'm just grasping at straws and I hate the conclusion.
Asia 2000 Special Topic Paper.
Dong Bang Shin Ki, also known as Tong Vfang Xien Qi in other parts of Asia and as Tohoshinki in Japan, is five member group that is one of the most popular in the category of pop music in Asia at this moment. The group debuted at the end of 2004 and since then has gained enormous popularity. Although they are of Korean origin, the group also has significant activities throughout Asia, especially in Japan. They have even learned the Japanese language, enabling them to hold events and record albums in Japanese. Why make this move into the Japanese market though? Already one of the most popular acts in the music industry in South Korea, why make the decision to move to a completely different market where a new image had to be created for the group? The answer to this is simple and economic- money. In Japan the group has just started to really gain recognition and popularity and already they doing better financially. So what is the reason for this difference? The answer to that question is not so simple. There are many factors leading up to the fact that Korean artists in general do not do well financially in Korea. The most successful acts branch out from their native country to the either the rest of Asia, or to Japan. In the case of TVXQ, while they have branched out to other Asian countries, their main focus has been on Japan. Since TVXQ enjoys popularity in both countries then, why are they doing better financially in Japan?
When one begins to analyze why South Korean artists like TVXQ are doing better in Japan the first and easiest reason that pops up is illegal downloading. Music sales are a large part of financial success and illegal downloading has been plaguing the music industry around the world in recent times. According to a survey done in 2006 by Synovate, only twenty-five percent of downloaded music had actually been paid for in Korea. This is a widespread, worldwide problem for musicians and with South Korea ranking eighth in the world for internet users per capita and first among internet users with broadband internet access, fans have no problems in accessing the internet to download music. Japan is not far behind though. Between 2000 and 2004 audio music sales in Japan dropped by thirty percent according to the IFPI website.
These statistics show that both Japan and South Korea have a huge problem with illegal downloading; the difference comes in with how the governments of these two countries are handling the problem. The IFPI website also states that Japan was the first Asian country to take action against internet file-sharing and to start to combat illegal music downloading while on the other hand, South Korea was put on the intellectual property rights watch list by the United States Trade Representative Office in 2004 and is still on it today. Both countries have copyright laws protecting the music produced, but it seems that Japan has so far been more serious about actually catching those violating the laws while South Korea has a more laid back approach, leading to the theory that the industries in the two countries have two different goals, which will be discussed later.
Before moving on to the different goals of the industry, it would be good to look at the cultural differences affecting the illegal downloading of music as well. In asking about this situation, I was given an example which clearly defines the difference. A girl was asked by a Japanese classmate who is a fan of Johnny’s Entertainment when a new CD by one of the artists came out, “Do you have the CD yet?” and then in a similar situation was asked by a Korean classmate “Have you listened to it yet?” The emphasis of the two was very different. One wanted to know if her friend had a copy of the CD, while the other only wanted to know if she had listened to it yet. In Japan, many times fans will download the CD illegally, but then to support their favorite artists they also buy a copy of the CD when it is released. In Korea however, the fans are simply content to have a copy of the CD, physical or not.
This enthusiasm by the Japanese fans for owning their own copies of a single or album could be spawned from the constant competition between artists in Japan. When an artist in Japan is releasing a single or album at the same time as another popular artist, the fans will rally to help their favorite out. They want their artist to take first on the Oricon chart. Just three months ago, this happened when TVXQ release their single, Summer Dream. It was being released at the same time as HeySay7’s debut single and the fans of the two groups bought many copies in hopes that their artist would take first place. So this competition between artists calls for the support of their fans by actually buying a copy of the single or CD. Seeing this competition factor come into play raises the idea that while both countries have a problem with illegal downloading and are trying to combat it with varying degrees of success there must be more to the equation than simply illegal downloading of music.
Moving on to the biggest contributor to the fact that Korean artists do better in Japan, we have the idea that the goals of the two music industries are not the same. This can be summed up in that Japanese music is for Japan, and Korean music is for all of Asia. As already stated, Japan has the second largest music industry in the world, making it a very successful market on its own. The Japanese have no need to look to outside markets for success, although they do well in other countries also. On the other hand, the Korean market has been described as being in a slump for the past few years.
There are various reasons for this, some already discussed, but it comes down to that the good Korean artists move outside of Korea to become really successful. If they move to Japan, such as TVXQ, then they must create a whole new image for themselves. They learn Japanese and produce Japanese albums. The reason for this? Japan already has a thriving market, so why accept music of a different language and culture? If a Korean artist wants to make it in Japan, he or she has to create a new image. So for Korean artists, Korea is their training ground, and if they make it there, they move outside to attain more success.
One would think that this bothers the entertainment companies in Korea, but it probably does not. They know they are marketing music to people who aren’t buying it but downloading or just don’t have the money to spend. They concentrate on younger acts meant for the younger generation, which has little money to spend and downloads most of its music. The companies do this because they know that if the acts are good enough, they can find real success outside of Korea. TVXQ has an unusual story with being so popular in Korea as well as the popularity they are enjoying in Japan and all of Asia. Many artists, like BoA or KangTa, start out popular in Korea but then gain greater popularity and success when they move to outside markets.
The success of these Korean artists also has to do with what has been called the “Korean Wave” or the popularity that Korean popular culture has enjoyed in other Asian countries in recent years. Music artists are not the only ones finding success outside of Korea, Korean dramas and movies are also very popular. It could be compared to how American culture has been so popular in recent times. Asia has come to love these things coming out of Korea, and so they enjoy much popularity.
So how exactly do the markets between South Korea and Japan differ? In both the music is sold in stores and also online, with online sales of albums or singles being very popular There are sites that provide a certain number of downloads for a fixed fee becoming popular in both countries. Here, there is a difference in that the two use computers in different ways. Many Japanese are accessing the internet from their phones and because of this do not have a lot of room to store music. With no room to store the music they are less likely to have only an electronic copy of music. In Korea they are accessing just as much from an actual computer, which allows them to store more music. Also between the two countries there is a difference in price, which can be seen from looking at different versions of the same merchandise. It is always more expensive in Japan, while Korean albums are cheaper, reflecting that they are just trying to sell them.
Looking at both of these music cultures in conclusion, one can see many similarities but also quite a few differences. Both present the music of mostly younger singers to the population at large, but the variety of music and listeners differs. In Japan there is more choice in genre and more variety within a genre than within Korea. Also, while Korean fans for bands like TVXQ tend to be younger, the Japanese fans are of all ages. This wider age range in Japan does change the marketing strategy somewhat since these older fans have more disposable income than the younger ones. In both countries they do market their artists through the media, such as on game shows, radio shows, and through interviews. When it comes to the actual music though, they are marketed in a different way. Japanese artists are constantly producing singles and promoting them while in Korea singles are not emphasized, as was seen earlier with the comparison of TVXQ’s number of singles in Japan versus those in Korea. Although these markets are not the same, they still hold some similarities and even with the tension between the two governments the artists, such as TVXQ, are able to manage quite well.
Asia 2000 Special Topic Paper.
Dong Bang Shin Ki, also known as Tong Vfang Xien Qi in other parts of Asia and as Tohoshinki in Japan, is five member group that is one of the most popular in the category of pop music in Asia at this moment. The group debuted at the end of 2004 and since then has gained enormous popularity. Although they are of Korean origin, the group also has significant activities throughout Asia, especially in Japan. They have even learned the Japanese language, enabling them to hold events and record albums in Japanese. Why make this move into the Japanese market though? Already one of the most popular acts in the music industry in South Korea, why make the decision to move to a completely different market where a new image had to be created for the group? The answer to this is simple and economic- money. In Japan the group has just started to really gain recognition and popularity and already they doing better financially. So what is the reason for this difference? The answer to that question is not so simple. There are many factors leading up to the fact that Korean artists in general do not do well financially in Korea. The most successful acts branch out from their native country to the either the rest of Asia, or to Japan. In the case of TVXQ, while they have branched out to other Asian countries, their main focus has been on Japan. Since TVXQ enjoys popularity in both countries then, why are they doing better financially in Japan?
When one begins to analyze why South Korean artists like TVXQ are doing better in Japan the first and easiest reason that pops up is illegal downloading. Music sales are a large part of financial success and illegal downloading has been plaguing the music industry around the world in recent times. According to a survey done in 2006 by Synovate, only twenty-five percent of downloaded music had actually been paid for in Korea. This is a widespread, worldwide problem for musicians and with South Korea ranking eighth in the world for internet users per capita and first among internet users with broadband internet access, fans have no problems in accessing the internet to download music. Japan is not far behind though. Between 2000 and 2004 audio music sales in Japan dropped by thirty percent according to the IFPI website.
These statistics show that both Japan and South Korea have a huge problem with illegal downloading; the difference comes in with how the governments of these two countries are handling the problem. The IFPI website also states that Japan was the first Asian country to take action against internet file-sharing and to start to combat illegal music downloading while on the other hand, South Korea was put on the intellectual property rights watch list by the United States Trade Representative Office in 2004 and is still on it today. Both countries have copyright laws protecting the music produced, but it seems that Japan has so far been more serious about actually catching those violating the laws while South Korea has a more laid back approach, leading to the theory that the industries in the two countries have two different goals, which will be discussed later.
Before moving on to the different goals of the industry, it would be good to look at the cultural differences affecting the illegal downloading of music as well. In asking about this situation, I was given an example which clearly defines the difference. A girl was asked by a Japanese classmate who is a fan of Johnny’s Entertainment when a new CD by one of the artists came out, “Do you have the CD yet?” and then in a similar situation was asked by a Korean classmate “Have you listened to it yet?” The emphasis of the two was very different. One wanted to know if her friend had a copy of the CD, while the other only wanted to know if she had listened to it yet. In Japan, many times fans will download the CD illegally, but then to support their favorite artists they also buy a copy of the CD when it is released. In Korea however, the fans are simply content to have a copy of the CD, physical or not.
This enthusiasm by the Japanese fans for owning their own copies of a single or album could be spawned from the constant competition between artists in Japan. When an artist in Japan is releasing a single or album at the same time as another popular artist, the fans will rally to help their favorite out. They want their artist to take first on the Oricon chart. Just three months ago, this happened when TVXQ release their single, Summer Dream. It was being released at the same time as HeySay7’s debut single and the fans of the two groups bought many copies in hopes that their artist would take first place. So this competition between artists calls for the support of their fans by actually buying a copy of the single or CD. Seeing this competition factor come into play raises the idea that while both countries have a problem with illegal downloading and are trying to combat it with varying degrees of success there must be more to the equation than simply illegal downloading of music.
Moving on to the biggest contributor to the fact that Korean artists do better in Japan, we have the idea that the goals of the two music industries are not the same. This can be summed up in that Japanese music is for Japan, and Korean music is for all of Asia. As already stated, Japan has the second largest music industry in the world, making it a very successful market on its own. The Japanese have no need to look to outside markets for success, although they do well in other countries also. On the other hand, the Korean market has been described as being in a slump for the past few years.
There are various reasons for this, some already discussed, but it comes down to that the good Korean artists move outside of Korea to become really successful. If they move to Japan, such as TVXQ, then they must create a whole new image for themselves. They learn Japanese and produce Japanese albums. The reason for this? Japan already has a thriving market, so why accept music of a different language and culture? If a Korean artist wants to make it in Japan, he or she has to create a new image. So for Korean artists, Korea is their training ground, and if they make it there, they move outside to attain more success.
One would think that this bothers the entertainment companies in Korea, but it probably does not. They know they are marketing music to people who aren’t buying it but downloading or just don’t have the money to spend. They concentrate on younger acts meant for the younger generation, which has little money to spend and downloads most of its music. The companies do this because they know that if the acts are good enough, they can find real success outside of Korea. TVXQ has an unusual story with being so popular in Korea as well as the popularity they are enjoying in Japan and all of Asia. Many artists, like BoA or KangTa, start out popular in Korea but then gain greater popularity and success when they move to outside markets.
The success of these Korean artists also has to do with what has been called the “Korean Wave” or the popularity that Korean popular culture has enjoyed in other Asian countries in recent years. Music artists are not the only ones finding success outside of Korea, Korean dramas and movies are also very popular. It could be compared to how American culture has been so popular in recent times. Asia has come to love these things coming out of Korea, and so they enjoy much popularity.
So how exactly do the markets between South Korea and Japan differ? In both the music is sold in stores and also online, with online sales of albums or singles being very popular There are sites that provide a certain number of downloads for a fixed fee becoming popular in both countries. Here, there is a difference in that the two use computers in different ways. Many Japanese are accessing the internet from their phones and because of this do not have a lot of room to store music. With no room to store the music they are less likely to have only an electronic copy of music. In Korea they are accessing just as much from an actual computer, which allows them to store more music. Also between the two countries there is a difference in price, which can be seen from looking at different versions of the same merchandise. It is always more expensive in Japan, while Korean albums are cheaper, reflecting that they are just trying to sell them.
Looking at both of these music cultures in conclusion, one can see many similarities but also quite a few differences. Both present the music of mostly younger singers to the population at large, but the variety of music and listeners differs. In Japan there is more choice in genre and more variety within a genre than within Korea. Also, while Korean fans for bands like TVXQ tend to be younger, the Japanese fans are of all ages. This wider age range in Japan does change the marketing strategy somewhat since these older fans have more disposable income than the younger ones. In both countries they do market their artists through the media, such as on game shows, radio shows, and through interviews. When it comes to the actual music though, they are marketed in a different way. Japanese artists are constantly producing singles and promoting them while in Korea singles are not emphasized, as was seen earlier with the comparison of TVXQ’s number of singles in Japan versus those in Korea. Although these markets are not the same, they still hold some similarities and even with the tension between the two governments the artists, such as TVXQ, are able to manage quite well.