LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hours earlier than doorways would open, 1000’s of Ok-pop followers lined up in downtown Los Angeles, stretching lengthy metropolis blocks within the heat August solar. In pleated skirts and platform sneakers, toting the clear luggage which have turn out to be enviornment staples, they danced and traded do-it-yourself stickers, banners, bracelets and photocards. Inside was their paradise: an IRL area to commune over their URL passions.
If something, the 2023 LA KCON was a microcosm of Ok-pop’s macro affect on the music business as an entire.
Held from Friday to Sunday on the Los Angeles Conference Heart and adjoining Crypto.com Area, an estimated 140,000 followers from everywhere in the world celebrated their favourite Ok-pop idols throughout three days of panels, premium meet-and-greets, interviews, dance breaks, concert events, and extra.
Contained in the conference middle, followers carried lightsticks of their favourite teams, confirmed off DIY shirts with easy, direct slogans like “I HEART MINGI”, collected sticker books and Ok-beauty merchandise, and lined up for tteokbokki.
KCON began 11 years in the past in Irvine, California, drawing 10,000 folks to its inaugural celebration of Korean tradition, says Steve Chung, chief international officer of organizers CJ ENM. Now it is a international occasion, happening in a number of international locations: Up to now in 2023, KCON has hit Thailand, Japan and the U.S.
“We have welcomed one thing like half 1,000,000 folks in these (11) years all all through the world,” he says.
In Los Angeles, panels have been held on Ok-pop songwriting and cup sleeve creations (Ok-pop fan occasions are held at cafes on an idol’s birthday, anniversary, or another particular date). Up-and-coming teams like NMIXX led dance lessons on one stage, whereas one other stage allowed rookie teams to introduce themselves to a wider viewers.
Over the course of the weekend, The Related Press spoke to an unbelievable range of followers who, amongst them, drove 12 hours straight from Utah, flew in from the U.Ok. and South America and represented a spread of ages, genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
“The tradition of inclusiveness is large,” stated 40-year-old Annya Holston from Florida who obtained into Ok-pop via her daughter. “We’ve made so many associates, being right here.”
At $500 a day, premium tickets allowed attendees to entry a “Purple Carpet” space, the place acts posed for portraits and answered two or three questions in a 30-minute window — together with entry to the conference and live performance. For a further $100, followers may pay for “Hello-Contact” — a fast meet-and-greet the place followers and performers high-five — with one group of their selection. With renewed considerations in regards to the unfold of COVID-19, “Hello-Contact” grew to become “Hello-Wave” (precisely what it appears like, to the chagrin of some followers hoping for that bodily connection; others have been pleased with the sheer proximity).
These experiences served as a welcome reminder of a aspect of the music business that Ok-pop is aware of remarkably properly, and much better than most: fandom is that this enterprise’ most profitable and enduring useful resource.
As Peyton Tran, a 17-year-old L.A. native and dancer informed AP at KCON, “It is simply cool to see how a lot folks can help these companies out right here.”
In 2023, the music business faces distinctive challenges, together with what Mark Mulligan, a MIDiA Analysis music business analyst, has known as the “fragmentation of fandom.” New artists undergo a type of competitors unparalleled earlier than the streaming age, a direct impact of algorithmic listening. Consider it this fashion: It’s uncommon for a brand new act to achieve the extent of monolithic pop star — the ranks of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Harry Kinds, all who began performing pre-streaming — as a result of listenership is hyper-specific.
In Ok-pop, the place corporations are usually totally built-in establishments — a report label and a expertise company multi function — and hyper-consumerism is welcomed, enterprise focuses on constructing a neighborhood of superfans and galvanizing these loyal listeners to advocate for his or her group, fueling a way of participation past their buying energy. It does not damage that Ok-pop audiences tend to coordinate international fan actions on their very own and create rituals and occasions, speaking on bespoke fandom platforms like WeVerse and Vlive.
Area of interest does not imply small; it means specialised. KCON is proof.
On the concert events, held all three nights for the primary time, followers witnessed Ok-pop teams and soloists from throughout “generations”: Taemin from the second-generation boy band SHINee,Rain — the primary Ok-pop idol to take off internationally, and now a supervisor himself — fourth-generation boy bands ATEEZ and Stray Youngsters, and rookie teams like XG and ZEROBASEONE.
XG carried out songs just like the Kesha -channeling “TGIF,” with manufacturing pulling closely from the present liquid drum-and-bass/U.Ok. storage pattern in international pop music, a welcomed retro-futuristic sound from a bunch and conference with eyes set on the long run.
Notably, these concert events positioned plenty of emphasis on Ok-pop lady teams, reflecting a current pattern in listenership. Traditionally, boy bands have been considered extra profitable — however lady teams like IVE, ITZY, NMIXX, Kep1er, (G)I-DLE, and EVERGLOW proved that is classic considering of their explosive KCON units.
A very distinctive and efficient second through the live performance was referred to as the “Dream Stage,” the place a number of dozen followers who auditioned to carry out a dance with a Ok-pop group earlier within the day have been introduced out to do precisely that.
On the second day of the conference, iHeartRadio’s KIIS-FM arrange a brand new, open-to-the-public “Ok-pop Village,” the place the Ok-pop-curious may expertise free performances from newer acts — like LEO, who made his U.S. debut on the out of doors stage.
“2023 is sort of a crossover occasion. The final 10 years has been about form of serving the endemic fanbase of people that already know Ok-pop and who love Ok-pop,” Chung says. “As evidenced by the iHeartMedia partnership, it’s actually like a crossover second the place Ok-pop goes mainstream.”
On the final day of the conference, not even Tropical Storm Hilary may cease probably the most devoted followers from lining up within the rain to see their favourite acts. On the practice the night time earlier than, the AP requested a Ok-pop fan from Massachusetts, who publishes fan cam movies on YouTube beneath the title Toadcola, if he was nervous in regards to the climate. Not a lot.
However, if the climate canceled his flight dwelling, he thought that would not be so unhealthy: possibly, simply possibly, the idols could be caught on the airport with him.
