[farfacy]

The first problem here is using Google to find information about Kpop rather than Naver. Many of the abusive practices in Kpop also happen in the western music industry. It doesn't make it right, but Americans and American media have a massive blind-spot when looking at foreign cultures.

These videos explain a few of these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn0gmu_m-os

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxj9rogBPi0

Kpop has become popular because it fills a niche that the western music industry doesn't cater to anymore. Some of it is actually better than the American pop scene. Right now there's no male western pop act with this Kpop idol's level of skill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEKVyfsYnuM

Comparing similar acts shows why Kpop is becoming popular.

Kpop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkwYeEMpTIM

western pop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe6D899cz3c

Every fan of a Kpop artist has a long list of how they have been mistreated and mismanaged, and sometimes these aren't even justified, the fans are being oversensitive. The fans pay for protest trucks to park outside the music company buildings with screens displaying their demands for better treatment.

[abandonliberty]

Isn't the problem here that the talent is fungible? The rewards are so high that there's no shortage of sufficient talent to make another Bieber or Taemin. People personally connect with the performer, but the performer's popularity is dependent on the whims of the industry and their managers. It would be naïve to expect a different outcome when the underlying drivers are the same.

Both Japan and Korea are notable for their talent development pipeline. Did the West fall behind somehow, or is the market for these types of performances simply not as lucrative in the West? Or maybe it's simply easier/more predictable to manage solo acts?

[1] Places k-pop behind pop, rock, oldies, hip-hop/rap, dance/electronic and indie/alternative.

[1] https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8531464/k-...