About this episode

The episode explores the paradox of K-Pop's popularity versus its streaming data, featuring insights from Will Page on the genre's market dynamics.

K-Pop is in a unique situation. The genre “feels” like it’s everywhere. BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids, and KPop **Demon Hunters have topped Billboard and Netflix charts. But recent data shows that roughly 2% of global streams are from K-Pop, and the genre is and trending down. We are joined by Will Page, former Chief Economist at Spotify and author of Pivot. He released a new report on Music Business Worldwide in collaboration with Jeongbeom ‘JB’ Kim, Chief Data Officer at the Korean-based KreatorsNetwork. We discussed how K-Pop’s demand is centralized at the top, why even a phenomenon like KPop Demon Hunters didn't lift the rest of the genre, and what Western labels keep getting wrong when they try to copy the model. We dive deep into Korea's "export or die" culture, and what other sports may teach music about reaching new audiences. CHAPTERS 04:47 The Status of K-Pop 08:28 The Impact of BTS' Hiatus 17:02 The Limitations of Superfan Monetization 24:38 "Export or Die" Model 29:44 Inflation's Impact on Music 31:28 Lessons from Formula 1 SPONSORS Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week Symphonic: Distribute your music to one of the largest networks in the industry. Symphonic…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Runcie

Guest: Will Page

Topics covered

• K-Pop
• BTS
• music industry
• superfan monetization
• export culture
• audience engagement

Keywords

• K-Pop
• BTS
• music streaming
• superfans
• K-Pop industry
• audience growth
• music monetization

Sponsors

Chartmetric, Symphonic

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Spotify, KreatorsNetwork, Music Business Worldwide

Books & works: Pivot, K-Pop Demon Hunters

Places: Korea

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