[Music] Major Global Labels Show a Growing Interest in Korean Musicians
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Major global labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group are showing a keen interest in Korean pop music. Previously, the Korean branches of these global labels have produced and distributed albums of Korean musicians mainly in Korea.
But now the focus has been shifted to help Korean musicians venture into global market.
Recently, Universal Music Group has signed a strategic alliance with Play Cube Entertainment, an agency that represents Korean girl group 4 Minute and boy group Beast. Under the terms of the agreement, Universal Music Group will be responsible for domestic sale and distribution of albums by Korean musicians of Play Cube Entertainment and serve as an outpost for Korean music to make inroads into global markets including Asia. As a first step, 4 Minute's special album will be released simultaneously in 8 Asian countries this month via the distribution network of Universal Music Group.
The album is expected to be released later in Japan as well. The global label is planning on overseas promotion of Beast.
In the meantime, Sony Music Entertainment signed a contract for global distribution of the second solo album of Brian Joo, a former member of Fly to the Sky.
It is planning on a simultaneous release of the album in the U.S., Europe and 10 Asian countries including Japan and Hong Kong. In addition, Sony Music Entertainment is actively scouting for talent and recently, it has signed an exclusive contract with Han Byeol, a former rock band vocalist who is currently a music show VJ on a cable channel.
A Sony Music Entertainment official said, "We plan to give a boost to Korean pop music and as part of the plan, we will further step up our talent scouting efforts and sign exclusive contracts with talented Korean singers".
Warner Music Group, on the other hand, saw the potential of Korean musicians earlier in 2007 when it took over Vitamin Entertainment and J's Enterprise, enabling it to engage in the full spectrum of album production and distribution, and even management. Singers that Vitamin Entertainment works for include Jo Kyu-chan, Gavi NJ, Lee Gi-chan, Park Hae-gyung and Wax.
The collapse of Western pop music market in Korea is one of the main reasons that major global labels began to show interest in Korean music content. Western pop music once enjoyed a market share of as much as 70% before it began to go downhill in the 1990s. On the other hand, local music quickly gained ground, reversing the trend. As a result, major global labels were forced to turn their eyes to local music to survive in the Korean music market where Korean pop music clearly dominates.
Such high global demand for Korean music content is an eloquent testimony to the global competitiveness of Korean music content. Wonder Girls' successful debut in the U.S. and the growing popularity of Korean idol groups in Asia also show a great potential for Korean music industry.
Im Jin-mo, a music critic said, "In the past, signing a contract with a foreign label simply meant a stable source of income for local singers and it didn't give the contracting singers any other special benefits.
However, signing a deal with a global label now takes on a whole new meaning as it is often considered the first step toward global markets". He also added, "We have to accelerate our efforts to export our music to global markets such as U.S., Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe.
The Seoul Shinmun
But now the focus has been shifted to help Korean musicians venture into global market.
Recently, Universal Music Group has signed a strategic alliance with Play Cube Entertainment, an agency that represents Korean girl group 4 Minute and boy group Beast. Under the terms of the agreement, Universal Music Group will be responsible for domestic sale and distribution of albums by Korean musicians of Play Cube Entertainment and serve as an outpost for Korean music to make inroads into global markets including Asia. As a first step, 4 Minute's special album will be released simultaneously in 8 Asian countries this month via the distribution network of Universal Music Group.
The album is expected to be released later in Japan as well. The global label is planning on overseas promotion of Beast.
In the meantime, Sony Music Entertainment signed a contract for global distribution of the second solo album of Brian Joo, a former member of Fly to the Sky.
It is planning on a simultaneous release of the album in the U.S., Europe and 10 Asian countries including Japan and Hong Kong. In addition, Sony Music Entertainment is actively scouting for talent and recently, it has signed an exclusive contract with Han Byeol, a former rock band vocalist who is currently a music show VJ on a cable channel.
A Sony Music Entertainment official said, "We plan to give a boost to Korean pop music and as part of the plan, we will further step up our talent scouting efforts and sign exclusive contracts with talented Korean singers".
Warner Music Group, on the other hand, saw the potential of Korean musicians earlier in 2007 when it took over Vitamin Entertainment and J's Enterprise, enabling it to engage in the full spectrum of album production and distribution, and even management. Singers that Vitamin Entertainment works for include Jo Kyu-chan, Gavi NJ, Lee Gi-chan, Park Hae-gyung and Wax.
The collapse of Western pop music market in Korea is one of the main reasons that major global labels began to show interest in Korean music content. Western pop music once enjoyed a market share of as much as 70% before it began to go downhill in the 1990s. On the other hand, local music quickly gained ground, reversing the trend. As a result, major global labels were forced to turn their eyes to local music to survive in the Korean music market where Korean pop music clearly dominates.
Such high global demand for Korean music content is an eloquent testimony to the global competitiveness of Korean music content. Wonder Girls' successful debut in the U.S. and the growing popularity of Korean idol groups in Asia also show a great potential for Korean music industry.
Im Jin-mo, a music critic said, "In the past, signing a contract with a foreign label simply meant a stable source of income for local singers and it didn't give the contracting singers any other special benefits.
However, signing a deal with a global label now takes on a whole new meaning as it is often considered the first step toward global markets". He also added, "We have to accelerate our efforts to export our music to global markets such as U.S., Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe.
The Seoul Shinmun
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