The New York Korea KBS concert was packed with thousands of people, many of whom had been waiting for the 6PM concert’s start. One would expect the crowds of Korean-Americans, old and young, but young Americans were a significant, though smaller, group. While it’s strange for me to hear the names of my favorites groups in Cantonese from Asian faces, hearing them in Americanized accents from African Americans or Russians always strikes me enough to stop and stare for half a second.

It’s one of the trends of globalization that was only made possible by the digitalization of music markets, and the instant connections we have to other parts of the world through the internet. In our era of technology, the fact that Korea is almost literally n the other side of the globe is an insignificant fact. Even within K-pop itself, one senses who cultures have come together in a web of interactions; the majority of trendy Korean songs feature at least a phrase of English lyrics (grammatically correct or not).  It’s unclear whether this adds a “coolness” factor or it’s simply become part of what the ideal K-pop song is supposed to include.

This year’s October concert was different from those of previous years. For one, the list of artists set to perform was incredible, ranging from opera sopranos to singers who’ve been in the business longer than I’ve lived. Events in the U.S. normally included around three acts, but the set list was studded with popular boybands and girl groups, aptly called “idol groups”. With the growing popularity of K-pop, the organizers must have thought concertgoers would enjoy the variety of performances, but the lineup revealed some telling things. Some traditional and veteran singers were placed in the beginning and the middle, while the other slots were reserved for the idol groups. In short, the idol groups were the juicy bits, while the other musicians were shunted aside. This was actually an intelligent move by the KBS heads, who realized that the majority of the audience was the younger generation who only followed the hot trends of the idol groups. Even so, they decided to place Patty Kim, a legend in Korean music, as the final performance before closing, in respect of her long and successful career. This was an unbelievable mistake. As soon as 2PM and TVXQ (two wildly popular boy groups who got the loudest cheers for the night) finished their songs, streams of people up and left, leaving tellingly empty areas of chairs. Frankly, I was highly disturbed at the sheer number of teens simply leaving while Patty began singing on stage, and I consider it incredibly rude regardless of whether it was a free concert or not. Is this simply a sign of a generation without manners, or perhaps the effect of something more identifiable?

The Korean music industry has devised an incredible strategy for signing fans up to their company lines. Knowing that the teen audiences are those most passionate about music and will devote much more time and emotional commitment than their parents or grandparents, they have finely tuned-up the concept of boy bands and girl groups. Record companies scout out teenagers who have the capacity to be popstars, many of whom have not graduated high school yet. Those who are chosen, usually on basis of their good looks and fulfilling a minimum requirement of musical talent, spend the next years preparing for a career of image-based selling. The incredible emphasis on the image of the singers (“image” including their fashion, “good-two-shoes” credibility, face and body), means that some companies actually include the right to force their singers to get plastic surgery, if the executives so desire it. They understand the importance of the superficial, and one cannot argue against the immense popularity it has achieved. This is not to say that all idol groups are not musicians as much as pretty things to look  at, but an idol group is defined how they upkeep their massive popularity with appearance rather than reliance on musical talent. The members of an idol group truly become like “idols”, with adoring fans.

Being aware of how consumers perceive what you sell is a vital business technique, but have record labels gone too far? The groups have become like commodities, where people can simply say “I don’t like the way they look,” and turn to the next group. Companies are constantly creating groups, some with up to 11 members, in order to cheapen the cost for them while helping the odds of gathering fans, and the music style is almost identical. It’s simply marketing the right impression. So maybe some fans have dehumanized these singers as mere images. And if they don’t perceive their own singers as humans who have the right to say “no, I like the way I look,” and have the right to privacy to their romantic relationships, why should they believe that a reputable and talented singer such as Patty Kim deserves the respect of their attention and applause? I think this a question worth considering.

I do not think this is the extent of the Hallyu wave. The U.S. will continued to be influenced as Korean groups attempt to jump into the market. They have already made a considerable dent in the Japan (The second largest music market in the world, right under the U.S.). Despite the lucrative popularity of albums, concert tickets, and merchandise the Korean music industry is far from flourishing. Only a fraction of the hype and passion translates into actual profit (and ironically, the members of the idol group typically earn 10%, or in some cases closer to 1%, of what their efforts produce). Korean groups actually spend years promoting and touring around Japan, who welcome them, and they return to Korean to make bigger sales in a huge “come back”. The largest market being the U.S., and being respected as a center for pop music, it seems to be the grand prize. Popular singers such s BoA, Rain and Se7en ahev made the venture, but we have yet to see a truly successful mainstream entrance from Korean. It’s worth mentioning that the Wonder Girls opened for the Jonas Brothers during the tour, and JYJ recently released an English album in the U.S. including a song featuring Kanye West. Whether mainstream America will welcome Korean marketing strategies remains to be seen, but the subculture is definitely thriving.