Bam.

Still, American tastes are diversifying thanks to independent media/radio/youtube and sites like this…. and Americans might also get a hold of whatever those new, modern “switched on” Japanese youth are listening to now too.  one can only hope those records will make it over here eventually. 

Not ALL Jpop and Kpop is awful though… but that’s just my personal opinion

You’re dead wrong. Disco does indeed still suck, harder than ever, and you owe me half an hour of my life back. I have a possible solution, though. PM me for details.

So as much as I might like certain music from various other countries, we’re never going to hear that kind of stuff on the radio here.  Especially since most of it over there is equally autotuned and synthesized, if not more so, than what we’ve already got over here a dime a dozen.  The American recording industry makes way too much money pumping out our own generic musicians to let other countries butt in on it.

K-pop idols are generally in intensive training programs for years before they are allowed to take the stage. They usually show a more sleek image and and singing and dance routines are more complex and demanding. Also as others have mentioned, there is a much more recognizable western hip-hop influence.

Of course it goes without saying that none of what I wrote is universally true. There are huge differences on both sides. And actually, the Japanese music industry is the second biggest in the world behind the USA, and the Hallyu (“Korean Wave”) took them by storm years ago. Now we are starting to see both pushback and integration. In addition to the many k-groups already active in Japan (everyone in this post except EXO-M has released at least one Japanese single) some newly debuted Japanese groups have an obvious k-pop influence. On the other hand, people were protesting against major tv network Fuji TV  earlier this year for airing too much Korea-centric programming and it has just been announced that Korean artists are banned from Kouhaku Utagassen this year, which is Japan’s biggest and most celebrated annual end of the year music program.

Then I saw PSY. I found a whole new world of music outside metal, J-pop, and everything in between. I thought I hated pop music until I heard this (and yes, I hate J-Pop! Malice Mizer is more my style..)

This post did it for me. I speak English, and Japanese, but not Korean. I work with a young Korean watchmaker, and he turned me onto PSY. Now Xeni got me turned onto K-pop permanently! It’s dancable, catchy, I don’t have to deal with repetitive lyrics of love that I can’t stand (or at least, if they are there, understand), and I get incredibly incredibly hot korean women to look at in incredibly entertaining videos. I get cool style ideas from the men. I can’t find one thing to hate about it!

And to think, if I’d been left without the internets, i’d probably still be listening to shitty Metallica, and not much else. Fuck the DMCA and all that crap- this is what the internet was MADE for. Exposing people to new things and cultures! You kick ass for posting this Xeni.

I hate to sound old myself, but it’s getting harder and harder to not find a band or artist that couldn’t have been from 20 or 30 years ago.

Remakes have dominated the film industry for several decades. Car designs are changing at a slower rate. Clothing is either unchanged or 60s / 70s / 80s retro. Industry perceives change as costly. And entertainment is industry, not art.

which led to the Gangnam featuring HyunaA, which led to her “Bubble Pop”, and then this practice session: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf0iPEjcM44&feature=relmfu 

Sorta reminds me of Tae Kwon do – the moves are so sharp – and so I just searched for “tae kwon do dance” on youtube and found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsIuFpHA-Nk amongst others

If dance could kill – I would die happy

The fact of the matter is that while some contemporary mainstream Kpop is very good, there’s too much to sift through that isn’t (speaking as an objective Korean music review blogger) and the idol-saturated market doesn’t provide enough legitimate talent to carry the Hallyu Wave that far West. All of the fans that Kpop has in the West are already established Kpop and Korean Indie enthusiasts, while Gangnam Style was primarily a way for most people to enjoy a “funny Asian stereotype” without actually appreciating what the song delivered.

It still seems to me that fans of American pop music, and the American pop music industry in general, isn’t ready to take Asian performers–even ones as satirical in their efforts as Psy–seriously enough to really get invested. The thing about Kpop is that its not just an industry, its an investment, and the dominating American mindset re: Kpop will likely be that nobody has time to remember names they can’t pronounce for groups with members close to or in the double digits. The images and style choices are appropriate for Korean markets, but most Kpop groups would have to sell out and change much of their image to succeed in the west because of shallow thought.

For as much as I would LOVE Kpop to succeed in the North American music market, it won’t happen until interests shift toward taking Kpop seriously enough that it can still retain what makes it fun, but also be regarded as legitimate music and not “those hilarious bands from Korea”.

Totally digging GLAM’s XXO (Party) right now as well. If you like f(x), you should check GLAM out. :D

http://www.allkpop.com/2011/05/sm-entertainment-thanks-peruvian-k-pop-fans-for-their-love

- and don’t forget the zany trippy likes of Tomoe Shinohara – - http://youtu.be/ly8bGCWKIUM