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| yna@yna.co.kr 2024-01-15 11:00:14
K-pop troika continues to dominate K-music charts in New Year
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- The K-pop music chart is experiencing a stagnation trend in the new year, dominated by girl groups, classic ballad singers, and trot star Im Young-woong. With their formidable popularity in the music industry, it is becoming harder for new songs to break through.
◇ Solidified K-pop chart
As of Jan. 9, Top 20 Chart by Melon, one of the largest music platforms in Korea, showed only new song released in less than 30 days – Lee Mu Jin’s “Episode.” Lee’s song, released Dec. 13, ranked 10th on the Melon chart.
The chart’s top 3 included girl group Le Sserafim's “Perfect Night,” Lim Jae-hyun's “Rain Rhapsody,” and Girls' Generation Taeyeon's “To.X,” released on Oct. 27, Dec. 3, and Nov. 27, respectively. Remarkably, even songs from several years ago, such as EXO's “First Snow” (5th place, December 2013), Bumjin's “Greetings” (7th place, December 2021), and Sung Si-kyung's “Every Moment of You” (18th place, February 2014), made appearances on the chart.
The daily chart is dominated not only by the latest songs but also by hit songs of girl groups, ballads remade from the past, and songs by singer Im Young-woong. Last year, the girl group NewJeans set a record by topping the Melon weekly chart for 14 consecutive weeks with their hit song “Ditto.” Im Young-woong showcased his ability to climb the charts with his existing songs, demonstrating the strong fandom he has built. Remakes of past ballads like “Heart,” “Of Course,” and “I Love You” also continue to maintain their presence on the charts.
An industry insider mentioned the current trend where girl groups receive widespread public attention and simultaneously build strong fandoms, noting that the landscape has significantly changed compared to the past when various artists competed. Another industry insider pointed out that as older ballads like those by Sung Si-kyung and MeloMance sporadically climb the charts, there is a tendency to perceive them as part of a “retro trend in music.”
Due to the dominance of the top of the music charts, there are frequent instances where the winner of music programs does not appear. As music programs consider factors such as album sales, YouTube views, and music streaming performance for rankings, breaking through the heavily established chart positions becomes challenging for songs that have already concluded their promotional activities.
◇Changes in consumption patterns
The phenomenon of chart stagnation is attributed not only to the popularity of girl groups but also to changes in consumption patterns. Music critic Jung Min-jae mentioned that contemporary music fans often passively listen to songs listed in the Top 100 or those recommended in popular playlists. Such phenomenon contributes to the prolonged presence of chart-topping songs and making it difficult for new releases to gain attention, he added.
New artists, especially those under smaller entertainment companies, find it challenging to break into the top 100 of the music charts. A representative from a smaller entertainment company emphasized the need to consider chart rankings due to their impact on subsequent activities, despite the diminishing importance of local music charts. Industry leaders are making efforts to relieve related problems. Such efforts include strategic placements in prominent sections of music apps and participation in YouTube content associated with distribution companies.
In response to the difficulty in promoting new songs, efforts have been made to revamp the chart system. Melon, the largest music platform in South Korea, introduced the “Hot 100” chart in June last year, reflecting only the usage data of the past hour for songs released within the last 30 or 100 days. This change aims to address the demand for a faster reflection of the latest songs and trends from both fans and the industry, particularly benefiting smaller companies struggling with new song promotion.
The current state of the music charts reflects a complex interplay between the dominance of girl groups, the enduring popularity of classic ballads, and the consistent success of Im Young-woong, posing challenges for new releases and prompting adjustments in the industry.
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