The structure of the South Korean music industry: the specifics of the work and promotion of music companies and groups

Abstract

The article is devoted to identifying the specifics of the business models of music companies in South Korea, their work with artists, as well as the restrictions imposed by the industry on idols. An idol is a professional artist who has undergone systematic training in an entertainment agency and performs the function of a comprehensive entertainment product, whose activities are based on modeling parasocial relationships with an audience through the cultivation of an idealized public image that goes beyond purely musical activities. The business models of the largest music labels in Russia (Black Star, Malfa, Gazgolder and others) and the West (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and others), as well as Korean companies (YG Entertainment and SM Entertainment) were taken as objects of research. The main research method was functional analysis. With his help, the business models of music labels and companies in South Korea were studied. The authors identified the main differences in the working models of Western labels and Korean companies, and the devices of the groups represented in the Western and Korean business models using the case study methodology. The high standards in the K-Pop industry, their impact on the activities of artists and communication with the audience, the socio-cultural characteristics of the country, which contribute to this through the method of analytical modeling, were also considered.