JYP is one of the ‘Big 3’ companies in Kpop, the others being SM and YG. They are the biggest Kpop companies with revenue and groups.
Kpop is part of the Hallyu Wave, exporting Korean popular culture overseas. This is aided by better communication, such as internet and mobile phones. This has allowed Kpop to be one of the biggest ‘soft exports’ out of South Korea, and inciting interest in people coming here.
Social Media sites such as YouTube are crucial for this spread, as it allowed Kpop to be viewed freely, rather than traditional mediums like TV. Kpop also has very concept driven and visually stimulating music videos that are entertaining to watch. Combine this with the use of choreography in a song (called a ‘point dance’) and you have an interesting format for a visual as well as an audio hook.
Kpop has spread far with this method, with people resharing these catching videos and gathering a large fanbase. Kpop also has organised ‘official’ fanbases, called “Fan Clubs” where people can pay for membership and get perks in fansigns, and get access to their ‘fancafes’, which is where members post and talk. Another big part in drawing fans to this medium is ‘fandom names’. Each group has an official fanbase name, for example Twice fans are called Onces (like ‘this only happens once’), Day6 fans are called MyDays and Stray Kids fans are called Stays. Not to mention lightsticks, which are personalised sticks for each group. All of this allows fans to become loyal to their group and create strong fanbases.
References
Ahn, P. (2017). YouTube is Taking K-Pop GlobalPatty Ahn / University of California San Diego – Flow. [online] Flow. Available at: https://www.flowjournal.org/2017/11/youtube-is-taking-k-pop-global/.
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