Music / Idols
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YG Entertainment is winning the game

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Written by On September 16, 2011

YG Entertainment is winning the game. The Hallyu game, that is.  The Hallyu wave craze has become something of a Russian roulette: spin the gun and gamble on promoting your pet groups overseas. Win, and rake in more money than you could ever imagine. Lose, and bankrupt yourself for nothing. It takes a steady hand and a good aim to play this promotions game. President YG and company have proven themselves to be in possession of both.

K-pop has established itself in Malaysia, Singapore, and to a certain degree, Vietnam. It has proven that it can sell in both Taiwan and China. A select few groups have even cracked the Japanese market. Now, what’s left is the Mt. Everest of the music industry at large: the US market. Several K-pop artists have flung themselves at that lofty peak and tumbled all the way back down, for a very simple reason: the US market operates rather differently from the Korean one. There are hundreds of thousands of bands of every kind floating around on the internet, and typically it’s only the ones that come from a management agency with a strategy that make it to the top. South Korean agencies are used to operating within an entirely different system, and aren’t familiar with the nuances of the US industry, the little nuances that can tip the scale in their favor. By and by large, it’s been up to the fans to find the group, not the other way around.  However, it’s become clear that YG Entertainment has finally figured out what it takes.

Of course, YG is not infallible. Se7en’s US debut comes to mind. But something significant happened after Se7en’s flop of a debut: YG learned from it. And now that they’re grooming 2NE1 to break into the market, the fruits of that initial failure are becoming quite evident. The first thing that they learned: if you want your name to be on top of the headlines, hook up with someone whose name is already on the headlines. How many artists got to where they were through sheer luck and perseverance? Not many. How many got to the top through luck and perseverance and useful contacts in the industry? A good deal more. For a while, YG’s brilliant hookup with the Black Eyed Pea’s Will.i.am was the talk of the town. There couldn’t have been a smarter pairing. Does Will.i.am have the most revolutionary musical techniques and lyrics? No. But what he does have is a multiplatinum, world-famous group and a finger on the pulse of what the general public wants to listen to, which is exactly what an idol group like 2NE1 would benefit from in trying to break into the US scene.

But a single contact to keep harping on about forever and ever can only go so far. That’s where YG got smart: American big-name rapper Ludacris has gone on record as saying some very positive things concerning the Hallyu wave, and generally sounded very chummy with the YG family at large. Now, he’s gone one step further: he’s agreed to sign an MOU, or a Memorandum of Understanding with YG, which is a legal document indicating a convergence of wills between parties, while not necessarily being binding. In the case of Ludacris and YG, this can point to future collaborations. Now YG has not only one, but two well-known American stars with musical styles similar to their own attached to the hip.

So, what does this all mean for 2NE1 and their planned American debut? They’ve got a far better chance of succeeding than the average K-pop idol, who wanders in blind. They have people on their side who know the ups and downs of the industry, as well as what PR stunts will and won’t work. They will have access to lyrics writers who are fluent in English, so for a change, there will be no Engrish in sight. And most importantly, they will have advance publicity, rather than nothing but a few web advertisements and collaboration with a D-list artist whose name no one knows. Already, the buzz is building around their debut from nothing more than a few name-drops and vague teases.

Do you think that YG is picking the right path for promoting 2NE1 overseas? Do you think that these high-profile hookups will help or hurt 2NE1’s chances for success?

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  • Anonymous

    I definitely think it is a risk because let’s face it, the girl group / guy group craze in the states ended in the 90s but I think YGE is taking the correct steps to at least give them a fighting chance. Also what helps with 2ne1 is that 3/4ths of them are fluent in English so the engrish will be minimal. The key for them is choosing the right song that will stick in the minds of the American public and get them AirPlay, and that’s were hopefully will I am will be of great help. I may not be the biggest fan of post-fergie BEPs music but you have to admit that whatever WILL I AM is doing it is working.

  • http://other-worldly.org Justine

    I love my YG, but saying they’re winning the game is kind of a stretch. Obviously they are more known internationally because they really adapt the Western style for their music.. and that’s very advantageous for them.

  • astou mandy

    well I think they definetly have one foot forward but I would not start holding a celebration party just yet because its the songs that makes them memorable,and American audiences are very fickle if they don’t like your music it doesn’t matter if your first song was a hit  they won’t buy it.

  • http://koreanreviews.wordpress.com/ Thanespune

    It seems to me this is one of those partnerships whose sole purpose is to benefit commercially both parts. I mean, American hip-hopers are not selling much in Asia and the same goes for Korean artists in America. It may seem on the surface that Ludacris has a sincere interest in Korean music, but nobody knows exactly who was contacted first and with what offer ? 

  • eboy07

    Kpop will never make it in the US.

    • Anonymous

      No one’s trying to make k-pop happen in the U.S., hence the English lyrics when artists do try to cross over. They’re trying to make Korean singers happen.

  • renee

    Already kpop is gaining momentum fast just by having a section on the front page of the American billboard charts, which I was suprised about when I saw it. By that move alone kpop will gain more followers just by curiosity. Now I honestly think the ball is in YG’s court. Timing is everything and 2ne1 needs to make a move soon but carefully. BEP fever is dying down now that they will be taking a hiatus. The good thing is that everything Luda seems to touch lately turns to gold. Add him to their debut single and they have a good chance. But they can’t delay too much longer cuz I feel like the tide is about to turn in sound of what’s popular in music. I hope they make it and my family will realize that I’m not crazy for listening to kpop.lol

  • Gnattie

    I really, really doubt that kpop will become seriously popular here. I’m American and the only reason why I know about kpop is because I accidentally came across it on the internet. I find it cute and I like the videos, but I’m not a fan or anything. Most Americans aren’t into bubble pop and a majority prefer rock over anything. We prefer individual talent, as well, so we immediately disregard boy bands and girl groups. But we do lover concerts and even the most obscure concert gets sold out. Seriously! My friend went to a concert with this Scottish band that no one has ever heard of and it was pretty packed. We like entertainment. If anything, kpop will be a fad, killed off early by its seriously annoying fans (no offense!) and criticism. We love to criticize, ourselves and others. I can’t imagine any kpop idol being able to withstand the flames it will be sent and the satire it will have. Like, can you imagine SNSD on South Park? My goodness! And I don’t think that Feminists will like the cutesy, aegyo image a lot of girl groups have.

    Another thing, no one’s going to consider kpop Korean pop music if it’s in English and made to appeal to American audiences. You may as well call it American pop. Being sung by Korean stars doesn’t change a thing. Rihanna is from Barbados but her music is considered entirely American, same with Shakira, and she’s from Columbia.

    And Ludacris really isn’t that big of a star. He’s known, but he ain’t Jay-Z. He has little power over people.

    I don’t think that kpop has that big of a hold in Europe. If it did, we’d hear about it.