JPOP vs KPOP - An Arbitrary Debate?

Is there any meaningful comparison between J-pop and K-pop? Maybe . . .

[MichaelAronson]

@moola7 Wow, I'm impressed with them. I'm not sure they're my style, but I've never heard their sound before in Korea. It's so . . . full. Korean music, either pop or rock, is often a bit minimalist, but Yellow Monsters are just really strong. They must be new, right? I'll keep an eye out for them. Thanks!

[MichaelAronson]

@superguizi Hence the question of whether it's an arbitrary comparison.

[MichaelAronson]

@moola7 Well, you bring up other factors that are also part of the problem - agencies and music shows push pop over everything else. If pop declined, would they be able to successfully start pushing other genres? I don't know. Maybe. Hopefully. We'll probably never know, but for now they seem to be refusing.

[MichaelAronson]

@sabrinashaw93 We could have a much more interesting conversation about Jrock vs Krock. Obviously, the Japanese rock industry has had much more support for decades and has developed immensely, but the Krock (I hate how that looks) scene has been growing steadily, and while the talents haven't achieved as much as their Japanese counterparts, there's a number of good performers.

[MichaelAronson]

@Kiwiness I totally understand and agree with what you mean, although that doesn't stop me from listening to Japanese music.

[MichaelAronson]

@daebob I think 거북이 is Kpop, but it's one of the few exceptions lately (well, not lately anymore) that doesn't feel like it's cashing in on the newest trend. It demonstrates some musical integrity.

I think "pop" is just something you instantly recognize. It's not something you can easily make a classification for. I think "pop" is defined by the impression it gives, not the composition of the song.

[MichaelAronson]

@daebob Aesthetically, ballads, hiphop, and dance music are different, but the way they're treated as pop is the same- little variety, little variation, all follow the same trends. It all blends together.

One group I like is 거북이. The more of their music you listen to, the more you realize they maintain their own unique sound and style. Maybe they had a similar origin point to other groups, but they found their voice and stuck to it. If pop must reign, then it should try to differentiate itself.

[MichaelAronson]

@daebob Some dance music isn't pop if it's just, like, background music for a club, but in Korea, most dance music seems to be pop. I mentioned 거북이 because they didn't change their style to match the new trends. They kept their own unique sound and style, which sounded similar to others at first, but the more others changed, the more 거북이 sounded distinct.

[MichaelAronson]

@daebob It's fine if you enjoy the big groups. For me, I didn't know about SNSD until I saw them perform once (I just happened to be at a performance), and I started laughing, because they kept changing microphones every two lines. There was no consistency, it was just trying to give everyone their turn.

I believe everyone in a music group should have a unique role.

[MichaelAronson]

@clake9 Ah, I know what you're referring to. In terms of videos, I also like how Jpop videos are typically more random and insane.

[MichaelAronson]

@moola7 That would be interesting, but I don't think a lack of Kpop would make those genres popular. If the public was really ready for them, wouldn't they be more popular now?

[MichaelAronson]

@ticklebug Thanks! Depending on where you live, you might be able to make some Korean friends in the US.

[MichaelAronson]

@sabrinashaw93 I can! (And those two aren't good examples). Deli Spice, Crying Nut, Jaurim, Witches, Yellow Monsters, 장기하, Galaxy Express. Those should be a good start.

[MichaelAronson]

@TomoexNanami I agree completely that it's not a choice, anyone can like whatever they want.

[MichaelAronson]

@jkready111 It's a purely hypothetical and really unrealistic situation, but just based on where the music industry stands, all of it's weight is on Kpop. If Kpop "fell, " the music industry would not be able to support itself. As for people, they would just as well continue to import music.

[MichaelAronson]

@Fhenry What you describe at the beginning is, I think, how most Koreans listen to kpop. And I like the rest of what you said. ^^

[MichaelAronson]

@TheCgeulis That's the problem - music ought to be about music, not business.

[MichaelAronson]

@moola7 I can see it. "If you search 황보령 in YouTube you can find her songs more than a few songs. I didn't listen to all of songs in her 4th album either. I heard she came out on CNN recently. There are also many good musicians for electronica like trance, techno, house. I like 장기하와얼굴들, 이적, 요조, 루시드폴, 정재형. I recommand the website for korean indie music"

[MichaelAronson]

@ryusm92 If Kpop stops selling, CD stores would close, TV music programs would end, and online services would stop. Even 노래방s would start to have trouble. And as a result, non-Kpop musicians would have few outlets for their music.

[MichaelAronson]

@MsGaijinSyauqi Well . . . sort of, kind of, a little bit. But in general, no matter the country, there isn't that much diversity in pop, but I do know what you're referring to.