Resurgence of 90s singers spawns copycats
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A scene from “Saturday, Saturday is for Singers,” a segment of MBC’s “Infinite Challenge” on MBC / Korea Times file
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Singer Uhm Jung-hwa's "Poison," an upbeat dance track, topped Korean music chart Genie last week, some 17 years after its original release in 1998. Other 90s hit songs such as Jinusean's "Tell Me," Kim Gun-mo's "Wrongful Meeting" and Turbo's "White Love" are enjoying popularity again.
Uhm is one of the 90s top singers that is regaining attention by "Saturday, Saturday is for Singers," a segment of Korea's popular television show "Infinite Challenge" on MBC. The show, which aired on Dec. 27 and Jan. 3, recorded a whooping 22 percent viewing rate and captured the hearts of nostalgic fans. Called "Totoga" in Korean, the show featured dance duo Turbo, girl band S.E.S, hip-hop duo Jinusean, techno singer Lee Jung-hyun and ballad singer Jo Sung-mo. The profit from the music sales is expected to be around 10 billion won ($9.1 million).
The unexpected success of the show, however, has resulted in copycats jumping on the bandwagon. According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), those who are unrelated to MBC or "Infinite Challenge" have tried to register trademark rights for "Totoga," "Saturday, Saturday is for Singers" and other similar brands.
A concert producer is reportedly organizing a joint concert of 90s hit singers, including those who appeared on "Saturday." The producer is not related to the program or the broadcaster.
A revised rule on trademark right prohibits irrelevant individuals or companies to register the brand of famous television programs and MBC has priority rights over the brand.
"The success of 'Totoga' is based on credibility of 'Infinite Challenge' and MBC. Improvised concert featuring the 90s singers or imitating the name of the project cannot duplicated the success of 'Totoga,'" an official of MBC said.
There were similar concerts before "Infinite Challenge," such as "Youth Night Concert -- Back to the '90s" which began in 2012 and cable channel SBS Plus' "Comeback Show Top 10" in 2011, but none of them have generate the kind of 90s resurgence as “Totoga.”