K-pop album sales in Japan hit all-time high in 2011 Japanese purchases of Korean pop music hit an all-time high last year, according to industry data. According to Oricon Inc., a provider of music industry statistics, sales of albums, singles, DVDs and blue-ray disks of K-pop increased for the third consecutive year to 24.47 billion yen ($310 million) last year, up 22.3 percent from 2010. South Korean signers' annual market share also rose from 6 percent to 7.8 percent during the period. The comparable figure for 2009 was 3 percent. Korea's leading idol groups Kara and Girls' Generation advanced to the Japanese market after 2009. Also in 2011, a total of 10 singles or albums of K-pop singers or groups, including TVXQ, Big Bang, Girls' Generation, Kara, Jang Keun-suk, T-ara and 2NE1, reached the top position on Oricon's weekly chart, breaking the record of 2008 when five were on the chart. Girls' Generation's album by the same name and Kara's "Super Girl" ranked within the top 10 of the Oricon albums yearly chart, selling 642,000 copies and 451,000 copies, respectively. In the category of total annual sales by an artistFeb 17, 2012
CJ EandM launches app for entertainment newsBy Noh Hyun-gi Entertainment giant CJ E&M in collaboration with mobile carrier LG Uplus launched a smartphone application called “enews24” Wednesday. The free app is a by-product of the online entertainment portal Enews 24 (www.enews24.net) which organizes information based on CJ E&M’s cable channel tvN. With three menus ― news, photos and star ― the program offers a convenient way to receive the most up–to-date entertainment news and photos of your favorite celebrities on your mobile device. The news menu uses a photo-wall format where the user can see preview images for entertainment articles. The photo menu is organized by individual and allows the pictures to be shared via social network programs like Facebook and Twitter. The star menu gathers together news articles for specific celebrities from a three-month period. It also offers a graph option where users can view a timeline of how many articles were published on a celebrity at a given time.Feb 15, 2012
Can Platoon repeat magic for indie music?Yoon Na-ra, Love X Stereo to launch first Platoon Open Stage By Kwaak Je-yup It may sound impossible: staging indie music in the heart of Seoul’s commercial jungle. But Platoon Kunsthalle, the singular bastion of subculture south of the river in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, promises exactly that in about a week, showcasing relatively undiscovered acts. Its inaugural “Open Stage” event next Thursday will present male folk jazz artist Yoon Na-ra and electro rock band Love X Stereo, both active in Hongdae. Cosmos Music, a 40-year-old Korean musical instrument specialist, co-sponsors the occasion, bringing two fresh acts to the stage every Thursday at 8 p.m. The weekly gig marks Platoon’s major foray into Seoul’s indie scene, which has hitherto been dominated by a handful of venues in Hongdae, the popular area around the Hongik University in northwestern Seoul. The German-Korean team behind the scenes hopes that this new event will provide a much-needed oomph to experimental music, as its many projects have done so to other arts since its opening barely three years aFeb 14, 2012
Shinhwa sells out reunion concertsBoy band remains hot ticket 14 years after debut By Kwaak Je-yup As the years go by, even the hottest teen idols often disappear into oblivion and make room for the younger generation to bask in the limelight. But one group in Korea has managed to stay relevant and even wildly popular ― 14 years after their debut. Shinhwa, the longest-running boy band in the country, sold out its two-night concert series “THE RETURN” 40 minutes after tickets went on sale at 8 p.m. Monday, the group’s management announced the morning after. The performances are scheduled for March 24 and 25 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena at the Olympic Park, Bangi-dong, at the southeastern edge of Seoul. “We are grateful to our fans. Thanks to them, we can ensure Shinhwa’s comeback after four years will be celebrated in style,” said Eric Mun, leader of the band in a statement. “We are working on a great performance for the fans who have stuck with us for so long.” As a concert venue, the arena is the largest in the country, with a typical capacity of around 15,000. While the organizers led by CJ E&Feb 14, 2012
Girls‘ Generation to appear on France‘s popular TV talk show K-pop group Girls' Generation will appear on a popular French talk show ahead of its first release of a music album in Europe early next week, the group's entertainment agency said Wednesday. The group will be on the "Le Grand Journal," a talk show program of the French pay-TV channel "CANAL plus" on Thursday (on Paris time), S.M. Entertainment Co. said. "Le Grand Journal," which airs at 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday, is one of France's most popular talk shows, where many of the world's top stars have appeared as guests. Girls' Generation will be the first Korean pop stars to appear on the show, according to the agency. The appearance comes ahead of the group's official release slated for Monday of its special album titled "The Boys" through Polydor, the French music label under Universal Music Group. It is rare for South Korean singers to release an album in Europe. In the show, the group will give a live performance of the album's title song with the same name, according to the agency. It will be the group's third appearance on a popular foreign talk show in about Feb 8, 2012
Tournaments, live broadcasts herald rise of e-sports On a cold, chilly night in Seoul, thousands flocked to an auditorium to witness this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. Several thousands more watched via live stream. As the event drew to a close, the audience drowned the auditorium with their cheers and deafening applause. The big draw? StarCraft II. The December tournament brought cyber contestants to battle it out on the popular PC game. Korea hosted the first StarCraft I World Cyber Games tournament in 1999, drawing participants from across the globe. The eventual winner, French-Canadian Guillaume Patry, said back then that "the future of video gaming would be in Korea." His words would be prophetic years later. E-gaming, also known as e-sports, is relatively unknown to the general public but is followed zealously by gamers and tech savvy people. Prize money often goes up to hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. Notable events -- GOMTV GSL (StarCraft), the World Cyber Games (various games), and E.V.O (fighting games) -- are backed by corporate sponsors. In Korea, e-gaming has gone a step further. It is a legitimate careerFeb 8, 2012
Lee Seung-gi to make debut in Japan in MarchBy Ko Tae-young All-round entertainer Lee Seung-gi will make his debut as a singer in Japan in March. He will also give a solo performance at Nippon Budokan in June. Japanese media showed keen interest where about 150 members flocked to his press conference held at MLB cafe in Tokyo, Japan. During the conference, he sang his first Japanese single “Love Time” and “Friends,” which will be released on March 6. Lee said in anticipation of the 14,201-seat Budokan performance, “I heard that not everyone has the opportunity to perform there but I am very grateful that I am able to perform on such an honorable stage.” Meanwhile, Lee stated that his character in variety show “1 Night 2 Days” is the closest to his real personality. “If I have the chance, I would like to join a program where Korean and Japanese artists take a trip together” he added. When asked if he wanted to film a romantic comedy during the press conference, he said “I would like to act with Japanese actress Haruka Ayase. But since my Japanese is not so good, I’d like to play a quiet character,” he addedJan 31, 2012
K-pop still targeting American marketBy Noh Hyun-gi K-pop stars have proven their influence in Asia — most of them taking their first steps entering the Japanese pop music scene. Encouraged by the success in the neighboring country, the agencies — SM, JYP, and YG — are looking to the United States. Or rather, the agencies are once again eying the American market. Surely, there exists a teen-driven market for stars like Justin Bieber and Senela Gomez. Still, even that niche is difficult to crack into, as seen in the case of BoA of SM and Wonder Girls of JYP. Yet the failed attempts are not stopping the star makers who are preparing to play the American game once again this year. BoA pioneered the exporting of home-bred artists in 2001 with the Japanese version of her debut album “ID Peace B.” It took her a while to become a star in the island nation -she spent most of her career in Japan much to the Korean fans’ despair. SM tried to make BoA a star in America in 2009 with the album “Eat You Up.” Though the press and the agency hyped things up for the album and the music video’s release, tJan 31, 2012
JYJ documentary shunned by distributorBy Noh Hyun-gi The plan to release “The Day,” a documentary about K-pop group JYJ, on Feb. 9 was shelved Monday, according to the artists’ agency C-JeS Entertainment. Multiplex chain CGV had agreed to feature the documentary but backed out of the deal via an email on Wednesday. This is not the first time the film has failed to secure a release. Last year, entertainment cable channel QTV agreed to air it but canceled after airing previews. The 90-minute footage follows the three members of the group, Jae-joong, Yu-chun and Jun-su, in their daily schedules. On Jan. 18, the agency announced it would be shown at 20 CGV theaters. According the JYJ’s agency, CGV and C-JeS started collaborating from Dec. 5, 2011 to the point of specific scheduling the artists to appear at the opening. C-JeS said that CGV explained in the email that “The Day” project had been executed in violation of internal protocol and thus had to be nullified. The agency said no details on what protocols had been breached were mentioned.Jan 30, 2012
Drama made to promote struggling singersBy Noh Hyun-gi Acting is a serious endeavor that doesn’t just come with good looks. It definitely isn’t a default occupation for those who didn’t make it as singers. Yet producers of “Shut Up Flower Boy Band,” a new drama on tvN about rebellious rock star wannabes, seem to think otherwise. The 16-episode series that starts airing at 11 p.m. today tells the story of six middle school students who form a rock band called “Ahn-gu-jeong-wha,” which translates to eye candy. The show's director, Lee Kwon, said at a press conference in Cheongdam-dong in Seoul Wednesday that he wanted to portray the genuine rock spirit in the Korean music industry dominated by K-pop. Ironically, what he denounced as the making of “cultural products” by K-pop is the driving force of his series given the background of the cast. Kim Min-seok, who plays Seo Gyeong-jong, the ambitious keyboard player of the band, loosely participated in “Superstar K3,” a survival audition show for singers on Mnet. He showed up at the preliminary regional audition in Daegu but never made it to the group of 11 conteJan 29, 2012