[OMONA DISCUSSION] Why are girlgroups at a greater risk of disbanding?

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

The past 17 months have seen the disbandment of many popular K-Pop girlgroups. A total amount of 11 girlgroups have ended their career, compared to only 4 boygroups. What's even more shocking is that many girlgroups were still successful and profitable acts with a huge fandom, making it hard for fans to understand why their faves would leave the scene for good. This post is trying to find answers to the question why so many girlgroups have called it quits in the past, and which team is most likely to be the next one.


KARA were the first of the 2nd Generation Girlgroups to announce their disbandment in January 2016

Let's take a look at their target group first. Fangirls are more likely to spend money and support their faves financially than male fans, who are just casually listener and in it for the fap material. Boygroups naturally have more female fans, giving them a greater lifespan than girlgroups.

The producer for the first season of Produce 101 once revealed that he made the show because he wanted to make healthy porn for guys. Men prefer young, innocent girls over older, independent women, which is why there are so many girlgroups out there doing the aegyo school girl concept. It may look fun and cute when girls that are still in middle or high school wear school uniforms on stage, but once they hit a certain age it just becomes unauthentic. Many fans voiced their disappointment when Red Velvet released the MV for their latest song "Rookie", saying that member Irene (age 26) is too old for this concept. A Pink, which members range from age 20 to 26, have been stuck doing the cute and innocent concept since their debut in 2011, and the members of SNSD were between 18 and 20 when they released "Oh!". So what happens once the girls try more mature concepts and stop shouting "Oppa saranghae!"? Hardcore fans might stay, but casual listeners and male fans who were enjoying the cute concept will just go and stan another group that satisfies their needs. Same goes for girls that are in their mid-20s or older. They are no longer innocent, pure girls but strong and independent women who are or have been in relationships. They are no longer fap worthy for men.


SISTAR are the latest group who decided to go their seperate ways

Another reason is the 7-year curse. Usually contracts between the agency and an idol is 7 years long, since this is the longest term they can have based on the standard contract provided by the the Fair Trade Commission. Groups that debuted in 2010 are now at the end of their contracts and have to decide whether they want to continue being in an idol group or do something else. Having spent many years being a trainee and an idol with strict rules and in the public eye, doing what the management tells them and not what they want, it's understandable that many choose to leave and try something new or pursue higher education.

Girlgroups that have announced their disbandment in the past 17 months are KARA, The ARK, 4MINUTE, RAINBOW, 2NE1, Wonder Girls, SPICA, MIXX, T-ara, Crayon Pop and SISTAR. Many were predictable, some were surprises. Which team do you think will announce their break-up next, OMONA? Take part in the poll and discuss in the comments below!

[Poll #2068088]

pic sources: soompi, naver

Comments

[purpleglaceon]

It's also why people often say that for a girl group to survive for a long time, they need female fans. Because the female fans are more likely to stay even if the group changes concept.

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

this is why I think BEG is still around, Gain has said many times their fans are mostly females and she gets surprised when she sees male in the audience lol

[2ne1generation.livejournal.com]

I can see Girl's Day disbanding.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Ageism + stronger scrutiny + no "boys will be boys" free out of jail card

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

miss A - already lost a member
f(x) - already lost a member the remaining 4 are rightfully fed up with their label
After School - on permanent hiatus already + graduation system
Brown Eyed Girls - it's complicated (ish), pretty sure they're not going anywhere
Girls Day - who?
SNSD - Pretty sure SM think only TTS remains
A-Pink - again who?
Secret - already lost a member
Nine Muses - only has one original member left, graduation system so not really relevant to the question

[myrrhcat.livejournal.com]

depressing topic but i voted for AS since pledis has pristin now
groups like SNSD will probably never "officially" disband but they may never come back as 8 again

[tree-star123.livejournal.com]

i thought secret & as were done and nine muses is out (or just there's more newer members than original)

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

Nine Muses already has debanded to my eyes :( and the remaning members redebuted as Nine Muses A. I don't know how much Hyemi resigned for, probably to cover Kyungri's remaining time in the company, and then they'll both leave (at least I hope they will). Sungah is certainly already gone.

I can see A Pink and Girl's Day disbanding in a rather close future. I think they both resigned at least one year? but who knows after that. They passed their peak. I hope they'll go on for a little longer but wouldn't blame them if they don't.

I don't think JYP & Pledis will ever announce a disbandement lmao they already gave up on both groups and most of the members are gone so why would they care about making it official? :/

I don't see a bright future for f(x), I thought after 4Walls that it would be alright with spaced releases but THAAD really impacted them. I don't see Victoria coming back to Korea now, she's having her career in China, and SM doesn't seem to care about f(x)'s brand for now. At least we got Luna's mini out of this (please let her have another mini please).
But I can see SNSD having some kind of deal where they all have their own careers (as they're already doing) and come back together from time to time for an album and a few concerts to bring money in. I'm also too much of a fan to be objective about them lol. We'll see how their 10th anniversary comeback does on charts :)

Secret oops I kinda forgot that three of them renewed contracts... though I don't see TS investing some money (that they must lack anyway) in having them comeback, they'll probably stay in limbo until the end of their new contracts.

[goldenrosalie.livejournal.com]

half of these groups are pretty much 100% dead so i'm not sure if it even counts as disbanding at this point. as, miss a (is suzy even still in jype....), secret, nine muses.... i guess fx can be added to this list (as much as it hurts me to admit) but i don't see sm disbanding any groups for real. there is always a way to put a group on hiatus or just not give any comebacks (which i can see happening to snsd right after this year).
damn it's actually really upsetting to look at this post because reality of all older ggs disbanding is too real. i will be left with nothing!

[miyozari.livejournal.com]

everyone knows that as has been unofficially disbanded for years.

uee's contract expired this month and nana will probably leave pledis next year.

i'm surprised that everyone seems to think that girl's day is on the verge of disbanding. their original contract was supposed to expire this year, but it was already renewed until 2019.

[madrigalpals.livejournal.com]

yeah like i thought they issued a statement or something at least two years ago? guess not.

[madrigalpals.livejournal.com]

I could have sworn After School had already disbanded? So sad.

[timetobegin.livejournal.com]

That general sexism makes it hard to survive for gg's in the shortterm and makes it more difficult to come back at older age is probably true. While disbandments are sad, given the pressure women face in this industry I think it is only logical for them to say bye-bye to the idol life once their contracts end. Plus, I have the impression most entertainers who start out as idols use their groups as vehicles for solo careers anyway so once the group has run it's course it's time to go too.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

I have the impression most entertainers who start out as idols use their groups as vehicles for solo careers anyway

its an open secret that companies put trainees that originally auditioned for acting in idol groups to give them more exposure and fame (see WG sohee, IOI sohye etc.)

[a-suitcase.livejournal.com]

This makes me sad. I really hope f(x) won't break up, 4 Walls was amazing.

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

the only reason for girl groups disbanding more is sexism: the entertainment industry not being creative enough with concepts for these groups (sexy or cute where most diversions of these concepts are faced with intense scrutiny), entertainment + public + (female) fans finding girl groups very quickly 'too old' or 'boring'...

i don't see snsd nor beg disbanding and i don't want to think about f(x) disbanding although i should because i need to mentally prepare myself for when they do

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

You think it's female fans that start to find girl groups too old? Wouldn't that be male fans?

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

maybe we are getting wrong ideas from groups who stay together longer .... but all idols are mean to appeal one generation and then leave
when staning idols we must embrace the sad true : all our beloved kids are disposables and ready to retire when their prime time is over

why we notice more when a girlgroup disband?
imo because girlgroups are always well-loved and noticed by non-fans/casual listeners .... this mean the average girlgroup depend more on general public opinion than any boyband, also trends and scandals can affect girlgroups like never happens to boybands ... isnt obvious girls have it worse? specially if you compare them to boys

[volume1995.livejournal.com]

miss a, f(x), after school, secret and nine muses (all the 5 remaining members) are never seeing the light as a full group again.

a-pink might still be going for the mature cute concept for one or two years but won't hold that shtick for long. girl's day won't hold up longer than two years either. beg isn't going anywhere. snsd will never officially ~disband~ but will go on a group hiatus and just have everyone do whatever tf they want as a solo artist/actress.

and idk man I've been really on the fence with fiestar and AOA :( please be gentle with the remaining girl groups, 2017. :(

[onemoretym.livejournal.com]

i thought miss a and secret had disbanded already

[blackenedpink.livejournal.com]

Secret and Miss A are done as is After School.

Nine Muses has been re-imagined so they still have a few years left.

A-Pink is still selling decently as is Girls Day.

There is no way SM is going to let SNSD disband until they have a girl group of their own that can challenge the NGG title (sorry but RV is not it). Doing so would open the floor to Twice which SM isn't going to let happen.

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

Yea I get the vibe that red velvet is more f(x)'s replacement than SNSD

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

ia
career divercification is key for any groups longevity... you can see sistar/apink/girls day lasted this long because they have various members doing individual activities and constantly promoting the group with their mere presence on tv

its a fact idols who stick to only one image are the easiest to forget

[daceymormont.livejournal.com]

Spica is not disbanded, they are on "hiatus"!
I don't see BEG and snsd disbanding any time soon (I want BEG to exist as long as possible lol).
A pink and girls day might survive this year but will probably disband in the next two years.
The rest are goners, sighs.

[apori.livejournal.com]

It's quite telling that girl groups, including these super successful iconic groups at that, end up disbanding without having dropped particularly low commercially, while boy groups survive members going away FOR YEARS. But the most fascinating (in a bad way) aspect for me is that groups like 2N1E WG Miss A (lbr) and Sistar etc were so lucrative for their companies yet nugu nobody boy groups gets the priority. I know there were other issues with 2N1E etc but, the trend is with so many such groups.

At the same time, people like Sistar and WG (and Minzy) left when their contracts were up. Why would they want to stay when a) the idol biz sucks, probably triply for females, and b) their companies were ignoring and treating them terrible anyway? With WG, even though it suuuuucks, they wanted to move on to other projects and I don't blame them. Staying together in what starts out as a manufactured group for a long time doesn't sound appealing to me, no matter the success or how much I might like the other members personally? Starting over on your own away from your company isn't easy, no matter what Highlight's current success may indicate. Plus you don't own your masters and probably would have to start all over discography wise, and maybe it's too much of an ask for many of these people. I don't blame them at all.

NONE of this negates the blatant sexism and disrespect of all these companies towards these ladies however.

[jeit91.livejournal.com]

how do you know 9muses contracts are up this year???

[daceymormont.livejournal.com]

Spica is not disbanded, they are on "hiatus"!
I don't see BEG and snsd disbanding any time soon (I want BEG to exist as long as possible lol).
A pink and girls day might survive this year but will probably disband in the next two years.
The rest are goners, sighs.

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

the ark disbanded because they have an incompetent company. they have one song, you can't really blame it on not getting popular or fans not supporting them. and so did 2ne1 lbr. 2ne1 made great money from touring, they could have probably continued earning that money even if they didn't put out music but welp

some of these other groups like sistar, wg, rainbow (iirc i don't really know them) wanted to go separate ways themselves so i don't really see how the 'take these shitty boy groups but let us keep these ggs' line works here if they didn't want to continue idk

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Rainbow weren't managed that well, so that probably contributed to them wanting to go their separate ways.

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

I think the fact BEG didn't debut as idols also is what's helping them stick together, plus the bond they have together keeps surprising me with every little anecdote they've told involving the group's issues between members in the past. Plus the fact most of their fans have always been females. They have the freedom to work in their solo activities as well,

I just think the fact they're extremely close and their small little fandom is what's keeping them together tbh, similar to SHINee who are co workers but actually enjoy working together.

And the difference is that other groups don't have that same connection between each other, so they either get tired of being in a group and want to do their own stuff... or simply it's not working for them as they wish.. of course, not forgetting there's also many other external facts that make a group disband.

[dynamite-state.livejournal.com]

Fangirls are more likely to spend money and support their faves financially than male fans, who are just casually listener and in it for the fap material.

This is the discussion I want to have. Idek if I agree with this arguement only because the situation kinda boggles my mind, idk what to think.

First of all, in a #NotAllMen moment, gay men have been sustaining Britney, Kylie, and Madonna's careers (aka the Pop Girl™) for years now. It's kind of in our nature to pull for these girls (don't come for me, fellow gays!!) and I have to assume the same goes for kpop acts as well. SNSD, 2NE1, and f(x) -among others- seem have a lot of gay fans , for example. However, it's usually the groups that have a feel of "personal agency" (mostly the ~girl crush~ groups) that tend to attract our attention and keep us as their most hardcore fans. It's why soloists like CL, HyunA, and Ga In are thriving, if you can call it that, in our community. I'm really put off by girls speaking in robotic, childlike aegyo and dressed in the same little uniform (usually school-related), they are obviously being strut around for creepy older (straight) men to oggle at them, I simply cannot relate... And neither can a lot of potential female fans (who are a bigger market to tap into).

Which brings me to my second point. The industry is PLAGUED by cute concepts. No one but those older male fans is in for that! When 90% of the industry is targetting only 1 specific type of audience, a lot of potential fans stay miles away and the small target audience is split. The competition is too much to sustain all these girl groups because most of them are targetting the exact same audience's money. Of course most of the groups are going to disband, the industry is not sustainable as it is. And before anyone tries it, yes, the vast majority of boygroups also have a similar concept, but it's very rarely catering explicitly to older women's sexual fantasies, being "hep-hap" is not enough to put off as many people.

Third of all, women are also very much in it for the fap material as well, I know that for a fact. And this is where it gets confusing for me. Are we brainwashed as a society to think that only girls are allowed to invest into pop acts? Why is that? It's encouraged so much in pop culture that the average girl will collect posters or merch from her favorite pop star while for guys you typically only hear about a Jessica Alba poster from Sports Illustrated. This may be more of a western discussion than a korean one, I do acknowledge that. But I'm still so perplexed by it. Why is the average male fan not as inclined to invest a) emotionally b) financially in an artist they like (for thirst reasons as well) as a female fan does AND is expected to? I'm sure women are fapping to their favorite boyband members just as much as the men are, yet they put their money where their vagina is and in fact stay loyal. Is it all just untapped marketing potential that's the cause of this?

In conclusion, I wish BlackPink would drop the sexy baby voices asap or they'll be in trouble sooner than YG thinks.

[kashchanocchi.livejournal.com]

omg yes ia with your statement.

the double standards and sexism is interesting in regards to the kpop community. sexual orientation (LGBT community), age groups, even kfans vs ifans-- all are interesting variables to discuss.

(hello, fellow gay lol)

there's definitely fapping going on in both camps, especially on Tumblr lol. I've noticed where specific blogs are dedicated to fetishizing idols but the question of "is this person running the blog male or female" is interesting because both genders sexualize idols in different ways.

either straight up fapping or participating in a fanfic community

and yes I read fanfiction lol but wow some people really gotta learn where the boundaries lie

[cxxl.livejournal.com]

Other than sexism, the K pop business model doesn't sound like it was meant for long term residencies. An industry heavily dependent on kids and teens (and creepy adults), is fickle at best. You get in, you make these companies some money, you move on with a bigger name, a resume of success, and hopefully job opportunities. I think with groups with the second generation they extended this stay (easier ways to connect with international fans) and gave the hope of idols being a long term thing. But the reality is that this works for the guys, and a few big female acts. The model doesn't change for groups like Sistar, and apparently Wonder Girls (although 2ne1 is a strange case). And even some groups that could have continued on...probably didn't want to. I remember when WG disbanded and people are wondering why when they got the creative freedom. Creative freedom doesn't pay my rent. If being an idol isn't lucrative in my older age, why should I continue on? Sistar comes back once or twice (if we're lucky) a year, get to pretty much do whatever they want, and make a ton of money off of CF's, festival shows, event appearances, and all that. Why would they leave? Maybe there wasn't some insidious reason from Starship. Maybe they just don't want to be Sistar anymore.
It's funny because in the US female pop acts have long lifespans. Girl groups of course naturally die out because eventually solo careers are encouraged.

As for who is dead
All of them sans Girl's Day and Apink. I think Girl's Day was confirmed to have renewed so they good. But I can see it not being a group focus but on getting ready for individual careers.
After School died when Orange Caramel made Catellena, and then that group died when Nana got big on her own.
If SM were to debut another girl group this year, it is almost guaranteed that f(x) and SNSD are finished. SNSD will at least get a decent send out, before either officially disbanding or just letting it die in peace.
Miss A is dead. Like isn't Suzy a free agent? They done.
I wish y'all would accept that Brown Eyed Girls have let it go. A comeback would be nice, but I have made peace with the likelihood they just not going to come together.
Nine Muses is now Nine Muses A, and Secret...LMAO.

Being an idol is a crap job, but acts as a decent transition for the people that find some success. I'm pretty sure that is the whole point anyway.

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

I still have faith in BEG, they keep talking about releasing things together but their company continues to fuck them up- and it's obvious cause they fuck Gain up too. Her solo part 2 was supposed to be released last year, then April and it's still not here, plus they only let her promote Carnival for two weeks cause they wanted to focus on the 2nd part of the album, but it's been almost a year and it's nowhere to be seen.

So we can't expect them to be any better with BEG, sadly.