Secret and other nameless acts continue in Japan despite lack of success

[devilsatin.livejournal.com]

Korean girl group Secret held their final concert of their Japanese mini-tour on the 8th at ZEPP Tokyo. The group started the tour on the 5th, performing in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya.

The 4-member group first debuted in Korea in 2009, with hits like "Shy Boy." They advanced into the Japanese market last year, debuting with "Madonna" which ranked at #9 on the Oricon chart, and their second single hit #14. Their success has been lackluster compared to Shojo Jidai or KARA, but nevertheless, they have continued on in Japan with their concert tour. One has to ask, why?



One K-Pop magazine editor said, "It's all about the 'Japan Brand.' Secret has not reached their peak in Korea, they still have some potential there. But if they had any real popularity they'd be able to do a solo concert there. Simply, by releasing and performing in Japan, they can go back to Korea and boast, 'We're extremely popular in Japan!' in order to gain more international recognition."

The girls' performances in Japan have gotten press through the media stating that the concert venues were overcrowded and fans were going wild. However, with performance like that on the Oricon charts, these reports come with a huge question mark.

"ZEPP Tokyo is a pretty mediocre venue. Being overcrowded is not difficult in a place designed to hold 2,700 people, and even those reports of overcrowding are pretty doubtful. And while it may not go extinct, there is a shadow over the alleged popularity of K-Pop in Japan that people are starting to see. This is trouble for our business," said the K-Pop magazine editor.

If one thinks about it, growing a fanbase in Japan and Asia, then debuting in Japan and having their debut CD rank high on Oricon is quite natural. But if compared to the likes of Shojo Jidai, whose strategy in Japan has been very delicate, it's obvious that Secret's tactics are rough and hasty.

"In Korea, it seems that the Japanese marketplace is being made fun of. You can debut just about anything in Japan now and it will sell. But like with these girl groups who are popping up one after the other, Japanese fans are going to get tired for it. And the lies about their popularity are going to come to light."

The seems that with the saturation of K-Pop, the Hallyu boom will be collapsing soon.



cyzo, devilsatin

Comments

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Well, duh. Physical singles are expensive and make a nice buck even if you don't light the charts on fire. A few artists will be big and many others will remain minor, but happy with some extra customers willing to spend. Not sure what the story is here.

[mishi07.livejournal.com]

its the sensationalizing of korean media thats the problem. too much nationalism. secret was just an easy target.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Well sure. That happens in every country, though. And there's sensationalism in this article as well.

[k0dama.livejournal.com]

Naw, they take it to a whole new level in Korea.

Japan debut means:
1. being able to tout that the group is an "international sensation"
2. and to be able to lie about how your group is hot shit overseas when it's OBVIOUSLY NOT
3. as a result, more bullshit articles are pumped out about how Korea is dominating the markets overseas which is a far cry from reality.

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

That article has a lot of feelings. It sounds very pressed about kpop girlbands coming to Japan. We all know that Kpop emphasizes on their success in Japan. That's not a new information tbh. Anyway,

(http://s1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc379/LydziStark/Games%20Of%20Thrones/?action=view&current=prtrollonly.gif)

[pistolkrystle.livejournal.com]

No Joffrey!

[dorkiilove.livejournal.com]

source: cyzo

cyzo

cyzo

cyzo

that joke of a source is seriously being used for news these days?

[drownamydrown.livejournal.com]

Yuri is turning out to be a loooooaads better actress than Jessica and Yoona.

[nobodyelse-care.livejournal.com]

Not sure what to make out of this article tbh... I mean, is it wrong to promote your music outside your country? So what if they're not as popular as SNSD & KARA in Japan? There's still some people who bought their stuff and went to their concerts... /too dumb for this kind of sh*t

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

So just because a group doesn't have immediate success they should stop trying? So what if Zepp is a small venue which isn't that hard to sell out? I'm sure Secret has fans in Japan who love them and want them to promote there, I don't see what's so bad about the company cashing in on this opportunity. This is first and foremost a business after all. Is the author pressed that groups still turn a profit (I'm just gonna assume this) despite their low sales?

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

mte, if this was the case then dbsk should have stop their activity in japan when they first debuted there. Famous group like KARA,SNSD, SMAP, AKB48, Arashi didn't achieve popularity after later on so i don't see the reason why they should stop doing activities in japan.

[izabera.livejournal.com]

I don't really understand the point of this article. Surely if a group keeps flopping really bad, their company will stop their activities.

I'm guessing some of the less popular groups just bring in enough money to break even or make a little profit, which is enough for them to keep trying.

[clayray3290.livejournal.com]

Also, this article seems to be claiming that an artist should only be promoting in a country if they have spectacular popularity. Is Secret not allowed to gradually work on their music careers? Considering that TS isn't a huge powerhouse company, I think Secret has been pretty successful at gaining more and more of a presence in the music industry.

Granted, I do think Kpop as an industry needs to be careful and seriously analyze how they are presenting themselves and how they continue because there certainly is the danger of oversaturation. But I don't see any reason to attack less popular groups (with less resources) for continuing to try, instead of giving up at the first sign of not getting #1s.

[k0dama.livejournal.com]

The sky is blue, roses are red, and groups with significantly smaller budgets aren't succeeding as much as those other groups with much larger budgets? WOW NO WAY!

[paigeeybby.livejournal.com]

Basically this.

[bamboolover.livejournal.com]

Flops will continue to beg for yen in Japan because it's as much profitable as success in Korea. Nothing new. They can also use it to sell bullshit reports of them "dominating Japan" and Korean public will blindly believe it. Everybody wins!

[chansai-unmyong.livejournal.com]

oh puhleaze.... coming from cyzo??? believing craps from there is like trusting a corrupt politician.. XDDD

[dilettantka.livejournal.com]

lol it sounds even more scathing when you read the original article; actually it sounds kind of like I'm reading 2chan.

[asnindie.livejournal.com]

In Korea, it seems that the Japanese marketplace is being made fun of. You can debut just about anything in Japan now and it will sell.

Who said this? Making shit up tbh

[blkjck.livejournal.com]

the sade in that title

[timetobegin.livejournal.com]

Because they make more money? I remember seeing After School's Korean and Japanese sales figures and profits, and one single in Japan made twice as much money as 5 Korean albums did.

[dipropylene]

I just wish that whoever debuted in Japan bothered to learn the language first. There are too many groups with awful pronunciation.

[dangaodekuazi.livejournal.com]

this tbh.

[pistolkrystle.livejournal.com]

why? american singers go over there and don't know the language and all they get is praise and worship.
double standards are fucking sickening

edit: that came out too harsh, I do think people should be able to promote where they want regardless of how well they speak the language, people aren't required to like them.

[obeytheempress.livejournal.com]

but american singers only hold concerts/fanmeets for their existing fanbase. they don't "debut" and try to be active in the japanese market with japanese-language songs the way all these korean groups are. it's not the same.

[dipropylene]

American singers don't sing in Japanese. If one is going to sing in Japanese (like Korean artists do), it's not too much to ask that they learn the language so that one can understand what they are singing (and learn to pronounce properly so that their singing doesn't make one's ears bleed). Has nothing to do with double standards.

[fay-of-sunshine.livejournal.com]

so much shade

[falling-empress.livejournal.com]

press harder

[lonelymoon.livejournal.com]

Simply, by releasing and performing in Japan, they can go back to Korea and boast, 'We're extremely popular in Japan!' in order to gain more international recognition.

Does anyone in Korea care about Japan sales? Honestly?

[obeytheempress.livejournal.com]

i kind of agree with this article in all its pressage. i think it's cheap and tacky the way all these groups are lazily translating songs and calling it a "debut".