BTS and the world music industry

Pop music is becoming relevant again. Artists such as Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and BTS are at the forefront of a strong corps of young artists who routinely dominate the charts today. After a period of lost growth due to music piracy, the music entertainment industry has seen its profitability restored, thanks to music streaming services. Today, in light of the overwhelming emphasis on social media convergence – which involves ringtones, meme songs and Instagram photos – the popularity of K-pop music videos has proven that images and sound are inseparable. This chapter seeks to explain how the success of the Korean pop group BTS is rooted in this changing environment for global pop music in the twenty-first century where music has become what theorist Michel Chion has termed, “audio-vision.”

Business · Asian Culture and Media Studies