Foreign composers now have a more central role in satisfying both domestic and international Kpop fans.
As K-pop idols are expanding themselves overseas, the joining of a foreign composers seems to be a necessary strategic move. This change is expressed in the number of composers joining the process. As many as 10 composers were listed as copyright holders in one girl group’s song and about 20 composers were also listed in another girl group’s song.
In particular, foreign composers who are already in charge of one of the pillars of the K-pop market are also impressive. In the past, if star composers were almost alone in their creations, the current Kpop music products are often the result of the “multinational group project.” Among the fan community, foreign composers are collectively referred to as “Oetoben” (a compound word of “foreign” and “Beethoven” Korean).
The presence of foreign composers does not stop at the auxiliary role with domestic composers. They, in fact, hold a central role in the production of small to medium-sized agencies to more well-known ones. In 2012, there were 450 foreign composers managed by SM Entertainment.
Regarding this trend, an A&R team official at a famous entertainment company gave their view, “The participation of foreign composers has increased rapidly recently. I think the global interest in K-pop is increasing and sales growth such as related copyright fees is affecting the trend.”
The official also added, “In the past, composers’ publishers used to send demonstrations to each Korean agency. However, recently, Korean A&R officials are asking famous composers for songs directly.”
Weighing the pros and cons, the official referred to the quality of the product as well as the promotion of the released songs, “The advantages of working with foreign composers are that they can secure high-quality demonstrations thanks to having high expertise in trendy genres that have already been identified in overseas market.
“In the case of famous composers and artists, it is very helpful in promoting the song”, they added.
However, the incidental costs are a prominent disadvantage, as it is said, “First of all, the arrangement cost is high. In the process of converting a demo into Korean, it is sometimes difficult to revive the feeling of the original,” he said.
Another K-pop official also pointed out the disadvantage of relatively low participation in work with domestic composers from the standpoint of a foreign composer. The official said, “(Foreign composers) often do not participate in the production [stages] of music such as vocals and directing.” Hence, the “hassle” of recruiting additional domestic directors, which, in turn, affects the production and final album cost.
Nonetheless, the emergence of foreign composers in K-pop is promising. They have the right “ingredients” to satisfy the tastes of the domestic public and the expectations of global fans at the same time.
Source: ytn
