K-pop’s online-first strategy outcompeted Japan’s physical-media approach

Evidence

To create a globally appealing sound, Korean agencies taught their stars multiple languages, collaborated with foreign producers, and leaned on the expertise of the Korean diaspora. Initially, they targeted Japan, but their true breakthrough came online. In the YouTube era, K-pop quickly outpaced J-pop, thanks in part to contrasting industry strategies. While Japanese record labels clung to physical media and withheld full-length videos from YouTube to preserve domestic DVD sales, Korean companies like SM, YG, and JYP embraced the platform as a global stage. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 295

Categorization

• SHARE: The contrast between Japanese labels’ physical-media protectionism and Korean labels’ YouTube embrace is a nerdy industry-strategy detail.