Stand-driven diversification stays concentrated among highly produced acts from few nations

Evidence

From one perspective, stans helped diversify global pop culture. In 2018, the BTS Army propelled Love Yourself: Tear to the number-one slot on Billboard—a landmark achievement for K-pop. This success opened the door to acts like K-pop girl group Blackpink, who went from making their Coachella debut in 2019 to headlining it four years later. Yet, despite these mainstream victories, stan culture largely concentrated on glossy, highly produced acts, with only a handful of nations, like Korea, producing music that fit the mold. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 538