K-pop, Korean entertainment/culture, Korean fans/netizens [2014~]

'Rock' is unpopular in Korea due to idol music and other factors?


Pann: Pushed by idol music... 'Korean rock' lost its spark

Source: Segye Ilbo via Naver

1. [+2280, -150] Since years ago? The fact is that since before, only certain people listened to rock. It's not like every young person used to listen to rock. Rock was never a mainstream genre.

2. [+490, -115] It's not just Korea, it's the same for other countries. For decades, we've had no rock star and the listeners are called rock losers who look down on other genres. Rock is falling behind naturally. Don't blame their lack of talent on others.

3. [+369, -61] It was never popular though

4. [+338, -89] If there's no popularity or economic demand, it's bound to fall behind. It's the same as unskilled workers getting fired and bad restaurants closing.

5. [+409, -236] The music sucks though... Is there a rock band in our country that produces good music like Coldplay?

6. [+86, -7] It's not because we can't produce rock. It's because rock doesn't suit Korean emotions. Vocal is not the only thing in rock but Korean music is heavily vocal-centered. Since rock doesn't make money, there's little investment so it's hard to improve its quality. It's not just the problem of rock bands, it's also the preference of Koreans.

7. [+79, -1] It's not like Koreans are not interested in rock. The current Korean music industry is focused on idol business to suck money out of young teenagers. You can hit a jackpot by gathering feminine boys and making them dance. Why would anyone take the risk and invest in rock?

8. [+77, -4] The reality is that rock has a limited audience and we have idols who pretend to be a band and hand-sync their instruments on TV which tarnishes the image of rock bands. We still have rock bands with great reputation like Baekdusan, Jaurim, and YB, but only the vocals get the attention, not the guitarists or other members. Ha Hyun Woo is a vocalist of Guckkasten and he's getting all the attention... There are many good domestic bands like Guckkasten, HarryBigButton, and Bustered. As a listener of Metal, I'd like rock to do well but with the current situation, it's not possible.

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