black pink

Question 1

whos blackpinks’ record label?

Answer 1

South Korean music label called YG Entertainment – they are a talent agency as well as music production and events management

Question 2

Explain how the record label is diversified and is vertically integrated

Answer 2

They are diversified because they don’t just specialize in one area. They can produce, market and distribute music as they own plenty of subsidiaries in different industries.

Question 3

Why is it beneficial for a company to be diversified?

Answer 3

Diversifying into other areas and industries allows them to produce different and multiple products, which means they earn more revenue and reduce risks as a result

Question 4

product context:

Answer 4

Blackpink was formed by Korean entertainment company YG Entertainment and by 2020 was one of the most successful K-Pop bands in the world.
As of 2021, the band was the most followed girl group on Spotify and the most-subscribed music group, female act, and Asian act on YouTube.

Question 5

when was blackpink formed?

Answer 5

2016

Question 6

youtube records:

Answer 6

• most watched premier- 1.66 million.
• most viewed withing 24 hourse for a music video- 86 million views.
• fatsest video to achieve 100, 200, and 600 million views.

Question 7

more figures:

Answer 7

It was the 3rd most viewed music video of 2020. As of March 2021, the video had over 800 million views and had achieved over 19 million ‘likes’.

Question 8

Scandals linked to YG Entertainment:

Answer 8

YG Entertainment has been linked to several scandals including the ‘Burning Sun case’ where several of its biggests artists were convicted of crimes, including rape, drugs and unconsented sex tapes

Question 9

Audience Complaints:

Answer 9

Many audiences complained about disrespectful cultural appropriation. They didn’t like the use of a Hindu statue being used in the music video.

The company then edited out the statue to try and control bad publicity and keep their audiences happy

Question 10

how to become a famous KPOP artist:

Answer 10

KPOP music is manufactured through a strict audition and training process, including reality TV competitions.
Many young aspiring artists join these companies to get trained on their style, dancing, media attention. All of this training is to make them as famous as possible. Once trained they go on reality TV competitions and the ones who get voted the most go onto become famous.

Question 11

how did blackpink form?

Answer 11

Blackpink began forming whenYG Entertainment held tryouts worldwide for preteen or teenage recruits to create a new girl groupafter launching its first major one in 2009.

Question 12

marketing:

Answer 12

-online countdowns.
- teaser videos.
- posters of individual artists.
- they had a spin-off reality programme called BlackPink House on YouTube.
- live streamed on of their concerts on youtube.
- subtitles in different languages to appeal to a global audience, also parts of their song is sung in english.
- they are from different countries so they target global audiences through their background.
- use of global locations inn their videos appealing to a global audience.

Question 13

marketing with other companies/celebs:

Answer 13

• Interscope and Universal Music Group (UMG) did deals with YG Entertainment to represent and market BLACKPINK outside of Asia
• UMG was able to give BLACKPINK a prime spot at the Grammy’s showcase in 2019 and that helped to appeal to the US market.
• They’ve done collaborations with Lady GAGA and Selena Gomez. They’ve also appeared on US chat shows.

Question 14

how they make money:

Answer 14

They also had a sponsorship with KIA Car company and Samsung.
each band member also created their own playlist with spotify to promote themselves.
some band members have created their own solo careers which are being promoted by the same record label.

Question 15

where is the song available?

Answer 15

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music

Question 16

production value:

Answer 16

Seeing as BlackPink is managed by a major conglomerate, they used high production values.

Question 17

regulation:

Answer 17

The BBFC classify films and videos.

In the UK some record labels follow the BBFC guidelines and put age certificates under their videos on YouTube, but they only do that if they think it is 12 and above for swearing, sex, nudity or controversial etc. But this is optional

In south Korea they have a law which requires record labels to display the rating on the top right of the screen.

Question 18

The changing nature of the music industry:

Answer 18

How You Like That demonstrates the changing nature of the music industry and how important YouTube and social media has become for music artists.

The way people consume music videos has changed – now phones, tablets and YouTube are the primary ways audiences engage with music videos (known as convergence). It also shows music video has become a media form in its own right, not just a way to sell an album.

Question 19

Music: a global industry

Answer 19

K-pop demonstrates the global nature of the industry with BLACKPINK selling out arenas across the UK and USA as well as in the East. They played Wembley Arena in 2019 as well as huge US music festival Coachella.

Question 20

when was the music video released?

Answer 20

The video, released on 26th June 2020, was premiered on Blackpink’s YouTube channel.

Question 21

K-pop: global phenomenon

Answer 21

The K-pop genre reflects the global nature of the media and music industries. Over the last 20 years, K-pop has become a cultural sensation as groups like BTS and BLACKPINK enjoyed global success. This has also resulted in Korean culture becoming mainstream in the West.

Question 22

BLACKPINK’s audience: Blinks

Answer 22

BLACKPINK fans are known as ‘Blinks’ and are largely teenage girls and young women. Their fans are worldwide but they are particularly big in the Philippines and Indonesia as well as western countries such as the UK and USA.

Question 23

Audience pleasures: Applying Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory

Answer 23

escapism/entertainment: music video conventions – performance, effects, fast pace etc.
social interaction: Fan interaction online through social media is a key element of K-pop’s global success. Fans feel like they ‘know’ the band members.
Personal identity: K-pop fandom often involves copying the look of band members and seeing their own style reflected on screen.
info/education: Western audiences gain knowledge of Korean music and culture.