Four years go Damian Marley told WMV Podcast that Reggae and Dancehall acts should “study the K-Pop genre” to understand where the music industry is going. Four years later the genre has taken over global music with groups like BTS and NINENEETH dominating both the global artists and global singles chart with hits.
In the latest development, the group known as “Tomorrow Together” has recorded an Afrobeats song titled “Tinnitus (돌멩이가 되고 싶어)” marking the K-Pop boy band’s entry into the African sub-genre.
Damian’s words still ring true as the company that signs the top K-Pop groups HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) have become market leaders, not only in Asian markets like Japan and Korea but in the US, and Europe.
Kang Hyo-won, Senior producer at the Korean company HYBE is the second highest paid executive in the music industry.
Won who is the producer behind BTS earned 35 million in profits due in part from the South Korean’s music company’s listing on the country’s Stock Exchange.
Co-CEO of HYBE Yoon Seok-jun and Kim Shin-gyu, the company’s chief artist management officer also earned big bucks from the company’s public offering. Yoon saw net-profits of $34 million while Kim earned $24 million.
Founded in 2005, HYBE—formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment—was named Time’s 2021 most influential company. The K-pop driven company is being compared to Disney for its development of “fan-friendly experiences and products.” HYBE purchased U.S.-based media group Ithaca Holdings in a $1 billion deal, adding pop stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande to its roster.
“We should investigate and take a page out of the K-Pop movement. The Korean government made very direct moves towards fueling their music industry. When we say we want support from the government what exactly are we speaking about? What are the details of that? We should look to other places and see what worked and what didn’t. We can learn from them because investment is what is needed.
HYBE purchased U.S.-based media group Ithaca Holdings in a $1 billion deal, adding pop stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande to its roster.
Originally a hip hop group, BTS’s musical style has evolved to incorporate a wide range of issues including mental health.
BTS are seen as diplomats for Korean culture with their influence on entertainment diplomacy and international relations.
This call to make Jamaican artist ambassadors for the culture has been underscored Shaggy who reiterated that 5 of Jamaica’s biggest stars are unable to travel to music’s largest market-the U.S. due to visa issues.
“Some of our biggest stars can’t travel: Buju Banton can’t travel, Bounty Killer can’t travel, Popcaan can’t travel Vybz Kartel is locked up. So all of the big heavyweights that can actually move the needle cut travel, in every other genre people are free to move around,” he said in a Rolling Stones Magazine interview recently.
Shaggy said all is not lost however he added, “there isa lotta promising (acts), what you see Skillibeng is doing is promising, Shenseea is doing some amazing stuff, Spice is doing some amazing stuff, Skeng is one of my favorite, he is coming out, Dexta Daps is doing great stuff but we need more opportunity, we need more push.”
Shaggy also said reggae is acknowehde for its cool factor but not given a lot of opportunities.
“When you come out as a new artist doing reggae music, it is the coolest brand you could carry, but you are also not gonna be given a lot of opportunities.”
“Its not like hip hop, you not gonna have lotta playlets, you not gonna have Live Nation coming outnto support the reggae movement. When I came into the music business I made u my mind to be ten times better than the average person, but it’s still the coolest genre you can think of.”
Hot Shot, Shaggy’s 5th studio album has sold 8.8 million units in the U.S. according to data supplied to WMV by Luminate. It his most successful album which has sold 6.8 million pure copies along with 1.2 billion on-demand streams.
The career defining album by MCA-Geffen was released in the United States on 8 August 2000.
Hot Shot is now eligible to 8X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),and has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, February 8 during a panel discussion at the inaugural staging of the IMC (music conference) Shaggy took some time to teach an aspiring artist what it takes to become a superstar.
“Me nah wear all black,” Shaggy advises the young rapper who was a the back of the room pleading to be heard. Shaggy then gave him a chance the perform on stage in front of executives from iHeart Radio, Meta, YouTube and other major platforms.
Watch the entire masterclass below:
