|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Mikey Mike
Joined: 17 Jul 2013
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:04 pm Post subject: 80's 90's western bands playing @ Korean rock fesitivalsWhy? |
 |
|
| I've just seen a Korean ad on TV promoting a rock festival. Stereophonics, My bloody valentine etc are playing in Korea. Why? Is it because these bands actually have a large Korean fanbase, or is it because these bands are has beens and Korean music festival promoters are paying western bands to come play here regardless of whether there's a big fanbase here? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| It's a paycheck. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Seoulman69
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
At the festivals there are also some newer bands such as The XX, Fun, Skrillex, Foals, Hurts, etc.
But the reason they have bands such as Stereophonics, The Cure, Metallica, Weezer, Jamiroquai, etc is that they will bring in a large fanbase due to their accumulation of fans over the years. Newer bands that have a smaller fan base are not worth the financial risk.
It's also worth noting that in the music business nostalgia is big business everywhere. The Rolling Stones headlined Glastonbury, Blur/Stone Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined Coachella. It's more noticeable in Korea because the newer bands are not brought over and Korean bands play instead. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mikey Mike
Joined: 17 Jul 2013
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Seoulman69 wrote: |
the reason they have bands such as Stereophonics, The Cure, Metallica, Weezer, Jamiroquai, etc is that they will bring in a large fanbase due to their accumulation of fans over the years. Newer bands that have a smaller fan base are not worth the financial risk.
It's also worth noting that in the music business nostalgia is big business everywhere. |
Seoulman69, thanks for the reply, but I repsectfully disagree. I used to visit Korea every summer and winter to visit family, friends, relatives since the early 80's 90s etc but nobody seemed to know about bands like the Smiths, My Bloody Valentine etc. I cannot see a large fanbase for such bands in Korea. If there is a small fanbase, then it must be similar in Thailand, Hong Kong etc. During the 80's and 90's when I used to visit Korea, it was more like they knew the older classic rock bands like The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Beatles, Clapton.
Japan of course is a different story because there has been a large fanbase for the bands in question and has been for a very long time. More so than in Korea. So I think it is a matter of Korean promoters paying old has been bands a lower than standard fee to come and play here to a more western expat audience than to Korean fans. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Seoulman69
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
Seoulman69, thanks for the reply, but I repsectfully disagree. I used to visit Korea every summer and winter to visit family, friends, relatives since the early 80's 90s etc but nobody seemed to know about bands like the Smiths, My Bloody Valentine etc. I cannot see a large fanbase for such bands in Korea. If there is a small fanbase, then it must be similar in Thailand, Hong Kong etc. During the 80's and 90's when I used to visit Korea, it was more like they knew the older classic rock bands like The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Beatles, Clapton.
Japan of course is a different story because there has been a large fanbase for the bands in question and has been for a very long time. More so than in Korea. So I think it is a matter of Korean promoters paying old has been bands a lower than standard fee to come and play here to a more western expat audience than to Korean fans. |
That wouldn't explain how My Bloody Valentine played their own show earlier this year to a full crowd, the majority of which were Korean. The same with Sigur Ros, Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Travis, etc.
Bands like NIN, Weezer, Jamiraquai etc have enough fans to justify them playing in Korea. The fact that they have been around for so long also results in people who know of them, but may not be fans, going to see them at festivals.
The Cure recently headlined Ansan Valley Rock Festival. Last year they headlined many European festivals (Reading and Leeds Festival). They may be "has beens" but they maintain a pull that puts them at the top of festival bills the world over. Not just Korea.
Let's take another example:
Last year the Stone Roses played at Jisan Valley Rock Festival. This year they played at Coachella and massive shows in the UK at Finsbury Park, The Isle of Wight festival, and Glasgow Green. Also "has beens" but a band with enough pull to headline festivals the world over.
In order for a band to headline a festival they need to be known by as many people as possible. This is why older bands headline festivals. It's common the world over.
There is not a large enough expat audience to sustain bringing western bands over here. An example is Super Color Super. They have brought over many new, and established, bands but have suffered from low audiences to the point where they almost went out of business. The most successful shows have been older higher profile bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai, and Sigur Ros - where the audience has been mostly Korean.
I've been lucky enough to go to some of these shows, to meet the organizers, and to sometimes meet the bands. Bands won't come to Korea unless they make money, and organizers won't hire a band unless they think they will turn a profit. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mikey Mike
Joined: 17 Jul 2013
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 8:23 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Seoulman69 wrote: |
| Quote: |
Seoulman69, thanks for the reply, but I repsectfully disagree. I used to visit Korea every summer and winter to visit family, friends, relatives since the early 80's 90s etc but nobody seemed to know about bands like the Smiths, My Bloody Valentine etc. I cannot see a large fanbase for such bands in Korea. If there is a small fanbase, then it must be similar in Thailand, Hong Kong etc. During the 80's and 90's when I used to visit Korea, it was more like they knew the older classic rock bands like The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Beatles, Clapton.
Japan of course is a different story because there has been a large fanbase for the bands in question and has been for a very long time. More so than in Korea. So I think it is a matter of Korean promoters paying old has been bands a lower than standard fee to come and play here to a more western expat audience than to Korean fans. |
That wouldn't explain how My Bloody Valentine played their own show earlier this year to a full crowd, the majority of which were Korean. The same with Sigur Ros, Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Travis, etc.
Bands like NIN, Weezer, Jamiraquai etc have enough fans to justify them playing in Korea. The fact that they have been around for so long also results in people who know of them, but may not be fans, going to see them at festivals.
The Cure recently headlined Ansan Valley Rock Festival. Last year they headlined many European festivals (Reading and Leeds Festival). They may be "has beens" but they maintain a pull that puts them at the top of festival bills the world over. Not just Korea.
Let's take another example:
Last year the Stone Roses played at Jisan Valley Rock Festival. This year they played at Coachella and massive shows in the UK at Finsbury Park, The Isle of Wight festival, and Glasgow Green. Also "has beens" but a band with enough pull to headline festivals the world over.
In order for a band to headline a festival they need to be known by as many people as possible. This is why older bands headline festivals. It's common the world over.
There is not a large enough expat audience to sustain bringing western bands over here. An example is Super Color Super. They have brought over many new, and established, bands but have suffered from low audiences to the point where they almost went out of business. The most successful shows have been older higher profile bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai, and Sigur Ros - where the audience has been mostly Korean.
I've been lucky enough to go to some of these shows, to meet the organizers, and to sometimes meet the bands. Bands won't come to Korea unless they make money, and organizers won't hire a band unless they think they will turn a profit. |
Thanks for the info Seoluman. I am right in assuming that these same old bands have a similarly large fanbase in other Asian countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore etc and that these bands also headline to large gigs there? Japanese of course, everyone is aware, that they are huge fan of these bands. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
optik404
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 9:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
| All your evidence is anecdotal. Stop being daft. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
denverdeath
Joined: 21 May 2005
Location: Boo-sahn
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 9:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
| just my opinion but seems like jisan is much worse than last yr. ansan and incheon look doable. guess that's because i'm in my forties? anyway, my hometown has KISS this yr?!? cripes. nothing else. yeah. i'd take the cure or fallout boy or weezer over them any day. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Seoulman69
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 6:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Thanks for the info Seoluman. I am right in assuming that these same old bands have a similarly large fanbase in other Asian countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore etc and that these bands also headline to large gigs there? Japanese of course, everyone is aware, that they are huge fan of these bands. |
Were you drunk when you posted this, because the grammar is terrible?
To answer your question, it depends on the band. When Mogwai toured Asia they also played in Indonesia, Thailand, China, and Hong Kong. That wasn't as part of a festival though. The biggest music festivals in Asia are based in Japan and, recently, Korea. There are very few big music festivals in Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. This is often due to a lack of fanbase due to a lower population. There are more people living in Seoul than there are in the whole of Hong Kong or Singapore.
Another reason bands tend not to play in these countries is because they have been booked to play festivals. The Cure just played at Fuji Rock and Ansan. There next dates are at festivals in Canada and America (Lollapalooza).
More information that might interest you is that many bands playing festivals this year have played in Korea before and are therefore considered a "safe bet" by the organizers. Seude, Muse, Weezer, Ash, etc. That's why you get older bands returning to Korea. The band get payed and the organizers make money.
| Quote: |
| just my opinion but seems like jisan is much worse than last yr. ansan and incheon look doable. guess that's because i'm in my forties? |
A reason for this is arguments among the festival organizers. The original music festival in Korea was Pentaport Rock festival which had The Strokes, Black Eyed Peas, Snow Patrol, Muse, and many other decent bands play from the 2006 - 2007 festivals. However, somewhere along the line around 2008/2009 the organizers splintered and the side who actually knew what they were doing went off to start Jisan Valley Rock festival.
This is why the 2009 Pentaport festival had far more Korean bands playing than previously, and headliners that weren't as popular (Galaxy Express, No Brains). While the 2009 Jisan Valley festival had Weezer, Basement Jaxx, and Oasis.
Since then Pentaport have attempted to improve their line up but Jisan has reigned supreme by bringing in bands like Radiohead, Stone Roses, Muse, Arctic Monkeys.
Now, this is where my knowledge of what happened ends. From here on it has been third hand accounts.
This year the people who have organized Jisan moved the festival to Ansan. That's why the 2013 Jisan festival is called the Jisan World Rock festival whereas the Ansan festival was called the Ansan Valley Rock Festival. Whether the original Jisan people left voluntarily or not is subject for debate, but that's why the festival at Jisan is not as good this year.
This has lead to people questioning whether Korea needs this many music festivals. The answer is no, but as long as the organizers turn a profit they will keep putting on the festivals. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mikey Mike
Joined: 17 Jul 2013
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 4:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
[quote="Seoulman69"]
| Quote: |
Were you drunk when you posted this, because the grammar is terrible? |
No need to be rude. Now there's a good lad. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Seoulman69
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 4:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| No need to be rude. Now there's a good lad. |
I'm not trying to be rude. Some of the grammar in your posts, including other threads, suggest a non-native English speaker. Certainly not someone who should be teaching English.
And a bit of appreciation for answering your questions wouldn't go amiss either. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
optik404
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 5:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Seoulman69 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| No need to be rude. Now there's a good lad. |
I'm not trying to be rude. Some of the grammar in your posts, including other threads, suggest a non-native English speaker. Certainly not someone who should be teaching English.
And a bit of appreciation for answering your questions wouldn't go amiss either. |
You really think the average ESL teacher that comes over knows anything about grammar? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
