MAJOR record labels in Malaysia with Korean releases include Warner Music, Universal Music and Sony Music Entertain-ment. While initial Korean releases were mostly collections of K-drama soundtracks, strong local interest in K-pop has driven regional distributors to tune in to the youth market’s demands.
Warner Music
Of the three, it has by far the most extensive collection of K-pop releases. Its current hot titles include TVXQ’s Best Selection 2010, Super Junior’s Bonamana, SHINee’s Lucifer, F.T. Island’s Beautiful Hits For Us, and Girls’ Generation’s Run Devil Run.
最畅销的几乎都是SM 的 ~
Other K-pop acts under Warner include BoA, SS501, ZE:A, C.N. Blue, and Jay Park.
Said Warner Music Malaysia head of Chinese and regional repertoire Howard Kong: “I’ve been listening to Korean songs since five years ago, and realised there was a market here.”
“I still remember being questioned when I decided to bring in TVXQ in 2006. But they were tops in South Korea and I was confident in their selling point as their sound was catchy and they looked gorgeous,”shared the guy who foresaw that the Hallyu (Korean Wave) would eventually shift from K-drama to K-pop.
Kong’s foresight was rewarded with a spike in album sales. “TVXQ’s album sales exceeded 8,000 copies, hitting gold, despite the economic slowdown then.”
He’s also worked with concert promoter CMG to organise TVXQ’s two stadium gigs in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and 2007.
Their current top-selling K-pop boyband Super Junior (now 10 members, down from 13) had in March staged its Super Show 2 at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, KL. The concert packed a capacity audience of 15,000.
In fact, Super Junior first performed here as the opening act to TVXQ’s maiden concert in Malaysia.
Super Junior is due back in the country next March for Super Show 3.
Warner also brought in SS501, who signed some 2,000 albums during a one-day promo last September.
Kong also offered a peek into his crystal ball, predicting a similar trend in Chinapop in the not-too-distant future. “The K-pop phenomenon has caught on in China as well, and that has sparked popular Chinese boybands like Hit-5, which comprises five good-looking six-footers who are polished performers.”
Universal Music
Its first K-pop release was superstar Rain’s It’s Raining in 2005. Current releases include BEAST’s Shock Of The New Era (Asia Version Volume 1), 4minute’s Hit Your Heart, Wonder Girls’ 2 Different Tears.
It has also inked a deal with South Korea’s Cube Entertainment to distribute works by its roster of Korean acts, including G.NA, HyunA, and 2AM.
Universal Music Malaysia general manager Loan Cheong said: “We’re probably the only music company that actually brought a Korean act here to do a free showcase. For our show, which was a 3,000-capacity one, all fans had to do was buy the band’s CD and they’d get a free pass and T-shirt to the showcase while the artistes get their royalties.
“The band actually wanted to do a full-on show but I must say they did quite well with a 45-minute gig, performing seven or eight songs including a three-song medley. If you check our Facebook page, you’ll see that fans were very happy.”
While previously Korean artistes received only limited airplay on local TV and radio stations, now there’s a lot of activity online, creating a buzz for songs that pick up fast.
“A lot depends on having a good song, a good video, and good timing. Like Wonder Girls. Because of their exposure in America where they did a tour with Jonas Brothers. That caught attention and that’s where it started to evolve,” Cheong noted.
Since the K-pop fanbase is largely Malay (estimated to be 70%), Universal Music has now taken to plugging Korean tunes on local Malay language radio stations and TV channels.
这个我真的完全没有想到! 70%!!!
Sony Music
Its latest, hottest are boyband 2PM’s third mini-album Don’t Stop Can’t Stop and Brian Joo’s second solo album Manifold.
Citing Joo’s fanmeet at The Opera in Sunway Pyramid, Selangor, on July 10, Sony Music Entertainment Malaysia senior marketing head Szu Lee said: “The K-pop wave is different now because fans are willing to pay to see the artistes, even though it’s only a showcase (front row seats reportedly cost a cool RM1,600!).”
Lee noted that Korean artistes’ strength lies in their commercial melodies, high-energy dance choreography and excellent production.
Fanclubs have been clamouring for 2PM and Lee said they are looking into bringing the boys – who are the opening act for Wonder Girls on their world tour – to Malaysia.
发表于 1-8-2010 03:07 PM
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