New K-Pop projects like NCT and 'Produce 101' give the public the power over the future of idols

Article: Ambitious K-Pop projects and what nobody is talking about

Source: Han via Naver

Article talks about SM's new open member boy group NCT, the TV show 'Produce 101' with 101 trainees, and the boy group 'Boy 24' who will holding a live performance every single day for 365 days, and how all of these new 'k-pop projects' show a shift in the direction of the idol music industry and how much more important the consumer has become.

One thing all of these projects have in common is that the consumer is now a 'producer' who is directly responsible for the group. Members who aren't popular in NCT will ultimately be relegated out and replaced with another member that has a chance at earning popularity.

The viewers of 'Produce 101' are 100% responsible for voting who gets to achieve their dream in the final 11.

The members of 'Boy 24' will be decided by who the public votes in and out. Fans of specific members will be responsible for buying tickets to watch their favorite member on the day they're performing (which is why they're performing 365 days a year) and securing that member better opportunities and stages through their support.

The article ultimately questions whether the public and fans should be able to hold as much power as a producer and whether all of this competition in this new era of the idol industry is healthy at all.

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1. [+353, -7] I turn on the TV to escape from the crushing competitiveness of real life but instead TV shows are now a reflection of how competitive reality is and it makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes I just want to watch a TV show that makes me laugh without having to think.

2. [+242, -2] There are 125 trainees and it just makes me realize that there are a lot of people in this country who want to become celebrities...

3. [+223, -4] I still can't believe everything's being decided on a popularity vote..

4. [+159, -13] People will only be opposed to such a system at first calling it a copy cat of Japan's idol system but I honestly think it will become a standard soon... Five years ago, we never thought we'd have idol groups in school uniforms earn the kind of popularity they have now. Back then, people would think you're copying Japanese idol groups and put you down for it but it's so common now and groups with school uniform concepts have huge fandoms. Eventually, this entire system of having huge amounts of members on rotation will become normal in Korea too.

5. [+25, -2] I, too, question whether all of this is right in the end

6. [+22, -1] All of this just feels like agencies think of this as one huge video game and these idols are video game characters. Not an ounce of care about musicality in any of this. These companies do not care at all about producing music that touches hearts but instead about getting attention for competitive gimmicks.

7. [+23, -2] The fact that these companies think it's okay to put these young children in such a cruel and competitive environment... all for what? For themselves to make money?

8. [+21, -2] So in the end, none of these kids get to debut no matter how talented they are if they aren't popular with their fans

9. [+10, -0] These projects like to say that it's up to the public to decide who gets opportunities but if you actually watch the TV shows, they're edited in a way that you can tell they've already decided who the winners will be and they're just trying to persuade you during the entire show to vote for them. There are a few faces on 'Produce 101' that get way more screentime than normal.

10. [+9, -0] All of this is horrible, just another method of turning children with dreams into robots. These kids are being treated like nothing more than paper cups by their companies. Used once and thrown away.

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