Heart of The 9

“Old” Kpop Groups Causing a Pileup in the Kpop Conveyor Belt

oniontakers:

Anonymous

SHINee could never become the top boy group as long as Suju is still active, and f(x) could never become the top girl group as long as SNSD is still active. And by the time their sunbae artists retire, SHINee and f(x) would have been pushed aside by other groups such as B2ST or Sistar//T-ara who are the main focus of their companies and are getting far more investment and time than SHINee/f(x). Do you agree?

I agree with the first part of the statement, not so much with the second part.

I’m trying to think of a counterexample for any other company where a hoobae group out-did a sunbae group while they were both still actively promoting but I’m really struggling. They either left their companies, split or were thrown out before their hoobaes took over.

That said, CSJH were SM’s only female group and were still technically active (though they were left to their own devices in Japan) while SNSD surged ahead.

Hmm… the thing about the entertainment industry is that it’s all about momentum. We saw with the Wonder Girls, once you lose that huge momentum, you struggle to regain the same footing if that is even posible at all.

As such, older groups tend to get bigger and bigger in terms of profitability and thus more investment-worthy for the entertainment agencies. Even if the entertainment companies had unlimited resources, they would continue to pour as much as possible into their highest earners (to the physical limit where no more profit is achievable) before they begin proportionately significant investment in the junior groups.

The problem for the junior groups here is that SHINee and f(x) should be the headline groups for SM already. The fact that SNSD and SuJu are still active is causing a big pileup in the regular conveyor belt of K-Pop groups being manufactured bt the agencies.

By all rights in historic standards, Super Junior should be dead already and SNSD should be dead in the next fifteen months. Whether split up, disbanded or doing other things, they should not be this active this late in their career. Yet with growing stability in the industry and with the longevity offered with growing markets internationally, 5-6 years isn’t “late” for these groups any more… in fact (for SNSD for certain), their profitability is actually continuing to rise, indicating that they are still in the growth period of their product cycle despite them being pensioners in K-Pop group terms.

We have a curious situation like in the British Royal Family. The Queen is so old that her son, Prince Charles, is an old man himself and her grandson is already balding and if the Queen’s Mother was anything to go by, she doesn’t look like she’ll be knocking on the Pearly Gates any time soon. So will the old man ever get a chance to be Charles III and if he does, will he be on the throne for long?

That’s why In my opinion, it isn’t ELF that should be feaing EXO but Shawol. Super Junior will run its course (breaking up or becoming an ajusshi group like Shinhwa) before EXO even have time to gain significant traction and by then, SHINee will be stuck in the middle and could be left fighting to remain the top idol group.

At the same time, B2ST and Sistar/T-ara may be the focus of attention of their own agencies but they’re still not outperforming your industry-wide sunbae groups. If SHINee and f(x) are still keeping up with them without being the focus of the company’s attention, what would they be like if they were?

What would happen if SHINee and f(x) were given the first pick in songs, choreography, budget and promotional material?

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