[EAI Working Paper] The Story of BTS's Global Appeal: Environmental and Structural Conditions for BTS's Global Success

Editor's Note

The East Asia Institute (EAI) launched the 'BTS Appeal Theory' research team in September 2019 to analyze the BTS phenomenon from sociological, communication, and international political perspectives. BTS and the global digital network they have created are presenting a new paradigm in international society, which has been divided by existing national, racial, and linguistic boundaries. BTS's achievements, including winning three awards at the American Music Awards (AMA), two awards at the Billboard Music Awards, a nomination for the 2020 Grammy Awards, and reaching number one on the Billboard main singles chart 'Hot 100' with 'Dynamite' and 'Life Goes On,' have reached a level previously unimaginable for Korean popular culture. The BTS phenomenon thus offers important clues for understanding Korea's soft power and appeal, demonstrating the potential for Korea to become a source of new civilization in the 21st century. Ahead of the publication of the book "The Story of BTS's Global Appeal," we are releasing the first working paper series, "Global Artist BTS and Macro Environmental Changes," as follows.

This study examines the macro-environmental changes in the world since the mid-20th century that have enabled BTS's appeal to be globally accepted, through a review of existing research literature and historical studies. By focusing on macro-environmental changes in arts and culture, it assumes that BTS's appeal is context-dependent. However, the author reminds us that context alone does not create appeal, and examines the process of forming the conditions for the active acceptance of BTS's appeal.

※ The following is an excerpt of the content. Please refer to the attached file above for the full version.

Record and Significance of BTS's Global Success

As of September 2020, BTS had 28.77 million official Twitter followers, over 30 million Instagram followers, 14.7 million Facebook followers, over 38 million YouTube subscribers, and a cumulative 15.9 billion views. The song 'Dynamite,' released on August 21, 2020, was BTS's first all-English track and recorded 101.1 million views within 24 hours of its YouTube release, setting a Guinness World Record. As of early October 2020, the song has 445 million views and is noted as the 13th song to surpass 300 million views. Among BTS's songs released since their debut, 34 have surpassed 100 million YouTube views as of October 2020, with 'DNA,' released in 2017, having the highest cumulative views, exceeding 1.1 billion in three years.

BTS's immense popularity is also evident in international music charts. 'Dynamite,' released at the end of August 2020, ranked first on the U.S. Billboard main singles chart 'Hot 100' in its debut week on September 5, marking the first time a Korean popular music track achieved this feat. It maintained the top position on September 12 and reclaimed the number one spot on September 26 after a one-week break. Considering that Psy's 'Gangnam Style' stayed at number two on the singles chart for seven weeks in 2012 but never reached number one, this is a remarkable achievement. Prior to 'Dynamite,' BTS's Billboard chart rankings included number 4 for the title track 'On' from their fourth full album in February 2020, number 8 for 'Boy With Luv' in 2019, and number 10 for 'FAKE LOVE' in 2018. The 'Hot 100' chart ranks the most popular songs in the U.S. weekly, based on a combination of streaming performance, digital sales, and radio airplay. In addition to Billboard, 'Dynamite' ranked first on Spotify's 'Global Top 50' chart, the world's largest music streaming service, marking another first for Korean music, and remained within the top three for eight consecutive days. On the UK Official Charts, considered one of the two major global pop charts alongside Billboard, BTS recorded their highest-ever ranking for a single at number 3.

Alongside their popular appeal, BTS has received critical acclaim for their outstanding music and performances, as evidenced by their numerous awards. In 2019, BTS won three awards at the American Music Awards (AMA): Favorite Pop/Rock Duo or Group, Favorite Social Artist, and Tour of the Year. Their win for Favorite Social Artist was their second consecutive win in this category, following 2018. At the Billboard Music Awards, one of the three major popular music awards alongside the Grammy Awards and AMAs, they won two awards in 2020: Top Duo/Group and Top Social Artist. Their win for Top Duo/Group was their second consecutive win in this category since 2019, and their fourth win for Top Social Artist since 2017. Although they have not yet won a Grammy Award, known for its conservative nature, they were officially invited to perform at the ceremony in early 2020.

BTS enjoys unparalleled popularity and recognition among K-pop artists. Since their debut in 2013, they achieved their first domestic chart No. 1 in 2015, recorded the highest album sales in Korea in 2016, and then topped the Billboard album chart 'Billboard 200' in 2018 and 2019, followed by the Billboard singles chart 'Hot 100' No. 1 in 2020. Their popularity has been skyrocketing. BTS's global success is remarkable not only because it is not a one-off event but also because they have garnered both popular and critical acclaim. In the field of arts and culture, which deals with creative achievements, asking why a particular musician succeeded is a near-foolish question, as it is difficult to analytically reveal the secret to success. However, it is worthwhile to examine the conditions that contributed to or aided their success. This paper will explore the structural and environmental conditions that contributed to BTS's global success, divided into four categories: changes in global culture, shifts in cultural hierarchy, hybrid innovation, and digital media.

■ Author: Han Jun_Professor of Sociology at Yonsei University. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University. He has served as the Director of the Korean Social Science Data Archive and a civilian member of the National Economic Advisory Council, and currently serves as the President of the Korean Society for Quality of Life. His major publications include "The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Changing Work and Management" (2018) and "Connect Power: How the Hyper-Connected World is Changing Business" (2019). His articles include "Recognition in Art World as Social Process: The Case of Oscar and Daejong Film Awards" (Korean Social Science Journal, 2017), "Complex Systems Research in Social Science: Focusing on Emergence and Adaptive Landscapes" (Saemulri, 2017), "A Study on the Value Analysis of Arts and Cultural Education" (2017), and "How Evaluation Indicators Change University Research and Education: Focusing on Sociology" (2017).

■ Contact and Editing: Jeon Ju-hyun, EAI Research Fellow

Inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 204) jhjun@eai.or.kr

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