[EAI Working Paper] The Story of BTS's Global Appeal: Billboard Speaks on BTS

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. Ahead of the publication of the book "The Story of BTS's Global Appeal," EAI is releasing the third working paper in its series, "BTS on the World Stage: A New Horizon for Cultural Diplomacy."

This study uses articles from Billboard, a prominent U.S. music publication, as textual data for content analysis. It examines the appeal of BTS, differentiating them from existing K-pop idols, by analyzing the quantity, style, and messages of Billboard's articles on the group. The author notes the increasing proportion of favorable and positive coverage of BTS and explains why Korean singers and K-pop groups aspiring to enter the U.S. music market should pay attention to the BTS phenomenon.

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

Introduction

Currently, South Korea's BTS (hereinafter BTS) enjoys unprecedented global popularity in the history of K-Pop. Notably, their albums and songs have recently topped the main charts in the United States, the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100, as recognized by Billboard, a prestigious American music publication. They have also received awards at major American music award ceremonies such as the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards. How can we explain this remarkable phenomenon of the Korean K-pop group BTS achieving such immense popular appeal and recognition within the American music industry?

To understand this phenomenon, this study aims to analyze how Billboard, a respected American music media outlet, perceives BTS. To this end, we examine Billboard's perspective on BTS by applying content analysis to Billboard articles and columns from 2014 to 2019, a period of six years. In this context, journalists writing articles and columns for Billboard, a popular music publication, are considered 'cultural gatekeepers.' We focus on the influence of their interest in and perception of BTS. Cultural gatekeepers generally mediate between cultural products and consumer tastes, performing various gatekeeping roles (e.g., selection, evaluation, distribution, promotion) across diverse cultural domains such as newspapers, broadcasting, publishing, music, and film. Through these gatekeeping roles, they can exert influence on the general public, particularly with regard to cultural products originating from foreign countries. Journalists working in mass media, as cultural gatekeepers, significantly impact public perception and attitudes through these gatekeeping functions.

The following analysis of Billboard's articles and columns on BTS is guided by three key questions: First, to what extent does Billboard show interest in BTS? How has this interest evolved over time? Second, what aspects of BTS's appeal does Billboard identify? How do these aspects compare to those of other K-pop groups? Third, how does Billboard perceive BTS? Has this perception changed over time?

Introduction to Billboard's Articles and Columns on BTS

To answer the aforementioned questions, we first selected Billboard, a prominent American music publication, and analyzed its articles and columns related to BTS. The period under review spans six years, from 2014 to 2019, marking BTS's entry into the U.S. market. We employed a content analysis method, examining the data both quantitatively and qualitatively. The content analysis method was chosen for its strength in identifying trends and patterns in messages disseminated by mass media over time.

The objects of analysis were individual Billboard articles or columns, categorized into three main frameworks: BTS's level of interest, BTS's appeal, and perceptions of BTS. Articles and columns related to BTS over the six-year period were collected through the Lexis Advance database provided by LexisNexis. Within this database, we searched for articles and columns using the keyword 'BTS' from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019. A total of 1,413 articles and columns directly related to BTS were ultimately selected for analysis. For comparative purposes, articles and columns related to K-pop were also collected. Using the keyword 'K-pop,' we searched for a 10-year period from 2010 to 2019, the period of K-pop's significant entry into the U.S. market, and collected a total of 2,520 articles and columns deemed relevant to K-pop.

■ Author: Meehyang Ahn_Visiting Professor at Yonsei University's Institute for East and West Studies. She teaches at the Global Engagement & Services program at Yonsei University. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2015 and worked as a research professor at the Leadership Center of Yonsei University's Institute for East and West Studies from 2016 to 2018. Her primary research interests include popular culture, globalization, cultural industries, and the Korean Wave (Hallyu), with a particular focus on the global diffusion and reception of popular cultural products.

■ Managed and Edited by: JuHyun Jeon, EAI Research Fellow

Inquiries: +82-2-2277-1683 (ext. 204) jhjun@eai.or.kr

[EAI Working Papers] are scholarly reports that pinpoint and deeply analyze core issues of domestic and international affairs. Please cite the source when quoting. EAI is an independent research institution independent of any partisan interests. The claims and opinions presented in EAI's reports, journals, and books are not affiliated with EAI and solely represent the views of the respective authors.