[theqoo] THE IDOL INDUSTRY IS NOW CHARACTERIZED BY “AN ERA OF FIERCE COMPETITION WHERE POPULARITY IS SHARED RELATIVELY EVENLY RATHER THAN BEING DOMINCATED BY A “ONE TOP””

“Back in the day, whether it was a boy group or a girl group, it felt like there were always groups that everyone agreed were the definitive ‘One top’. The icons of their generation. But these days, I’m not sure there’s any idol group I can confidently point to and say, “They’re the one top.”

Maybe it’s just because I’ve gotten older and don’t notice these things as much anymore, or maybe my perception has changed, but it feels like popularity has become much more evenly distributed. Of course there are still first-, second-, and third-tier groups, but I don’t really see any one group clearly pulling ahead, uniting the fandom, and making people say, “No one else even comes close.”

Sure, when top-tier groups from the major agencies make a comeback, they’ll naturally outperform smaller-company groups, and I know they have huge fandoms. But I don’t know if there’s any group that’s such an undisputed number one that they basically have no real rival. And especially with groups formed through audition shows, they obviously start off with more recognition and popularity than rookie groups from small agencies, but I’m not sure they have the same kind of cultural impact that audition-show groups used to have.

Overall, it just feels like everyone’s sharing the popularity pretty evenly these days”

1. Isn’t it nice that things are more fair?

2. And it’s the era of the multi-stans

3. It’s simply because there are so many idols these days. If you took some of the groups that are currently just moderately successful and transported them back 20 years, they could easily be the top group

4. I like it better now. I hate monopolies~

5. It’s because the 3rd and 4th gens aren’t going away any time soon, but the 5th gen is trying to squeeze in 

6. Unlike in the past, people don’t really bash multi-stans anymore; there are tons of multi-stans who just give any rising group a try ㅋㅋㅋ

7. It’s honestly the generation of multi-stans ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

8. It’s better now 

9. I prefer it now 

10. Just like how TV doesn’t see one show monopolizing the ratings like it used to, the K-pop scene has ended up the same way