Hero 899 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 These days new idol groups are being debuted almost every week, and many just fade away into oblivion and are never mentioned again. A small portion manage to garner some success and are able to barely sustain themselves in the cut-throat kpop industry, such as Nu'est, while an even smaller percentage manages to actually succeed and become big, the most recent example being EXO. The debut to success ratio is widening as it becomes harder and harder for new groups to be successful as competition increases. In the past year, only EXO has been a major success story (most likely due to the fact that they come from SM), and only a few groups (B.A.P, VIXX) has seen relative success. Why is there such a strong barrier to entry to the KPOP Industry? Is it the fact the industry is becoming more like an oligopoly with SM beginning to acquire smaller companies and only SM, YG, JYP and Cube seeing relative success? Or is it just the lack of talent? Does being in a big company matter? So, which recent rookie groups have actually managed to get some success, and which groups have failed miserably? Which groups showcased a lot of potential but seems to be unnoticed by the public (HISTORY etc.)? EXO, Teen Top and B.A.P are the only recent rookie groups that have managed to do well consistently, in my opinion. I'm sure there are more though. Discuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena 21,718 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 I was gonna say EXO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
김민주 16,324 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 TeenTop...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimchi 19,921 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 TeenTop...? TeenTop debuted in 2010..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TellMeWhy 1,273 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Teen top is a rookie? Exo, Vixx, BAP, Slayon pop -> 2012 Apink -> 2011 I can't think of any boy groups that came out in 2011 that is big.... DEP B1A4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisa 1,353 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Is Apink considered a rookie group? If so, then I'd say them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kissung 325 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 If you're talking about this year, then it's definitely the Bangtan Boys. Heck, they even had fans before they debuted! Teen Top aren't rookies btw.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snsdJM 15,203 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 why are teen top considered rookies they debuted in the same year as infinite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelLoveCake 965 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Ladies Code...? TBH I had no idea they existed till one of their members appeared on Running Man. So if one of their members is appearing on one of the top variety shows, then that must mean that their debut was a success right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anh. 5,127 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 B1A4 A Pink EXO BAP VIXX Crayon Pop Block B? if only their career aren't so full with scandals cries Dal Shabet? currently kinda iffy about Boyfriend, C-CLOWN, Ladies' Code, BTOB, and BTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
김민주 16,324 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 TeenTop debuted in 2010..... That was my point lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No One Special 154 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Crayola Pop. Fiestar is doing pretty decently as well. Not omg in your face successful, but they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pretty_angel92 44,530 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Is Apink considered a rookie group? If so, then I'd say them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skibop!! 8,585 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 BAP was the major success story though... Rookie of the year at MAMA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qri 4,063 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 LOL Teen Top isn't a rookie group, they debuted 3 years ago. And B.A.P haven't been doing consistently well, their sales appear to be somewhat declining. EXO have been doing extremely well and VIXX too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holke 2,349 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Teen Top aren't rookies. I think that a lot of companies are rushing to debut idol groups to keep up with the industry, and in the process, they are lacking in proper training. I do think that some nugu groups with lots of talent and potential (HISTORY, C-Clown, 100%) get a little overlooked at times because of the saturation of the market. It's sad, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApinkPandaOfApink 338 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 For boy groups B1A4,Block B,EXO,BAP,VIXX and Boyfriend(if you consider their Japanese activities) For girl groups It's only Apink,and to some extent,Crayon Pop,but only if their next comeback is still successful and no,Apink isn't coming from big company but they are doing extremely wellyou only need a stand out concept,good personality,interesting music and decent talent to make it VIXX doesn't even come from big company but they keep doing better and better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Boy Like Troy 3,333 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Ladies' Code Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klassic♥ 2,650 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Beside EXO (since they are really successful right now), B1A4, A PINK, VIXX are really successful rookie group right now .. they just going up and up each day both digital/physical and popularity.... they working each step by step with not too long hiatus but not too much comeback. and maybe BTOB too, not sure cause i need to see how well they chart with their upcoming release, also recently, SPICA comeback they chart high on the chart too so let's see how well they doing, B.A.P is going down or stagnant, Nu'est with kinda long hiatus so idk kinda lost interest in them, Teen Top is not rookie anymore, Block B coming back soon so it will tell us how well they doing but i believe they are doing good... Crayon Pop idk they do well on digital but physical .. meh~ they need to cb 1-2 times more in order to judge they doing well as rookie or not cause their song BarBarBar is like Psy - GS so i really dont know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YNRA 1,082 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 People who are saying BAP, they do have a reletively strong international following BUT I feel like they're going downhill for the second half of this year and Korea doesn't seem to care much about them. EXO I think is the main success story when it comes to successful rookies. SM focuses on them like they're a top tier group, they've sold a ton of albums and unlike BAP they didn't have to release a shit ton to get noticed. Of course, their success is all thanks to SM. VIXX I think is really successful music wise but doesn't get enough attention yet. None of the rookies from this year seem very successful or have a bright future imo. Maybe BTS but I don't even know how they're seen in Korea or anywhere else besides KPOP forums and tumblr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhaleWhisper 5,249 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Exo really is the only succesful rookie group to come out lately. But if were talking about soloist Aliee and Lee Hi come to mind And to answer you tl;dr post, the market is over saturated. Korea's music industry isn't big enough to support all these groups. Not only that all these groups just tend to blend together with so many of them, causing none of them to be memorable to stand out with the Korean public who learn to ignore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vars 33 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 What do you mean by recent? groups that had hits this year or in the past 2 years? I think any group that has their breakthrough within 2 years of their debut can be seen as a rookie success story, going by that Teen Top can be seen as one since they broke through in early 2012 and they weren't even 2 years old by then. It's recent because they made it last year AND they were still rookies at that point. If it's exclusively 2012-2013 rookies then I can only think of B.A.P (they may have fizzled, but they started out with a bang), EXO (no need to explain) and VIXX (they keep slowly rising). Sadly, the only 12-13 girl group that's had a real hit is Crayon Pop and (as much as I love them) it looks like a viral thing and not a real breakthrough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero 899 Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 Sorry, I keep forgetting that Teen Top debuted the same year as Infinite because they only started to rise and become noticed in terms of success and popularity during the 'Going Crazy' days, so i guess they can't really be considered as 'rookies', per say. Its interesting to note the steady incline they are experiencing though. B.A.P i think has a very dedicated following in Korea. I know that a group's fan cafe may not be the best indication of their popularity, but they do have quite a big fan cafe and are selling very well for a rookie group. The thing that is hurting them is the fact that they keep releasing new albums every 4 months. Sooner or later the GP will become tired of them and their music will become stale because of the large number of releases they have per year. I mean, their sales are already beginning to plummet, and they have never done well in terms of digital sales. I agree that EXO seems to be the only remarkable success story, thanks to SM's vigorous promotion and outstanding marketing strategy, and I think APink was marketed very well during this comeback. In fact, APink is outselling 2NE1 in the long run. It's interesting that these groups that have seen success are from rather big companies (SM and Cube). VIXX i think are doing outstanding for a rookie group from a lesser know company. Their fanbase seems to be ever-expanding, and each successive release seems to be doing better than the last. To me, they resemble INFINITE's gradual climb to success. Crayon Pop, in my opinion, is just a one-hit wonder that people are jumping onto a temporary bandwagon to support. All their success comes from the outrageousness of their song and I doubt they can make a career for themselves out of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buns 3,767 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 EXO > APink > VIXX >> We'll see where Crayon Pop places, B.A.P started strong but fell off the wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebin 3,682 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 In the past, idol groups usually disbanded after 5 years, leaving room for the rookies. Nowadays old groups don't disband, and most of those old groups are the top-tier ones. Rookies have no chance against those competitors. 2011: Apink and B1A4 are the most successful as of now. Both are doing well on digital charts and have decent fanbase. Block B is a promising group, all the controversies kind of help them gain attention. Boyfriend started out well, but they seem to head to the nugu cave in Korea now. Dal Shabet is going nowhere at this rate (since they are even worse than some mid-tier boygroups on digital charts). 2012: EXO is the most remarkable story of success for a rookie. BAP is doing fine, it's just that their improvement is very slow compared to EXO and VIXX, making people thinking that they are "flopping". VIXX is a rising one, their fanbase size is still rapidly increasing. They just need a solid hit to establish themselves on the chart. Crayon Pop is most well-known by Korean public among the rookies now. Whether they are a one-hit wonder depends on the result of their next comeback. Spica is very talented, but their songs sound kind of "old" to me. They don't have the wow factor like a typical Kpop hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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