by paul
It's an age-old question: if music is pouring out of every corner of the globe, why is American music so popular on the world stage? Especially in a borderless, digitally-liberated media environment? And even in countries that deeply resent America, or whose cultures are radically different?
Sitting in a Starbucks in Seoul, South Korea, which is right next to a Dunkin' Donuts, the question is impossible to avoid. Outside of the obvious language differences, this looks exactly like a Starbucks in LA, almost down to the music. I'm listening to Norah Jones, Nancy Sinatra, even Bobby McFerrin, but not one Korean singer.
It's not that Korean music isn't all around. There's K-Pop and PSY, of course, and also lots of syrupy Korean ballads. But even the Korean music video channel finds Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Britney Spears heavily layered into rotation. Flip on a Korean baseball game, and it's Nickelback and Earth, Wind & Fire (yes) during the breaks. Watch the Korean-commentated World Series, and its 30 Seconds to Mars to transition back from the commercials.
This is deeper than just music in the background; American pop culture and music are deeply seeped into this culture - consciously or otherwise. While searching for my hotel, I was saved by a young woman who graciously guided me through the Seoul maze. She was wearing a stylized army jacket with Guns n' Roses emblazoned on the back, yet she'd never really heard of the group. I told her it was mostly an 80s and 90s thing, but a legendary rock group to this day. "Sort of like Nirvana," she responded. We left it at that.
You can say this is isolated, but American music - and the celebrities attached to it - travel extremely well. While lingering around France after MIDEM died down last year, I started to meet some locals. Once the networking and industry crowds left, the hotel kept playing American pop non-stop; a local limo driver showed me pictures of the time he escorted members of Black Eyed Peas around. The hotel concierge, who also worked for a yacht reservation company, loved to tell me about Diddy's failed pissing contests with Russian billionaires on the Riviera. These were highlights... yes, for French people.
It's even seeped into abandoned junkie houses in Siberia. Edgy magazine Vice once took their cameras into the region's most depressing, heroine-infested buildings, and the discussion turned to Rihanna. The junkies were discussing whether they liked the singer, pointing to a magazine cover. What?
Of course, American music doesn't play well everywhere, and its not like other cultures (like the UK) don't also export well. But American music oftentimes permeates the most foreign environments, often with little-to-no protection against piracy. It's almost like an extension of the US itself: decimated and demoralized, major labels still retain the power to break major music superstars, but lack the ability to monetize it properly. It's hard to say if this is a machine that keeps going, or what happens after it breaks down.
Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff, in Seoul.
