A World Beyond: Metaverse and the K-pop Industry
March 4, 2022 3:52 pm ||
Author: Jasmine Noor Andhreta Putri
Editor: Annisa Pratita Kirana Mantovani
Metaverse is of the most talked-about topics in the realm of digital innovation during the last couple of years. This innovation is where avatars can live and do activities in a fully-virtual world. It becomes an innovation that is implemented a lot amongst tech companies. As more companies (mostly social media companies) implement and try adopting metaverse into their service, this created a buzz on whether or not metaverse can become the future of the digital world. This includes K-pop companies, which have long been ardent supporters of new tech innovations and implementing them in their industry.
This phenomenon was shown previously through their implementation of online concerts equipped with virtual reality and NFTs to sell their artists’ merch.[1] Metaverse is another tech innovation that the industry uses to enhance fans’ experience interacting with the artists. This article seeks to explain the implementation, advantages and concerns of metaverse implementation in the K-pop industry, to give a better explanation on how an industry can adapt to a new digital technology. This article argues that the K-pop industry has long been at the forefront of implementing new technologies, applying them relatively faster than other music industries. The application of metaverse in the industry is one of the examples of how it adopts new technology as it recognizes the importance of new digital innovations for the near future. However, this article also points out several concerns regarding the implementation of metaverse in the entertainment industry.
Metaverse Application in the K-pop Industry
The K-pop industry is known for its cutting-edge technology, including metaverse. Especially during the pandemic, digital technology has helped people stay connected with one another. This also applies to the entertainment industry, as offline concerts are put on hold. Metaverse, with its virtual reality aspect, has become one of the possible answers to reconnect artists with fans–albeit through the digital world. Tamar Herman stated that, “In entertainment, augmented and virtual reality and artificial intelligence have taken off in a big way during the pandemic, with numerous new ventures for K-pop companies, especially online concerts, and virtual fan engagement events.”[2]
In terms of metaverse application, there is a growing number of metaverse-related projects/groups in K-pop. One of the famous examples is the group aespa, which was introduced as a group with virtual counterparts (ae).[3] Alongside the real members, asepa consists of 4 virtual avatars representing the members. It has since become a central aspect which aespa’s concept derived from. SM Entertainment’s founder, Lee Soo-man stated, “The band is reflective of our future, which will revolve around celebrities and avatars. Aespa’s human members and their virtual avatars will interact with each other through digital means, collaborate and grow up together.”[4] Other SM Entertainment artists are now also incorporated into the metaverse (“Kwangya”) that aespa has introduced. This shows that even the big K-pop companies such as SM Entertainment embraces metaverse as a way to innovate their concepts.
There are also groups with fully virtual members, such as the 11-member girl group Eternity. Eternity is a group with hyperrealistic virtual characters made through advanced artificial intelligence (AI).[5] The CEO of Eternity’s company, Park Ji-eun stated that the group can become game-changers in the industry as it “can freely express themselves and weigh in on diverse social issues because they are less vulnerable to malicious comments and criticisms.”[6] Eternity also has its own “universe” like aespa, expanding its metaverse further beyond its members. Notable Korean tech companies such as Kakao Entertainment, SK Telecom, and Netmarble have developed their own metaverse technology to be implemented in the industry. This includes the upcoming virtual girl group from Metaverse Entertainment (MAVE), which is a collaboration between Kakao Entertainment and Netmarble.[7] Metaverse is also used to enhance fans’ communication experience with the artists, as shown from AleXa’s digital party in a metaverse platform or Blackpink’s virtual avatar fan event. This showcases the wide range of what can be applied to metaverse.[8][9]
Advantages and Concerns of Metaverse in the K-pop Industry
From the previous examples, we have seen how metaverse can disrupt the entertainment industry in Korea. Alongside with that, this article also notices the advantages and concerns of the advancement.
Advantages
It can be argued that the main appeal of metaverse application is the flexibility and limitless options that the technology proposes. There are no limits in creating a virtual world for virtual characters, which will expand creative freedom for companies to add to their concepts. Metaverse application will allow the expansion of creative concepts into new digital worlds, which will create new innovations in the industry. For AI-membered groups, metaverse technology has expanded the ability of these “members” to blend with real-life members. As mentioned before, AI members can express themselves freer and can be asked to speak about social issues. AI members are free from scandals and can be made unique according to each “character”. They are also easier to manage and more open to engage with their fans.[10] Metaverse helps in breaking down the limitations of online performing as well. As the pandemic cuts down face-to-face interactions between fans and artists, metaverse allows fans to interact more freely in a fully-virtual world.[11]
Concerns
There are also several concerns on metaverse applications in K-pop. First, there is an ongoing issue of deepfake porn, digitally altered pornographic videos and images where the perpetrators replace the faces in the videos and pictures with another face. Famous celebrities have fallen victim to this crime and it raises the concern that it can happen to these AI’s faces as well.[12] The threats of over-sexualization and digital sex crimes are also looming, as virtual members are more susceptible due to it not being a real person. It can be argued that since these virtual singers are not real, it may become a justification for perpetrators to sexualize them.[13] This sexualization can actually be seen even right now, such as in the case of aespa, where the avatar members are stylized with sexier clothes than the human members. There are also copyright concerns that might entail AI singers’ future, as some of their qualities are based on real people (e.g. aespa).[14] This proposed a question on whether the real-life members will have an authority on their avatars in the future or not.
Summary
This article tried to explain the rise and application of digital technology that is in the spotlight right now. Metaverse has promised the expansion beyond the world we know and into an abundance of opportunities. This article focuses on the application and implications of metaverse in the K-pop industry, an industry that prides itself on embracing new technologies to push itself into the future. While it is still in the early stages of implementation, there have been advancements that we have seen in the industry, such as virtual members and VR usage in online concerts. However, this doesn’t discount the threats of metaverse, where irresponsible people may misuse it. Thus, metaverse has provided us with an exciting outlook on what new technology can help expand the digital world.
Photo courtesy of SM Entertainment & Pulse 9 Entertainment
Reference List
Herman, T., 2021a. K-pop labels embrace virtual stars and pursue metaverses to extend their artists’ online reach. [online] South China Morning Post. Available at: <https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/article/3154968/k-pop-labels-embrace-virtual-stars-and-pursue-metaverses-extend> [Accessed 26 January 2022].
Holmes, A., 2021. Aespa and the new age of the K-pop multiverse. [online] CNN Philippines. Available at: <https://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/Music/2021/10/12/aespa-k-pop-metaverse-explained.html> [Accessed 27 January 2022].
Dong, S., 2021. Will AI-powered groups take over K-pop?. [online] The Korea Times. Available at: <https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2021/06/398_310095.html?module=inline&pgtype=article> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
Herman, T., 2021b. K-pop’s virtual future: Aespa, Eternity, the rise of digital performers and the AI technology that allows stars to perform as avatars. [online] South China Morning Post. Available at: <https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/article/3138999/k-pops-virtual-future-aespa-eternity-rise-digital-performers-and-ai> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
Park, D., 2021. A virtual K-pop girl group aims for the metaverse. [online] Forkast. Available at: <https://forkast.news/virtual-kpop-girl-group-netmarble-kakao-south-korea/> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
Kim, Y., 2021. AleXa Is the First K-Pop Star to Launch a Digital Party in the Metaverse. [online] HYPEBAE. Available at: <https://hypebae.com/2021/11/alexa-k-pop-metaverse-fan-experience-global-event-virtual-reality-schedule-info> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
[1] Herman, T., 2021a. K-pop labels embrace virtual stars and pursue metaverses to extend their artists’ online reach. [online] South China Morning Post. Available at: <https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/article/3154968/k-pop-labels-embrace-virtual-stars-and-pursue-metaverses-extend> [Accessed 26 January 2022].
[2] Herman, T., 2021a.
[3] Holmes, A., 2021. Aespa and the new age of the K-pop multiverse. [online] CNN Philippines. Available at: <https://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/Music/2021/10/12/aespa-k-pop-metaverse-explained.html> [Accessed 27 January 2022].
[4] Dong, S., 2021. Will AI-powered groups take over K-pop?. [online] The Korea Times. Available at: <https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2021/06/398_310095.html?module=inline&pgtype=article> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
[5] Herman, T., 2021b. K-pop’s virtual future: Aespa, Eternity, the rise of digital performers and the AI technology that allows stars to perform as avatars. [online] South China Morning Post. Available at: <https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/article/3138999/k-pops-virtual-future-aespa-eternity-rise-digital-performers-and-ai> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
[6] Ibid.
[7] Park, D., 2021. A virtual K-pop girl group aims for the metaverse. [online] Forkast. Available at: <https://forkast.news/virtual-kpop-girl-group-netmarble-kakao-south-korea/> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
[8] Herman, T., 2021a.
[9] Kim, Y., 2021. AleXa Is the First K-Pop Star to Launch a Digital Party in the Metaverse. [online] HYPEBAE. Available at: <https://hypebae.com/2021/11/alexa-k-pop-metaverse-fan-experience-global-event-virtual-reality-schedule-info> [Accessed 28 January 2022].
[10] Dong, S., 2021.
[11] Herman, T., 2021a.
[12] Dong, S., 2021.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.