Seoul International Music Fair seeks to pave way for future of K-pop

Fair invites Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse, who researched on BTS' success

Poster for 2021 Seoul International Music Fair (KOCCA)

The 2021 Seoul International Music Fair (MU:CON), known as Asia’s largest music market fair, will be held online from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, MU:CON has consistently kept up with its aim to promote “K-pop Hallyu,” by establishing a network of domestic and foreign music industry stakeholders and promoting exchanges among them.

Under the theme “A Decade of K-pop and the Future ahead,” MU:CON is set to broaden the scope and vision of the K-pop market, the Korea Creative Content Agency announced Thursday.

The fair, in previous years, had focused on overseas business buyers as their main target audience, but this year, it will expand to business-to-consumer transactions.

Programs offered at the fair have been diversified to suit the needs of a wider range of consumers, with music tech investor relations business briefings and special performances between sessions. A MU:CON conference dedicated to discussing the music industry’s future and trends will be held for two days starting Oct. 1.

Anita Elberse, a Harvard Business School professor, will be giving a keynote speech on the topic, ”The Rising Power of Global Superstars -- and What We Can Learn from it.“ Elberse is well known for her HBS research paper on BTS’ success story with Lizzy Woodham, an HBS alumna. The paper gained immediate global spotlight in academic circles as well as in the music industry since it was published.

Kim Yeon-jeong, Twitter’s head of Global K-pop and K-content Partnerships, will talk about globalization of K-culture ranging from music to diverse genres including movies, dramas and webtoons.

Billboard columnist Jeff Benjamin will team up to interview singer-songwriter Jenna Andrews, who worked with BTS as a vocal producer and songwriter. Some of Andrews’ credits include BTS’ “Butter,” and “Permission to Dance.”

A celebratory performance for the 10th anniversary will be held on the evening of Oct. 30. Boy groups NCT Dream and Pentagon and rock bands Monni and Jambinai will appear on stage. The detailed lineup is available on MU:CON’s official webpage.

All celebratory performances, conferences and showcases can be watched on the YouTube channel KOCCA Music. SBS MTV, SBS FiL, and MTV Asia will deliver either live broadcasts or highlights of the event. 

By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)

By Kim Hae-yeon(hykim@heraldcorp.com)