Hive Hosts Landmark Event Highlighting K-Pop’s Impact on the Global Music Industry
los Angeles, CA – Hive, a leading force in the global music market, recently hosted its first large-scale networking event in the United States, bringing together key figures from major local cultural industry organizations to discuss the growing influence of K-pop and its future trajectory.The event, titled “Global Music Industry Restructure: K-Pop’s Entertainment blueprint,” took place on September 9th at the west Hollywood Edition in Los Angeles.
Co-hosted with the Gold Music Alliance (under Gold House) and the Recording Academy, the event drew over 100 executives, members, and experts from the global music industry. The aim was to showcase K-pop’s value as a global cultural phenomenon and foster discussion on its impact and future direction.
Gold House is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Asian and Pacific Islander business leaders and cultural artists, while the Gold Music Alliance, a Recording Academy initiative, focuses on amplifying the influence of Asian music creators and celebrating their cultural contributions.
The event featured opening remarks from Kiana Conley Akinro, Senior Executive Director of the Recording Academy, Bing Chen, co-founder of Gold House, and ISAAC Lee, CEO of Hive America.
Bing Chen highlighted K-pop’s global reach, stating, “K-Pop started in one area, but it shows the power to make the world one,” and citing BTS and Katseye as examples of its growing success in the United states. Kiana Conley Akinro expressed hope that the voices of Asia-Pacific music experts, facilitated by the Gold Music alliance, would shape the future of the global music industry.
Despite currently representing only 4% of the global music market, K-pop is already achieving notable chart success and is projected for continued explosive growth.
A panel discussion featuring Choi Joon-won, CEO of Weavers Company; Mitra Darab of hive X Gefen Records; Grammy Award-winning producer Jonathan YIP; and Rick Choi of Live Global Tour Potter, focused on the unique elements driving K-pop’s success.The panelists specifically noted the impact of K-pop’s dedicated fandom culture and innovative fandom platforms,which are already influencing strategies in the Western music market.
Choi Joon-won emphasized the active role of K-pop fans, describing them as “key partners…very active, passionate, and wanting to participate directly in the journey of the artist.” Mitra Darab added that direct fan communication through platforms similar to those used in K-pop is a key lesson for Western labels, noting that many Western artists are already seeking to collaborate with Weavers.
darab also pointed to the influence of Korean music broadcasting strategies on Katseye’s success, specifically referencing their decision to debut the single ‘GNARLY’ with a korean music show, recognizing the high production quality and understanding of fandom culture that Korean stages provide.
