(SEOUL KR) After last year’s event at Seoul’s futuristic Kring Arts Center we’re bringing our curated mix of art installations, performances, film screenings and panels to Platoon Kunsthalle.

지난해 크리에이터 프로젝트는 서울의 미래주의적 예술 공간인 Kring 아트 센터에서 서울 이벤트를 진행했습니다. 올해에도 우리는 예술 설치 작품, 공연, 영화 시사회 및 패널 토론을 들고 서울의 플래툰 쿤스트할레를 찾습니다.

Platoon hosts Seoul’s underground arts scene and encourages creative collaboration among subcultural thinkers. Its structure, which was designed by Creators Graft Architects, was constructed from 28 recycled cargo containers, and can be reassembled anywhere, anytime, encouraging the spirit of freedom and flexibility within the scopes of art and design.

플래툰은 서울의 언더그라운드계를 대표하며 서브컬쳐에서 활약하는 사람들의 콜라보레이션을 지원합니다. 플래툰의 건물 구조는 크리에이터Graft Architects에 의해 설계되었으며, 28개의 재활용한 화물 컨테이너로 구성되어 언제 어디서나 다시 조립될 수 있습니다. 이는 예술과 디자인에 내재된 유연성과 자유로운 정신을 장려하기 위한 디자인입니다.

We’ll be hosting musical performances from DJs and bands like Idiotape, Yuksek, Optimo, Risque Rhythm Machine and premiering a special performance piece from Lumpens and Tiger JK and Tasha of Drunken Tiger.

Idiotape, Yuksek, Optimo, Risque Rhythm Machine과 같은 밴드와 DJ들의 음악 공연 또한 진행되며, 드렁큰 타이거의 Tiger JK와 Tasha 그리고 Lumpens의 특별 공연도 준비되어 있습니다.

Some of the films we’ll be screening are Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire’s Scenes from the Suburbs, Ivory Tower by Chilly Gonzales and Adam Traynor, and Logorama by H5. We’ll also be holding panel discussions with multi-disciplinary design studio Random Walks and interactive designer Eun Joo Shin.

시사회에서 백현진의 영원한 농담, Spike Jonze와 Arcade Fire의 Scenes from the Suburbs, Chilly Gonzales와 Adam Traynor의 Ivory Tower 그리고 H5의 Logorama가 상영될 것이고 디자인 스튜디오 Random Walks와 인터렉티브 디자이너 신은주와의 패널 토론회도 개최됩니다.

All weekend we’ll be displaying installations including Frog Xylophone by Yang Sookyun and Earl Park, Meditation by Minha Yang and other works by Kimchi and Chips, Jin-Yo Mok and Quayola.

주말 내내 양숙현과 박얼의 Frog Xylophone를 비롯해 양민하의 Meditation 1109~과 같은 작품을 전시할 예정이며 Kimchi and Chips와 Quayola의 작품도 포함됩니다.

Stay tuned for more programming details!

프로그램 세부사항을 위해 계속 지켜봐 주길 바랍니다!

Download The Creators Project free mobile app for Android, iPhone, or iPad to stay connected during the event.

안드로이드, 아이폰 혹은 아이패드를 위한 크리에이터 프로젝트 무료 모바일 앱을 다운받아 이벤트 기간 동안 정보를 받아보실 수 있습니다.

RSVP here.

여기서 참가 여부(RSVP)를 표시해 주세요.

International Distribution (Idiotape/Risque Rhythem Machine/Drunken Tiger) : DFSB Kollective

아이튠스선 곡당 1천원…소리바다 등선 60원 : ‘K-팝 국외 덤핑판매’ 음악인 두 번 울리네

(SEOUL KR) 음원 사이트 소리바다는 지난해 말 외국인 전용 사이트(kpop.soribada.com)를 개설했다. 국내에서 접속하면 일반적인 소리바다 사이트로 연결되지만, 외국에서 접속하면 영어로 된 별도 사이트로 연결된다. 이를 통하면 미국·일본 등에서도 1만원에 150곡을 내려받아 곡당 가격이 60여원까지 떨어지는 정액제 서비스를 이용할 수 있다. 미국에서 널리 이용하는 음원 서비스인 아이튠스에서는 곡당 1000원가량인 99센트를, 일본 아이튠스에서는 곡당 2000원가량인 150엔을 받는다. 음원 사이트 엠넷닷컴도 최근까지 외국에 거주하는 외국인도 회원가입을 하고 음원을 내려받을 수 있는 서비스를 제공해왔다.

외국인들은 국내 음원 사이트들의 싼값을 반긴다. 지난 7월 소리바다의 나라별 접속 통계를 보면, 전체 접속량의 35%가량이 미국, 필리핀 등 외국으로 나타났다. 엠넷닷컴도 접속량의 40% 가까이가 일본, 중국 등 외국으로 집계됐다. 실제로 외국의 여러 케이팝 팬 사이트 등에는 소리바다와 엠넷닷컴에서 싼값에 음악을 내려받을 수 있는 방법을 안내하는 글이 적잖게 올라와 있다.

싼값에 내려받은 케이팝 음원을 불법 다운로드 사이트 운영에 악용하는 사례도 있다. 케이팝 전문 불법 다운로드 사이트를 운영하다 드렁큰 타이거, 에픽하이, 태양, 박재범 등 350여팀의 아이튠스 외국 유통을 대행하고 있는 디에프에스비(DFSB)에 적발된 오스트레일리아의 17살 소년은 한국 음원 사이트에서 정액제 서비스로 내려받은 음원들을 자신의 사이트에 올렸다고 털어놨다.

음악인과 음원 권리자들은 크게 반발하고 있다. 외국에 아이튠스로 음원을 판매할 경우 얻을 수 있는 수익이 국내 음원 사이트의 ‘덤핑’ 판매로 크게 줄어든다는 것이다. 디에프에스비의 조수광 대표는 “소리바다와 엠넷닷컴이 음원 권리자들의 동의 없이 불법으로 해외유통함으로써 권리를 침해당했다”며 “조만간 두 업체를 상대로 손해배상청구소송을 제기할 예정”이라고 밝혔다. 에스엠엔터테인먼트 등 대형 기획사들도 문제 제기를 하고 대책 논의에 들어갔으며, 소니뮤직·유니버설뮤직·워너뮤직 등 외국음반 직배사들도 이 문제를 조사하고 있는 것으로 전해졌다.

불법 여부도 가려질 것으로 보인다. 국회 문화체육관광방 송통신위원회 소속 이철우 의원(한나라당)은 “해외유통권 없이 국내 음원을 외국에 판매한 행위는 음원 권리자와의 계약 위반일 뿐 아니라 저작권법 침해 소지도 있다”며 “음악인들에게 돌아갈 한류의 열매를 깎아먹고 ‘케이팝 음원은 저가’라는 인식을 퍼뜨려 모처럼 확산되는 케이팝 열풍에 찬물을 끼얹을 수 있는 불법 덤핑 해외 유통 문제를 국정감사에서 철저하게 따져볼 것”이라고 말했다.

이에 대해 소리바다의 양정환 대표는 “케이팝 확산에 기여하기 위해 권리자와의 계약에 근거해 가능한 음원들만 글로벌 서비스를 하고 있다”며 “값이 너무 싸다는 지적이 있어 아이튠스와 비슷한 수준의 가격체계로 곧 바꿀 예정”이라고 말했다. 엠넷닷컴 관계자도 “엠넷 음악채널 동영상 서비스를 위해 외국 거주 외국인 회원가입을 허용했다가 최근 신규가입을 중단한 상태”라며 “실제로 외국에 거주하는 외국인이 음원을 구입한 경우는 거의 없었다”고 해명했다.

서정민 기자 westmin@hani.co.kr

MNET And Soribada Found To Be Illegally Distributing Music Abroad

(SEOUL KR) As Hallyu grows, so does the sale of music abroad. Digital sales of singles and albums have reached global distributors such as iTunes, and groups such as JYJ, to name just one, have reached the Billboard Charts. Even physical album sales can even be found as far as America.

It has recently been found out that popular Korean music distributors Soribada and CJ Mnet have been reportedly distributing music abroad illegally.

The problem lies within consent and signed contracts. Essentially what happened is the companies were only supposed to sell the music within Korea, but have sold to other countries without the knowledge or consent of the artists or their companies. This means Soribada and Mnet have been selling copyrighted material they don’t have consent to sell outside of Korea.

A distribution employee of 2NE1 stated “Since we never mentioned signing an international distribution contract it’s illegal…”

The attraction of the sites is the lowered prices that the sites offer. Soribada sells packages of songs lowering the prices down to sometimes 60 won a song, when a site like iTunes would typically sell a song for around 1,500. Despite the lowering of prices, they still make a profit because lowered prices bring in a lot more customers. For international fans that do not want to illegally download music, these websites are essential, so to see this happen is worrying, will these sites have to stop selling music internationally?

Also, who is to blame?

Soribada and Mnet are sticking to the same story, that it was an employee mistake. Those who caused the matter in question have resigned and the companies want to move past something that could tarnish their image. However, the matter has touched a deeper nerve.

Assemblyman Lee Chul Woo stated “Selling someone’s work overseas is no different from theft. To illegally distribute music for free is only hindering Hallyu.”

It seems that what started as an apparent employee mistake has become an issue regarding national pride. Some see it as a mistake and some see it as a big hindrance to Hallyu. What do you think?

We shall keep you updated on this issue as more news is released. If ways of legally purchasing music disappears it might encourage more people to download music illegal, which will cause further damage.

By TheNextHokage (Soompi.com)

Super Junior, who with 13 members are one of the world's biggest boy bands, are household names across Asia

The racks in front of her are seeing a brisk trade - but Ms Tanaka is taking her time, considering a fistful of compact discs in her hand, their bright "buy-me" colours competing with her glittery eye-shadow.

She is not pleased at having her shopping interrupted. Neither does she understand our questions, in English or in Korean.

Ms Tanaka is Japanese. She is on holiday to do a little shopping, and immerse herself in Korean culture. And by culture, she is not talking about just the old palaces and modern art.

"My whole family is really into Korean music and TV dramas," she says. "We make sure to watch them together at home all the time."

Korean Wave

Bands such as Kara and Super Junior have become household names in much of Asia. They belong to a new hip generation of South Korean artists that has launched the musical genre K-pop.

Coupled with the success of Korean TV shows and films, they are part of a wider cultural movement here that has become known as Korean wave.

Ms Tanaka has already spent $500 (£304) since she arrived in South Korea and she is not the only one being lured by the country's new cool culture.

On the other side of the aisle, manager Jae Chol Youn is stacking copies of an album by Girls Generation.

"In the past, it was just Koreans who were buying our music," he says.

"But in the last few years, more people from China, Japan and South East Asia have been buying here, and the sales have been steadily rising."

The number of people who visited South Korea specifically to attend events such as album launches, concerts and awards ceremonies doubled to 34,000 in 2010.

Still more came to visit the set of a famous soap opera or movie.

Music store manager Jae Chol Youn says there are K-pop fans all over the worldTwo Cents' Worth

Mr Youn says K-pop has proved such a hit in Asia because it offers something different, but is still familiar enough for audiences to relate to.

And the fact that K-pop's unique style is attracting foreign fans is something that benefits both the people who visit South Korea and the bands whose music they like.

That is why Ms Tanaka is stocking up on Korean music in Seoul. A CD that costs 15,000 won in South Korea ($13.81) is four times more expensive in Japan.

In fact, according to music industry veteran Bernie Cho, K-pop stars do much better financially when they sell their music abroad, rather than just at home. His company, DFSB Kollective, markets and distributes a range of Korean music.

"If you bought a single on iTunes in the US, you're paying around $1," he says.

"In Korea, the price was originally 50 cents, it dropped to 12 cents, then it dropped to six cents. And the artists are getting 35% of that - they're making two cents a download."

According to Mr Cho, many of K-pop's top acts are selling 100,000 or 150,000 albums straight after release. It is an impressive number in any major market.

"Music is so heavily discounted in Korea that a lot of them are looking to go overseas, or are relying on their popularity to boost their income in other ways, like acting or advertising," he says.

That diversity of roles is helping to spread their appeal to other countries, as well as to other areas of the South Korean economy. Many tourists who come for the music also buy the clothes and cosmetic brands promoted by Korean stars.

According to South Korea's Trade and Investment Agency, income from cultural exports like pop music and TV shows has been rising by about 10% a year. In 2008, it was worth almost $2bn.

Changing Face

The success of the South Korean economy was, for decades, laid at the door of the big "chaebol" or family firms.

While conglomerates such as Samsung and Hyundai still form the backbone of the country's financial structure, many people now believe that the Korean national brand itself is changing to reflect this new passion for Korean wave.

Mr Cho cites the English-language websites devoted to Korean wave, which attract more visitors than the Korean-language versions.

For people under a certain age, all across Asia - and increasingly in Europe and the US too - the South Korea of today is just as likely to be associated with pop music or TV dramas as with cars or microchips.

By Lucy Williamson (BBC News, Seoul)

South Korean post-rock band Apollo 18.(LOS ANGELES USA) This spring, some of Seoul’s finest indie sensations will leave Hongdae to plug into America. Not only will four Korean bands play at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in March, there will be a Korean act at the renowned Coachella Festival (April) for the first time. Oliver Saria introduces you to the most popular bands you probably don’t know and takes you inside Korea’s indie music scene.

THIS MONTH, a handful of prominent South Korean music acts will tour the United States for the first time. And none of them will perform choreographed dance pop numbers with multiple costume changes. And “rock hard” won’t describe the band members’ abs, but rather what they do on stage. K-pop might be Korea’s biggest export besides economy cars, cell phones and female golfers, but an established indie rock scene is using social media to expand beyond Seoul’s eclectic Hongdae district to prove to the world that there is more to Korean music than just bubblegum ballads.

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Media and Music Conference in Austin, Texas, slated for March 16 to 20, will showcase the largest contingent of Korean acts in the event’s history. Four bands are scheduled to perform, including the atmospheric shoegaze of Vidulgi OoyoO, the electro-dance, high-energy rock hybrid of Idiotape, the wild party-rock of Galaxy Express, and the post-punk, post hardcore sonic assault of Apollo 18. Additionally, in April, the electronic performance art duo EE will be the first Korean act to perform at the renowned, days-long Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.

Vidulgi OoyoO, Idiotape and Galaxy Express will visit various cities as part of the Seoulsonic North American Tour, which kicked off in Toronto on March 9 during Canadian Music Week. Meanwhile, the ballsy band Apollo 18 plans to independently tour the South with stops in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

In other words, for the first time, American audiences from coast to coast will have a rare opportunity this spring to sample some of the best live acts in Korean indie music today. Depending on how well they’re received, the eyes (and ears) of the music world might very well turn towards Hongdae, the mecca of Korean indie.

Shoegaze indie band Vidulgi OoyoO, photographed last month at Club Mansion in Seoul.

THE MECCA

For all intents and purposes, “Korean indie” means anything outside the mainstream K-pop idol factory that dominates South Korea’s music industry. And there’s really only one place to find it. On any given night in the arty Hongdae neighborhood of northwest Seoul, one can find a club that caters to almost any musical taste.

According to Hyunjoon Shin, a professor at the Institute for East Asian Studies at Sungkonghoe University, the music scene in Hongdae started to take off in the mid-1990s as a result of globalization and increased access to Western culture. Bands like Nirvana in the States and Oasis in the U.K. influenced a generation of young musicians; soon, rehearsal spaces, recording studios and music venues began to spring up in the area, where rent was relatively cheap. The students attending Hongik University—arguably the country’s most prestigious art school and the area’s namesake (Hongdae is short for Hongik Daehakgyo)—provided a ready and eager audience as well as a fair number of budding musicians. Hip-hop and electronica spawned an explosion of nightclubs, and soon, the expats, artists and young people came flocking.

Unlike here in the United States, Hongdae has largely escaped the “hipster-fication” that has overrun indie music hotbeds such as the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, where the streets are rotten with skinny jeans and hipsters sipping on Pabst Blue Ribbon. In Hongdae, hip-hop heads, jazz fans, rockers, ravers, salsa dancers and clubbers co-exist. Mark Russell, who in 2008 launched koreagigguide.com, an English-language blog about the Korean indie music scene, notes that Hongdae embodies an interesting aspect of Korean culture that he observed during his 10-plus years as a Canadian expat there. “One thing Seoul is very famous for is clustering,” says Russell, who is also the author of Pop Goes Korea: Behind the Revolution in Movies, Music, and Internet Culture (Stone Bridge Press, 2009). “If you want to buy bathroom fixtures, all the bathroom fixture stores are in one part of town. And it seems to have happened with the arts as well.”

So while the concentration of arts and music gives Hongdae its unique vibrancy, it also can make Hongdae feel very claustrophobic. And bands are often eager to break out beyond its confines, driven by both want and necessity.

Electro-punk trio Idiotape. Photo Courtesy of Vu Entertainment & Records

THE MAVERICK

It’s two weeks prior to the start of the Seoulsonic tour and Bernie Cho, the president of DFSB Kollective, the creative agency producing the tour, is “crazy stupid busy” figuring out travel visas and work permits. On top of that, DR, Idiotape’s drummer, has just given himself whiplash from head-banging too hard during a recent performance. Ever the optimist, Cho insists, “The neck brace actually doesn’t look too bad as part of his stage outfit.”

Over the past two years, Seoulsonic has evolved from a quarterly concert series to an international tour and now a hub for Korea’s breakthrough music via the newly launched website, seoulsonic.kr. As Cho states, “These dynamic and diverse music acts have a wide range of options and opportunities to break out and break through whether it’s in Seoul or Korea or beyond.”

The fact of the matter is, Korean indie bands—in particular “alt-rok” bands, as they are dubbed in Korea—practically need to build an international audience in order to succeed beyond Hongdae. In Korea, the rock genre is still the obscure cousin of pop, dance and hip-hop, and other revenue streams such as product endorsements and television appearances aren’t readily available to its musicians.

More importantly, Korea’s dirty little secret is that the music industry often chews up its artists before spitting them out. In January, three of the five members of the hugely popular female idol group Kara announced they were suing their management agency over exploitative contracts. And South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has recently ordered one agency to shorten the length of its 13-year contracts. The FTC has also investigated the country’s largest music portals amid allegations of price fixing. Sadly, the recent death of indie folk rocker Lee Jin-won from a brain hemorrhage in his tiny apartment has underscored how difficult it is for Korean musicians to survive off their art.

Cho and his fellow cohorts at DFSB’s wanted to do things differently, and hopefully better. They unabashedly formulated an artist-friendly, export-focused business model, squarely targeting international audiences through iTunes, which allows DFSB to pay artists a larger percentage of the profits. “The reality is,” states Cho, “we’re paying 15 times more per profit per download per artist.”

The key to success therefore is global exposure, but in the end the music speaks for itself.

Jeehye Ham, guitarist and vocalist of Vidulgi OoyoO.THE MUSIC

The members of Apollo 18 have attacked their self-produced regional tour the same way they’ve attacked their music: fearlessly. Bassist Daeinn Kim has said in previous interviews that the band wants to experience a bigger musical playground. When asked if they’re worried there might be bullies in the bigger playground, Kim states emphatically of his fellow band mates, guitarist Hyunseok Choi and drummer Sangyun Lee, “We’re not afraid of anything. On stage we enjoy our music, our sound. We don’t care about anything else, so we’re not afraid of anything.” They have reason to be confident. Last May they won Rookie of the Year at the 2010 Korean Music Awards. And Anna Lindgren of music blog indiefulrok.com has said of their virtuoso live performance and aggressive post-punk/math rock sound, “If there’s one Korean indie act that could tour the world today, Apollo 18 is it.”

They were actually invited to play SXSW last year, but could not afford to go. This year, however, they’re doing something a bit unprecedented in Korea: throwing a fundraiser. Korean culture generally frowns upon asking for money, but Apollo 18 has embraced a do-it-yourself approach, raising funds any way the band can, booking its own tour and finding innovative ways to promote its music. At SXSW, the band plans to hand out 500 iPhone covers with their band logo and contact information. Kim hopes to inspire others. “Any band in Korea can do this,” he advises. “Don’t be afraid!”

Idiotape

Dguru of Idiotape has a similar sense of bravado. The band’s deejay says of their North American debut, “Americans will be shocked! We are not K-pop. Americans won’t think there is anything like us. It will be raw.” As the only electronic group on Seoulsonic’s rock-heavy line-up, he’s not worried that audiences won’t dance. They’ve proven their mettle opening for luminaries like Fat Boy Slim at the outdoor Korean music fest Global Gathering and impressing SWXW organizers at the Pentaport music festival with their brand of live electronica complete with full drum set and six or seven thoroughly thrashed synthesizers. Dguru is unapologetic when he states that he’s bored with Hongdae and ultimately wants to tour the world with his band mates, DR on drums and ZEZE on synth. But in the meantime, he’s content to have the North American crowds go completely crazy.

Galaxy Express knows a thing or two about going nuts. The party rockers pride themselves on playing each show as if it will be their last. Cho, of the DFSB Kollective talent agency, describes them this way: “They bring the sex appeal of The Killers with the slight psychosis of Spinal Tap.” They are considered the wildest live band in Korea. “When we take these guys abroad,” Cho states, “people were just floored. They do some sh-t on stage that people are just like, what the f-ck?”

Stage antics notwithstanding, the trio—JuHyun Lee (vocals/bass), JongHyun Park (vocals/guitar), and HeeKwon Kim (drums)—has also garnered a ton of critical praise. They won Rock Album of the Year at the 2009 Korean Music Awards, and this year they’re nominated for three more: Musician of the Year, Rock Song of the Year and Rock Album of the Year.

Vidulgi OoyoO (which means “pigeon milk”) is also a critical darling. JiHae Ham’s lush vocals and soaring guitar compliment her bandmates’ aural sound, which include JongSeok Lee (guitar/vocals), Ok Jihoon (bass/vocals) and YongJun Lee (drums). Their shoegaze style might be a bit more subdued than the other bands on the Seoulsonic tour, but their live music is mesmerizing. Though the band has recently hit a string of bad luck—(JongSeok broke his wrist slipping on some ice, and JiHae’s guitar was stolen days before her father was hospitalized)—they’ve bounced back with an even fuller sound for the Seoulsonic tour with the addition of backup guitarist Seunghoon Choi.

The electronic duo, EE, (E. Hyun Joon and E. Yunjung) blurs the line between music and performance art. The husband-and-wife team often presents surreal works with gaudy fashion and strange theatrics. But don’t expect Lady Gaga. Their work is a bit more challenging à la Grace Jones or Yoko Ono, but with more danceable beats.

Korean indie will perhaps never eclipse K-pop, but these bands, which represent some of the best of Korea’s independent music scene, will plug in for some of the most renowned music festivals and events worldwide. Though it remains to be seen if any band can make it beyond Hongdae on a grand scale, this spring, some could very well blossom on the American stage. And a slew of great bands in Hongdae are itching for a turn. As Bernie Cho puts it: “This is the first wave of cream of the crop artists that will have an opportunity to turn stereotypes inside out.”

* * *

Every scene needs its blogs.

For K-pop, there’s allkpop.com and soompi.com, among others. For Korean indie music, the two most informative English-language blogs are indiefulrok.blogspot.com and koreagigguide.com. Arguably, the most comprehensive Korean indie music blog is indiefulrok.com, created and maintained by a 20- something Swedish woman, Anna Lindgren. According to Bernie Cho, “She has scary insider knowledge of the Hongdae music scene” despite only infrequent trips to Korea and limited Korean language skills.

Other blogs worth checking out include koreanhomesickblues.podbean.com, which currently contains over 30 indie music podcasts created by British expat Dave Chandler, a journalist living in Seoul.

Also, Joseph Kim, vocalist/guitarist of Kite Operations, occasionally posts some of the most entertaining and insightful interviews of fellow musicians for his zine at K.O.A. records (www.koarecords.com).

SOURCE : www.iamkoream.com
ARTICLE BY: Oliver Saria