Korea based Kpop video community Amazer has raised $1.3 Million US in Series A funding from BTC Investment, ICB, and others.

Founded in 2016, Amazer is a global Kpop video Community where Kpop creators can upload Kpop-related dance, lip-sync, selfie videos. Furthermore, they provide a video community platform where the young generation can share their passion for Kpop artists and music.

The Amazer App

The app allows users to upload 15 to 30 second long videos.  These videos will be of them dancing and lip-syncing to K-pop songs.  In addition, guide videos with both Korean and English subtitles are provided in the app.  This is in order to help users easily create Kpop videos. Furthermore, users can create their own guide videos and make others cover them. It is now available in +121 countries.  Therefore over 90% of users are based outside Korea.

Furthermore, they can rise to in-app fame by doing well in “battles”.  These battles are where other users have to choose between two videos on a split-screen display and “swipe right” to vote for their favorite.  This helps their favorite influencers boost in the leaderboard ranking.  In addition, Amazer was selected as ‘The Indie App of 2017’ by Google Play and ‘Promising Startup of 2018’ by Google Korea and eight Korean startup support institutions.

Collaboration with Kpop Artists

Amazer has stepped up by collaborating with various Kpop artists including MOMOLAND, Monsta X, Dreamcatcher, Dia, etc and to promote their new albums globally.  Therefore Kpop lovers can shoot their cover dance video just by mirroring the guided video generated by each idol member.  9 out of 10 Amazer users are teens overseas.  These countries include the U.S., Canada, Germany, and South East Asian countries like Thailand, Philippine and Vietnam.

“Since Kpop group BTS recently made a breakthrough in the US mainstream market.  Kpop has been widely adopted by global young generation. Amazer has initially gained its organic traction from them. Thousands of Kpop dance crew team has joined Amazer to create their quality video to collaborate or compete with other Kpop fans” said Dongsuk Kim, Head of BTC investment, an investment arm of Cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb.

Use of Funding

The Series A funding will be used to expand its user base.  As well as scale their new business model throughout SEA regions.

In 2016, the company closed a US$0.6M seed funding round from GS Home Shopping and KTB Network and has since continued to grow its K-pop community.

“Amazer is a global community where Kpop fans can express their talent and connect each other around Kpop culture. We will lead the way of promoting new Kpop artists and K-products in fashion and beauty to global young generation” said Tensz Lee, CEO/Co-founder of Amazer.

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The K-pop Industry is a $5 billion dollar industry.  However many do not realize that K-pop merchandise has been on the rise since the start of K-pop.  It doesn’t matter if Korea is going through a down market, K-pop merchandising has grown to become a $100 million dollar industry.

It seems K-pop fans not only in Korea or Asia but all over the world are such loyal fans that they will literally buy anything with their favorite K-pop star on it.  Most might be thinking of merchandise as just posters, clothes, or calendars.  However, K-pop merchandises have grown so much!  Here are some examples.

Interesting K-pop Merchandises

You will find many K-pop items that have NOTHING to do with K-pop.  From K-pop candles to K-pop umbrellas it is really amazing how much selling power these K-pop idols have on their fans.  Most teams that can be branded can be branded with K-pop stars.  There are K-pop lunch boxes, phone cases,  laptop sleeves, silverware, nail polish, and even lotion!

BTS has been leading the way by promoting themselves on social media.  Their products are the most in demand next to EXO, TWICE, and BLACKPINK.  Their products are mainly sold in Asia.  Tourists that come to Korea buy as much K-pop merchandise as they can before going back to China, Singapore, etc.  However more and more K-pop merchandise is being shipped out of Korea which has improved global sales but hurt the travel/tourist industry.

Loyal K-pop Fans

Gaming Companies are Incorporating K-pop

Many gaming companies are incorporating K-pop stars to target the young teen to early twenty generation.  K-pop songs are used as background music for many games and the stars themselves are sometimes used as in the game “Dance Central” which was a popular virtual dance game for Xbox 360.

K-pop Action Figures

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Asian Games will be showcasing e-Sports on Aug. 18th in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.  This is a big step in getting e-Sports into the mainstream and Korean e-Sports gamers are looking to dominate at the Asian Games.  In addition, e-Sports have very passionate fans that are very tech savy and could take traditional sports to the next level.  Korea has been dominating e-Sports ever since the days of the original Starcraft.  These days the biggest games are Overwatch, League of Legends, Dota 2, and mobile game Clash Royale.

Koreans treat e-Sports as any other sport.  They have sponsors, teams, scouts, coaches, and even training centers.  Korea has been known to be a bit closed off from the global market, however this is not the case with e-Sports.  Korean professional gamers have a lot of experience in global competitions.  For example professional gamers from Gen.G e-Sports participated in the PUBG Global Invitational 2018 in Berlin and won the championship.

E-Sports in Korea

Most of these games rely heavily on teamwork and strategy.  Therefore, this is why in Korea most teams live together in training centers.  Gen.G is building a seven-story e-Sports center in Korea.  Furthermore, this will be a center where players will to practice with one another and build team chemistry.

Korean e-Sports companies like Gen.G also do a great job of building the professional gamers brands.  They have learned a lot from the K-pop industry and how they have built K-pop stars.  Most Korean eSports gamers communicate with the online fans to build the best eSports ecosystem in the world.  Many teams are sponsored by big Korean conglomerates and some smaller eSports-centered companies.  Therefore, in the end Korea is looking to establish itself as the next professional eSports hub.

Globally companies will be looking at eSports for media and broadcasting rights.  The more fans eSports acquires, the bigger the sponsors will be.  Furthermore, product placement inside the games itself is another aspect of marketing that could attract big brand global companies.

By 2020 it is expected that Korea will build more facilities and even schools dedicated to training the next generation in eSports.  Korea is already one of the leading internet and technology infrastructures in the world.

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It is clear that world market of k-pop has been growing rapidly. It seems more and more youths are getting into the music industry.  Therefore there is a high demand for practical music education these days in Korea. There has been intense competition in college examinations.  Competition rate goes over 300:1 for vocal part, 100:1 for instrument part and there have been more than 53,000 applicants for K-pop colleges in the year of 2016. However, students are not provided enough opportunities to test their performing skills. Also, there are very few systematical programs for examinations.  Therefore, here is SilMo!

Korean Startup SilMo IBT is an internet-based mock test system for practical music, mainly k-pop. You can get real-time communication tool through live video lessons in SilMo, even music lessons from college professors.  With the world moving more towards a digital age, this platform is perfect for this generation. SilMo IBT also provides you with definite evaluation criteria provided by current professors. You can use it with ease anywhere and anytime. SilMo is available not only for PCs but also on Mobile apps and tablets.

Extensive reserved faculties from Korea’s Top 10 colleges are supporting SilMo. Therefore, abundant and clear evaluation comments by current professors are listed on it. Students can get great real checkup opportunities throughout SilMo IBT and prepare for their practical music education easily.

HOW IT WORKS

What’s provided by SilMo:

• easy access to SilMo Web Base Available at Home PC, Mobile Apps, Tablet
• Automatic Musical Theory Test Offered-Harmonics, Score Reading, Listening Test
• Posted Video Evaluated by 3 Current Professors and Real College Advisors
• Average Grade Points and Advisors’ Comments Informed to the Students

Here’s how the test process works. First, the students have to post a video that they have performed. Then the faculty is placed automatically. After that, students have to take theory tests including Harmonics, Score Reading, and a Listening test. Finally, you can get notifications of both the theory test and the video. Every result includes average grade points and advisors’ comments for the students.

In the current market, there is no business model that provides mock performance examination for practical music that is based on the internet as well as evaluated by about 50 professors currently in position. This would be a great opportunity for those who could not afford expensive offline practical music lessons and it would solve the regional and financial unfairness. Also, the improvement of practical music skills by students is expected with SilMo.

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In South Korea, the #1 “social networking site” is now finally Facebook and K-Pop groups are starting to take notice.   As more and more South Koreans have discovered Facebook, K-Pop entertainment companies are urging their groups to have a strong social media presence in Korea, especially with Facebook.  With so many Koreans using social media on their mobile phones, Facebook is now the #1 source for K-Pop groups to go to promote their songs, upcoming events, and news. Almost everyone in Korea has a smartphone, especially if you are in the 18-35 demographic.  The availability of iPhones in Korea and the continued rise of Facebook usage among Koreans means this trend is not going to stop anytime soon.  So who are the best at using this platform?  Here are the top 10 K-Pop groups on Facebook as of this moment.

10) 2PM – 3,645,705 followers

2PM comes in at #10 which is surprising because they have been around awhile.  You would think an up and coming K-Pop group would have come along and taken them out.  2PM was created by JYP Entertainment in 2009.

Current Members:  Jun. K, Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Junho, and Chansung.

9)  GOT 7 – 3,938,175 followers

You would think GOT 7 would have a stronger following on Facebook but still, they come in at #9 on this list.  They are also with JYP Entertainment and their debut was in early 2014.

Current members:  JB, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam, and Yugyeom.

8) CNBLUE – 4,353,642 followers

CNBLUE is one of the few rock groups in K-Pop.  They have a loyal following on Facebook with over 4 million followers and comes in at #8.  The group was formed in 2009.

Current members:  Jung Yong-hwa, Lee Jong-hyun, Kang Min-hyuk, and Lee Jung-shin.

7) SHINee – 5,797,749 followers

SHINee comes in at #7 and has been around for a while.  They came out in 2008 under S.M. Entertainment and is mainly an R&B boy group.

Current members:  Key, Onew, Taemin, and Minho

6)  BTS – 5,853,318 followers

One of the hottest groups in K-Pop comes in at #6.  They are also known as Bangtan Boys and was created by Big Hit Entertainment in 2013.  They remain Big Hit Entertainment’s biggest draw.

Current members:  Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook

5) Girl’s Generation – 7,127,562 followers

One of the most popular girl groups comes in at #5.  They are also known as SNSD and was formed by S.M. Entertainment back in 2007.

Current members:  Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Taeyeon, Yuri, Yoona, Seohyun, and Sooyoung.

4) EXO – 7,292,940 followers

One of the largest member groups EXO comes in at #4.  They are a South Korean and Chinese mixed boy group created by S.M. Entertainment in 2011.  They are separated into two subgroups, Exo-K and Exo-M and they perform music in both Korean and Mandarin.  This was Korea’s attempt to break into the Chinese market and they were largely successful.

Current members:  Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun.

3)  Super Junior – 7,692,346 followers

Super Junior has been around longer than Girl’s Generation.  They were formed back in 2005 by S.M. Entertainment and was one of the main groups to take S.M. Entertainment to the top.

Current members:  Kibum, Leeteuk, Ryeowook, Heechul, Hangeng, Yesung, Donghae, Siwon, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk.

2)  2NE1 – 9,020,769 followers

The biggest girl group in K-Pop has over 9 million followers on Facebook and is closing the gap for the #1 spot.  They were created by YG Entertainment back in 2009.  They were able to create hit after hit throughout the years and it is looking more likely that CL, one of the leaders of the group will break out in the states soon.

Current members:  Bom, Minzy, Dara, and CL

1) Big Bang – 10,574,913 followers

They don’t get any more famous than Big Bang.  They have been the top K-Pop group for over 5 years.  Created by YG Entertainment, all the members of the group have become famous in and of themselves.  They are considered the Kings of K-Pop.

Current members:  T.O.P., Taeyang, Daesung, Seungri, G-Dragon

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BTS’s “War of Hormone” Music Video has over a 104 million views on YouTube.  Showing that Kpop is still very popular globally.  The video passed the 100 million views mark in late November.  With so many people around the world watching the music video and Kpop Videos in general.  So, a potential new star might have been born.

Her name is Han A. Sun, a 21-year-old model, who has a cameo on the music video, and she is cashing in on the SNS internet rush that the video has generated.  Not only is she getting a lot of buzz in South Korea but also in Asia and even the United States.

She can be seen walking the streets in what looks like a cheerleading outfit, with the whole BTS body trying to get her attention.  Therefore, she has become the envy of all BTS fans around the world.  The music video on Youtube got over a 100 million views.  This has helped Han get a really big boost on her social media account.

New Career in Film

A new film has decided to use Han.   South Korea and Myanmar will jointly produce a film and it will begin shooting in the first half of 2018.

“I am so happy to be loved by so many foreign fans because of BTS’s music video. In the future, I would like you to watch the music video as an actress,” said Han A. Sun

With the success of Kpop groups and their use of social media to promote their music and content, surprising stars are emerging.  Therefore, Han A. Sun might not be the only success story to come.  These small cameos mean a lot more in this digital marketing age.  Those that promote themselves the right way can really break out from these small cameos.  That is the power that these Kpop groups have, the power to make virtually anyone famous.

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