After Years Of Declining Prestige And Quality, K-Pop Award Shows Are Finally Getting An Overhaul

K-Pop fans have long been dissatisfied.
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Serah S. Cherrie
Serah S. Cherrie

Over the past few years, K-Pop award shows have become a bittersweet affair for many fans, with mounting criticism over the format, organization, and fairness of these shows. From allegations of “attendance awards” to claims of unfair manipulations in awarding criteria, year-end award shows have increasingly lost their charm in recent years.

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The 2022 MAMA Awards | CJ Newsroom

According to recent reports, the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) has criticized the current unfair practices of such award shows, pointing out that these ceremonies tend to put K-Pop fans under a tremendous economic burden by using paid voting systems. This is one of the most common ways for award show organizers to generate revenue, but in the end, it causes inevitable fatigue among fans.

The association has hence issued new guidelines for K-Pop award ceremonies to ensure a more fair and transparent system.

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The main content of the guidelines contains four basic rules. Firstly, award shows must be careful of the need for thorough preparation and management to ensure a reliable and respectable ceremony. Second, fair and transparent awarding standards must be presented to create an award ceremony culture at an industry level.

Thirdly, the choices of management companies and artists must be respected, along with protection for the performers’ rights. The fourth and last guideline is to hold the ceremony in South Korea instead of overseas. KMCA also recommended strengthening cooperation with the government to properly host such ceremonies in the country.

Following the release of these standard guidelines, the KMCA plans to announce a standard contract for appearances at award ceremonies. The contract would support fair agreements between performers and management agencies during award show appearances, thereby better protecting artist rights and reducing legal risks for companies.

We expect that these guidelines will contribute to creating trusted awards ceremonies for the industry, artists, and audiences alike. We hope that organizers, artists, management companies, and fans will collaborate for the continuous development of the music industry.

— Choi Kwang Ho, secretary-general of KMCA

K-Pop fans have mostly reacted positively to these recommendations. However, many have proposed additional restrictions in order to ensure a fairer awarding system, which include making changes to streaming and sales criteria.

Source: Hankyoreh and Korea JoongAng Daily
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