Ericka Simone#KPop is the Temu/Shein/Fast Fashion of the modern #musicindustry.
lolz, but also, I’m very fkin serious.
Apparently, a lot of you are not familiar with the violent #music contracts most Kpop artists are forced to sign to participate. Most will never receive royalties. They are paid “on salary.” Out of that salary goes healthcare and other “costs.” If they are fired or quit, that is the end of their “salary,” if not career.
In addition. Most, if not all, will never own their work or their masters in any way. This is mandatory contract paperwork in KPop currently.
Also, I know humans like to be delusional, but unfortunately, if I have to live in reality, so do you.
There is a staggering amount of suicides coming out of the KPop management camps. It is one of the worst hidden secrets of #KPop #music currently. The things that they are doing to people’s mental health in some of those “KPop training camps” is blatant abuse, and it’s taking its toll.
And most of all, the violent racism. Please stop.
Do not play that shit around me or justify it in any way.
caitp@ErickaSimone I don't disagree, but is this not also true of major pop industries everywhere? Like there are exceptions to the rule, but there have always been predatory contracts and abusive managers and scouts, no?
@caitp not at this level, ever. If anything, a lot of the old standard contracts of ownership and the weird creepy abusive stuff was starting to die off.
Also, let’s not use abusive practices in other genres or industries to justify or “what if/whatabout” people who are calling attention to MORE abuse in the slop section of the music industry. It’s so disrespectful. Yes I know shit is fucked across the board. That’s why I have a career in music. To keep the fuckshit from happening.
@ErickaSimone no no don't get me wrong, it's absolutely crazy, I am not a fan. no whataboutism intended ;-;
@caitp understood. And I understand what you’re saying. The whole music industry is garbage if you don’t have an understanding of what’s going on. This is different.
Blatant suicides in “Kpop camps.” Signing off ALLLL your rights to your music, voice and image for the REST OF YOUR LIFE just to make $25K a year and be in a shitty band cosplaying 90s soul and pop (while harboring blatant antiblackness). Possibly a bit of fame. Nah. It’s grimy out here but it’s never been THIS dirty.
@ErickaSimone I hear you.. and yeah I hadn't realized it was that bad, thanks for shining a light on it
GhostOnTheHalfShellIt’s so weird too because the way South Korea’s works is the government targets specific sectors. This is why you see South Korean companies getting into cars and television screens and that kind of thing.
The same thing happened with cultural sectors. K-pop is the offspring of the government policy.
If the Korean public turns against this, the plug will be pulled.
@GhostOnTheHalfShell @caitp they wont. Sadly.
AccordionBruce@ErickaSimone @GhostOnTheHalfShell @caitp
You see KPop fans occasionally seem to do stuff online as a group with some power
In theory if fans existed and organized to support the artists, they might be able to influence their treatment
I don’t know how likely people are to take up a solidarity battle for pop stars against The Government
That sounds like a cool story though. I’d like to see it happen
Sara 
@ErickaSimone Have you seen any of the React to the K videos of classically trained musicians breaking down musical elements of kpop songs they listen to? It’s neat. It reveals some interesting things kpop producers are doing. I recommend this one: https://youtu.be/v1w3DS1lE0s
Classical & Jazz Musicians React: Red Velvet 'Feel My Rhythm'
@csara No. I have no respect for any of it. I know too much. Very industry adjacent.
For example, the people producing a lot of this will never be paid correctly because the music contracts are horrible, along with the mental health of a lot of those artists being very bad. A couple of suicides a year out of some of those kpop management collectives. Or several other things.
There is nothing anyone can show me. I’ve seen it from the inside. This section of “music” is a real issue.
@ErickaSimone An industry being horrific and engaging in toxic practices doesn’t automatically negate the artistic accomplishments of the singers. Kpop the industry can be heinous and at the same time artful music can exist in Kpop the genre. :/
@csara did you read the thread? Please for the love of Christ. Read the whole thread, maybe take a look at my bio and photo, and then reconsider your replies.
If you want to support slop, that’s on you. Don’t justify your poor decisions to me.
@ErickaSimone I had read the whole thread & your bio. I stand by what I said. Disregarding all music of an entire genre due to the gross practices of the industry they work in doesn’t feel right to me. There are artists who’ve committed suicide as a direct result of the industry & fan culture that nonetheless put their whole heart & soul into their art to express themselves. It’s possible to hold anger & distrust for the industry without disregarding the artists working within their culture
@csara again. It’s not a real genre. The end. My idea of artistic excellence starts with D’Angelo. You’re talking about disposable kpop churn. There are no accomplishments you can name that exceed the natural talents of the people that genre steals from. You will never understand.
So. Stop there, as I did, and move on with your life. Do not argue with me or defend your poor decisions to me. You are fucking dumb and a part of the problem. Block me and move on.
LAURENIt has always felt to me like the US era of the boy band: Formulaic bops that appeal to teenagers and an industry that is going to chew these young adults up and spit them out worse for the experience. They are all easily replaceable.
@noondlyt @ErickaSimone
The government funded and coordinated thing is what always set KPop aside for me
The music seems an afterthought
It’s the arts version of a tourist industry with heavy state involvement
Hearing horror stories isn’t surprising I guess
Fans should maybe feel guilty for supporting an abusive system like that?
It’s a huge money-maker
How is something like that changed?
Such a centralized system seems like it might be vulnerable to pressure 🤷🏻♂️
John Wilson@ErickaSimone I read the whole thread and all your replies. And I kept my mouth shut while I thought about it for a bit. But I have a question, because I want to understand.
When you said K-pop is ai slop, I came up with three possible meanings:
1. It’s as bad for music as ai slop is for culture
2. Over-corporate produced music has a thick AI formulaic sameness to it
3. The mechanisms by which the K-pop industry slices, dices, and regurgitates (mostly black) culture are similar to ai
@ErickaSimone it can be all three but I was wondering if one of those meanings was closer to your thoughts than others
I knew about the anti-blackness but I didn’t know about the suicides. Thanks for bringing that to my attention
@crazybutable so it’s all three, with a focus on #3. While still being violently anti black. Much like AI and most tech.
@ErickaSimone thank you.
I sat with it some more because I was still having trouble with the equivalence. But I think I figured it out.
(It’s too long and too late to get into it in tiny chunks on Mastodon! But thanks again.)
TransitBiker@ErickaSimone read the thread. What do you suggest we do about it? 
@TransitBiker stop engaging it is the most simple request, but that seems to be hard for most people. In a perfect world, people would enact due diligence and learn more about the fuckery, teach others and avoid that thing as a whole.
Too much to ask I know but whatever
@ErickaSimone rephrasing: how do we help support the artists create and be treated ethically?
@TransitBiker make sure you’re using ethical ways to support, support them financially, and directly if possible. If they have bandcamp, use that primarily. If they have merch, purchase. If they have a show in the area, go to it.
Usually an artist will let you know exactly what they need, especially if they are independent. Due diligence, again, is important.
Major label artists will be different, but the same energy applies. Consistent support is needed.