40. 10년 전에 미래를 예측했던 박진영? (영어 인터뷰)

10년 전에 음악 산업에 일어날 변화를 미리 예측했던 박진영. 세계적인 음악 컨퍼런스 미뎀에서 진행된 그의 인터뷰를 들어봅니다.

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Interviewer:

Back in 2001, you said this to your staff. You said, we don’t make music. We make stars. Well, why did you say that? What were you driving out there?

 

JYP:

Uh, I mean.. I have to confess that it wasn’t because I was smart. It was because I was forced to. 80% of Korean computers were high speed cable connected. So when the Napster type of programs came out, it hit Korea the most fastest and most severely. So we lost 90% of the physical CD market. So I had no choice but to change our business model. So okay, now, when everything is turning digital, where should I go? So, my thought was what’s the most analogue thing in the world is human being. So, no matter what happens on the way how we distribute music, the fact that a star, we need a star would never change. So that was my safest bet to concentrate on the human beings. So I got all my employees in auditorium and said ‘Okay, from today, we don’t make music. We make stars.’ So our final product is not music but human beings. As soon as I changed my model towards human, the most important thing was to find the right talents. So first, my key thing was, of course, they have to sing and dance well and act well, and has to be attractive, and has a star quality. But I wanted to find a global appeal in every artist, so I could expand my market outside of Asia. So we traveled nine different countries doing auditions.

 

Interviewer:

Tell us a little bit more about this whole kind of, you know, artist development. I mean, we hear a lot about too much kind of short-termism these days. But I mean, your approach is really long-term, isn’t it? Especially with the whole academy.

 

JYP:

Yes, the biggest two stars that came out of my company is Rain and Wonder Girls. And Rain was trained for four years, just training, before his first debut. And Wonder Girls were trained seven years. And what were they trained? First, at least, minimum two languages, and singing, dancing, acting, and of course, personality. And depending on the lot of dance artists who dance and perform, we even teach acrobatics, gymnastics, basically.

 

Interviewer:

Tell us a little bit more about specifically with Rain and Wonder Girls and how they work with brands.

 

JYP:

Rain, we launched him as a singer first. He was very popular as a singer, and then we had a TV series ready for him. So as soon as he got popular, he moved on to a TV mini-series. And then that TV mini-series was the maybe top three most watched TV series ever in Asian history called Full House. So he became a star in all over Asia. His album was number one in eight different countries, and that’s when I said, okay, now we’re going to the States. And Wonder Girls, they speak three languages, so it took them, it took us seven years to prepare before they debut. So they speak Mandarin, Korean, and English. It hasn’t even been two years. Next month, it’s gonna be two years since they debuted. But they got picked as a ‘Girl groups to watch’ by Virgin Media. They had three number one albums, and now we’re preparing their TV show for the US.

 

Interviewer:

And the Chinese market, that’s going to be a big one for them in particular?

 

JYP:

Of course, of course. I mean, Chinese market is not yet copyright-protected that well. But as long as the human beings travel, which is concerts, tours, it’s the biggest revenue or one of the biggest revenue sources in the world. And also endorsement deals in China.

 

Interviewer:

Let’s move it on now and talk a little bit more about digital specifically as well. Because that’s one of the main focuses of this conference. And where your actual digital revenues are coming from?

 

JYP:

Currently the biggest two digital incomes.. 60% of the digital income comes from mobile sales, which is cell phones, basically. Ringtones, ringback tones. And about 40% of digital revenue comes from Internet streaming. Basically, streaming is playing a role that radio is playing.

 

Interviewer:

So the whole sort of ownership thing, is that kind of going away really? The idea of owning music in Korea is just not so important now? For instance, the concepts of CDs and CD albums, it’s just not happening anymore, is it?

 

JYP:

Basically in Korea, we lost 90% of the physical CD market. But fortunately, the digital’s..

 

Interviewer:

90%?

 

JYP:

90 is gone. Yeah, so basically, everything is gone. So, even till now, American record label owners say like, ‘Oh, how much did the Wonder Girls, how much albums did they sell?’ I don’t know what to answer, because we never made an album. So the conversation ends right there, but.. Basically now, what we’re in is that we make this thing called ‘mini albums’ which only have three songs. But nobody buys it to have music. They already have the music through digitally. They’re buying it because it’s more like a souvenir for the fans. So it has a huge section of a photo book, so it’s more like a souvenir and a photo book for the fans to have. So nobody buys it for the music.

 

Interviewer:

And the release cycle for that would be what?

 

JYP:

The release is cycle is usually three, four months. You know how it takes two, three years to make an album. But now everything’s turning way faster, so the circulation for the artists to release the new materials is getting really really faster. Because all you need is three, four songs to release a new mini album. 

 

Interviewer:

Every, every three, four months.

 

JYP:

Usually singers release two a year,  and people who spent three, four years off and then coming back, it’s not working that well anymore. And a lot of those fans will already have bought that music anyway, they own that music. 

 

Interviewer:

So it’s more about the whole..

 

JYP:

Yes, nobody gets music from this actual CD. It’s just for their souvenirs and in different functions like a photo book or calendar.

 

Interviewer:

So, you know, the big question obviously that we’re all thinking is kind of.. Is this our future and when I say our, you know, I’m meaning kind of, UK, Europe, US, kind of focused. I mean, is this what where everywhere’s going to be headed? Is it going to be the same everywhere? Do you represent, I think, you introduce yourself as the man from the future, don’t you? You’re like here to do that. Is it the same for us?

 

JYP:

I’ll hear American people and European people say, ‘But good album still sells.’ Yeah, yeah. I can.. I definitely understand. I would.. I’m really doubtful if you guys can say that after five years when Internet high-speed penetration rate go over 70%. Then nobody’s gonna ever say that again. In Korea, when Internet penetration rate was like 50%, they used to say.. ‘Yeah, good album still sells.’ But when they went over 70, 80, that word, that sentence disappeared. But it’s just too inconvenient for the customers. So everything’s moving towards what customers are comfortable. Customers don’t want to be forced to buy twelve songs. It’s just uncomfortable and inconvenient for the customers. So yeah, when the Internet high-speed penetration rate goes over 70%, the CD market is gonna be over. It’s gonna be very convenient for the fans to purchase just one song easily, off of digital, from their computer, which is very convenient. Nothing can beat the convenience of a customer.

 

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