listen, years ago i actually liked HYBE’s music direction a lot more than i do now. it felt like there was more variety and even when something was experimental, it still had its own identity.
but recently it kind of feels like there’s a stronger push toward making songs that are instantly viral or TikTok-friendly rather than music that has long-term replay value or a distinct artistic direction for each group. like the focus is more on the “moment” of the song rather than how it sits as a full body of work.
what makes this interesting is that a lot of fans have been debating whether this kind of strategy can affect how groups develop their own musical identity over time, especially newer groups that are still shaping their sound.
it’s not that the music is bad, but personally it feels more formula-driven now compared to earlier releases, and less like each group has a clearly separate sonic identity under the same company.
i also wonder how much top-level involvement in production credits actually reflects direct creative input vs broader direction from A&R or executive-level strategy. in big companies, the process can be pretty layered, and from the outside it’s not always clear who is shaping what.
overall, it just makes me wonder if the industry-wide push for virality is starting to come at the cost of individuality and transparency in music direction.
do you guys think kpop credits reflect actual creative input clearly, or is the process more complicated than it looks on paper?
submitted by /u/blue98Hz
[link] [comments]
