What are the reasons respect and the value for Korean music awards like MAMA, SMA, and GDA have disappeared? KMCA revealed why.
From MAMA to SMA: South Korea's Major Music Awards
From December 2021 to January this year, numerous music awards ceremonies were held to commemorate the achievements and contributions of Korean artists to the continuously growing Korean Wave.
If K-pop agencies have "BIG 4" comprises of HYBE, SM, YG and JYP, the Korean music awards have "BIG 5" composed of five major awards ceremonies: Gaon Chart Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards (GDA), MelOn Music Awards (MMA), Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) and Seoul Music Awards (SMA).
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Respect to these aforementioned was high in the past, and the competition for the Daesang Trophy (Golden Prize) was much-awaited by K-pop fans.
These music awards determine the artists' popularity and recognize their huge contributions in the music industry.
KMCA Reveals 5 Reasons Respect, Value of Korean Music Awards Decrease
Through the years, the Korean Music Awards became the center of mockery and criticism, and its credibility to recognize top artists of the year also plummeted.
In line with this, Choi Kwang Ho, the secretary-general of the Korea Music Contents Association (KMCA) and who oversees the Gaon Chart and Gaon Chart Music Awards, explained five reasons for this.
Firstly, it was revealed that the number of music awards ceremonies has increased so much that the value of its scarcity has decreased.
Currently, domestic music awards include Gaon Chart Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards, The Fact Music Awards, Melon Music Awards, Seoul Music Awards, Asian Artist Awards, Asia Pacific Music Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards, and Korean Popular Music Awards.
Aside from these, there are also music awards ceremonies organized by Korean media outlets and fandom platforms. There are so many that it became "common" in the industry.
The second and third reasons include the OVERHEATED competition among fandoms. Since K-pop music became the mainstream of popular music, K-pop enthusiasts tend to recognize music awards as "by rankings" just like in sports.
Most music awards criteria include fandom popularity voting, diverting the focus of giving recognitions to the one deserving to just winning the "rank."
Then, Secretary-General Choi explained that it was due to the unique characteristics of popular music. This is because, due to the business structure of independent profitability and the nature of the popular music industry, which is relatively difficult to collaborate with, unnatural scenes due to small exchanges are produced at the awards ceremony.
The last reason was not just Korea's problem, but also competition for the awards ceremony's ending stage.
In response, Secretary-General Choi expressed his ambition, saying, "We will do our best to recognize this problem and respect each other in the future and to ensure that the awards ceremony, where 'care' is the most important value, can take place at the Gaon Chart Music Awards."
READ MORE: 19th Korean Music Awards Nominees: Who Will Be Music Critics' Pick? BTS, SHINee, aespa, More Included
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Written by Eunice Dawson
