DISCLAIMER: These are things I have seen mentioned within S-pop, but they are in no particular order for importance. This is not meant to target anyone, and I may make some generalizations based on what I have seen, to keep things shorter. So just keep that in mind. Also, please respect my opinions, I am putting myself in a vulnerable position by sharing them. But feel free to debate respectfully with me, I welcome that. This is also an /opinions/ article, so please don't expect me to be often impartial. Hello, this is Esperanza, with an article on my own personal opinions. Please be reminded that these are my honest opinions, but I'm also remember that I am put in a vulnerable place by talking about my opinions, so my greatest wish is you respect my opinions. In case you need it, here is a code of conduct with interacting with me and my content: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1249544409/ Now, let's begin. 1. Favoritism in labels - Yes, companies may "favor" popular individuals within this community, but that is because they have built a good reputation and established the fact that they have talent. However, this is not saying that lesser-known people are not talented. (+) It can take time for talented individuals to be discovered, but as long as they are consistent and persistent with activity and work, they will be recognized for their capabilities. - Most popular individuals in S-pop are very talented (not saying any of them are, but I will rarely say "always" to keep it safe), therefore deserve their positions in this community. - (Note: generalization) I absolutely hate mustard labels. Despite my highest hopes, there are still many who make their label accounts expecting to be immediately popular and recognized. When they don't get what they want, they'll leech off of some member's popularity to survive. Conclusion: Companies should do their best to be open-minded when looking through auditions. If they have a lot of auditions, it is within their own responsibility to do so. Look for their voices' hidden potential. Even if an auditionee is popular, they should consider if the individual's voice fits well with the groups concept and meshes well with other members' voices. 2. Glazing - I have seen way too many covers that are offbeat, off-pitch, etc., but they continue to get comments of "omg slayyy!", "this is fire :0", and such. Please make your compliments scaled to the quality as much as you can. It can be detrimental to the singer's improvement if they are misled by people that their singing is amazing and perfect. Respectfully give them tips if you can. - Constructive criticism can really go a long way. Most people would welcome it freely without a second thought. Conclusion: Be (respectfully) honest. It helps everyone a lot. 3. Mustard labels - I covered this a bit already, but please, these guys generally expect lines to be done in a week, act entitled and are attention-seeking. It's a pain to deal with them. - (Note: generalization) They expect to be uplifted by the community, even if they have three auditions open and no debuted groups. They complain about not getting enough people to audition. But they're not showing enough professionalism, accountability, or maturity. Without a doubt, most people scrolling through label accounts wouldn't want to audition for a label that shows the most obvious signs of being a mustard label. - They get unhappy about how they aren't popular or don't get recognized by the community, but respect is earned. (Not saying we should disrespect people if we don't know them, but there is respect you give to everyone, and respect that is earned.) (+) You don't just get popularity or anything overnight. Reputation has to be solidified over many, many days of hard work and grueling effort. If you don't want to commit that far, forget about making a label. It will be too much for you. - They don't make much effort to advertise their company. I see many popular labels proactively pinging and advertising for their label's promotions and activity. Advertising plays a major role in raking in the views. - This is not saying they can't change, but complaining about getting a lower amount of return with a lower amount of effort simply infuriates me to the core. Conclusion: It's important to recognize the signs of mustard labels. If you're an auditionee, you should check for some of the signs I have listed up above. If you're a label, be careful and intentional with your actions. 4. Auditions - Many people expressed displeasure with popularity being factors of bias in many different ways. - I have already covered how some people say that labels favor popular people, earlier, so I will be skipping over that. (continued in notes and credits)
- Correct me if I am wrong, but many popular companies were started by nugu/lesser-known S-pop idols. They may have been known as a person or for their personality, but less as an idol in S-pop. - For example, Yooni, the CEO of dolle_ent, wasn't as known in S-pop for her singing, but she thrived when assembling and debuting groups. Before her success with the label, she was known more for her outgoing personality, as she had been actively connecting with many people in S-pop. I personally believe that her positive connections with members of the community spurred the popularity of her label. It acted as the kindle to the fire of her success, which easily took over S-pop. - Yes, aesthetic thumbnails are intended to draw people in for the clicks. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the labels will get auditions. Professionalism of a label is one of the many factors that increases the chances of them to get auditions. (+) Arguably, I'd say that thumbnails can't just be a cardboard cutout of Jimin for people to want to audition. (<- hyperbole) Thumbnails need to be professional and clear. That creates the impression that your label is reliable. But again, I'm not saying you /have/ to have the best thumbnails ever to be successful, but it is one of the many factors to success. Conclusion: Success is defined by many variables and factors, such as good marketing, appropriate thumbnails, effort distribution is the right places, and more. If you would like me to cover an article on this in the future, let me know! 5. TWs and Tonetags - TWs are great, and the implementation of them has helped a lot of people. However, not enough of us state the reason for the TW. If more of us start stating the reason of the TW, it will benefit even more people. - Tonetags are important for us to understand the tone of how people are saying things. Especially because we are online and using text to express ourselves, there are many limitations that can come with it. Our expressions, tone of voice, etc. are not visible/audible to people, so depending on a person's mood, it could affect how they might read it. Search up "tonetags" to get context and how to use them. 6. Drama - Lately, drama has been going around in our community, and it has been found to make quite a few individuals stressed. I have many questions, concerns, and speculations that I believe will not be beneficial to state, but I think most of us can agree that we should try out best to keep it out of the studio as much as we can. - Taking things slowly to understand and provide the context is important, in order to prevent the situation from spiraling out of proportion. Take a moment. Breathe. Ask yourself, what's going on? Do we really need to take measures? If we do, what amount is appropriate? Ask questions from both sides before any potential confrontation. Don't make assumptions unless you have extremely incriminating evidence. - This does not mean that the "victim" or the "perpetrator"'s sides don't matter. What matters is both sides can clear up any misunderstanding or disagreement. Both sides should willingly and truthfully admit to their faults for this to be effective. - If you have a speculation (eg: has someone been removing my projects from the studio [something I have seen in many different studios, so it is not targeted]), please state that you are unsure if what you say is the truth and the whole truth. That is one of the ways to prevent people from misunderstanding and somehow escalate into drama. Conclusion: Drama can be minimized. We should try to do our best to prioritize the mental health of everyone. Think logically before speaking in a provocative manner. Minimize assumptions. With that, we can grow as people and a community. Reporting my personal opinions on S-pop: Reporter Esperanza. Let's bring hope and exploration of this world. Thank you. That's me, Esperanza, signing out. Notes that won't help any of you: Reporter Esperanza's Sixth News Drop: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1272959105/ My MOSTLY Unfiltered (and /Possibly/ Cancellable) Opinions on S-pop. Please support by providing constructive feedback. You're always welcome to disagree.
