K-Pop Is Showing the Music Industry That the Song Is Only the Beginning

For decades, the music business has operated around a fairly simple idea: the song is the product.

You record it. You release it. You promote it. You get it onto radio, playlists and social media, and hopefully generate enough attention to create streams, ticket sales and merchandise.

But K-pop has been turning that model around.

The song isn't necessarily the final product anymore. It can be the entrance to an entire world.

Korean entertainment companies aren't simply developing recording artists.

They're building artist universes.