The Impact of the Spatial Distribution of Global K-POP Fan on the Export of the Korean Music Industry

Abstract

As K-POP has gained widespread attention around the world, this music genre has also gained more and more fans around the world. Slightly different from other industries, the music industry is quite dependent on its fans. This has also caused considerable resistance to the Korean music industry in expanding its global market. As the main cultural export sector of South Korea, K-POP has gained much more acceptation in non-Asian regions in recent years with its unique style and viral marketing. However, the factors affecting the growth of fans and their global distribution have not received much attention and research. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to identify the impact of spatial distribution of K-POP fans on the export of the Korean music industry by utilizing an integrative approach that combines spatial autocorrelation and panel data analysis. More specifically, this paper selects relevant data for analysis, and uses spatial autocorrelation analysis and panel data analysis to conclude that the distribution of K-POP fan groups currently has a certain spatial aggregation. In addition, the export amount of the K-POP industry is positively correlated with per capita purchasing power and the number of fans, especially with per capita purchasing power. This result can serve as a reference for the future expansion direction of the K-POP industry.