MU:CON – Korea’s Largest Music Conference
By Chris Weatherspoon
I bet you know what K-pop is.
I bet you know BTS too.
But I’m sure what you really want to know is how to create a global music sensation like BTS.
When I was once tasked with promoting a K-pop girl group, I wanted to know this too. I reached out to a friend that worked at a Korean music distribution company for pointers and he gave me a lot of useful tips, from how a NUGU should approach SNS platforms to what month and day of the week is best to drop a comeback. When he felt I had learned enough he suggested I attend MU:CON.
MU:CON – What’s That?
Now in its 12th year, MU:CON [Music Conference] is South Korea’s largest music fair. A collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency [KOCCA], MU:CON takes place annually in late August or early September and brings together two distinct events under one umbrella - the Seoul International Music Fairand the Entertainment Industry Expo. MU:CON’s programming is typically divided into 3 sections: Panels and Workshops, Business Matching and a Performance Showcase.
One of the best things about this conference is that it is free to attend if you’re a music professional! If your business has a license, you can simply register as a delegate for your company to attend panels and B2B matching sessions on the official MU:CON website!
THE CONFERENCE
MU:CON 2023 took place from September 5 to 9 across several locations in Seoul.
From September 5 to 7, MU:CON held events at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, including open sessions and workshops that delved into global music and entertainment industry trends.
Topics this year included strategies for leveraging big data and harnessing popular music power along with discussions about the Asian music network. Esteemed speakers such as Soy Kim from Spotify, Nicole Kim from Columbia Records, and Taeko Saito from Empire shared their insights during these sessions.
MU:CON 2023 also dedicated attention to examining one of the biggest issues facing local musicians and agencies: how to expand internationally. Through workshops and special sessions, participants gained valuable business knowledge about expanding into global markets. Key organizations like the Korea Music Content Association; NOMEX (Nordic Music Export); Korean Music Concert Industry Association; and the All Japan Concert Live Entertainment Promoters Conference [A.C.P.C] shared their expertise on a variety of topics.
BIZ MATCHING
This year 50 entertainment and music tech companies registered to participate in MU:CON 2023’s B2B sessions, offering services from concert promotion and tour scheduling to album design and music distribution.
Among the companies included were major label Sony Music, Korean talent agency Starship Entertainment, and Creative Mind, which credits itself as Korea’s first-ever AI music composter.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE
Every year, the music showcase is the highlight of MU:CON, drawing music fans who line up around a city block to see their favorite acts perform. Tickets are free (limited to 2 per person) but there is a small handling fee. This year the showcase took place on September 8 and 9 and was spread across three popular venues in Seoul’s hip and trendy Hongdae - Shinhan Play Square Live Hall, Musinsa Garage, and Rolling Hall. The event saw 51 acts grace the stage, from an eclectic mix of genres such as pop, R&B, rock, hip-hop, and electronic music.
The artist lineup for MU:CON 2023 covered a wide range of genres for Korean popular music.
The first day of the festival saw performances from popular groups including TRENDZ, Glen Check, THORNAPPLE, George, Isaac Hong, Kisu, Silica Gel, 3YE and YUDABINDBAND. The second day featured TOUCHED, Kevin Oh, The Solutions, Jiselle, Love x Stereo, and my personal favorite, ADOY.
MU:CON also welcomed guest musicians who enjoy popularity both domestically and internationally. These included, JAURIM, BE’O, HYNN, Kwon Jin-ah, Sam Kim, Lee Mu Jin, sEODo BAND, and VIVIZ.
The “MU:CON Exchange Stage” served as a platform for cultural exchange by featuring performances from international musicians hailing from Japan and Thailand among other countries. In addition to live performances, MU:CON also embraced digital platforms. The festival’s showcase was live-streamed on KOCCA Music’s official YouTube channel allowing global music fans to enjoy performances. Furthermore, highlight videos from the event were made available from September 22.
Outside of the workshops, B2B meetings, and the music performance showcase, MU:CON also hosted official and unofficial social events that allowed professionals to mingle and network.
If you’re a music industry professional with an eye on South Korea, looking for insights or opportunities, put MU:CON 2024 on your schedule. In the meantime, Breakthrough Now Media is always happy to connect!