Lecture Studium Generale Leeuwarden 'Always On - Korean musicians and the culture of constant connection' | Dr. R. Prey & Dr. S. Lee

Korean popular culture is everywhere and Korean popular music – or K-pop - has taken over global charts. While there has been significant academic research into K-pop and its global spread, less attention has been paid to the “relational labour” expected of idols and indie musicians. Korean music artists must continuously connect with fans and audiences; creating and sharing ‘authentic’ content through social media and dedicated fan platforms. While this extra-musical labour is increasingly the norm for musicians everywhere, the Korean music industry provides us with a particularly extreme example. 

Drawing from research among artists and music industry professionals in South Korea, we will discuss what makes Korean musicians work so hard, and how this might be transforming what it means to be a music artist in the 21st century. What is at stake if the music artist becomes a content creator? And what are the broader implications if artists are ‘always on’?

Details lecture

This lecture is free of charge, however we do ask you to reserve a ticket 
because of limited capacity of the lecture room.

About the speakers

Dr. Seonok Lee is a sociologist who researches social inequalities, migration, labour issues and race.  In particular, her expertise is in global labor migration, labor market integration, racial hierarchies, class, and gender. Dr. Lee has recently expanded her interests into (digital) platform workers and the gig economy, including a research project with dr. Robert Prey called “Platform Performances: How Korean popular music and musicians are adapting to online platforms.” She is currently a lecturer at the University of Groningen. Dr. Lee completed her PhD in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia (Canada) in 2019.

Dr. Robert Prey  is a media scholar who studies the relationship between technology, capitalism and culture. Dr. Prey is Principal Investigator of a 5-year research project called “The Platformization of Music: Towards a Global Theory”. Funded by the European Research Council, the project will investigate how streaming and social media platforms influence the creative practices, identities, and working conditions of musicians in the Netherlands, Nigeria and South Korea. Dr. Prey completed his PhD in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University (Canada) in 2015.