Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The power of fandom was on display in Downtown Los Angeles last week as thousands of K-pop devotees gathered for KCON, a three-day celebration of South Korean pop culture.
KCON was more like a family reunion for many attendees, as several of them explain on the latest episode of Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast.
K-pop is growing in popularity around the world, but it’s still niche enough that its most ardent fans revel in being together with those who “get it,” as numerous attendees explained. “You come for the music, the choreography, the outfits — all the pretty, fun, sparkly stuff.
And then you end up staying because you make friends,” said Epiphany, a KCON-goer who lives in North Hollywood. Conversations with other teens and twentysomethings who attended the conference and two concerts at Crypto.com Arena revealed a host of trends in media, media consumption and how affinity groups that assemble online can have massive real-world impact.
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