Beyond the Music - Fan Communities, Transformative Labour, and the Global Ascendancy of K-Pop

The fifth volume section – DIGITALIZING – listens in as sound, voice, and music travel from ‘real life’ to online spaces and virtual interactions. In their contribution, Şelale Hannah Erduran and Elena Möhler trace the paths of K-pop's global spread. They pay particular attention to fan community dynamics, to the role of language and physical props in fannish identity formation, and to the material as well as participatory dimensions of fandom. Finally, the analysis highlights the various forms of labour performed by fan communities, which go far beyond the mere act of (purchasing and) listening to music.