MWM Festival and Link K-Pop Lead the Way in Revitalizing the K-Pop Industry

The K-pop industry is reaching a new turning point. The 2025 MWM Festival, held in the Busan Port area on May 30, concluded successfully. Organized by the Korean Music Content Association, this event took place in conjunction with the 18th Busan Port Festival. The MWM Festival consisted of three programs: a K-pop conference, a K-pop concert, and a K-pop exhibition. Under the theme “Melting Your Moment in K – Touching the World with Music & Tech,” technologies, creative approaches, and business strategies that will shape the future of the music industry were shared. Chau Jin, director of the Enterm Culture Research Institute, delivered the keynote speech on the topic of “AI and the Future of the Music Industry.” He stated that AI is creating a new turning point for the music industry and emphasized that since changes driven by AI are inevitable, efforts must be made to build new ecosystems. Following this, Kim Kyung-sook, a professor at Sangmyung University, discussed copyright and legal issues related to AI technology. The themed presentations featured cases of integration between the music industry and AI. Park Mi-rae, head of the Copyright Policy Research Team at the Korean Music Copyright Association, explained that since AI-related copyright systems have not yet been fully established, the association is approaching AI-generated music products with caution. A representative from Meta Music’s label partnership department outlined marketing strategies for artists’ music through Instagram, while Kim In-ho, Leader of YG Plus, introduced strategies for global music tech distributors. At the K-pop concert held after the conference, groups such as SUPER JUNIOR-D&E, CNBLUE, N.Flying, ITZY, Seonghwa, Lay, D.O., Kei, Rowoon, Rie, and Hankook performed on stage. The K-pop exhibition saw participation from KitBetter, a company specializing in smart physical albums, and Livemusic, a firm focused on concert ticket management. Meanwhile, the Seoul special episode of the global music show “Link K-Pop” also concluded successfully on May 31 at the Shocking KPOP Studio in Sangam-dong. Hosted by Naturally Music, this show first aired live in Japan in January last year and has since been broadcast regularly. Following the Yokohama edition in May last year and the TFT (Odaiba) edition this May, the Seoul special allowed music fans around the world to experience the grandeur of this global music program together. The opening act was performed by the emerging group X-909, composed of producer 9F, singer-songwriter GOHI, emotional vocalist 067, rapper Beopard, and guitarist Im Seok-won. This marked their first official appearance on television following the release of their album on the 30th of last month. ASC2NT, EPTS, XD, and the Japanese idol group ORBIT also participated, delivering passionate performances to the enthusiastic crowd present. “Link K-Pop” can be watched live online from anywhere in the world, and it is expected to continue offering a variety of performances and events featuring emerging idol groups from South Korea and Japan. Naturally Music is contributing to the development of K-pop music through various programs and concerts such as the K Stage Untact Concert, Keunsori Festival, and Lets Dream Night. The company is also the first music show to provide VOD and OTT services.