The number of students who dream of becoming celebrities and singers is countless. Within one year, numerous groups come and go without anyone noticing. Even until a few years ago, majority of idol groups were girl groups, but for various reasons, boy groups have been catching up lately. What is the reason? What are the economic benefits of creating boy groups?

▶ Boy Groups That Eat A Lot Vs. Girl Groups That Need To Be Pampered, Which Takes Up More Cost?

During training days, K-Pop idol boy groups and girl groups don't differ much in cost. Vocal, dancing and acting lessons are all the same. Even when it comes to plastic surgery, boy groups and girl groups get about the same amount.

But what about the costs after debut?

Boy groups definitely need a bigger budget for food. As they are in the age to be constantly eating, they are always hungry, especially because of all the dancing they need to do. The money for snacks is also remarkable. Girl groups, on the other hand, try to keep up a diet most of the time, so food costs for them is much less. But a similar amount of money is put into makeup or body maintenance instead.

One representative of Key East Entertainment said, "In the beginning of debut days, boy groups' food cost is definitely higher, but as they start to settle as a group, fans send a lot of snacks and food so it goes down significantly."

Also, it may seem like girl groups spend more in makeup and outfits, but it goes the same for boy groups. As boy groups are trend-setters nowadays, the cost put into their outfits is also great. There are also staffs that come along to plan this, which calls for more cost.

So when it comes to cost, both boy groups and girl groups spend about the same.

▶ If Spending Is Similar, What About Earning?

Girl groups can rise in earning relatively quicker than boy groups. Compared to boy groups, it's much easier for girl group members to create their own character, which makes it easier for them to come out in entertainment shows quicker than boy group members. This may even lead to filming for commercials or attending events. Earnings from events is quite high.

Boy groups, on the other hand, have a harder time to create their own characters. So even if their album goes well after debut, they need to wait at least 1 year to earn actual money. But this also means they can do a longer run than girl groups.

Girl group fans show reactions much faster, but taking care of them is not easy. Boy group fans last a while once they commit to a fan club, so the going up and down of popularity does not necessarily affect them that much. For example, Shinhwa members had many years of break, but even 15 years after debut, the fans stayed committed.

One representative said, "Before, it was hard for even the top stars of Korea to get popular in Japan. Even if they plan a concert in Japan, it was more for loyalty than to earn anything. But now, Korean boy groups stand out to Japanese concert staff members. This is because boy groups now have the power to instantly move the hearts of Japanese girl fans."

▶ Which Will Record Producers Choose, Girl Groups or Boy Groups?

If they want to succeed within a short time, girl groups is the way to go. As mentioned before, girl groups rise in popularity in a relatively short time, resulting in quick earnings. So producers who are smaller scale would prefer girl groups over boy groups.

If they look longer into the future, they will go for boy groups. Especially if they're looking into oversea concerts, that is all the more reason to choose boy groups.

Photo Credit: Sports Chosun