"Please, we ask for anonymity."

All music officials requested anonymity. They were being careful lest their complaints (?) be taken the wrong way.

"How can we complain in this situation? There are so many sad people." (Agency A's official)

"The Danwon students were probably great fans... My heart hurts. That's why we joined in the all stop..." (Agency B's official)

"We've cancelled all schedules. Aside from the monetary losses, we've also lost opportunities." (Agency C's official)

The music industry has come to a halt for 2 weeks now because of the terrible Sewol ferry accident. Dramas have been normalizing, but singing on stage has not yet been permitted. Is it because music is made to be enjoyed?

There definitely is a clear bias in the music industry. That's because music is said to be used for amusement. So there's a stigma that 'activities = thoughtless."

Music Industry at All Stop, Cost of Lost Opportunities

Upon news of the Sewol ferry accident, music officials voluntarily put a halt to all activities. Music programs were cancelled, and of course this was accepted. One music rep said, "How can we sing and dance when the entire nation is hurting?"

Two weeks later, the situation hadn't changed. The general consensus is that right now is not the right time. Although dramas and some entertainment programs have cautiously resumed broadcast, the music industry has not yet been reopened. Music programs, fan meetings, concerts, and other events were canceled.

Now going on the 3rd week, the activities are still uncertain. Not one person is quite ready to make the first step. One agency rep stated, "Even now we're still being cautious. If we resume activities, people will think that we're not mourning, so we cannot just easily resume our schedules."

Most likely the singers that had their comebacks right before the accident are suffering the greatest loss. Usually one song's activities last about 3-4 weeks. In that case, right about now they'd be having their goodbye performance. However, the song's activities are coming to an end after the comeback, with no actual activities in between.

One agency rep stated, "There's a lot that needs to be done for a comeback. At the shortest we prepare for 3 months. At the longest, we prepare for 9 months. There's a lot of sweat that efforts on behalf of the singers and staff members. Their challenges really pay off in the comeback show."

And we can't simply ignore the financial matters. Just to create one album a lot of money goes into all aspects, including the song fee, choreography see, session fee, filming fee, costume fee, set fee, etc. And let's not forget about the music video production costs.

But what's most unfortunate is the cost of the missed opportunities. In fact, it could take twice the time and effort to make up for it. And even still, they're in a very apologetic position. There's nothing that can compare to the pain of the families that have lost loved ones.

"Victims' families lost their sons and daughters. What kind of pain could you compare that to? That's why we're sorry to even bring up our losses. It's just unfortunate that we're thought to be heartless if we sing and dance at this time."

Concept Dilemmas for Comebacks

The singers who had their comeback right before the tragedy aren't the only ones that are frustrated. There are still other singers who couldn't even start their promotion activities. If we take a look at the comeback process, it involves music video filming, teaser release, and finally video release. It's a work that involves raising expectations by stimulating curiosity.

However, any kind of marketing right now is impossible. It's impossible to unveil a teaser photo or hold any kinds of press releases.

One agency rep stated, "We prepared for a comeback in early May. However we can't go ahead with any kinds of promotions. We worked really hard. The reactions we got from monitoring were very good as well. However it's very frustrating that there's nothing we could do about it."

And still, there are other singers who are thinking hard about their concepts. In the case of girl groups, whose concepts revolve around cute, mature and sexy, there's no way they could come back with a sexy concept, especially when all of Korea is mourning.

Some agencies have gone into changing their concepts. One rep said, "For the upcoming comeback, we were planning to go with a side that the group has never shown before, a sexy concept. However, we know that any exposure will not be looked upon favorably. We're currently discussing how we can fix the situation."

Another problem is that there is no answer as to how long they need to wait.

In addition, the Brazil World Cup will take place in June. This time period is usually the worst for the music industry, since they have to compete with a main international event. And so many artists have just decided to postpone their comebacks until July. This poses another problem. Trends usually evolve from day to day, so by postponing comebacks for a couple months poses the problem of that trend no longer being popular.

The purpose of music is to bring a joyful sound to the listener. However, because of that joy and enjoyment that it brings, the music industry is being extremely cautious at this time. Singing and dancing could potentially be an encouragement, but it could have an adverse effect as well.

"We are sorrowful, too. We are mourning with the families. We are heartbroken. However, this is how we make a living. Is music only used for excitement? Couldn't it also be used to encourage?"

Music is exciting. It could also be an encouragement to some. To others it could convey security. It's completely possible for music to act as support, as a method of healing.