theQoos Inc. has launched a data-based media service app platform that targets English reading K-Pop fans. Through aggregating K-Pop content, theQoos attempts to lock-in users and create communities among K-Pop fans. theQoos Inc. was established in February 2019 with a Seoul office established in April. The venture founders are composed of experienced members from Kakao, Samsung Electronics and, YG Entertainment USA. An investment by SK Group, South Korea’s third largest conglomerate, was completed earlier this year.
2019 has been yet another record-breaking year for K-Pop with BLACKPINK signing to Interscope/Universal Records and being the first K-Pop girl-group to perform at Coachella. BTS became the first Korean act to perform on “Saturday Night Live” and followed up with performances on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Good Morning America” and “The Voice.” A new study by Hyundai Research Institute found that the boy band is worth more than $3.6 billion yearly to Korea’s economy. Both acts contributed to the “Hallyu” (or Korean wave) fanbase which is estimated to grow to 100 million fans by 2020 and leading the way for other acts globally such as Monsta X and NCT. In the first half of 2019, there were over 50 concerts taking place in North America and as STYLE put it, “K-Pop is now more popular and profitable in the West than ever before.”
With the increased interest in K-Pop globally, theQoos set out to build a roadway for content by gathering as many select English-written sources of K-Pop into one feed. The idea is that fans who have an enthusiastic passion for K-Pop are called “theQoos” and want to consume all of the content that exists out there without having to search or open multiple applications. These content sources include K-Pop news sites, reputable global news sites that cover K-Pop, artists’ official social media, and YouTube but also fan-made content such as reaction videos, and fancam footage. Since many K-Pop fans usually find their news through K-Pop sites, theQoos also gathers in-depth coverage from respected major media outlets so users can see content they might not normally come across. theQoos also gathers album and concert reviews from various lesser known sites/blogs that deserve to be read as well as fan-made content that are meant to entertain and be enjoyed.
In 2018 BTS was the most tweeted about account worldwide and a tweet featuring BTS member J-Hope participating in the #InMyFeelingsChallenge was the Most Liked Tweet worldwide last year with 1.8 million Likes. Since K-Pop thrives on Twitter, we also gather many official and non-official Twitter accounts into our feed.
Users are able to “Save,” “Like,” and “Share” content but also organize the feed based on their favorite artist(s). Artist pages also include discography and links to music videos. theQoos promises this release to be their minimal viable product and has already planned for many features including in-app commenting and a community section so that Users can have “real interaction”.
MISSION STATEMENT:
theQoos is dedicated to encouraging the growth and distribution of, English language, K-Pop content, and to provide this content to fans free of charge. We want to build a bridge between K-Pop fans across the world and the content that exists in the universe. As the fan community continues to grow, we want to create a platform for them to engage with each other in a genuine way. By promoting users to enter their real information into their profiles we believe that real commentary and real interaction will create a positive space for K-Pop.
By learning who our users are and what their interests are in, we will be able to understand this community like no one has before us. Imagine a world in which every English reading K-Pop fan can freely view and share K-Pop content & be part of a community – which they can take with them, everywhere. theQoos: We are your gateway to the K-Pop Universe.
