Why do people love to copy?!

I really hate how people love to copy the work of others. In the media industry, we can see many ‘copycats’ lingering around, just waiting for others think of a new concept, an new idea.

Watch this,

Understand my pain as a K-pop (korean pop) fan? It really brings loads of anger and hatred to me when i watch these videos. Many may argue that Taiwan artistes have the talent to re-write the songs in Chinese and sing them, or even the ability to copy so well. Oh wells, i do not think so. You may think that whatever I am about to type here will be a totally biased account from a kpop fan, but no, i was a c-pop fan.

When i was a cpop fan, I was already aware how many Taiwan singers just take the songs of others and re-sing it in the Chinese version. I was pretty disappointed at times but sometimes also felt that they were good to the extent of taking someone else’s work and performing it to the same standard as the original song. But it seemed that i did not know much about the ‘copycat’ thing Taiwan had in details. Now, seeing so many similarities between Korea and Taiwan entertainment industry, i started to become curious and wonder who is the actually copycat.

After much research did I found out that Taiwan have been copying other countries all along. They used to copy Japan lots, but now, Korean since there is k-wave hitting worldwide now.

To me, it could not be for no reason that Taiwan copy Korea for no reason. The reasons stated below are what led them to want to take the works of kpop industry as their own.

1. These songs were a hit in kpop; hence cpop thinks that it will have the same result if they made their artist sing the same song in Chinese. (This is pretty true as the songs that they took over as their own really made.

2. Taiwan do not want to spend too much money to look for someone to help them write a new song, think of new ideas for their mv, movie, commercial film (cf), drama,…

3. Taiwan is really lacking of talents to look for?!

Taiwan did not only copy Korea’s songs, also mv plots, drama plots, movie plots, variety shows, cf,.. There’s just too many to name.
But Korea is not that dumb either. They have come up with a great way to prevent Taiwan from stealing their songs. Many Koreans have started to sing their Korean hits songs in Chinese as well, so no chance is given to the Taiwan to take their songs and sing it in Chinese. They tend to release the Chinese version of the song a short while after the Korean version is out, to even prevent Taiwan from releasing the Chinese version before they do. Bands, such as Dong Bang Shin Ki, Super Junior and Shinhwa, and Singers such as Chae yeon and BoA have started to adapt to this idea a long time back. And it was proven to be effective in preventing Taiwan in stealing their songs.

However, c-pop started to get a little annoying. Now, they take kpop songs, change the tune here and there a little, and make it theirs [ (-.-)''| ]

Just check this example out!

Kpop boy band, Dong Bang Shin Ki (also know as TVXQ) sang song title ‘O’-正.反.合. and it was a great hit on Asia. They released a Chinese version of that song sang by the Korean boys a while after the album’s debut in October ’06.

Presenting TVXQ’s ‘O’-正.反.合. MV

However, just end of last year, Taiwan boy band, K-One, released their song, Turbo, which was highly similar to TVXQ’s O released a year ago.

Watch K-one’s Turbo

(A total irony. Taiwan loves to put ‘TAIWAN ONLY’ on their MVs but they are usually already stolen, not copyright stuff.)

Fans of TVXQ, who are also know as Cassiopeia, did not know of such a thing until a fan posted a video of TVXQ’s O mv along with K-one’s Turbo as audio.

See the similarities? I was so glad that Taiwan did not copy their MV, dance steps. But there was once in 2002, Taiwan boy band, ENERGY, copied Korean boy band, Shinhwa’s MV concept and sang the song in the Chinese version.

All I can say is that, it’s definitely not the singer’s fault. This is strictly a Taiwan entertainment industry’s problem.

Now, we know why music sounds similar around Asia.

~ by Doreen on May 2, 2008.