[Artist Management] A FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR WAVE TO EARTH Artist Management 수업의 프로젝트에서 작성한 대한민국 인디밴드 'WAVE TO EARTH'를 위한 5년간의 계획 레포트입니다.

1. AC Artist Management / Gyeongmin Kim (5052114)
A FIVE-YEAR PLAN
FOR WAVE TO EARTH
1. INTRODUCTION
Why did I choose this band?
2. A DESCRIPTION OF THE BAND
Profile, Discography, and Career
3. AN ANALYSIS OF THE X-FACTOR
Potential Analysis, The common feature among fans
4. A FIVE-YEAR PLAN BASED ON 4PS.
A 5-year plan based on 4Ps, Marketing strategies
the biggest threats and opportunities (micro, meso, and macro level)
5. CONCLUSION
The final goal, What I hope for the band

2. 1. INTRODUCTION
“Why did I choose this band?”
The potential artist I chose is “Wave to Earth”, a Korean indie band. The
first time I knew this band was in 2020. After listening to the album
“summer flows 0.02” in 2020, I fell in love with them completely. The
album, which made me aware of the existence of Wave to Earth, featured
jazz-based lo-fi music. Pleasant noises, dreamy atmosphere literary lyrics,
and the wavy beat captivated me. Since then, I have listened to all of their
past albums. Their music ranged from jazz, band, rock and more and more.
If you listen to their music, you can get a unique feeling of mixing various
genres. At the same time, it reminds me of the scent of four seasons. Since
they record all of themselves, they record without removing the
surrounding noise. It plays a big role in making their music natural. This is
the first reason that I chose this band. I
love their own unique scent from Wave to
Earth’s music. If you also listen to their
albums, you will be able to smell the
beautiful scents of the four seasons and
fall in love. I think their music can spread
around the world and be loved by many
people, and I think it should be. Also, most of their beautiful literary lyrics

3. are in English. Therefore, it will not be so difficult to let many people
around the world know their charm. I already found that most of the
comments on YouTube videos are in English.
The second reason I chose this band is that I’m confident in growing
them into true artists. They are known as the so-called “household
handicraft” band. From playing musical instruments to writing lyrics,
composing, recording, mixing, mastering, directing album art and videos,
all of them are done by the band members themselves. Even their styling
is completed by vocalist and guitarist Daniel. They are very versatile in
many ways. Directing concept images and merchandise design, one of the
unique features of Wave to Earth, are produced exclusively by a friend
named Seung-gi, who works under the
name of “we are not 0.00”. This is
similar to having a design session like
a music session. I think Wave to Earth,
which designs and directs everything
from start to finish, has an artistic
merchantability. I want to express its
color in various ways by growing them
into true “artists” rather than defining
them only as musicians.
Finally, they have a tremendous love and passion for music that is most
important for artists to grow. In fact, band music and rock music are not
popular in Korea. It is true that only a few of the best bands are loved in
Korea, and most indie bands are not recognized. However, in an Arena
interview, Shin Dong-gyu said, "I believe that the heyday of rock music will
surely come again. It's just that rock music isn't in fashion now. K-pop and
idol music are the current trends, and they are captivating the world. Band

4. music doesn't shine in between, but the roots haven't gone away. Just like
the trend, there is hope that someday rock and band music will shine."
Kim Daniel added, "I made a band because I wanted to be a band, and I
grabbed a guitar. So, I will continue to push forward with rock music."
(Boyeon Yang, 2022). I'm sure that artists will succeed as much as they
have passion. I think they will be able to continue their music activities in
some form, and I want to manage them well and promote Wave to Earth. I
can't wait for the new wave they're going to create after five years.

5. 2. A DESCRIPTION OF THE BAND
Wave to Earth(웨이브투어스) is a Korean Indie band with a lo-fi sound
based on jazz. The name Wave to Earth reveals the band’s desire to
“become the new wave” and expand its own universe across the world. It
belongs to the Korean music label “Wavy”. Wave To Earth currently
consists of 3 members: Daniel Kim(singer-songwriter and guitarist), Shin
Dong-gyu(Drummer), and Soonjong Cha(Bassist). Even though the band is
based in Seoul, most of their songs are written in English. Originally, the
band consisted of Shin Dong-gyu and Daniel, debuting with their single
“Wave” in August 2019. In January 2020, Wave to Earth released their first
EP [Wave 0.01] with their new member, Soonjong Cha. They’re currently
under We Are Not 0, POCLANOS. While the three of them are the official
members, the session members also include Jo Jung-geun (keyboard),
Jeon-min (saxophone) and Hong Seung-gi, an artwork member.

6. Profile: Daniel Kim
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Daniel Kim is the
band's leader. He was born in 1997. He was born
in France but moved to South Korea when he was
young. He composes and writes all their songs. He
says that he first decides on the title while writing,
then sets the speaker to write a story like a novel.
He usually writes the lyrics and melody almost at the same time. He is also
a member of The Poles, another band under POCLANOS, and he is also
the frontman. From time to time, he would work as their own stylist.
Profile: Dong-gyu Shin (Dong Q)
He plays drum in the band, and he was born in
1998. He is also in charge of drum in the four-
member quartet “Ant Is Fourmi in French”. He can
also play the piano, and he recorded the piano for
“seasons” and “calla”. He really likes fashion and
photography. Every time they record an album, he’s always filming.
Profile: Soonjong Cha (John Cha)
He plays bass in the band, and he was recruited
to the team by Dong-gyu in 2020. He was born in
1997. He used to live in Kenya for 7 years as a
child. His English is the best among the members.
He has graduated from the Seoul Institute of the
Arts with a major in Applied Music and Bass.

7. Discography
Wave to Earth debuted in 2019 with a single called "Wave" and has
consistently released singles and EPs so far. All songs were written and
composed by Daniel, and they produced themselves, from recording to
arranging to mastering. In 2022, they released their first full-length album,
four years after the debut. This is a new wave. The album coexists with "A
side" with a bright and pop sound and "B side" with a jazz sound that
leads to a dark atmosphere. Wave to Earth showed various team colors in
two contrasting music styles.

8. Career
Wave to Earth has consistently performed solo concerts in Korea since
2021. From 2022, they also participated in representative large-scale
festivals in Korea and began performing. In 2022, they participated in
Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2022, the largest rock festival in Korea.
They participated in the JOY All Park Festival 2022 at Olympic Park as well.
In 2023, they were invited to the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival once
again and to the Seoul Jazz Festival 2023, the nation's largest jazz festival.
They also participated in Goyang HAVE NEICE TRIFF 2023. This means that
Wave to Earth is becoming increasingly popular in the indie scene.
But what we need to pay
attention is that Wave to
Earth have also started to be
invited to international
festivals, and they have also
made inroads into other
countries. Wave to Earth was first invited to an international festival at
VERY FESTIVAL 2022 in Thailand. Since then, Wave to Earth has been loved
in Thailand, and in 2023, they even performed solo under the title of "2023
Berry Live: WAVE TO EARTH."

9. Wave to Earth, which continues to be very popular
in Southeast Asia, was also invited to Jakarta's The
Other Festival in 2023. Now they are scheduled to
go on a solo tour of North America beyond Asia.
Starting with Berkeley on
August 18, the Wave to
Earth will tour San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Toronto, New York, Washington, DC,
Vancouver, Seattle, Orlando, and more.

10. 3. AN ANALYSIS OF THE X-FACTOR
Potential Analysis, The common feature among fans
Wave to Earth is a band that is still slowly gaining recognition in Korea.
Although popular recognition is still low, its outstanding skills and unrivaled
artistry are recognized by domestic indie band lovers, and its fandom is
quite enthusiastic. By the way, I was surprised that they suddenly became
noticeably popular in other countries from 2022. I think Wave to Earth was
able to get attention and be popular in many other countries far away
because of its unique charm and X-Factor. As I mentioned in the
introduction, I love the original music of this band and their artistry. I was
wondering why fans who love Wave to Earth like me love them. So, I
analyzed the comments on YouTube videos that are the easiest to get an
evaluation of them.
The comments were analyzed focusing on videos with high views, such
as the official music video, official albums, and live videos. Through this
analysis, I found that fans were telling the same story equally and
repeatedly. Most people expressed surprise at the beautiful and fascinating
works and said that there was something very relaxing and soothing in the
lyrics and melody. People described their music as a warm hug. They even
said that their music understands their mind and soothes in ways that
others cannot. Also, fans in common said that the band was underrated
and that they should get more recognition. Other than that, people
thought they might be an American-based band because of Daniel's
English pronunciation and said the music video is so beautiful, and they
couldn't stop watching it. I found that Wave to Earth's X-factor is their
beautiful music that is soft, relaxing, and comforting. Most fans fell in love
with their dreamy artistry.

12. 4. A FIVE-YEAR PLAN BASED ON 4PS
Wave to Earth reminds us of our own beautiful time and space by
expressing things familiar to us, such as waves, light, birds, daisy flowers,
evening glow, pink horizon, and sunburn, etc. And these contain the
beautiful scents and atmosphere of the four seasons. Wave to Earth, which
allows us to feel the warmth, coldness, brilliance, freshness, and loneliness
of the four seasons through music, gives us warm comfort that cannot be
explained in words. I wanted to promote them in various ways by utilizing
their versatile ability and artistry. I made a 5-year plan to grow Wave to
Earth into a global "real artist" based on marketing 4Ps.

13. 1) Bring “Wave to Earth” to Earth! (Place)
The goal is to build recognition for five years and be invited to popular
rock festivals and jazz festivals around the world, including Southeast Asia,
North America, the United States, Canada, and Europe. Of course, holding
solo concerts is good, but I thought it would be most effective to
participate in the festival for recognition and to be loved by many people.
In the first year, the goal is to first be in the lineup of the Seoul Jazz
Festival and Incheon's Pentaport Rock Festival at Korea's Olympic Park, and
to the stage of Seoul's Water Bomb Festival, which heats up SNS every
summer. I think it's possible
because it's held in 9 cities in
Korea. Also, I think the annual
Seoul Youth Festival and the
Seoul Park Music Festival on
the grass of Hangang Park are
very consistent with Wave to
Earth's identity.

14. For other Asian countries, the goal is to be invited to the Java Jazz
Festival, the largest jazz festival in Jakarta, as it has gained great
recognition in Jakarta, within a year or two. So, I will make sure that they
can perform solo in Jakarta, Indonesia, as well as Thailand. In order to
enter Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, including Thailand, I think it is
necessary for them to establish themselves in Jakarta and Thailand first.
Outside of Southeast Asia, the goal is to be invited to the Summer Sonic
Festival and Fuji Rock Festival in Japan.
Five years later, the goal is to perform at the Montreal Jazz Festival,
Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and Montreux Jazz Festival, the largest jazz
festival in Europe, even if it is the opening stage. They will also be able to
perform at the Newport Jazz Festival and Woodstock Rock Festival in the
United States.
I thought Wave to Earth needed another specific strategy to be known
worldwide in a short time of five years. As an alternative, I came up with a
collaboration with a foreign artist who has a similar target and music genre
to Wave to Earth. The release of the album in collaboration with popular
artists or rising stars in each country will speed up the process. It will also
maximize Wave to Earth's identity and personality and allow it to be
expressed more abundantly. For a recognition in Southeast Asia, I thought
of a collaboration with “Phum Vipurit”, a famous Thai singer-songwriter. He
is an artist who can create a summer atmosphere with a refreshing electric
guitar and a unique voice. For entering Europe, I thought of the jazz
guitarist “Bruno Major”, who makes the sweetest and most sleeping music
in the world. It would also be nice to enter Canada in collaboration with
“Men I Trust”, which has a dreamy, analog sound. Finally, I thought of
"Vansire", a unique dreamy pop band, and "Cigarettes After Sex", which
melts the heart by calm music to enter the U.S.

15. 2) a special pop-up exhibition depicting the four seasons (Price, profit)
In the fourth year, we will create profits by holding a special pop-up
exhibition to express Wave to Earth's unique identity and atmosphere as
well as performances and festivals, and it will allow them to fully express
their artistic spirit and aspirations. Wave to Earth does fashion styling,
album art and poster making, photography, and video directing, as well as
writing, composing, recording, mixing, and mastering. I would like to
express the ability of these versatile
members and their desire for art
through exhibitions.
The theme of the
exhibition will be the
four seasons that will
remind you of your
beautiful time and
space.
They will provide warm, comfort and beautiful experiences to through
expressing what we are familiar with in various colors. There will also be a
Merch sales booth inside the exhibition hall. They will sell CDs, LPs, and

16. self-produced artist merchandises together at the shop. Wave to Earth
plans to generate revenue in a variety of ways, as well as publishing and
royalties. In addition, I would like to build their own design brand, starting
with this pop-up exhibition in 5 years. Wave
to Earth, which has a design brand as well as
performances and exhibitions, will be
expanded to all art lovers besides music
lovers. I'm looking forward to the wonderful
new wave they'll create.
3) Contracts with new record labels (Promotion)
To enter foreign music markets, market research and contact with the
countries concerned are necessary. For this, I think it is necessary to sign a
contract with record labels such as in the United States and the United
Kingdom, which are world-famous in the music industry. The goal in five
years is to enter the world by signing a contract with a new label that can
recognize the band's identity and lead to their final goal. After that, I will
try to make opportunities to appear on radio and TV programs.
3) a new album to define their identity (Product)
I think an artist's product means their album. The quality and originality
of the Wave to Earth album so far are the best. I think their music is
beautiful enough to reach the final goal. However, I think it would be
necessary to release an album with their own stories. Because it seems to
be effective in consolidating their identity. They will release an album for
storytelling in three years.

17. The biggest threats and opportunities (Micro, Meso, Macro level)
Before implementing the five-year plan, I should also think about what
the biggest threats and opportunities could be for an artist in the five-year
period. I thought about the biggest threats and opportunities for them at
the Micro, Meso, and Macro levels.
At the Micro stage, burnout can come to individual band members. The
members are engaged in various teams and do individual works in
addition to Wave to Earth. It may be physically difficult for the members,
but burnout can come due to the limitations of creation. To overcome,
they should be encouraged to rest properly and enjoy their time.
At Meso stage, I believe that their music and exhibitions will contribute to
revitalizing culture in the community. Their music and exhibitions will
mainly talk about the happiness and love of everyday life in the four
seasons, which will convey warmth to the community. In addition, it will
provide people with opportunities to enjoy and experience art and culture
and create opportunities to revitalize community culture.
Finally, at the Macro stage, there is a positive opportunity for Wave to
Earth to contribute to musical diversity. The rock music and band music
performed by Wave to Earth belongs to
the non-mainstream in Korea. If Wave to
Earth is recognized not only domestically
but also globally for five years and
becomes a big success, it will greatly
contribute to the musical diversity of
Korea. Also, I think they themselves will be
a good opportunity to promote Korean
music and art culture to foreign countries.

18. 5. CONCLUSION
The final goal, What I hope for the band
I analyzed the potential of Wave to Earth and found common feature
among fans and made a five-year plan for them to grow into “real” artists.
I want them to use their versatility and artistry after five years to give
people the warmest comfort they can do. That's my final goal.
I was very happy to imagine the future listening to the music of my
favorite band, Wave to Earth. Also, I was able to get consolation by reading
a lot of fans' comments. I'm looking forward to the band's performance on
the big stage in other countries, and I'm also looking forward to the music
that will be released in collaboration with famous artists. And I want them
to think seriously about their art exhibition activities and their own brand
management.
The biggest reason I chose this band was the unique scent of Wave to
Earth. I hope they will continue to make beautiful music that can warm
people's hearts with ordinary objects around us. Do you like Wave to Earth,
too? Then, I hope you listen to their albums and enjoy the beautiful scent
and atmosphere of the four seasons together.
Seasons (Live Clip): https://youtu.be/nZqwQCLYgjk
Sunny days (MV): https://youtu.be/jHQv4c7qLjc
Ride (MV): https://youtu.be/wiBKivWYxAU
Light (Live performed):
https://youtu.be/bla0YBsd0DQ
0.1 flaws and all. Full album: https://youtu.be/I_Es_7QGI94

19. SOURCES
Wave To Earth Official Accounts:
Instagram: @wave_to_earth
Tiktok: @wavetoearthofficial
Facebook: @wavetoearth
Twitter: @wave_to_earth
Youtube: wave to earth
Spotify: wave to earth
Soundcloud: wave to earth
Merch/concert site: @wavetoearthofficial
Boyeon Yang (2022). Back to Rock #Tteutdol Kim and Wave To earth.
Arena. https://www.arenakorea.com/arena/article/51398