BTS' 2026 Seoul concert turned the city into a distributed sound system

K-pop band BTS released their fifth album, 'Arirang,' after a four-year hiatus

The album reflects the identity and roots of one of the world's most popular boy bands. Alongside a new single and free concert, the release kicked off BTS's 82‑date world tour through 2027. The free concert at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square drew tens of thousands of attendees and was livestreamed on Netflix.

The Grateful Dead pioneered a massive 3-story, 75-ton, 600-speaker sound system that revolutionized live audio in the early 1970s.

How K-pop conquered the world

How did Korean musical acts go from unpopular and at times maligned to filling arenas and creating one of the most viral music videos of all time? This 25-minute audio documentary from BBC World Service explains how social networks, plastic surgery, and government tax breaks helped turn K-pop into the multibillion-dollar global juggernaut we know today.

BTS makes big profits, and spends just as big

While the band has been on hiatus since 2022, there are remarkable insights into the band’s success, like a $44M profit from a six-show tour. Their profits allow them massive spending, with investments like a shared mansion in addition to owning their own multimillion-dollar apartments.

Stonehenge may have functioned as an echo chamber designed to keep ceremonies secret from outsiders.

Acoustics researcher Trevor Cox discovered that Stonehenge acts like a concert hall, reflecting and amplifying sound. This video shows Cox demonstrating the effect using a scale model inside a soundproof studio.

The South Korean government invests in K-pop, a strategy intended to expand the country's soft power around the world.

Superfans of K-pop group BTS gamed the Billboard chart

In 2021, the boy band scored a number one hit with “Butter,” its second English-language track. As Stereogum writer Tom Breihan points out, though, it rose to the top of the charts without actually being the most popular song in the country. Other songs were considerably more popular on streaming platforms, but BTS’ hyperdevoted fanbase realized that purchasing digital downloads weighed more heavily in Billboard’s methodology. Recognizing an opportunity, BTS dropped the price of a download to 69 cents, securing their place on the top of the charts.

A critic on what BTS' return from military service means

Sarah A. Son, a lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield, argues that K-pop icons now recognize how intertwined their band's identity is with that of their country. In her review of Netflix's documentary "BTS: The Return," Son suggests the group, after serving in the military, is more attuned to the pressures of such a specific kind of stardom.

BTS has finally completed their mandatory military service

The world’s biggest boyband went on hiatus in 2022, leaving millions of fans—fittingly known as the BTS ARMY—waiting hungrily for their return. South Korean law states that all young, able-bodied men between 18 and 28 must serve between 18 to 21 months in the military. A revision was made to the law in reaction to BTS’s success in 2020, stating that K-pop stars or entertainers could postpone their military service until they turn 30.

BTS was the 2020 Time Entertainer of the Year

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of good fortune to BTS, who were able to reach audiences worldwide with their talent, appearance, and messaging. This Time profile of the group reflects on the epoch-defining group and how they stood out from other musical acts by being more socially progressive and uplifting. Their success is recognized as a triumph for Asian representation and the boundless popularity of K-pop idols.

Smart cities like Songdo, South Korea, have created isolating environments

Built as a futuristic, eco-friendly city filled with smart features like pneumatic trash systems and app-controlled homes, the town provides limited opportunities for face-to-face interactions amid sterile backdrops. A focus on high-rise housing amplifies the lonely, disconnected atmosphere.

The Beatles stopped touring in 1966, citing frustration with the era's limited sound systems.

Hallyu, or 'Korean wave' is the phenomenal expansion of Korean culture around the world

Described as a sort of “soft power,” South Korea managed to dominate the world with tools like “Squid Game,” “Parasite,” or BTS instead of military force. Skincare, music, movies, television, and food are just some industries that have boomed and grown in popularity in recent years.

Big Ocean is breaking barriers as the world's first deaf K-pop boy band

The three-person boy band—whose members have different levels of hearing loss—use light systems, vibrations, and a mix of Korean and American Sign Languages, as well as International Sign (which isn't a whole language), to communicate and keep their dance routines in sync. In this interview, a band member with partial hearing describes their challenges.

See an anamorphic illusion of a massive crashing wave in South Korea

An enormous aquarium with perpetually crashing waves has popped up amidst an urban landscape in South Korea, but don’t expect to hear the water sloshing around if you walk by. Designed by District, the elevated tank is actually a massive anamorphic illusion. The digital media company created the pub

An interactive sound map of 8,000 locations around the world

Cities and Memory's global sound map covers 140 countries, featuring paired recordings: original field captures of a moment in time and an artist's recomposition built from the same source. The structure treats every location as both document and raw material, giving 2,500 contributors the same prompt with unpredictable results.

Seo Taiji and the Boys are considered the first 'true' K-pop idols

This article explains how the success of a rebellious '90s boy band inclined an industry to capitalize on that success and meticulously craft new generations of stars. While BTS exhibits major talent and charm, their rise may partially result from a formula for mass appeal that music executives cultivated.

South Korea's decades long effort to build a new capital

South Korea has spent decades trying to ease overcrowding in Seoul by developing Sejong City as a new administrative hub. Named after the king who created Hangul, Sejong was designed to decentralize government functions—but slow population growth and limited transit have complicated the plan.

Micro-seismic activity has been produced from people cheering or dancing at sporting events, concerts, and other large gatherings, but scientists can easily distinguish these vibrations from natural earthquakes using seismometers.

Phil Spector's 'wall of sound' revolutionized girl groups—and pop music

The method captured a room of live musicians and transmitted the sound into a basement outfitted with more speakers and microphones. That sound was then sent into the central control room, producing a massive recording that sounded unlike anything else in pop music.

K-pop is one of South Korea's biggest exports

Writer Vivian Yoon could never have imagined that the music she secretly loved as a kid growing up in Los Angeles’ Koreatown would become the phenomenon it is today. In this 14-part podcast, Yoon takes the deepest dive into the history of K-pop, a surprising journey that passes through the 1992 LA riots and a hip-hop club in Seoul once frequented by Black American GIs.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

K-pop increased the visibility of Asians in American media

Yale sociologist Grace Kao speaks about the massive cultural impacts the world has received from K-pop’s success. The academic talks about the genres K-pop borrows from, the visibility that groups like BTS gave to the Asian community in the media. The resource also features an intro playlist curated by Kao for those interested in getting into the music.

Super Bowl halftime shows reliably drive massive music sales spikes

Since Michael Jackson’s 1993 performance, halftime headliners have seen major increases in sales and streams—from Prince to Lady Gaga. Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 show was no exception, as it was the most-watched halftime performance on record.

South Koreans appear to be losing interest in K-pop

K-pop fandoms don’t seem to be losing steam in the US, but apparently, South Korean fans are less interested in their domestic music industry. A number of factors could be contributing to this dwindling passion, such as scandals with idols, BTS’ hiatus, and less dependency on media after COVID-19. Currently, there’s no panic that the industry is dying, but there is increasing concern that the future will not be quite as bright as the past.

Daft Punk's 2006 set helped mainstream electronic dance music

Daft Punk's 2006 Coachella set wasn't just a performance—it was a turning point for electronic music. Their futuristic pyramid, dazzling visuals, and seamless live mixing captivated a packed crowd and pushed EDM into the mainstream.

An introduction to becoming a K-pop superfan

K-pop is not a genre but rather an ever-evolving industry. This resource breaks down the different eras of K-pop. Learn how the first generation, with bands like H.O.T., evolved into today’s fourth generation, where idols can train and debut outside South Korea. Find new groups to listen to, and appreciate the diversity of the different groups’ sounds.

Watch a pyromusical display to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”

The same principles behind fireworks also power the types of pyrotechnic displays in some live events. Here, you can see an application of the technology in a pyromusical set to rock band AC/DC’s iconic song, “Thunderstruck.”

Listen to the 'sounds' of the universe with this sonification library, where astronomers have transformed certain astronomical data sets into audio for broader engagement.

Colombia’s biodiversity performs the national anthem

Scientists and composers in Colombia trekked more than 600 miles collecting audio from the country's vast assortment of creatures. Using parabolic microphones, recorders, cameras and field gear, they recorded the sounds of birds, whales, landscapes, and more to eventually recreate their Colombia’s national anthem using its biodiversity as an orchestra. Follow the fascinating journey and listen to the “natural anthem” in the article.

Watch Daft Punk's legendary set

Coachella's main stage is known for attention-grabbing performances, but one of the festival's most momentous was on the smaller Sahara stage. That's where Daft Punk brought their huge LED pyramids and played an inventive mix of their past hits—resulting in a reimagining of dance music's approach to live performances.

K-pop is defined by catchy music, synchronized dances, and devoted fans

Thanks to its eye-catching aesthetics and catchy music, South Korean pop has sparked a global industry. Both their sound and visuals are meant to be fun and addictive to consume.

Designing the pitches for the FIFA World Cup 2026 took turfgrass scientists about eight years, as they sought to create identical conditions for indoor and outdoor fields across North America at various altitudes and climates.

Listening to K-pop in North Korea is punishable by execution

As far as we know, North Koreans are instead listening to music that serves as public service announcements or some catchy electronic music for dancing.

Listen to the history of the Super Bowl halftime show

This two-part podcast traces the halftime show's evolution from early marching band performances to star-driven productions, beginning with Michael Jackson's 1993 performance, and explains how it became one of the most influential music stages of the year.

Beyoncé's 2018 headlining set is among the festival's most famous

The singer's admirers dubbed the performance "Beychella"—which included a full marching band and a reunited Destiny's Child. It was a symbol-laden commentary on the significance of Beyoncé's status as the first Black woman to headline the festival.

PSY—GANGNAM STYLE

One of the first K-pop songs to reach a critical mass of fans in markets far outside of South Korea was 'Gangnam Style'—a lighthearted, catchy track from Korean rapper Psy that soon had fans around the world trying out the music video’s signature horse-riding dance. The video for the song, which was uploaded to YouTube in July 2012, was also the first on the platform to reach 1 billion views.

See how CES comes to life with a massive setup across Las Vegas

This behind-the-scenes video shows crews assembling the sprawling CES show—filling more than 2.5 million square feet of exhibition space with booths, lights, and tech from around the world ahead of the event’s opening.

What Stonehenge sounded like

Researchers built the first scale model of the world's best-known prehistoric stone circle, Stonehenge, to study its acoustic properties. Built approximately 5,000 years ago, the landmark in southern England has puzzled historians for centuries, but...

Search set lists from more than 10 million live concerts, added and edited by fans

Taking cues from Wikipedia, this Setlist wiki allows fans and concertgoers to share which songs were actually played at live concerts, across genres. The database makes this niche information about what performers choose to play year-round available for the curious.

The physics behind opera singing

How can opera singers project their voices to audiences in huge auditoriums without using microphones and overpowering the orchestra? This video explains this phenomenon, using animation to demonstrate the physics of the human voice and how opera singers hone their technique to hit higher frequencies and a distinctive ringing timbre known as their squillo.

Psy's 'Gangam Style' was the first music video to reach 1 billion views

Psy's "Gangnam Style" was the first music video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. The song and video catalyzed the "Korean wave," bringing K-pop into the global mainstream. As of July 2025, it had over 5 billion views on the platform.

Turning trash into music

In a town built on a landfill, a music teacher and young musicians created an orchestra using instruments made entirely from trash. From oil cans to bottle caps, they turned waste into music.

The 2023 lineup featured its first Spanish-language and K-pop headliners

As Coachella moves through its third decade, the festival is continuing to evolve, welcoming its first Spanish-language (Bad Bunny) and K-pop (Blackpink) headliners in 2023.

The hypercompetitive world of becoming a K-pop star

K-pop, a global $8B industry, rose from its 1990s regional roots to worldwide fame thanks to hits like “Gangnam Style.” Trainees endure years of intense training in performance and media skills, with only 4% to 5% debuting.

An artist recreated Stonehenge as a bounce house in 2012

Though Stonehenge is sacred to many modern druids and pagans, artist Jeremy Deller reimagined it as a giant inflatable bouncy house—touring Paris, London’s 2012 Olympics, and even Stonehenge itself.

The K-pop industry's Big Four are facing declining stock prices

The major players of the K-pop industry—SM, JYP, YG, and HYBE—are publicly listed companies. Despite huge financial successes, these corporations have recently dealt with plunging stock prices, losing between 29% and 56% of their market cap by late 2024. While there’s no one reason for the recent devaluation, there are signs of slowing enthusiasm and less action from the major players—BTS and Blackpink.

Inside the architecture of Pyongyang's Kim dynasty

Since the bombings during the Korean War wiped out much of Pyongyang in the 1950s, three leaders of the Kim dynasty of North Korea have remade the ancient capital from the bottom-up, designing workers monuments, vast streets, and collectivized living spaces. Take a look inside the reclusive city with this architectural analysis accompanied by photographs.

Black Rock City is a remarkable portable town

While Burning Man hosts many impressive and unique architectural feats, these buildings also have notable issues of safety, accessibility, and reliability.

The first Super Bowl halftime show featured marching bands and two men on jetpacks

At Super Bowl I, the halftime show featured college marching bands, a rifle drill team, and two performers flying jetpacks, in an era before music stars and spectacle defined the break.