‘Highway Music’ More Popular Than Ever

Trot music in the car on a family Lunar New Year road trip will often prompt teenagers to complain, “Who listens to this kind of music these days?” But the sales of trot music records, most of which are sold on word of mouth alone, easily exceed those of popular pop singers.

Trot music albums sold at highway rest stops are a third genre of Korean pop music, and are available at some 140 rest stops nationwide.

Trot albums gained popularity after Choo Hyeon-mi’s album “Couple Party” became a hit in the late 1980s. In their earlier days, trot albums were produced in “trot medley” format, in which nameless singers sang hit songs by existing singers. There are many stars in the trot medley genre, including Jin Seong, who reportedly has 10 albums which sold more than one million copies, including “The Road Home,” a trot medley album tailor-made for those who are traveling home for the holidays; Shin Woong, who was the singer of million-album selling “The Inner Room Medley” in 1995, while Kim Ran-young, who released 20 ballad-style trot medley albums under the theme of “Café Drive Music” and said that her music could create a romantic mood on the highways, sold more than five million albums.

Recently, many singers have gotten popular by releasing solo albums. Among them are Kim Yong-im, who sang, “The Rope of Love,” Park Jin-seong of “If I Could Borrow 1,000 Years,” and Chung Hee-ra, who sang the adult pop song, “Nogolssong.”

Jin Seong (46), who released a new song called, “Don’t Tackle,” is a seasoned singer with a 15-year career and some 90 albums under his belt. “Highway albums are attractive because they offer hit songs of many different singers in one album, and the arrangements are cheerful and pleasant,” he says.

The Increasing Popularity of Highway Albums-

Highway album industry insiders say, “Our albums are not lagging behind existing singers in sales.” Park Jae-young (47), president of Hana Media, which is a distributor that specializes in highway albums, said, “Despite the sluggish economy, nearly all of our 10 most recent releases sold more than 100,000 copies.”

Trot music appeals to consumers in their 40s and 50s because it exists only in album form, not as MP3s or digital sound sources, because it provides a medley of recently popular songs, and because it is relatively cheap (a cassette tape of two albums costs 6,000 won, and a CD costs 10,000 won). Kang Won-chul (41), an express bus driver, said, “I listen to a highway album when I feel gloomy or sleepy, and I get excited.”

How much do trot albums cost to make? Shin Woong (48), a singer who has released 40 albums, said, “Back when there was no copyright recognition, it used to cost only one to two million won to produce an album. But now it costs anywhere between 10 million won to 100 million won to cut an album because we have to pay for copyrights these days.”

Moon Byung-cho (54), president of Saesaem Music, which specializes in highway albums, said, “With strengthened copyright recognition, ‘mixed albums’ featuring nameless signers have disappeared,” adding, “Omnibus albums produced by legally paying copyright fees are prevailing.”

Play Lisa Ono When You Are Bored; Play Enya When Your Children Get Restless-

When the radio traffic report says, “It will take about 10 hours to drive from Seoul to Busan,” and your children start getting restless at the news, your once-pleasant drive home can become a nightmare.

But don’t fret: music can help. What kinds of music can make your way home in a traffic jam a cheerful one?

It is better to start with light and fresh music because one can quickly tire of music that is too strong and stimulating. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” a 2001 album by Lisa Ono, a female bossa nova singer, or “Pretty World,” is good for a start. A performance which stimulates the imagination, such as “Journal,” a recent album from Mowg, a Korean bassist, would also be a good choice.

When you feel sleepy after eating lunch, fast dance music is good. But if the music is too fast, you could become overwhelmed by the rhythm and doze off. Non-stimulating folk rock or acid jazz is appropriate for the relaxed afternoon hours after lunch.

Modern sounds, like “Falling in Love” by Lee Han-chul, and “Do I Have a Reason?” by “D’Sound,” a Norwegian acid jazz band, are recommended for those hours as well. “Lay Your Hands,” a pop ballad by Simon Webb, a British pop singer, also will help clear your mind.

Do not turn off the music and yell when your children begin to act up. How about breathing deeply and changing the music to a calm track that can give one a sense of stability?

The harmonies in “Amarantine,” Irish new age artist Enya’s latest album, will soothe and calm your children down.

bsism@donga.com