VisualizationsByJosefina

The end? Or just the start?

First off, major news! I passed my defense <3 I am officially, Dr. Hernandez, or Hortencia Josefina Hernandez, Ph.D. Honestly this is such a dream come true for me and words can not describe the emotions I feel about this accomplishment. ANYWAYS, time for the fun part of what I get to do.

The Full Network

Similar to the Seventeen Network, the network was built in R and published through GitHub. As a quick reminder, it only displays musical collaborations available on Spotify, with current and previous AOMG artists listed first.

Since the last blog post: Yugyeom has released a new album (it is so good!), Jvcki Wai has also released a new album! Also AOMG official site updated their Artists page which now shows that there are currently 9 people under them: YUGYEOM, Hoody, punchnello, ELO, Jvcki Wai, Ugly Duck, KOREAN ZOMBIE, KIAN84, and SIKKOO.

Looking at the full collaboration network, the nodes are colored based on if they are current, previous, or Non-AOMG artists, and the edges are colored based on if the connection is between current/previous artists in AOMG. It’s clear that Jay Park has the most connections overall. In contrast, SIKKOO has no direct collaborations with past, present, or non-AOMG artists, due to their recent debut in the industry.

When examining centrality, the top 5 artists by betweenness are the ones who act like collaboration hubs, bringing together circles of artists that might not connect otherwise.

Artist	Betweenness	Closeness-OUT	Closeness-IN
Jay Park	0.0183	0.352	0.500
GRAY	0.0129	0.389	0.531
Loco	0.00862	0.334	0.515
Coogie	0.00822	0.361	0.586
CODE KUNST	0.00784	0.370	0.354

Jay Park tops the list, reinforcing his role as the most influential connector within the larger collaboration web. Looking at closeness measures, GRAY and Coogie stand out with the highest in-closeness scores, meaning other artists can reach them quickly in the network. This suggests that while Jay Park serves as the primary bridge linking different groups, artists like GRAY and Coogie are highly accessible within the network, that is, collaborations can easily flow toward them.

AOMG Artist Network

The network visualizes collaboration ties: each arrow points to the artist who is featured on a track, and edge thickness reflects how often that collaboration occurs. Among AOMG artists, DeVita and YUGYEOM have the highest number of in-label collaborations. In contrast, LeeHi and Jvcki Wai don’t feature other AOMG artists on their own songs but are frequently featured by others. This pattern is also evident in the accompanying bar chart.

The bar chart counts, for each artist, how many collaborative tracks are with AOMG artists versus with artists outside AOMG. DeVita and YUGYEOM show a majority of collaborations within AOMG. By contrast, LeeHi and Jvcki Wai have no in-label collaborations; all of their collabs are with artist(s) outside AOMG.

When focusing on centrality among previous and current AOMG members, GRAY, Loco, and ELO emerge as the most influential. They act as connectors who bridge subgroups and keep the network cohesive.

Artist	Betweenness	Closeness-OUT	Closeness-IN
GRAY	0.168	0.486	0.531
Loco	0.129	0.486	0.515
ELO	0.095	0.472	0.500
DJ Wegun	0.082	0.548	0.378
Jay Park	0.640	0.370	0.500

Current Artist’s Network

Focusing only on the current AOMG roster (YUGYEOM, Hoody, punchnello, ELO, Jvcki Wai, Ugly Duck, and SIKKOO) the table below summarizes their discographies. It reports three measures for each artist:

1. the number of songs they are featured on,
2. the number of other artists they themselves feature
3. the total number of songs in their discography.

Note: The table only includes artists who were previously or are currently part of AOMG. For each collaboration, only the first unique artist affiliated with AOMG (past or present) is represented. This means the table reflects the distinct AOMG artists they have collaborated with, not every possible repeat occurrence.

Lastly, looking at the network’s closeness and betweenness measures, the following table displays the current artists in AOMG and their measures between those that were previously and currently in AOMG.

Artist	Betweenness	Closeness-OUT	Closeness-IN
ELO	0.095	0.472	0.500
punchnello	0.043	0.436	0.472
Hoody	0.042	0.415	0.500
Ugly Duck	0.002	0.266	0.425
YUGYEOM	0	0.500	–
Jvcki Wai	0	–	0.429
SIKKOO	0	–	–

This table shows that ELO plays a central role in shaping collaborations within AOMG. He scores the highest in betweenness centrality, meaning he often sits at the crossroads of collaborations, bridging different artists together. His closeness measures indicates that he can both reach others easily and be reached in return, making him a natural hub in AOMG’s collaboration web. This makes sense—ELO has been part of AOMG since 2014, giving him deep roots within the label’s network.

Conclusion

This project reminded me why I love combining data science with music. By treating collaborations as a network, I was able to highlight the artists who truly shape the creative flow within AOMG. On the larger stage, Jay Park continues to dominate as a central connector across the full network. Within the label’s history, GRAY, Loco, and ELO stand out as influential anchors, while among the current roster, ELO emerges as the hub that keeps collaborations flowing.

Beyond the numbers, these findings show how much a label’s identity is built on relationships — who works with whom, how often, and in what ways. Networks don’t just measure popularity; they capture influence, mentorship, and the unseen threads that hold an artistic community together.

For me, finishing this analysis at the same time as finishing my Ph.D. feels symbolic. Just as this project uncovered hidden structures in music, my academic journey has been about uncovering hidden structures in knowledge. Both are about connection, influence, and growth. And just like AOMG, I know my own network — mentors, peers, and collaborators — is what made this possible.

So while this may be the “final” AOMG project, it’s really just the start of what’s next.

Until next time,

Josefina <3