Music
Format-Lifestyle
- Sunday, April 30, 2023 09:11 (GMT+7)
- 09:11 April 30, 2023
Experts say that companies play an important role in creating a band's success. However, the popularity of Fifty Fifty proves that artists are gradually having a voice.
Recently, the four girls of Fifty Fifty have received global attention and become the fastest Kpop group to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Notably, the group comes from a small company that many audiences don't even know about. From the case of Fifty Fifty, Korea JoongAng Daily and experts have discussed who has the bigger say in Kpop between artists and management companies.
The advantage of being born with a silver spoon in your mouth
For some, the question is as thorny and complex as the philosophical “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Throughout K-pop’s three-decade history, the industry has often seen the success of groups from major labels.
Fifty Fifty sold only 1,500 copies in the first week of release of The Fifty (2022). Notably, this product is highly appreciated by experts for its quality. Fifty Fifty is managed by Attrakt, a company owned by StarCrew Ent and established less than two years ago.
On the other hand, NMIXX recorded the highest debut album sales among K-pop girl groups. The group achieved 227,399 copies for the single Ad Mare (2022) within a week of its release, despite the product receiving mixed reviews from the public. They entered the Billboard 200 album chart with their latest EP expégo but did not enter the Billboard Hot 100. The Billboard Hot 100 is considered a more difficult and important chart to enter.
NMIXX even received 60,000 pre-orders before their official debut. At that time, the public had no information about NMIXX, not even the identities of the members. However, people were still willing to pay for the album just because they believed in the company’s ability to assemble a high-quality girl group. NMIXX and many other groups that came from big companies are often called “born with a silver spoon in their mouths.”
Meanwhile, the success of Fifty Fifty marked the beginning of a new generation of K-pop, in which the traditional rules of the market (like the bigger the company, the higher the chance of a K-pop group's success) were gradually changing. Smaller companies were looking to climb to the top, while artists were also aiming to be independent instead of dependent.
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NMIXX has a large number of albums sold even though they have not revealed any information about the group. Photo: JYP Entertainment. |
Unlike American pop stars, or even stars from any other country, Kpop groups never leave their companies, especially groups from large companies listed on the Korean Stock Exchange such as HYBE, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment...
This is so common that experts often compare Kpop to the automotive world , where car names always come with the manufacturer's name, such as Ford, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz or Hyundai.
In Korea, they are not only companies but also teachers and parents, and that makes them inseparable from the stars. The bond starts with the huge investment each company puts into forming a group.
Over the course of 3-5 years or more, a company spends millions, even billions, of won to nurture teenagers, then train them to become idols.
The dormitories where trainees live are rented by the companies. The trainees' food, vocal and dance lessons are also paid for by the company. In addition, the company may also pay for cosmetic surgery.
The cost to produce a girl group is said to be at least 300 million won ( $224,000 ) per member, Korea JoongAng Daily pointed out. Girl group Loona even cost the management company 10 billion won.
Companies will use the idols' earnings after debut to offset previous education and living expenses. The Western pop market is the complete opposite. Artists are picked by companies after they have proven their talent and they need less investment.
Because of the huge investment, many groups have not been paid for many years. All the revenue they earn must be returned to the company. Singer Yuju, a member of the girl group GFriend, said she received her first salary two years after her debut. Meanwhile, former Momoland member Yeonwoo took three years to get paid.
Inseparable relationship
Being an incubator by nature, it is difficult to rule out the role of a management company in a star's success, not only financially but also mentally.
“The North American market is so big that companies can make money without much effort. They just need to sell albums or concert tickets. But in Korea, album sales and concert tickets alone are not enough to cover the investment companies make. That means companies have to try to create other means of making money,” said music critic Cha Woo Jin.
In other words, in Kpop, the company manages everything, from training, coming up with ideas, making products, to eating and sleeping schedules. Many times, Kpop idols are even treated as puppets. Therefore, separating a star from the company is not easy.
However, BTS’s success also shows another perspective. In 2010, BTS debuted at a small company called Big Hit Entertainment, which had only 10 employees. At that time, they could only hold a fan meeting at a small venue because they could not afford to rent a larger venue.
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BTS's success shows that idol groups also have a big influence on their management companies. Photo: HYBE. |
BTS started making history in October 2017 when the song DNA reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100. BTS made a lot of money in the first half of 2020, accounting for 87.7% of Big Hit Entertainment's revenue, helping the company acquire many smaller companies and list on the Korea Stock Exchange on October 15, 2020. This was also the money for the HYBE Group to be born.
But two years later, the announcement that BTS would be discontinuing the group sent HYBE's stock price down 25 percent, a blow that took the group eight months to recover.
According to pop culture critic Jeong Deok Hyun, BTS shows that between artists and companies, neither can exist without the other. But in reality, the power of the management company is still very important.
Game-changing idols
The changing media landscape has brought another variation to the equation for a Kpop group's success.
Unlike before, when small companies struggled to get their bands on major TV shows and press exposure, now these bands can go straight into the online world.
Small businesses often have limited budgets. But short-form video services have helped them cut advertising costs.
Cupid from Fifty Fifty is a prime example. A snippet of the English version, called Twin Ver, has become a social media favorite and has even been called “the best chorus of 2023.”
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Fifty Fifty became a phenomenon in Kpop despite coming from a small company. |
Social media also helped rapper and producer ZICO storm the Korean music charts in 2020 with the song Any Song (2020). He then founded his own company KOZ Entertainment, which was acquired by HYBE in November 2020.
Artists are increasingly showing their talents. They are not just mere idols but are more proactive in their work. Meanwhile, various media play the role of small stages for them to show their talents to the audience.
“Ultimately it has to come down to the artist,” says music critic Cha. “Music comes down to the people who make it. Consumers want to see unique, compelling characters who have more to say than just a hit song. That’s not something a company can create.”
Zing News Entertainment introduces good books about Kpop: The books Shine, I'll Be The One, Kpop Revolution... explore many aspects of Kpop such as the process of becoming an idol, difficulties, and pressure from the public. In particular, the novel Shine by Jessica Jung (former member of SNSD) tells the story of Rachel Kim - an intern at one of the leading entertainment companies in Korea. To realize her dream, Rachel has to face many different challenges in the entertainment industry.
Minh Hao
Kpop BTS Fifty Fifty BTS NMIXX JYP
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