[The dilemma of K-pop] Originality is hampered by time and financial constraints.

[The dilemma of K-pop]  Hype, a K-pop phenomenon that began as Big Hit Entertainment in 2005, has over 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) in total assets as of last year. The company aims to establish itself as a “large-firm.”

In 2019, Hype purchased Source Music, its first subsidiary label, with the goal of building a multinational entertainment conglomerate with many labels. Today, Hype’s label section consists of 11 companies, such as Adore, home of NewJeans, Pedis Entertainment, home of the internationally recognized Seventeen, and Big Hit Music, home of the K-pop sensation BTS.

Hyde’s goal to overtake the world’s top record companies with many labels, including Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group, has drawn criticism for the lack of innovation in its offerings.

A multi-label system is being examined.

[The dilemma of K-pop]  The K-pop industry use the multi-label system to rapidly replicate popular models with little modifications, instead of maintaining each label’s distinct musical identity and color.

“A multi-label system ought to resemble a color palette with a variety of hues to both lower business risks and increase pie size. According to music critic Lim Hee-yoon, “Hype’s multi-label system is rather like a conveyor belt mass producing success models,” as evidenced by the recent dispute between Hype and Adore that sparked concerns over Ill it’s originality.

[The dilemma of K-pop]  “These days, K-pop agencies concentrate on remaking popular intellectual properties.” For this reason, K-pop music has a fairly narrow range of appeal. According to Lee Dong-yen, a professor at the Korea National University of Arts, “it’s like they have a tried-and-true formula to stardom as a guide to what music, choreography, and visual concept to showcase.”

One benefit of a multi-label system is that new record releases, which are important sources of income, happen all the time.

For instance, Hype has so far this year published new albums by BoyNextDoor from KOZ Entertainment, TXT from Big Hit Music, and Le Seraphim from its subsidiary label Source Music.

Additionally, it debuted the boy group TWS under a different subsidiary Pedis Entertainment and the girl group IL lit under its subsidiary Be lift Lab.

[The dilemma of K-pop]  However, the subsidiary brands find it challenging to develop their unique colors in such a fast-paced work atmosphere.

Deadlines are a constant source of stress for music producers, musicians, and other K-pop business workers because they must prepare for two or three comebacks annually. According to music critic Kim Do-heron, “This gives them at most three months to come up with new songs, choreography, and promotion, which is why the artists cannot escape plagiarism allegations.” They are forced to emulate a profitable intellectual property. To produce fresh, innovative ideas, the K-pop business must give itself permission to fail.

This is not at all like K-pop agencies did things up until the early 2020s.

Formerly, head producers Lee Soo-man, Park Jin-young, and Yang Hyun-Suk oversaw the big labels SM, JYP, and YG, respectively.

Each K-pop agency developed a distinct sound through the use of such business management.

This explains why the recently formed YG girl group Babymonster is not being chastised for having conceptual similarities to the highly regarded K-pop group Backlink.

“Be lift Lab, the sub-label that started IL lit, is home to the popular K-pop boy band Enhypen. Even yet, before to her debut, IL lit was positioned as the “youngest daughter of Hype.” Lim stated that IL lit ought to have been marketed as Enhypen “sister group” if Hype had truly intended to assist Be lift Lab in forging its own musical identity as a record label. Lim continued, “Parent companies need to let them experience their music and trust in their sublabels.”

 

[The dilemma of K-pop]  It is ironic that SM Entertainment is introducing a business initiative called “SM 3.0″ that is focused on creating its own multi-label system at the same time that Hype is testing its own.

To broaden the K-pop genre, SM Entertainment really said on Tuesday that it had formed a new label called Racialize, which will concentrate on producing modern R&B music.

SM presently operates three sub-labels: Racialize, a dance music record label, Scream Records, and SM Classics, which produces orchestrated versions of K-pop songs.

In an effort to increase IP revenue through timely production, SM is also attempting to rearrange its organizational structure. However, rather than putting out diverse artists under its sub-labels, its sub-labels concentrate on improving the infrastructure and resources in order to create albums by SM performers,” said Kang Hype-won, a visiting professor at Sungkyunkwan University.

Industry insiders concur that each label should be valued for its uniqueness and that the parent firm should serve as a mediator between various sub-labels to provide equal support for each.

“K-pop labels need to focus on their uniqueness and inventiveness immediately in order to make the genre profitable. Lee stated, “They must consider how to make improvements and make a commitment to establish such an atmosphere.

Article Source Korea herald