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| ▲This photo, provided by YG Entertainment show photo of BabyMonster. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, provided by Kakao Entertainment show photo of 'Mave.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, shows artist ZICO. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL March 20 (Yonhap) -- As the subject matter of K-pop is being dealt with more often as it is rising in fame, various entertainment agencies are putting their faith in withholding various intellectual properties.
The easiest way of expanding the IP among entertainment agencies are showcasing new groups, and in order to do so South Korean entertainment giants will be showcasing new groups such as NCT Tokyo, BabyMonster and more in 2023. Moreover as the technology develops further, various AI artists will be taking the stage joining the competition among regular artists.
◇ SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment to showcase new girl group
According to the music industry on Monday, in order to expand the IP of the entertainment industry will be releasing a new girl groups.
To begin with HYBE will be showcasing a boy group from S.Korean artist ZICO’s album “KOZ” in 2023.
Artist ZICO addressed in November of 2022, “Since HYBE is a collaborative company between various entertainment labels therefore I was able to ask questions and learn from the others,” adding “I can freely work while keeping my identity while creating synergy. The music will be able to satisfy both sides of fandom and the public.”
SM Entertainment will be showcasing NCT’s Japanese team NCT Tokyo and various other boy and girl groups throughout 2023.
The production of the upcoming girl group will be under the lead of co-representative Lee Sung-soo, while the boy group will be under the management of Tak Young-joon. SM Entertainment has recently appointed some of the fans as screening agents for their upcoming girl group.
YG will be debuting a girl group BabyMonster after successfully building their girl group BLACKPINK as a world dominating K-pop stars. In order to help out with the process, Yang Hyun-suk, the executive producer has returned to the scene in 3 years and 6 months in order to put a lot effort into their debut. Especially the fact that 2023 is a year which BLACKPINK’s contractual period ends therefore the pressure BabyMonster has is unimaginable.
YG has already showcased all of the potential members, starting with Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Haram, Rora, and Chiquita, however, YG plans to narrow it down to final members.
Moreover, K-pop boy group Ateez’s entertainment agency KQ will be showcasing a new K-pop group “Xikers.”
◇ Father figure of BTS who found out about the upcoming danger of K-pop, the breakthrough will be IP expansion through new groups.
The reason for various entertainment agencies to compete against one another in order to debut various artists is because, they are desperate to expand their IP.
Throughout the past month, acquisition of the SM Entertainment has shaken the entertainment industry, therefore, the competition between HYBE and tech giant Kakao can be interpreted as a battle in order to get hold of SM Entertainment’s IP.
K-pop superstar BTS’ father like figure, Bang Si-hyuk addressed “Within the American mainstream music industry, the growth of K-pop is slowly decreasing,” adding “As for the countries within the East Asia, where the love and fame of K-pop seem to ever last, the export has decreased about 30 percent.”
Moreover, Bang Si-hyuk addressed “Ability to create and produce continuous bangers while showcasing superstars is crucial.”
Although Kakao withholds amazing platform, however they lacked in IPs which can be incorporated into the Kakao’s platform. Including HYBE and Kakao, the easiest but effective way to expand IP is to debut a new group or an artist.
According to an official from the music industry, “Despite of a company an artist cannot ever last, and fans duration on liking a group has shortened therefore companies need to have new groups ready to debut” adding “In order to increase in size, a company needs to expand in their IP, however the current artists are at its limits.”
Moreover, if the company were to successfully debut a group the entertainment companies are entitled to make secondary incomes. For instance, aespa attracted a lot of fans for using various methods such as meta verse, and various unique videos. Currently LESSERAFIM is showcasing webtoon and webnovels “Crimson Heart.”
Kim Hun-sik pop culture critic addressed “Digital and mobile environments has led to competitions among various content wars,” adding “On top of music industry, OTT services like Disney Plus, Netflix, and more are showcasing grand investments, therefore K-pop needs to join the battle regardless of whether they want to or not.”
◇ K-pop artist who cross over the line of reality, continues to pop up
The competition to fight for the debut of K-pop group continues beyond reality.
Kakao Entertainment received a lot of attention by showcasing virtual Idol group “Mave” in January of 2023 collaboratively with Netmarble F&C’s subsidiary Metaverse Entertainment.
Kako Entertainment participated in the process of creating the metaverse K-pop group as if the tech giant was training the actual Idol group for their debut from the beginning to the end. Members of “Mave” has learned not only Korean but also English, German, and more languages by using various AI technology.
“Mave” managed to appear at the actual music program just like an actual K-pop group.
SM Entertainment has plans to debut their virtual artist “Navis” which appears within the unique multiverse of aespa.
Kakao Entertainment’s official addressed “The virtual Idol takes lest time and space for their activities, therefore they are able to provide entertainment to its fans despite of platform, time and space restrictions,” adding “Moreover, we are able to expand the multiverse into webtoon, webnovels, and various other contents smoothly.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo)
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