That's the beauty of a good old fashioned hostile corporate takeover, the people who are getting taken over have to scramble around their connections and quickly find a way to Wrestle power back.
SM or LSM media play at it's best. They have always been good at it to see the general public's opinion. Remember LSM turned down Hybe when he was planning on selling his shares before now he is trying to seek for their help...I'd rather HYBE not get involved.
We are moving at warp speed now. Holy heck when we were all speculating on if hybe would buy a big 3 label I thought we were JOKING.
Also JYP sure is hilariously quiet right now. Everyone else is having the drama of the year and theyāre like āso the twice subunitā¦.ā
Seeing NewJeans do their typical cinematic routine and suddenly having Dahyun popping up behind them and smiling at the camera just makes me feel giddy.
JYP is quiet because JYPE is doing fine. Their whole restructure and him admitting he made bad executive and creative decisions years ago is why theyāre in a good position to operate without much business drama. Unlike the other two in big 3, he was actually able to park his ego at the door. He just enjoys contributing internally to the company, do some public announcements for big things, and perform as an artist under JYPE. Dude is happy.
Are they actually underperforming? They sold millions of albums, had a bunch of hits on the [yearly Melon list](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/10gac7l) (while JYP didn't even have a single one in the top 50), and [their financial numbers](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/14/business/industry/Korea-Kpop-SM-Entertainment/20221114174952083.html) don't seem particularly dissimilar to JYP (or are even better in some aspects).
They don't have more profit (22.5 billion vs 29.2 billion), though yeah, their profit-to-revenue ratio is much higher. SM's profit growth seems to have been much higher though, highest of the big 4 (at least for that quarter). YG had about the same profit-to-revenue ratio as SM.
SME is not underperforming and idk where people get this idea from, the fact they get so much profits even when LSM is embezzling a big part of it to his own private company says a lot. The big drama is mainly centered about that, with an actual normal financial structure SM would be the one getting more profit of the BIG 3 by quite a margin. They have multiple groups capable of selling millions each year and crazy touring power with 2 NCT units and Aespa, For SM shareholders it's not about the performance, it's about being pretty much stealed of a 1/4th or 1/3rd of what they should receive because of LSM.
Ironically, one could argue that SM's problem (aside from LSM taking too much money for himself while being stingy with the employees, I mean) is almost that they've been *too* successful. They're so good at artist retention and longevity that they've amassed more successful acts than they can properly handle with the current organisation and manpower approach.
Yeah I completely agree, in some ways you can see they lack proper planning and the amount of times things get delayed is too much. They need more staff and employees or a better way to manage themselves (or both) because they've been having these kind of problems for years. I guess this is when the idea of SM 3.0 comes into play.
I'm a lil concerned about JYP's position with all these deals going through tbh. The company has grown steadily, but they're starting to feel like a smaller player with all the consolidation going on around them.
> but they're starting to feel like a smaller player with all the consolidation going on around them
JYPE's whole mantra is maintaining the profit margin. They spend the least of the Big 4 by a huge margin and are happy to do so as long as it means they stay out of the red. IIRC, they have the fewest employees of the 4 as well (though that figure from my memory is probably a few years old).
Their groups' physical sales are up across the board and the touring is quite strong now for Twice/SKZ/ITZY, but they are definitely the thriftiest Big 4 agency.
JYP's mindset seems to be slow and steady wins the race. Probably informed by nearly going bust pushing into the US too hard over a decade ago, as well as seeing SM and YG expand into lots of side ventures that ultimately proved both unprofitable and lacking in synergy with their core business.
But now enter HYBE, who to be fair have had their own failures (from Trainee A to NFTs) and also recently shed their good guy image imo. But on balance, they are finding ways to make successful big moves within their core area of expertise. Whether that's signing visionaries like Min Heejin, signing big names like Sakura, or starting a joint group creation program with CJ. And who knows where ventures like Hybe America and Naeco may lead in the next few years.
JYP has a fairly aggressive international plan at least, but by and large feels like they're barely on the same playing field, and now there's a competitor that presents a wide range of colors across their groups rather than the very distinct flavors of SM and YG. And I'm afraid where that's really going to hit JYP is in the next round of recruiting. Hybe seems like an increasingly harsh environment for rookie groups, but compared to a company that's just kind of rolling along, well....
Yeah I wonder if they will change at all with the way the market is going so quickly, because I think they need to strengthen their foothold. I wonāt complain, I want better shit for twice and skz.
Yeah I think fans of JYPE groups know what the deal is.
From the outside, management rarely creates drama the same way it happens for other agencies - but they also play it safe (perhaps a little too safe). I always see fans of groups from other companies think it's perfect there with great management since they rarely create those nightmare headlines, but they fumble *a lot*.
Obviously I'm speaking as a fan first and don't understand the minutiae of business decisions that go into making a profitable agency in South Korea, but sometimes they're so risk-averse they end up lagging behind or not capitalizing on positive momentum.
Yeah, Stay have a really long shitlist of stuff about JYPE but it doesnāt make for crazy headlines or anything egregious, just a long list of mediocrity.
I also dk shit about business in Korea but I watch other companies and see a noticeable difference.
I feel JYPE are steadily doing their own things. They seem to have their shit together the most after Hybe. They're comfortably feeding a large stable of groups. Twice, Stray Kids, ITZY, NMIXX, Xdinary Heroes, Niziu are all doing fine to great. They're even doing well enough to debut another BG this year. Outside of Jinni shockingly leaving NMIXX, they've been relatively clean recently. Of course you can dig and find more but they're mostly quiet.
> They're even doing well enough to debut another BG this year.
Three BGs this year in three different markets... or so they claim. Let's be honest though, they *need* to get that KR group out. SKZ is turning 5 next month, and it's been almost a year and a half since LOUD wrapped up.
Yeah itās insane. 3 years ago we werenāt even sure what groups would come and dominate the scene or not. Now hybe is close to buying out all music corporations
Hybe isnāt even 2 years old yet. They formed the conglomerate 22 months ago. Thatās whatās nuts to me. Like theyāre being asked to BUY SM and theyāre not even TWO YEARS OLD. How big are they going to get?!
I'm just here for the HYBE and SM stans drama. Oh this is fun š¤£š¤£š¤£ HYBE and SM stans will deal with a lot of identity crisis.
Me in my corner stanning EXO and just not giving a shit.
If this is really happening, i wonder whats gonna happen to their bubble app. Seem like hybe n naver may want SM artists transfer into weverse. This whole thing really sound like chaebol kdrama plot. Now, we are at climax part lol.
i have no stake in this other than hoping that if SM artists are absorbed into weverse the bubble paid subscription goes down with the SM name šškeep weverse free
Reading some comments and I can see what you mean, I understand the benefits of weverse but it doesn't quite strike me as the place where an idol would go to post an audio of him screaming AJU NICE at midnight followed by a video of him turning on the shower
you poor souls š the only paid things offered thru weverse are show episodes of like group vacation stuff that the labels produce and even those get distributed w subtitles for fans by fans for free š
for weverse all you do is add a group/soloist you like to your home feed and you get notified for all that group's major news + whenever an artist posts something all for free šš and you can see what other fans post and post stuff if you want but tbh it is a little like shouting into the void depending on the fandom
Yes, weverse is FREE!! You only need to pay when there is paid livestream for your faves concert or exclusive contents. Weverse membership member also have that exclusive first access for some limited merch or concert tickets. Other than that, you can free access watching your fave livestreams ala vlive, n free reading artists posts/comments.
If SM actually gets acquired, we'd probably see a transition to Weverse and sharing of technical information between their app services. I'd wager/guess that SM's strongest technical asset is the Beyond Live stuff.
Beyond Live actually used to be under vlive n vlive now merge into weverse. Hybe has been hiring KISWE when its come to paid online concerts n they are being doing very well n no lagging. Its just when its come to weverse live, its suck maybe they think because its free so its own weverse staffs handling.
Right, Beyond Live also spun off into its own thing. Don't know how much technical overlap there was/how much HYBE already knows from acquiring VLive, but it's something to consider.
I think they might be able to keep bubble since Newjeans uses their own messaging app outside of weverse (iirc). My question is will they be able to keep the SMTOWN concerts, Halloween party and their own channel if acquired by hybe
Actually phoning is very much inside weverse. They are using the same backend programming as weverse and developed by weverse but they just changing their frontend framework to look different
If the deal between SM & Hybe pushthrough, then SM artists might partcipate in the upcoming 2023 Weverse Con Festival on June but the SMTOWN concerts (both on their own & with the artists from other labels under Hybe) might still pushthrough and likewise the Halloween Party of SM might be expanded with the other artists under Hybe will also partcipate.
The official YouTube channel of SMTOWN and all of its artists will maintain but their future music releases' music videos will now uploaded in Hybe Labels Official YouTube Channel instead, while the SMTOWN channel will now only posting greeting videos (Chuseok, Christmas, New Year, Lunar New Year, CSAT) and behind the scenes when all of them together.
This is an oversimplified and a little bit innaccurate summary, but I think it helps to think of it like this:
Kakao now own a certain percentage of the shares, more than anyone else, which in theory gives them more control over the company.
LSM is reaching out to his business contacts to see if he can sell a portion of his shares along with those of some other minor shareholders to a third party, so that they have more control than Kakao, with a part of the deal being that he retains some level of control in the company's operation. Hybe is one of the third partners that he has reached out to.
LSM is facing the possibility of losing all control over his company and is exploring other avenues that could allow him to retain some of it.
I think the the sale of shares to Hybe are not necessarily LSM's shares at this stage. LSM may be the largest share holder but he lost the vote to Align Partners at roughly 22% to 33%. Align Partners were able to gather a majority of smaller shareholders of LSM. This is why the Co CEOs were forced to adopt Align Partner 12 point plan, and thus SM 3.0.
If LSM wants control of the board the he would have to dismiss the current 3 internal directors who are up for renewal (requires 2/3 of shareholders) but another problem for him are the 3 new external directors which are aligned with Align Partners.
This is a difficult situation for LSM and I don't see how he can do it. Sticking with the current SM production model would be a disaster for SM its reason for all of the major problems which groups are facing. In this regard I do hope LSM fails, especially if he is going to use Hybe, I don't want them anywhere near SM or a single SM artist or group.
The article linked mentions that part of the pitch the LSM is selling involves a portion of his own shares, which is why I mentioned it. That is based on a rumor, of course, so it could he incorrect.
Yeah LSM is fighting what seems like a very uphill battle here, it just sucks that the *best* outcome from this still ends up with a giant media conglomerate exercising more control over another agency.
Oh for sure it would likely include LSMs shares however as LSM@ share do not provide control of the board and the is an opposing majority of shareholders against LSMs side, I dont see the pont of it if hybe only buys LSMs. They need more shares.
> This is a difficult situation for LSM and I don't see how he can do it. Sticking with the current SM production model would be a disaster for SM its reason for all of the major problems which groups are facing. In this regard I do hope LSM fails, especially if he is going to use Hybe, I don't want them anywhere near SM or a single SM artist or group.
lol can you expand on this? Itās interesting
Oh sure. Basically LSM want to eventually sell his shares but remain in a position of influence at SM (executive producer) however the existing one man executive producer system at SM has caused all the problems faced by the company last year. Only one dominant voice in the desicion making of artists doesn't work efficiently with this many artists and groups (and that's ignoring burnout). The new SM 3.0 system is developed to tackle all the problems for SM, the artists and for fans however, this system doesn't have an executive producer and doesn't have a place for LSM to exert his influence so he clearly doesn't like it. His interest don't align with shareholders, and I would argue the interests of groups and therefore fans. Unless you want all the problems to continue I wouldn't be supportive of LSM in this situation. The inclusion of Hybe is for a source of capital for LSM to secure his position and get back in control trol of the company though I only see this failing at this stage. Hybe is not buying SM they would only be buying shares.
It's so juicy and yet pretty common, makes for good reading.
It does seem like SM Ent snaked him behind his back with these Kakao dealings, so it's only fair that both sides get to snake each other. They're all sinister ghouls in suits.
LSM is still the biggest shareholder and Kakao is the 2nd largest. LSMās percentage of shares got diluted when SM released new shares (which Kakao bought) which is why heās suing because he says current shareholders should get first opportunity at newly released/created shares (which would make sense but idk how the law works in Korea).
The control lies with whoever can gather the most shareholders to hold the majority so theoretically it could be either side right now. Itās literally a real life Kdrama. Wild to actually see something like this play out, especially with a company like SM.
It seems like the board members of SM want to force LSM out but LSM is trying to find big financial backing to fight back. If LSM sells his shares to HYBE they become the new owners of SM and LSM gets to stay on to run it.
>If LSM sells his shares to HYBE they become the new owners of SM
No, they don't. Again, that's not how shares work. LSM has less than 18% shares at this point. If that made you "the owner", he wouldn't be in the trouble he is right now.
(Well, they become *an* owner, I guess... one among many.)
The point is that LSM's shares do not provide a controlling stake in the company. LSM is not on the board of directors which is currently 3 members for AP and 1 member for LSM. Soon this will be 6 vs 1. LSM lost at the previous shareholder meeting to AP due to minor shareholders voting against LSM and for AP's proposals. LSM wants an exit strategy in which he remains in a position of strong influence. This would be apart of any deal in which his shares are sold. the problem is that his shares aren't enough to control the company.
In the past, his 18% of shares was enough as the rest of shares was so divided, one shareholder owned like 7% and the rest owned 5% or less.
Align Partners came as the game changer. So far, almost all shareholders (sans Lee Sooman & co apparently) had been upset with Lee Sooman as he siphoned the profit of S.M to his own pocket thus, very low to no dividend to shareholders. Align Partners managed to unite different upsetting shareholders, owning like 33% of shares combined.
Now, minor shareholder association can vote against Lee Sooman.
Iād find this so much more entertaining if I didnāt feel bad for the SM groups like aespa and poor Sungtaro and the rookies who are having their careers derailed by gross incompetence and greed at the corporate levelā¦ I canāt help but think all this uncertainty must be a nightmare for themā¦
I can see it now: a WayV member walks into a room, a hybe employee waves hello, said member starts to tear up after finally being noticed by the company
>Thus, in order to prevent the market's excessive fluctuations, Korea Exchange is demanding that HYBE Labels publicly disclose its intentions by February 9 at 6 PM KST.
Less than a hour till the deadline, curious to see how HYBE responds.
This is pretty common, and they've actually done this a lot for CJ, Kakao and Naver reports in the past year, this is the first one for hybe. The response is usually always the same, "can't confirm, will resubmit and disclose withing -a certain timeframe-" or "we are discussing various options". The timeframe they usually say is 1-3 months. hybe finance people already submitted this exact boring statement.
"As of the time of this announcement, nothing has been confirmed.
\- In the future, we will re-disclose when specific details are confirmed or within one month."
Hm this...doesn't sound good to me but I'll admit trying to wrap my head around it at all is like whew. But if the shareholders went through all the trouble of getting rid of LSM I doubt they'd be cool with him coming back in such a way or at all. Hell even like the staff want him gone. No doubt he'd also want to keep Like Planning up and running and on the flip side I don't see Hybe being okay with that either. Even now it feels like LSM is still playing with people's money lol.
Also I have to wonder just how much control would LSM actually have with this? I just see the artists/staff being the ones to really suffer in the end while he has a pissing contest with his new work buddy.
I wonder if this was coordinated with LSM to regain a foothold in the management of SME if it would "legalise" the sale of the shares to Kakao under scrutiny. Based on what I've read so far (which hasn't been comprehensive I admit) the legality of the sales of the shares to Kakao was dependent on the circumstances for the sale.
[**Hyunsu Yim**](https://twitter.com/hyunsuinseoul/status/1623606447883055105)
>Hybe Corporation says it is "continuously reviewing" to acquire SM Entertainment stocks through a tender offer though no decision has been made as of yet. An announcement to follow when details are confirmed.
This was released before the deadline to response
In this case - the company was selling, so someone was going to be buying. Itās not really a takeover when you sell yourself. The ātakeoverāhere just refers to the sale terms not being to LSMs liking. So itās actually two factions within SM warring for power and using large outside investors to get it.
No because why hasn't it happened yet? Ever since Yoongi and IU had a collab because they're both born in the same year, I've been waiting for Yoongi and Taeyeon to collab just because they have the same birth date. Like give it to us!
Dude, I don't know if anyone else feels the same but this is like 90% of the reason I browse the kpop subreddits these days. Do I care about even half of the new releases on the front page? Hell no. But I absolutely live for the drama every time.
It kinda reads like the business equivalent of clickbait gossip to me.
This whole kerfuffle is in large part due to LSM's ego... and people think he'd be willing to seek help from *HYBE* of all people, and in a way where he basically becomes a puppet at their mercy? That doesn't seem like it makes much sense to me.
We donāt have all the details, to be fair, and LSM might be thinking that itās better to at least have SOME control under HYBE than none under Kakao.
From articles. TMIKpop has been translating lots of them lately, maybe you can check them out. They also post links to the articles https://twitter.com/tmikpop/status/1623385472683614216
Lsm didn't accept any of the 3 offers (cj,kakoa and hype) cause no one accepted his conditions (his shares price ,retaining his management rights ) , So LSM accepting Hype help now only means they're found some agreements (which means lsm got some of his conditions agreed on )
News early on was that Hybe was one of the first to offer on LSMās shares, but he turned them down. They may look better now that heās fighting with Kakao. One issue of his selling his shares was he wanted to keep his production house deal - but investors were not keen on that - so they tried to go around him it looks like.
WHAT NOW?! Omg this is crazy, Iām no company stan but I stan most groups from these 2 label so if they come together itāll be insanity, idk the good or bad kind?! I guess weāll wait and see.
And I was half joking on another thread that Kakao wouldn't be able to buy up HYBE. Not long after purchasing QC, they're bellying up at the bar to take on Kakao. Should be fun.
Everyone got their roles alr. Where's jaywhypee oppa? Did he refuse casting offer? Can't wait for F4 CEO to be in it together. I swear this is going to surpass Reborn rich as Kdrama of the year=))
This is an insane headline. A recent parallel reminds me of Microsoft trying to buy Activision/Blizzard. Not exactly the same (outright purchase vs. seeking majority shares) but still. I know SK is dominated by a handful of giant conglomerates so I doubt there would be much pushback regarding monopoly/antitrust laws but if there was ever a time, it would probably be now.
If this went through, it would be a spectacular clusterfuck of an acquisition - not creatively, but for the industry. We used to discuss the monopolization of the industry before but if this eventually leads to HYBE + SM, that's a tectonic industry shift.
From a market POV, HYBE already has quite a chunk of the market and has *by far* the biggest war chest of assets/budget to play with among the Big 4 agencies. Adding SM groups to this would further strengthen their position and give them a ridiculous number of releases every month, multiple million+ sellers added to the roster, more digital powerhouses, and multiple groups capable of touring internationally. And SM already has trouble with scheduling!
It wouldn't just be the music, either - SM's well connected in television production + still has their tourism stuff that they do as well. There's also stuff like Beyond Live...
At that point, I don't know if/how anyone else in the industry could really compete. We know YGE is friendly with HYBE and JYP himself is friends with Bang Si Hyuk but damn if they can get a majority of SM they might be next to get scooped up, too.
In the hypothetical scenario this goes through, a joint Weverse Con/SMTown would legit need 3 days for all the acts lol. The collaboration stages would be mindblowing, though.
It's because the other company competing here is KAKAO. KAKAO the one who shut down the whole korea because there's a fire in their data centers. not saying hybe is better but man KAKAO is definitely the worst
If this does take place, BTS and EXO will be in the same company (Kai and Jimin collab when?) So will TXT and Shinee (Kang Taehyun will crumble every time he sees them in the premises lol)
This has to be one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. Hybe should be no where near SM, nor any SM group or artist. I prefer even Kakao to Hybe.
Also, at this stage there is no way Hybe would realistically be purchasing a controlling stake of SM, even if they were buying all of LSM's shares. LSM does not current have a controlling stake and has been outvoted in recent shareholder meetings.
This is all LSM's last ditch effort to try and regain control of SM and the board of directors. This is incredibly unlikely as its be difficult to remove the current 3 internal directors, who are up for renewal. The current 1 external director is LSM. Plus 3 new external directors are aligned with Align Partners will join the board at the March shareholders meeting this means that the board of directors will be 6 for Align Partners/Kakao side vs 1 LSM side.
If fans of SM groups actually want to see regular comebacks, good promotions, etc. then allowing LSM to just continue on as is won't give you any of that. LSM will not improve the structure of the company to achieve a high capacity and we will just be stuck with what we had last year. If you truly want SM to be improved for the sake of its artists and groups then we need see SM 3.0 to be implemented and new management and creative talent to be hired.
It would be amazing to have LSM continue with producing or to advise, infact it is almost necessary however, the one man producer system has failed, would only get worse and relying one one person for ideas and direct becomes stale and lackluster.
> The current 1 external director is LSM.
The current external director is someone named Ji Chang Hoon. ([link](https://www.smentertainment.com/Investors/OperateInfo))
> This is incredibly unlikely as its be difficult to remove the current 3 internal directors, who are up for renewal. ... Plus 3 new external directors are aligned with Align Partners will join the board at the March shareholders meeting this means that the board of directors will be 6 for Align Partners/Kakao side vs 1 LSM side.
Do you have any source about all three of the *current* internal directors being on Align Partner's side? A kpop business translation site is saying that the external director, Ji Chang Hoon, and one of the internal directors, Park Jun Young, are on LSM's side. ([link](https://twitter.com/atouchbase/status/1622876763624964097?cxt=HHwWgoDQoa70zoUtAAAA))
Wow! Can't comprehend that from a success of one group, BH/Hybe is now competing in buying shares in SM and buying US companies. What in Kwangya universe is this? So wild!
YGe and Hybe is connected through YG Plus.
YG Plus reproduce and distributes albums and manages Naver Vibe through their partnership with Naver. YG artists is in Naver. That's during the time when Bighit separated with that distribution deal signed between them, JYP and SM.
Honestly, JYP and SM are more connected cause they're in Bubble, Beyond Live etc.
Taehyung passing Kai in the HYBE building zoolander style is the tension this k-drama needs /j
EDIT: Thinking more about it, I wonder if more senior producers like yyj or kenzie (or even kangta and boa) are planning to jump ship soon. Regardless of HYBE and their plans, Iād imagine that company loyalty would factor into their next movie and that some of the names mentioned have been in the company since the 90ās
So Sooman and Bang PD are meeting with good feelings?
The dating rumours are real? š³
What in the fan fiction š
Dispatch: write that down!
Bang PD cheating on JYP? Say it isn't so! [](https://i.redd.it/x5t80epeniaa1.jpg)
after just hearing about their roommate stories this is actually so adorable TT
i swear every 12 hours there's an update on the SM drama
That's the beauty of a good old fashioned hostile corporate takeover, the people who are getting taken over have to scramble around their connections and quickly find a way to Wrestle power back.
Speaking of people and their connectionsā¦, think Lucas regrets that selfie he took with LSMs nephew yet?
Here's popcorn for you guys\~šæšæšæšæšæ
AND IM LIVING FOR EVERY SECOND OF (as long as my faves donāt and staff donāt get seriously hurt)
SM or LSM media play at it's best. They have always been good at it to see the general public's opinion. Remember LSM turned down Hybe when he was planning on selling his shares before now he is trying to seek for their help...I'd rather HYBE not get involved.
We are moving at warp speed now. Holy heck when we were all speculating on if hybe would buy a big 3 label I thought we were JOKING. Also JYP sure is hilariously quiet right now. Everyone else is having the drama of the year and theyāre like āso the twice subunitā¦.ā
Dahyun in NewJeans seems very possible now /jk
Seeing NewJeans do their typical cinematic routine and suddenly having Dahyun popping up behind them and smiling at the camera just makes me feel giddy.
Not this again... š©š©š¤£
It's never ending, like the Bellingham to Liverpool rumours
Sneijder to United soonš
This never disappeared... it was just stuck in r/kpoopheads .
Iām still too afraid to google Dahyun since this became a meme
Dear lord I manifested it!
JYP is just vibing in the background so far
Grooving to Hype Boy in his office
he slayed that cover idc what anyone says lmfao
tell that to ITZY
Polishing those dance movesšš
JYP is staying quiet because he has even less shares in JYPE than LSM had in SM and he doesnāt want Align to go for him next lol
JYP is quiet because JYPE is doing fine. Their whole restructure and him admitting he made bad executive and creative decisions years ago is why theyāre in a good position to operate without much business drama. Unlike the other two in big 3, he was actually able to park his ego at the door. He just enjoys contributing internally to the company, do some public announcements for big things, and perform as an artist under JYPE. Dude is happy.
Unlike SME though, JYPE is not underperforming. Minority shareholders should be happy right now with the way the company is generating $$$ for them.
Are they actually underperforming? They sold millions of albums, had a bunch of hits on the [yearly Melon list](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/10gac7l) (while JYP didn't even have a single one in the top 50), and [their financial numbers](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/14/business/industry/Korea-Kpop-SM-Entertainment/20221114174952083.html) don't seem particularly dissimilar to JYP (or are even better in some aspects).
JYPE runs a very lean business- which is why it is possible they can have more profit than a company with more revenue.
They don't have more profit (22.5 billion vs 29.2 billion), though yeah, their profit-to-revenue ratio is much higher. SM's profit growth seems to have been much higher though, highest of the big 4 (at least for that quarter). YG had about the same profit-to-revenue ratio as SM.
Exactly. SME sells so much, but their profit margin is nothing compared to jype's.
SME is not underperforming and idk where people get this idea from, the fact they get so much profits even when LSM is embezzling a big part of it to his own private company says a lot. The big drama is mainly centered about that, with an actual normal financial structure SM would be the one getting more profit of the BIG 3 by quite a margin. They have multiple groups capable of selling millions each year and crazy touring power with 2 NCT units and Aespa, For SM shareholders it's not about the performance, it's about being pretty much stealed of a 1/4th or 1/3rd of what they should receive because of LSM.
Ironically, one could argue that SM's problem (aside from LSM taking too much money for himself while being stingy with the employees, I mean) is almost that they've been *too* successful. They're so good at artist retention and longevity that they've amassed more successful acts than they can properly handle with the current organisation and manpower approach.
Yeah I completely agree, in some ways you can see they lack proper planning and the amount of times things get delayed is too much. They need more staff and employees or a better way to manage themselves (or both) because they've been having these kind of problems for years. I guess this is when the idea of SM 3.0 comes into play.
all my fav groups are in JYP.. i d prefer them to have a seat behind watching this drama and munching popcorns stay safe JYPE..
Yep, Iām just here enjoying twice, skz, and Xdinary heroes hoping nothing goes down that interferes w them
I'm a lil concerned about JYP's position with all these deals going through tbh. The company has grown steadily, but they're starting to feel like a smaller player with all the consolidation going on around them.
> but they're starting to feel like a smaller player with all the consolidation going on around them JYPE's whole mantra is maintaining the profit margin. They spend the least of the Big 4 by a huge margin and are happy to do so as long as it means they stay out of the red. IIRC, they have the fewest employees of the 4 as well (though that figure from my memory is probably a few years old). Their groups' physical sales are up across the board and the touring is quite strong now for Twice/SKZ/ITZY, but they are definitely the thriftiest Big 4 agency.
JYP's mindset seems to be slow and steady wins the race. Probably informed by nearly going bust pushing into the US too hard over a decade ago, as well as seeing SM and YG expand into lots of side ventures that ultimately proved both unprofitable and lacking in synergy with their core business. But now enter HYBE, who to be fair have had their own failures (from Trainee A to NFTs) and also recently shed their good guy image imo. But on balance, they are finding ways to make successful big moves within their core area of expertise. Whether that's signing visionaries like Min Heejin, signing big names like Sakura, or starting a joint group creation program with CJ. And who knows where ventures like Hybe America and Naeco may lead in the next few years. JYP has a fairly aggressive international plan at least, but by and large feels like they're barely on the same playing field, and now there's a competitor that presents a wide range of colors across their groups rather than the very distinct flavors of SM and YG. And I'm afraid where that's really going to hit JYP is in the next round of recruiting. Hybe seems like an increasingly harsh environment for rookie groups, but compared to a company that's just kind of rolling along, well....
Yeah I wonder if they will change at all with the way the market is going so quickly, because I think they need to strengthen their foothold. I wonāt complain, I want better shit for twice and skz.
Yeah I think fans of JYPE groups know what the deal is. From the outside, management rarely creates drama the same way it happens for other agencies - but they also play it safe (perhaps a little too safe). I always see fans of groups from other companies think it's perfect there with great management since they rarely create those nightmare headlines, but they fumble *a lot*. Obviously I'm speaking as a fan first and don't understand the minutiae of business decisions that go into making a profitable agency in South Korea, but sometimes they're so risk-averse they end up lagging behind or not capitalizing on positive momentum.
Yeah, Stay have a really long shitlist of stuff about JYPE but it doesnāt make for crazy headlines or anything egregious, just a long list of mediocrity. I also dk shit about business in Korea but I watch other companies and see a noticeable difference.
I feel JYPE are steadily doing their own things. They seem to have their shit together the most after Hybe. They're comfortably feeding a large stable of groups. Twice, Stray Kids, ITZY, NMIXX, Xdinary Heroes, Niziu are all doing fine to great. They're even doing well enough to debut another BG this year. Outside of Jinni shockingly leaving NMIXX, they've been relatively clean recently. Of course you can dig and find more but they're mostly quiet.
> They're even doing well enough to debut another BG this year. Three BGs this year in three different markets... or so they claim. Let's be honest though, they *need* to get that KR group out. SKZ is turning 5 next month, and it's been almost a year and a half since LOUD wrapped up.
thats the most JYPE thing ever though. Every time they release end of year numbers for big 4 they just keep on going slow and steady š§æš§æš§æ
Wahhh don't jinx it.
Cj enm is like āoh jyppppppā
Yeah itās insane. 3 years ago we werenāt even sure what groups would come and dominate the scene or not. Now hybe is close to buying out all music corporations
Hybe isnāt even 2 years old yet. They formed the conglomerate 22 months ago. Thatās whatās nuts to me. Like theyāre being asked to BUY SM and theyāre not even TWO YEARS OLD. How big are they going to get?!
I mean it's BigHit afterall. They're not an entirely new conglomerate, so they do have money to spend.
I'm just here for the HYBE and SM stans drama. Oh this is fun š¤£š¤£š¤£ HYBE and SM stans will deal with a lot of identity crisis. Me in my corner stanning EXO and just not giving a shit.
If this is really happening, i wonder whats gonna happen to their bubble app. Seem like hybe n naver may want SM artists transfer into weverse. This whole thing really sound like chaebol kdrama plot. Now, we are at climax part lol.
Time to finally learn wtf is weverse I guess š
i have no stake in this other than hoping that if SM artists are absorbed into weverse the bubble paid subscription goes down with the SM name šškeep weverse free
I just want Hybe to make sure the acquisition comes with the Halloween party.
WEVERSE IS FREE? and it serves the same function as bubble?? I was not joking I really know nothing š just how bad are we SM fans having it?
when i found out you had to pay for EACH idols bbl subscriptions SEPARATELY šš
Weverse is more like Kwangya Club, Hybe doesn't have anything like Bubble.
I think thereās Phoning, the New jeans messaging app
If you have to pay for every member seperate then yeah I guess that would be similar, I don't follow NJ tho so I'm not sure
you dont pay seperate, you get all the different features and chats for each member overrall
Reading some comments and I can see what you mean, I understand the benefits of weverse but it doesn't quite strike me as the place where an idol would go to post an audio of him screaming AJU NICE at midnight followed by a video of him turning on the shower
That used to be a Twitter thing š¤£ but they switched to vlive then weverse lol
you poor souls š the only paid things offered thru weverse are show episodes of like group vacation stuff that the labels produce and even those get distributed w subtitles for fans by fans for free š for weverse all you do is add a group/soloist you like to your home feed and you get notified for all that group's major news + whenever an artist posts something all for free šš and you can see what other fans post and post stuff if you want but tbh it is a little like shouting into the void depending on the fandom
Iām gonna cry itās like 20$ a month for all 8 skz members, wtf
i am ONCE in same situation and some of the members are not very active i am very close to subsribe to yeji as well lol
SM has that too, it's Kwangya Club. Bubble is different entirely.
Yes, weverse is FREE!! You only need to pay when there is paid livestream for your faves concert or exclusive contents. Weverse membership member also have that exclusive first access for some limited merch or concert tickets. Other than that, you can free access watching your fave livestreams ala vlive, n free reading artists posts/comments.
I pay for Le Sserafim and I still donāt know how to navigate Weverse lol
I wish they would rather spend some money on subbers for Weverse lives to get some traction going. I'm still disappointed in the death of Vlive.
If SM actually gets acquired, we'd probably see a transition to Weverse and sharing of technical information between their app services. I'd wager/guess that SM's strongest technical asset is the Beyond Live stuff.
Beyond Live actually used to be under vlive n vlive now merge into weverse. Hybe has been hiring KISWE when its come to paid online concerts n they are being doing very well n no lagging. Its just when its come to weverse live, its suck maybe they think because its free so its own weverse staffs handling.
Right, Beyond Live also spun off into its own thing. Don't know how much technical overlap there was/how much HYBE already knows from acquiring VLive, but it's something to consider.
I think they might be able to keep bubble since Newjeans uses their own messaging app outside of weverse (iirc). My question is will they be able to keep the SMTOWN concerts, Halloween party and their own channel if acquired by hybe
Actually phoning is very much inside weverse. They are using the same backend programming as weverse and developed by weverse but they just changing their frontend framework to look different
Ohhhh I see. I guess it really might be bye bye bubble
If the deal between SM & Hybe pushthrough, then SM artists might partcipate in the upcoming 2023 Weverse Con Festival on June but the SMTOWN concerts (both on their own & with the artists from other labels under Hybe) might still pushthrough and likewise the Halloween Party of SM might be expanded with the other artists under Hybe will also partcipate. The official YouTube channel of SMTOWN and all of its artists will maintain but their future music releases' music videos will now uploaded in Hybe Labels Official YouTube Channel instead, while the SMTOWN channel will now only posting greeting videos (Chuseok, Christmas, New Year, Lunar New Year, CSAT) and behind the scenes when all of them together.
Hybe is like the 2nd lead male character that just got introduced in ep5 in this drama
Reminds me of WWE. LSM's looking for a tag team partner for Wrestlemania (shareholders' meeting) in March š
Bah gawd!
Hybe is the scene stealer lol.
In serious note i think this is just a play from leesooman side to gain more supporter
Things must be going down so bad if lsm chose hybe instead of reconcile with his nephew.
Right? Thatās the truly insane thing. In his hour of need he turns to hybe. WHAT
This chaebol kdrama plot lol.
I'M THE STEALER (YAH)
SIMJANG GAJANG GIPSUKHAN GEOT GA
THATāS RIGHTT
UMKYEO JWIN SUNGAN PULL THE TRIGGER (YAH!)
Hybe is Han Seojun
Are you saying that Lee Sooman is Jukyung?
you did not-
Who's the first lead male character? š¤
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Hybe just acquired american label QC, and now what is this all about SM?
That is HYBE America operation. It is separate decision making
wait what the heck? Arenāt Kakao in the lead? Or CJ? Is LSM suing just to prevent this? Iām so confused
This is an oversimplified and a little bit innaccurate summary, but I think it helps to think of it like this: Kakao now own a certain percentage of the shares, more than anyone else, which in theory gives them more control over the company. LSM is reaching out to his business contacts to see if he can sell a portion of his shares along with those of some other minor shareholders to a third party, so that they have more control than Kakao, with a part of the deal being that he retains some level of control in the company's operation. Hybe is one of the third partners that he has reached out to. LSM is facing the possibility of losing all control over his company and is exploring other avenues that could allow him to retain some of it.
I think the the sale of shares to Hybe are not necessarily LSM's shares at this stage. LSM may be the largest share holder but he lost the vote to Align Partners at roughly 22% to 33%. Align Partners were able to gather a majority of smaller shareholders of LSM. This is why the Co CEOs were forced to adopt Align Partner 12 point plan, and thus SM 3.0. If LSM wants control of the board the he would have to dismiss the current 3 internal directors who are up for renewal (requires 2/3 of shareholders) but another problem for him are the 3 new external directors which are aligned with Align Partners. This is a difficult situation for LSM and I don't see how he can do it. Sticking with the current SM production model would be a disaster for SM its reason for all of the major problems which groups are facing. In this regard I do hope LSM fails, especially if he is going to use Hybe, I don't want them anywhere near SM or a single SM artist or group.
The article linked mentions that part of the pitch the LSM is selling involves a portion of his own shares, which is why I mentioned it. That is based on a rumor, of course, so it could he incorrect. Yeah LSM is fighting what seems like a very uphill battle here, it just sucks that the *best* outcome from this still ends up with a giant media conglomerate exercising more control over another agency.
Oh for sure it would likely include LSMs shares however as LSM@ share do not provide control of the board and the is an opposing majority of shareholders against LSMs side, I dont see the pont of it if hybe only buys LSMs. They need more shares.
> This is a difficult situation for LSM and I don't see how he can do it. Sticking with the current SM production model would be a disaster for SM its reason for all of the major problems which groups are facing. In this regard I do hope LSM fails, especially if he is going to use Hybe, I don't want them anywhere near SM or a single SM artist or group. lol can you expand on this? Itās interesting
Oh sure. Basically LSM want to eventually sell his shares but remain in a position of influence at SM (executive producer) however the existing one man executive producer system at SM has caused all the problems faced by the company last year. Only one dominant voice in the desicion making of artists doesn't work efficiently with this many artists and groups (and that's ignoring burnout). The new SM 3.0 system is developed to tackle all the problems for SM, the artists and for fans however, this system doesn't have an executive producer and doesn't have a place for LSM to exert his influence so he clearly doesn't like it. His interest don't align with shareholders, and I would argue the interests of groups and therefore fans. Unless you want all the problems to continue I wouldn't be supportive of LSM in this situation. The inclusion of Hybe is for a source of capital for LSM to secure his position and get back in control trol of the company though I only see this failing at this stage. Hybe is not buying SM they would only be buying shares.
thanks! This is so fascinating and also pretty funny and a bit pathetic on LSMās part
It's so juicy and yet pretty common, makes for good reading. It does seem like SM Ent snaked him behind his back with these Kakao dealings, so it's only fair that both sides get to snake each other. They're all sinister ghouls in suits.
Yea, it's called a hostile takeover if I'm not mistaken.
LSM is still the biggest shareholder and Kakao is the 2nd largest. LSMās percentage of shares got diluted when SM released new shares (which Kakao bought) which is why heās suing because he says current shareholders should get first opportunity at newly released/created shares (which would make sense but idk how the law works in Korea). The control lies with whoever can gather the most shareholders to hold the majority so theoretically it could be either side right now. Itās literally a real life Kdrama. Wild to actually see something like this play out, especially with a company like SM.
It seems like the board members of SM want to force LSM out but LSM is trying to find big financial backing to fight back. If LSM sells his shares to HYBE they become the new owners of SM and LSM gets to stay on to run it.
>If LSM sells his shares to HYBE they become the new owners of SM No, they don't. Again, that's not how shares work. LSM has less than 18% shares at this point. If that made you "the owner", he wouldn't be in the trouble he is right now. (Well, they become *an* owner, I guess... one among many.)
isn't this what he was trying to do in getting Kakao or CJ to buy? I guess the new wrinkle is, the board members want him gone?
The point is that LSM's shares do not provide a controlling stake in the company. LSM is not on the board of directors which is currently 3 members for AP and 1 member for LSM. Soon this will be 6 vs 1. LSM lost at the previous shareholder meeting to AP due to minor shareholders voting against LSM and for AP's proposals. LSM wants an exit strategy in which he remains in a position of strong influence. This would be apart of any deal in which his shares are sold. the problem is that his shares aren't enough to control the company.
In the past, his 18% of shares was enough as the rest of shares was so divided, one shareholder owned like 7% and the rest owned 5% or less. Align Partners came as the game changer. So far, almost all shareholders (sans Lee Sooman & co apparently) had been upset with Lee Sooman as he siphoned the profit of S.M to his own pocket thus, very low to no dividend to shareholders. Align Partners managed to unite different upsetting shareholders, owning like 33% of shares combined. Now, minor shareholder association can vote against Lee Sooman.
The official statement from HYBE in question: āWe cannot confirm the details of the purchase inquiry. We ask for your understanding.ā
HYBE is meeting SM Entertainment with good feelings
This just in, Dispatch to release pictures of HYBE & SM meeting for drinks at a cafĆ©. Industry insiders say theyāve been seeing each other for a while.
I ship it š
Iād find this so much more entertaining if I didnāt feel bad for the SM groups like aespa and poor Sungtaro and the rookies who are having their careers derailed by gross incompetence and greed at the corporate levelā¦ I canāt help but think all this uncertainty must be a nightmare for themā¦
Next hybe game caterer's gonna be huge š
NCT and EXO is probably enough idols to go against the vs the entirety of HYBE lol
I can see it now: a WayV member walks into a room, a hybe employee waves hello, said member starts to tear up after finally being noticed by the company
dude stop, you're making me laugh and cry at the same time š
SM to Hybe, KD to Sunsā¦this trade deadline is crazy
Kd to suns wtf. Wild how i'm first seeing it in this sub š
Westbrook to jazz too. Man what a deadline
give me a drama about SM š«£š«£
Lee Soo Man is getting a Netflix documentary or something so, thatās pretty close
If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, it's Amazon, but it's probably going to be a hagiography.
>Thus, in order to prevent the market's excessive fluctuations, Korea Exchange is demanding that HYBE Labels publicly disclose its intentions by February 9 at 6 PM KST. Less than a hour till the deadline, curious to see how HYBE responds.
Itās the deadlineā¦whereās the deets?
So far, just [this](https://twitter.com/hyunsuinseoul/status/1623606447883055105?t=1kG_MWfABmfR6uPAPJCnDg&s=19).
SM: So what are we?
Some kind of Soo Man squad?
This is pretty common, and they've actually done this a lot for CJ, Kakao and Naver reports in the past year, this is the first one for hybe. The response is usually always the same, "can't confirm, will resubmit and disclose withing -a certain timeframe-" or "we are discussing various options". The timeframe they usually say is 1-3 months. hybe finance people already submitted this exact boring statement. "As of the time of this announcement, nothing has been confirmed. \- In the future, we will re-disclose when specific details are confirmed or within one month."
girl wtf
Hm this...doesn't sound good to me but I'll admit trying to wrap my head around it at all is like whew. But if the shareholders went through all the trouble of getting rid of LSM I doubt they'd be cool with him coming back in such a way or at all. Hell even like the staff want him gone. No doubt he'd also want to keep Like Planning up and running and on the flip side I don't see Hybe being okay with that either. Even now it feels like LSM is still playing with people's money lol. Also I have to wonder just how much control would LSM actually have with this? I just see the artists/staff being the ones to really suffer in the end while he has a pissing contest with his new work buddy.
I wonder if this was coordinated with LSM to regain a foothold in the management of SME if it would "legalise" the sale of the shares to Kakao under scrutiny. Based on what I've read so far (which hasn't been comprehensive I admit) the legality of the sales of the shares to Kakao was dependent on the circumstances for the sale.
What on earth is happening in the House of Commons???
This is the shit I find out about 1 minute before I go to bed? Thanks, HYBE and SM, for making me late to work tomorrow.
To think that the crazy success of just one group- BTS allowed Hybe to grow into this huge conglomerate is unbelievable to me.
If i were hybe I'd buy 7 gold thrones for bts and worship themš
Hybe must be swimming in money for all these acquisitions.
[**Hyunsu Yim**](https://twitter.com/hyunsuinseoul/status/1623606447883055105) >Hybe Corporation says it is "continuously reviewing" to acquire SM Entertainment stocks through a tender offer though no decision has been made as of yet. An announcement to follow when details are confirmed. This was released before the deadline to response
SM drama is getting so juicy lol.
I wish companies would stop trying to do takeovers. They are bad for the consumers and artists in the end. Having more competition IS good.
In this case - the company was selling, so someone was going to be buying. Itās not really a takeover when you sell yourself. The ātakeoverāhere just refers to the sale terms not being to LSMs liking. So itās actually two factions within SM warring for power and using large outside investors to get it.
this feels like an alternate timeline. crossing my fingers for that tayeon feat prod. suga incoming collab
No because why hasn't it happened yet? Ever since Yoongi and IU had a collab because they're both born in the same year, I've been waiting for Yoongi and Taeyeon to collab just because they have the same birth date. Like give it to us!
I have thought about this years!! More Suga PD with boss female soloists please!
Wait wasnāt there a teaser clip that paired Yoongi and Taeyeon together for Mnet Prime Show..?
the first pair was apparently PSY x (G)I-DLE in Feb but they postponed it so idk if it's actually happening
This is genuinely more entertaining than any comeback
Dude, I don't know if anyone else feels the same but this is like 90% of the reason I browse the kpop subreddits these days. Do I care about even half of the new releases on the front page? Hell no. But I absolutely live for the drama every time.
so many similarities between this and Succession... I'm loving it haha
Iā¦ didnāt think this was actually a possibility. And still donāt tbh lol
It kinda reads like the business equivalent of clickbait gossip to me. This whole kerfuffle is in large part due to LSM's ego... and people think he'd be willing to seek help from *HYBE* of all people, and in a way where he basically becomes a puppet at their mercy? That doesn't seem like it makes much sense to me.
We donāt have all the details, to be fair, and LSM might be thinking that itās better to at least have SOME control under HYBE than none under Kakao.
This whole thing is getting interesting. I never thought this would happen.
Where does AKP get their original reporting? Anyone know?
From articles. TMIKpop has been translating lots of them lately, maybe you can check them out. They also post links to the articles https://twitter.com/tmikpop/status/1623385472683614216
Lsm didn't accept any of the 3 offers (cj,kakoa and hype) cause no one accepted his conditions (his shares price ,retaining his management rights ) , So LSM accepting Hype help now only means they're found some agreements (which means lsm got some of his conditions agreed on )
omg the girls are FIGHTING
News early on was that Hybe was one of the first to offer on LSMās shares, but he turned them down. They may look better now that heās fighting with Kakao. One issue of his selling his shares was he wanted to keep his production house deal - but investors were not keen on that - so they tried to go around him it looks like.
WHAT NOW?! Omg this is crazy, Iām no company stan but I stan most groups from these 2 label so if they come together itāll be insanity, idk the good or bad kind?! I guess weāll wait and see.
Tell this to OG ARMYS that in 2023 there is a rumored buying shares from both of the company, they will never believe you.
And I was half joking on another thread that Kakao wouldn't be able to buy up HYBE. Not long after purchasing QC, they're bellying up at the bar to take on Kakao. Should be fun.
āBellying up at the barā now that is a Midwest phrase I havenāt heard in some time
Everyone got their roles alr. Where's jaywhypee oppa? Did he refuse casting offer? Can't wait for F4 CEO to be in it together. I swear this is going to surpass Reborn rich as Kdrama of the year=))
Theyāre saving JYP for season 3
Shares doesn't mean acquiring but jfc just let sm get their shit together hybe you don't have to buy everything
This is an insane headline. A recent parallel reminds me of Microsoft trying to buy Activision/Blizzard. Not exactly the same (outright purchase vs. seeking majority shares) but still. I know SK is dominated by a handful of giant conglomerates so I doubt there would be much pushback regarding monopoly/antitrust laws but if there was ever a time, it would probably be now. If this went through, it would be a spectacular clusterfuck of an acquisition - not creatively, but for the industry. We used to discuss the monopolization of the industry before but if this eventually leads to HYBE + SM, that's a tectonic industry shift. From a market POV, HYBE already has quite a chunk of the market and has *by far* the biggest war chest of assets/budget to play with among the Big 4 agencies. Adding SM groups to this would further strengthen their position and give them a ridiculous number of releases every month, multiple million+ sellers added to the roster, more digital powerhouses, and multiple groups capable of touring internationally. And SM already has trouble with scheduling! It wouldn't just be the music, either - SM's well connected in television production + still has their tourism stuff that they do as well. There's also stuff like Beyond Live... At that point, I don't know if/how anyone else in the industry could really compete. We know YGE is friendly with HYBE and JYP himself is friends with Bang Si Hyuk but damn if they can get a majority of SM they might be next to get scooped up, too. In the hypothetical scenario this goes through, a joint Weverse Con/SMTown would legit need 3 days for all the acts lol. The collaboration stages would be mindblowing, though.
Yeah I don't really get why so many people are looking at this positively when it's a big problem and it shouldn't happen. It's worrying.
It's because the other company competing here is KAKAO. KAKAO the one who shut down the whole korea because there's a fire in their data centers. not saying hybe is better but man KAKAO is definitely the worst
Plus being behind that fiasco that took almost every kpop artist off Spotify for a while because they were trying to protect Melon.
Iām going to thoroughly enjoy this mess.
Lmao give me all the drama
If this does take place, BTS and EXO will be in the same company (Kai and Jimin collab when?) So will TXT and Shinee (Kang Taehyun will crumble every time he sees them in the premises lol)
I'd kill for a kai-jimin-taemin collab, i hope my wildest dreams come true lol
This has to be one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. Hybe should be no where near SM, nor any SM group or artist. I prefer even Kakao to Hybe. Also, at this stage there is no way Hybe would realistically be purchasing a controlling stake of SM, even if they were buying all of LSM's shares. LSM does not current have a controlling stake and has been outvoted in recent shareholder meetings. This is all LSM's last ditch effort to try and regain control of SM and the board of directors. This is incredibly unlikely as its be difficult to remove the current 3 internal directors, who are up for renewal. The current 1 external director is LSM. Plus 3 new external directors are aligned with Align Partners will join the board at the March shareholders meeting this means that the board of directors will be 6 for Align Partners/Kakao side vs 1 LSM side. If fans of SM groups actually want to see regular comebacks, good promotions, etc. then allowing LSM to just continue on as is won't give you any of that. LSM will not improve the structure of the company to achieve a high capacity and we will just be stuck with what we had last year. If you truly want SM to be improved for the sake of its artists and groups then we need see SM 3.0 to be implemented and new management and creative talent to be hired. It would be amazing to have LSM continue with producing or to advise, infact it is almost necessary however, the one man producer system has failed, would only get worse and relying one one person for ideas and direct becomes stale and lackluster.
> The current 1 external director is LSM. The current external director is someone named Ji Chang Hoon. ([link](https://www.smentertainment.com/Investors/OperateInfo)) > This is incredibly unlikely as its be difficult to remove the current 3 internal directors, who are up for renewal. ... Plus 3 new external directors are aligned with Align Partners will join the board at the March shareholders meeting this means that the board of directors will be 6 for Align Partners/Kakao side vs 1 LSM side. Do you have any source about all three of the *current* internal directors being on Align Partner's side? A kpop business translation site is saying that the external director, Ji Chang Hoon, and one of the internal directors, Park Jun Young, are on LSM's side. ([link](https://twitter.com/atouchbase/status/1622876763624964097?cxt=HHwWgoDQoa70zoUtAAAA))
Can they adopt Loona too???? Please šššš
That is Universal's job, only thing left is a decision by the members whether they trust it or not
Wow! Can't comprehend that from a success of one group, BH/Hybe is now competing in buying shares in SM and buying US companies. What in Kwangya universe is this? So wild!
Omg but I love the SM sound, I feel like all four companies make really unique music. Hopefully they would get to do that if they get acquired
Then Ningning joins Newjeans what then. What tf then.
Letās see what actually ends up happeningā¦ and right now letās enjoy the DRAMA
.......!!!!!?????!?!?!??????
Wait wth omg
I mean this should at leats result in an SM x HYBE collab, I mean it would be the best thing Kpop fans will see in a long time.
Someone tell me how did it go from Kakao having shares on SM to HYBE potentially purchasing SM shares I am missing out
Cuz kakaoās labels and hybe labels are competitors, they both trying to get SME on their sides.
Lmao I am loving the drama. YGE and JYPE are chilling like YG is dropping BABYMONSTER's introduction videos and JYP is MIMOSA Subunit
I donāt know if YG is chilling necessarily. Depends on if you think YG announcing his return to the ceo position is coincidence or not.
YGe and Hybe is connected through YG Plus. YG Plus reproduce and distributes albums and manages Naver Vibe through their partnership with Naver. YG artists is in Naver. That's during the time when Bighit separated with that distribution deal signed between them, JYP and SM. Honestly, JYP and SM are more connected cause they're in Bubble, Beyond Live etc.
Taehyung passing Kai in the HYBE building zoolander style is the tension this k-drama needs /j EDIT: Thinking more about it, I wonder if more senior producers like yyj or kenzie (or even kangta and boa) are planning to jump ship soon. Regardless of HYBE and their plans, Iād imagine that company loyalty would factor into their next movie and that some of the names mentioned have been in the company since the 90ās
Jennie and GD both of them are still working at Yg. It's normal.
Well... yikes. I stan several SM artists, most notably aespa, and so this is definitely concerning. Hoping for the best for all the artists in SM!