People assume that the head honchos of the Korean music industry are the agencies CEOs and executives, but they'd be nowhere without the catchy songs to back their artists. The biggest figures of the industry, the composers, are now moving up from simply composing tracks to becoming producers and even expanding to launch their own companies. With JYP Entertainment's J.Y. Park at the lead, following closely are Brave Brothers, Shinsadong Tiger, and other popular composers kick-starting their own entertainment agencies. When a rookie group/artist debuts, the first question that is asked has shifted from, "Which management company are they under?" to "Which composer produced their song?" This is said to be a direct reflection of the changes the industry is currently undergoing. With a slew of songs being released every moment, it's only the songs that are of top quality that will manage to survive. Producer Choi Kap Won, who recently launched NAP Entertainment, commented, "The consumption of music as well as the distribution of it has become significantly faster than in the past. Before, composers would merely provide the song for the management to produce and start up, but that's all changed now. Composers are the ones that know more about the artists they write for since they want to make songs that fit them the best. Their role in the industry is definitely expanding." So who should you know and keep an eye on? OSEN compiled an easy-to-remember list, excluding the producers from the BIG 3 agencies and also the 'top two legends' of the industry whom everyone should know: Kim Hyung Suk (Kiwi Music) and Yoon Il Sang (Nega Network). Check it out below! -- Bang Shi Hyuk The CEO of Big Hit Entertainment and the producer behind some mega-hits like Rain's "Bad Guy", Baek Ji Young's "Like Being Hit By a Bullet", and 2AM's "Can't Let You Go Even If I Die". All you need are the three letters to his name if you want your artist to catch attention. He earned much headlines last year for his harsh critical style on MBC's 'Birth of a Great Star' and is currently working on the production his two very own idol groups. Be on the look out for a girl group named 'Glam' and a hip hop boy group named 'Bulletproof Boy Scouts'. Brave Brothers One of the first figures to popularize the concept of celebrity composers. A former producer for YG Entertainment, he went solo and began to make a position for himself through the hit of Son Dambi's "Crazy". Competition to catch a slot on his schedule is fierce, especially with the hits he created for After School, U-KISS, and SISTAR. Hyorin stated, "He's like a well, continuously coming up with something new." He launched his own label, Brave Entertainment, and is currently working on his girl group, the Brave Girls. Shinsadong Tiger As the composer that launched B2ST and 4minute to the top, he's responsible for all of their title tracks. He also works well with T-ara, having produced some of their greatest hits like "Bo Peep Bo Peep" and "Roly Poly". His specialty lies in his ability to create addictive hook songs with electronic bases. He recently started his own label named AB Entertainment and is in the process of opening auditions for his own idol group. Kim Do Hoon The director of the music publishing label, Music Cube. He's known for working with G.NA since her debut and molding her into the 'queen of digital charts' that she is today. It's not an exaggeration to say that he owned the music charts for much of the past two years with hits like "I'll Back Off So You Can Live", "Black & White", and more recently, "Top Girl". He also hit a triple home-run this year with Wheesung's "Words That Freeze My Heart", K-Will's "Beating Heart", and CNBLUE's "Intuition". Sweetune A duo of composers comprised of Han Jaeho and Kim Seung Soo. They're the gears behind KARA's success, having started with "Rock You" and going on to produce "Honey", "Mister", and much of the group's other representative tracks. They've recently begun to work with INFINITE and Nine Muses as well as the title track for KARA's upcoming September release, "Step". E-TRIBE Another duo of composers most famous for their work with SNSD's "Gee" and Hyori's "U Go Girl". They're currently the exclusive in-house producers for Happy Face Entertainment as well as their brainchild, Dal Shabet. The team is in charge of everything about the girl group, including their outfits, concepts, and choreography. They're currently working on a follow-up idol group. Jo Young Soo The head composer at Nexstar Entertainment. He's left the label in the hands of professionals so that he can better focus on the outfits, concepts, music video, and everything music related for his artists. He's debuted rookie artist Suki as well as 'Superstar K2' contestant Kim Greem. His hit tracks are impossible to count as he has so many, but to name a few, all of SG Wannabe's tracks and more recently, Huh Gak's "Whenever". Like the other composers, he's currently working on the debut of a male duo this fall. Choi Kap Won Famous for discovering IU, he recently went solo by launching his own label, NAP Entertainment, and working on the albums of soloists like Young Ji. He's currently working on the album production for vocal group Wanted as well as a new vocal group under NAP named Soul Star. Source + Photos: OSEN via Nate
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Posted by 42 pts Thursday, August 25, 2011
Who really moves the music industry? Meet the movers & shakers of K-pop
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