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South-Korean Record Labels that are Subsidiaries under Kakao Entertainment

AKP STAFF

Posted by Rika-go Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Kakao Entertainment has firmly established itself as a titan within the South Korean entertainment sector. The company's varied collection of subsidiaries has allowed it to play a pivotal role in sculpting both the K-pop and broader Korean entertainment scenes.

Let's delve into the numerous South Korean record labels that operate as subsidiaries under the extensive Kakao Entertainment conglomerate.

1. Starship Entertainment

Starship Entertainment is one of the most renowned agencies under Kakao Entertainment. It was founded in 2008. The agency has nurtured and produced some of the popular and talented K-pop groups, including IVE, MONSTA X, Cosmic Girls, and CRAVITY.

2. IST Entertainment

IST Entertainment, formerly known as Play M Entertainment, is another prominent agency under Kakao Entertainment. The agency was originally founded in 2011 as A Cube Entertainment. It is home to popular groups such as Apink, Weeekly, THE BOYZ, VICTON, etc.

3. EDAM Entertainment

EDAM Entertainment is one of the popular subsidiaries of Kakao Entertainment. The agency is responsible for managing WOODZ and the renowned South Korean artist IU. It was founded in 2020 by Bae Jong Han, who has been IU’s manager for many years.

4. Bluedot Entertainment

Bluedot Entertainment is another entertainment agency under Kakao Entertainment. It was founded on January 30, 2021. This company is in charge of managing the K-pop boy group JUST B. Prior to their debut, JUST B went by the name Bluedot Boys.

5. Antenna Music

Antenna Music, renowned for its emphasis on music, is a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment. It was originally founded in 1997 as an independent label. Antenna Music houses singer-songwriters like Sam Kim, Kwon Jin-ah, Jung Seung-hwan, and many others.

6. Highup Entertainment

Highup Entertainment is an entertainment agency founded by producer duo Black Eyed Pilseung in 2017. In June 2021, Kakao Entertainment acquired the agency, making it a subsidiary of the company. Currently, STAYC is the only group under the agency.

7. FLEX M

FLEX M is a record label and entertainment agency under Kakao Entertainment, specializing in ballads. The label is known for being producer-centered, with a focus on the creation of music, such as OSTs, through partnerships with dramas and films.

SM Entertainment is not a subsidiary of Kakao but Kakao invested heavily into SM and is now the largest shareholder. The agencies under Kakao Entertainment have played a pivotal role in the evolution of the Korean entertainment industry. From nurturing K-pop sensations to promoting diverse musical genres, these agencies have consistently pushed boundaries and contributed to the global popularity of Korean entertainment.

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Quarantine-Army2,059 pts Wednesday, June 28, 2023 10

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

People talk about Hybe monopoly, when they really should look at what else Kakao is associated with. They own music streaming site, have a major year end award associated with them, and more importantly, they have been suspected and investigated for their news coverage of various musical acts. They're being investigated for their disporportionate reporting of Garam bullying case, whose group was a direct competition to their own group. There's no separation there and their needs to be scrutiny to ensure they are not illegally promoting their music labels.

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bybybyly3,634 pts Wednesday, June 28, 2023 3

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

There is something unclear about SM Entertainment and the new and former main shareholders, KAKAO and Lee Soo Man. Somewhere is a lie. When SM scandal against Lee Soo Man started, the 2 former CEOs blamed Lee Soo Man for everything, although LSM was just a main shareholder not a CEO or director since 2010. So the idea was that a main shareholder has a lot of power to impose his will against the board of directors and everyone had to obey him. Then the 2 former CEOs did a deal with KAKAO and, as the main shareholder, it was expected that KAKAO will make some changes but KAKAO said they can't directly become involved in the company's management affairs, despite spending some $953 million USD to acquire SM. OOPS ! We all know KAKAO is a GIANT . Lee Soo Man is a rich man but he can't compete with KAKAO. Then how comes that, according to what the 2 former CEOs said, Lee Soo Man, as a main shareholder, had the power to make whatever he wanted but KAKAO, the new shareholder, much more powerful than LSM, can't involve in SM's management? Sorry, but I don't understand! If what KAKAO said is true, that means a main shareholder can't involve in the management...and that means Lee Soo Man also wasn't able to do it. Then how he was blamed for everything that was bad in SM ??????????
If what KAKAO said is not true and a main shareholder has the power to impose his will then why KAKAO didn't make any changes in SM?

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