They are simply one big, talented family.
While HYBE is currently in the midst of an internal conflict, SM Entertainment has been in the news for its “quiet but strong” actions because after ending former producer Lee Soo Man’s solo production system, the agency seems to be applying the SM 3.0 method and taking on new challenges. What sets SM 3.0 apart most is the creation of a multi-production system for each artist, which allows them to maximize activities and reduce the gap between return cycles. The production system is currently divided into ONE (BoA, Girls’ Generation, aespa), PRISM (SHINee, WayV, Lucas, RED (TVXQ, Red Velvet), NEO (all NCT groups) and Wizard (Kangta, Super Junior, EXO, RIZE).
The fact that production and decision-making is done by production makes the process much smoother than the old one-person system, not to mention that it allows the creation of a promotion plan that best suits the artist through of this production. A representative revealed that this system allows for “healthy competition”, meaning that each production team considers itself a member of the family and therefore there is no excessive competition.
SM also continued its production during the first quarter of the year, which is usually an off-season for the K-Pop industry. Indeed, from January to April, SM released albums for BoA, NCT DREAM, Red Velvet’s Wendy, SHINee’s Minho, RIIZE, NCT’s Lucas and Doyoung and in addition to the recent returns of EXO’s Suho and aespa, RIIZE is also preparing to return in June.
According to a concert manager who attended the NCT 127 and NCT DREAM concert, “ SM is the most original “. The latter praised the production, music and skills of the artists, stating that the show was flawless and he also spoke highly of SM, despite it being a third-party company admitting that there was a lot to learn from this show. The enormous success of concerts, fan meetings, etc., both domestically and internationally, earned SM the title of “Performance Master”, which helped it increase its sales in the first quarter , usually not a good season, by 7.9% compared to last year.
Another reason for SM’s success is that it not only creates new IPs, but also maintains existing IPs. Indeed, the success of new groups continues, but SM continues to focus on building a stable group for older groups such as Super Junior, TVXQ, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and others.
They also demonstrated that they used the “separate but together” method well. Indeed, the exclusive contracts of some members of older groups have ended, but they continue to promote their group through SM, which is a huge benefit for the company and fans .
Netizens have come to the conclusion that SM is the benchmark of the K-Pop industry and below we bring you some comments demonstrating this:
- They are right
- Either way, SM still follows the standard, so it is the easiest to assimilate
- Talent is the closest thing to the norm
- I agree
- Looking at the bands, the vocals are really powerful
- All right
- I agree that SM is the original
- I agree
- Oh, I didn’t know in-house production was like that. By working in the same space, they will have a sense of belonging and work hard to improve themselves
Meanwhile, SM is planning a busy second and third quarter, with numerous albums releasing.
And you ? Do you agree that SM is the benchmark of the k-pop industry?
