SM ENTERTAINMENT

'S.M. Entertainment' is a major producer of Korean pop music that was founded by Lee Soo Man, and is also the management agency of several Korean pop stars. Initially "SM" was an abbreviation of the label founder's name, ''Soo Man'', but now stands for ''Star Museum'', alluding to the popularity of SM Entertainment's singers in South Korea. The company's current CEO is Kim Young Min. SM Entertainment also co-publishes Avex Trax releases for Japanese artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro and Koda Kumi. SM Entertainment recently celebrated its ten year anniversary with a party on February 15, 2006.

Contents

History

Major timeline

1990s

2000s

Expanding the market

Auditions

Roster

Current

2000

2001

2002

2004

2005

2006

2007

Other artists

Former

Disbanded

Collaborations

Left SM Entertainment

References

External links

History

The founder of SM Entertainment, Lee Soo Man is a graduate of Seoul University. After graduation and his own solo activities, he started out by surveying teenage girls what they wanted to see in music groups. With this information, he started the boy band H.O.T. and girl group S.E.S. Strongly successful from the beginning, both groups managed to become two of the top Korean pop groups of the 1990s.
Problems began appearing in SM Entertainment with the breakup of H.O.T., due to its immense popularity. Rumors spread about the breakup, due to the fact that two members stayed with the company, while the others formed another group with a different label. Financial issues were assumed to be the problem, but the real reasons were never officially disclosed. This began SM Entertainment's loss of its original groups, as other successful groups S.E.S., popular boyband Shinhwa and Fly To The Sky either left the label or disbanded, and newer groups such as Black Beat and Isak N Jiyeon floundered. However, SM Entertainment found a new star, BoA, who has become popular not only in her home country but also in Japan, and groups such as TVXQ and Super Junior. Due to BoA's success overseas, this Blue Ocean Strategy of branching out to untapped Asian markets is currently being applied to other groups such as TVXQ (who have travelled and promoted their music in other various countries), although BoA is still SM Entertainment's most popular artist outside of South Korea, due to her strength in the j-pop market.

Major timeline

1990s

In February of 1995, SM Entertainment sets up it capital fund at ₩50,000,000. In January of 1996, SM Entertainment purchased a land for recording site and manufactured its contents for broadcasting companies (KBS, SBS, HBS, K-MTV, M-NET). In April of 1997, the head office was transferred to Yadang ri Kyoha myon Paju Kyungki do. In October of 1998, Kin Kyoung Wook took the title as CEO. In August of 1999, a paid-in capital increase of ₩25,000,000 (5,000 shares) and free issue of 225,000 shares (₩112,500,000). In that same year, SM Entertainment built a branch office in Apgujung dong Kangnam gu, Seoul.

2000s

In early 2000, SM Entertainment agreed to share the split from 5,000 won to 500 per a share. In mid-2000, SM Entertainment was approved and listed in KOSDAQ as 041510. Late that year, SM Entertainment and Avex Trax signed a contract for music licensing and Asia agency. In December of 2000, SM Entertainment established an affiliation with Fandago Korea Co., Ltd. In January of 2001, SM Entertainment established an overseas joint-venture corporation as SM Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd. In March of the same year, Kim Kyoung Wook took the title of CEO as the third CEO. In May of the same year, SM Entertainment spent 10 billion won to organize its first joint-venture investment fund on the music industry. In April of 2002, an additional 1,341,180 shares was added and in June of 2002, the third-party paid-in capital increased another 61,048 shares. In late-2002, SM Entertainment was awarded the Grand Prix of Ministry of Culture and Tourism for Culture Contents for Export (Music). In 2003, it established its affiliation with Starlight Corporation Ltd and was awarded for the best music contents in Korea. In February of 2004, the third-party paid-in capital increased another 271,428 shares. In April of the same year, the head office moved from Paju, Kyungi to Apgujung dong, Kangnam gu Seoul. A month later, it established its affiliation with C-Cube Entertainment Corporation. In May of 2005, the fourth CEO, Kim Young Min took office.^[1] Kim Young Min (born April 13, 1970 is a graduate of Korea University majoring in Sociology. In September of 1999, Kim Young Min joined SM Entertainment as a team leader of overseas business and during 2001 to 2005, he was the CEO of Fandango Korea.^[2]

Expanding the market

SM Entertainment Japan was established in 2001. SM Entertainment accompanied by SM Entertainment Japan is preparing to establish a new headquarter in Beijing, China to compete with the Asian Market.^[3] SM Entertainment will set up its Asian headquarters in Hong Kong to expand its business in the China market.^[4]

Auditions

SM held open casting calls for a variety of positions (including singers, dancers, models, song writers, etc.) across North America during the fall of 2006 in major cities, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Toronto. The final audition was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, after which the finalists travelled to Korea in order to train and prepare for their debut.
In 2007, the Global Auditions will be held during September to October in the same major cities.

Roster

Main articles: SMTown

'SMTown', which started in 1999, is the project name for SM Entertainment's summer and winter vacation albums. SMTown albums consists of current SM Entertainment artists. Each SMTown album consists of one SMTown song and a song from each artist or group.

Current

2000

Main articles: BoA

'BoA' debuted at the age of 13 and remains one of the most influential Korean artists . She has successfully entered and exceeded expectations in the Japanese Market, quickly rising to the top even in Japan with her fluent Japanese. BoA has extended her contract with SM Entertainment until 2012. She is also a share holder of SM ENT.

2001

Main articles: Kangta, Dana (Korea)

'Kangta' was the main vocalist of disbanded group, H.O.T., and remained with SM after the breakup. He has released solo materials since 2001 to varying degrees of popularity. As a name people recognize, he is popular in Korea, known best for his song, ''Polaris''. In the past, he has worked with Shin Hye Sung from Shinhwa, and Lee Ji Hoon to produce the project group ''S''. In May of 2006, he sang and toured with Vanness Wu of F4 from Taiwan in order to explore the Asian Market. Kangta has also starred in the drama Magic Touch of Fate, a Chinese production. Kangta has also announce that he will be starring in another Chinese drama.^[5] He is a shareholder in SM Entertainment.
'Dana' started out as a solo singer in 2001. Her first album was a success, however her second album released in 2003 went unnoticed. In 2005, Dana joined the four member acapella girl group, TSZX, now known as ''Cheon Sang Ji Hee The Grace''. Nonetheless, she has announced that she will still release solo material.)

2002

Main articles: Black Beat

'Black Beat' is a five member boy band consisting of Lee So Min, Sim Jae Won, Jang Jin Young, Hwang Sang Hoon, and Jung Ji Hoon. Black Beat was supposed to make up for the disbandment of H.O.T. Since 2002, they have only released one album and have not been active in their own activities as a group. They can still be in seen active in SM Town vacation albums. However, in SMTown's '06 Winter SMTown album, only three of the members were seen participating in the album.

2004

Main articles: TVXQ, The TRAX

'TVXQ' (Hangul: 동방신기; Hanja: 東方神起), directly translating into ''Rising Gods of the East'', also goes by the names ''Tong Vfang Xien Qi'' (TVfXQ), ''Dong Bang Shin Ki/Gi'' (DBSK or DBSG), and ''Tōhōshinki'' (THSK). TVXQ can be considered as one of the most popular boybands in South Korea. TVXQ's five members are Jung Yunho (U-Know Yunho), Kim Jaejoong (Hero Jaejoong), Park Yoochun (Micky Yoochun), Kim Junsu (Xiah Junsu), and Shim Changmin (Max Changmin). They have gained popularity in Japan with their recent singles entering the Oricon Chart's Top 10.
'TRAX' stands for 'T'yphoon of the 'R'ose 'A'ttack on 'X'-mas and the first letter of each member's stage name. The TRAX started off as a four member rock group consisting of Jay Kim, No Min Woo, Kang Jung Woo, and Kim Jung Mo. In May of 2006, No Min Woo (Rose) was officially announced that he had left the band to pursue in other interests. Jay Kim is the leader of the group.

2005

Main articles: TSZX The Grace, Super Junior

'TSZX The Grace' (Hangul: 천상지희; Hanja: 天上智喜), also goes by the names ''Cheon Sang Ji Hee The Grace'' (CSJH) and ''Tenjochiki'' (TJCK), is a four member female group consisting of Hong Sung Mi (Dana The Grace), Jin Bo Ra (Sunday The Grace), Lee Ji Yeon (Lina The Grace), and Stephanie Kim (Stephanie The Grace). Cheon Sang Ji Hee The Grace was formerly known as simply Cheon Sang Ji Hee, standing for ''Heavenly Wisdom and Happiness''. ''The Grace'' was added to their group name starting the third single. The four member female group With members fluent in Japanese, Chinese, and English, they are expected to conquer Asia. Recently, they have been received well in Korea with their first album, but have yet to achieve major popularity in Japan.
'Super Junior' is a thirteen member band consisting of Park Jungsu (Leeteuk), Kim Heechul, Han Geng (the only Chinese member of the group), Kim Jongwoon (Yesung), Kim Youngwoon (Kang-In), Shin Donghee (Shindong), Lee Sungmin, Lee Hyukjae (Eunhyuk), Lee Donghae, Choi Siwon, Kim Ryeowook, Kim Kibum, and Cho Kyuhyun. Super Junior started off as a twelve member group and in May of 2006, the thirteenth member, Cho Kyuhyun, was added to the group. A subgroup was also created around November of 2006 under the name, '''Super Junior - K.R.Y.''' and consists of Yesung, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun. ''K.R.Y.'' stands for the first letter of the trio's name, 'K'yuhyun, 'R'yeowook, and 'Y'esung. In February of 2007, another sub-group was created - '''Super Junior T'''. '''T''' standing for trot. This is a six-member group that consists of Leeteuk, Heechul, Kang-In, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk. Super Junior consists of talented musicians, actors, singers, dancers, comedians, DJs, and MCs.

2006

Main articles: Zhang Liyin

'Zhang Li Yin', also known as Jang Ri In, is the first female Chinese solo singer in the Korean music industry. She has signed with SM Entertainment after placing in the top 10 in China's Singing Competition. She has worked with Xiah Junsu from TVXQ to produce her debut single, ''Timeless.''

2007

Main articles: Girls' Generation

'소녀시대 (So Nyeo Shi Dae)', meaning The Era of the Young Girls or their English name, "Girls' Generation" is part of SM Entertainment's family, as 9 female trainees, namely: Kim Taeyeon; Im Yoona; Kwon Yuri; Jessica Jung; Tiffany (Stephanie Hwang); Seohyun (Seo Juhyun); Kim Hyoyeon; Sunny (Lee Son-Kyu) and Choi Sooyoung, that entered the Korean market August of 2007. The group is said to be multilingual as some members can speak Japanese, Chinese, and English, alongside their native Korean.

Other artists

Main articles: Ayumi, Choo Ka Yul, Song Kwang Sik


★ 'Ayumi' (former Sugar member)
In early 2007, Ayumi switched to SM Entertainment. She speaks fluent Japanese, and she is also a MC of TVN.^[6].

★ 'Isak' (former Isak N Jiyeon member)
Isak is currently a DJ for a radio station and VJ of Pops in Seoul that airs in ARIRANG.

★ 'Choo Ka Yul' (singer/composer)

★ 'Song Kwang Sik' (composer)

★ 'Yoo Young Jin' (singer/composer)

★ 'Go Ah Ra' (actress/model)

★ 'Park Hee Bon' (former M.I.L.K. member)and (actress/DJ)

★ 'Hyun Jin' (former M.I.L.K. member)(actress)

★ 'Lee Yeon Hee' (actress)

Former

Disbanded

Main articles: H.O.T., S.E.S. (group), M.I.L.K, Shinvi, Isak N Jiyeon

'H.O.T.' (1996 to 2001) disbanded due to the end of their contract with SM Entertainment. It was also rumored that the group disbanded due to financial reasons, although there was no official reason released to the public why the group has disbanded. Kangta and Moon Hee Jun continued to work under SM Entertainment after the group had disbanded. Moon Hee Jun later left SM Entertainment and created his own company, PS Entertainment. After the disbandment of H.O.T., Tony An, Jang Woo Hyuk, and Lee Jae Won formed JTL under another label. Kangta is the only member who is still under SM Entertainment, while other members have joined other labels or created their own companies.
'S.E.S.' (1997 to 2002) contract expired, Shoo continued to work with SM Entertainment. In 2006, Shoo left SM Entertainment pursuing a career in acting. Bada is currently under JIIN Entertainment, while Eugene is under PFull Entertainment. Both Bada and Eugene have pursued a solo music career with Eugene moving on to an acting career and as a MC.
'M.I.L.K.' (2001), a four female group consisting of Hyun Jin, Bomi, Yumi, and Park Hee Bon disbanded due to low popularity. Bomi, Hyun Jin and Park Hee Bon still remain under SM Entertainment.
'Shinvi' (2002), a three member girl group consisting of Yoo Soo Jin, Oh Sang Eun, and Yu Na disbanded due to a lack of popularity.
'Isak N Jiyeon' (2002) disbanded due to low album sales and lack of popularity. Both are still under SM Entertainment. Ji Yeon was given a new stage name when she joined TSZX The Grace, under the same label. Isak is currently a DJ for Arirang Radio and VJ for Pops in Seoul.

Collaborations

Main articles: S (group)

'S', is a project group in 2003 consisting of Kangta, Shin Hye Sung from Shinhwa, and Lee Ji Hoon. They released their album entitled ''Fr.In.Cl'', Friends In Classic, with the title song ''I Swear''. The trio has won many awards for this album.
'Kangta & Vanness' is a collaboration single between Korea and Taiwan in 2006. In early 2006, Kangta and Vanness Wu of F4, debuted with their single ''Scandal'' at the ''2006 MTV Asia Awards'' in Bangkok, Thailand. Their title single, ''Scandal'' was recorded in three languages including English. All other editions and the repackage single included both Chinese and Korean versions of ''127 Days'', ''Good Vibration'', and ''One Day''.

Left SM Entertainment

Main articles: Shinhwa, Fly to the Sky, Moon Hee Jun

'Shinhwa' did not disband but moved to a different label, Good!Entertainment in 2003. Shinhwa's contract ended with SM Entertainment (1998 to 2003) and was rumored that SM Entertainment wanted to renew their contract with Shinhwa. However, Shinhwa signed a new contract with another label in 2003, becoming the first band to switch labels from SM Entertainment. Their movement caused a controversy over copyright issues over whether Shinhwa can still use their name. The argument was taken to court, with Shinhwa winning and leaving Sm Entertainment behind completely. Shin Hye Sung, Lee Min Woo, Jun Jin, and Kim Dong Wan alll have pursued their own solo music careers with Eric and Andy Lee acting in movies and drama. It was also said that SM Entertainment was going to regroup Shinhwa, but because the members were so loyal to each other, SM Entertainment eventually failed to do so. Shinhwa still continued to be sucessful outside of SM Entertainment.
'Fly To The Sky''s contract with SM Entertainment (1999 to 2004) expired in November of 2004. Since then, Fly To The Sky has been under the label PFull Entertainment. In July of 2006, Hwanhee (also known as Fany) starred in MBC's sitcom ''Over The Rainbow''. Brian recently released his first album in late 2006 is currently promoting his album. He is also the MC for MBC's ''Music Core''.
'Moon Hee Jun' left SM Entertainment (2001 to 2004) in 2005, to create his own label, PS Entertainment, and since released one album. Later that same year, Moon Hee Jun left for military duty, required to be done by every Korean male citizen before the age of 30.

References

1. About SM - History of SM
2. About SM - CEO Profile
3. About SM - Introduction of SM
4. SM Entertainment Sets Up Asian HQ in Hong Kong
5. Kangta Lands Role in 2nd Chinese Drama
6. Sports Chosun.'큐티 하니' 아유미, 亞무대 활동위해 보아 소속사와 계약

External links

★ SM Entertainment Official Site

★ SM Entertainment Japan Official Site

★ Avex Trax Japan Official Site

★ SM Entertainment & Avex Trax Joint-Venture Site