Kpop Behind | All the Stories Behind Kpop Stars

In 2014, Stellar generated a lot of buzz when the girl group released its song “Marionette” because the members’ costumes and choreography were too sexy. Some even strongly condemned the girl group, saying the members’ dance moves remind people of sexual acts. Well, it’s true their costumes and dance moves were a little too much. However, many people in the k-pop industry say they feel sympathy toward the sexy girl group. Do you know why? Stellar debuted in 2011 but there was very few who knew about the girl group. During their years as an unknown, the members experienced their share of grief. Actually, before becoming well-known, k-pop idols can't do what they want. Unless they belong to a big agency, they can't eat well and dress well because of money matters. Stellar's agency is not big, and the members had to bear hardships. The problem is that the opportunities are not infinite. It costs a fabulous sum to produce a k-pop idol group. And idol groups of smal...

How much do you think it costs to produce a kpop idol group? Yeah, it costs a fabulous sum. I once posted an article about it before, but this time, I want to show you something more specific about the cost. Let's see how much does it cost to produce a kpop idol group and what kpop idols learn during their training period.

Have you watched the news that the Apink members had a great time after they have successfully finished their new single release event in Japan in 2015? Well, as you can see in the picture, the members had a good time at a Japanese restaurant. But not all the k-pop idols can enjoy such a good meal. Before becoming popular stars, k-pop idols have to restrict their expenditure on food. Most of k-pop agencies limit the food expenses, and the limit is about 6 USD per person for a meal. Why do k-pop agencies limit the food expenses? Because it is very important for the agencies to reduce the initial investment and recoup the investment later. Successful k-pop idol groups usually begin to make net profits 2 or 3 years after their debut. Apink debuted in 2011, and the girl group might have begun to make a net profit in 2013 when “NoNoNo” was released. Before then, the members had to pay back their agency's investment because k-pop agencies invest hundreds of millions of won in trai...

K-pop stars on the stage look so gorgeous. They’re well-dressed and loved by so many people. Then, do you know how much they earn? Are you curious about their annual income? Well, let’s see. Here’s a concrete example. PSY became a global star after releasing “Gangnam Style,” which was a huge hit around the world. According to Kiwoom securities, PSY made profits from 8 different sources at that time. Those were domestic album sales, domestic concerts, overseas album sales, overseas concerts, domestic and overseas goods sales, commercial films, advertising revenues on Youtube, and online music download services. Among these, the largest percentage of his income was from online music download services, while it is estimated that he made more than 9 million USD from it. And in total, he earned profits of more than 22.5 million USD in a year. And PSY’s label mate BIGBANG is a super star who earns a lot of money too. From 2015 to 2016, BIGBANG held its 10th anniversary world tour in 3...