Idol producers are not given enough credit

  • On the subject though, a bunch of veteran idol producers have set up their own shop, mostly as subsidiary labels to big houses. But none of them seem succeeding big.


    BEP - STAYC

    Ryan S Jhun - BugAboo

    Shinsadong Tiger - Tri.Be


    Who else?


    But the same producers when associated with top agencies, deliver hits for their groups - IVE got songs from Ryan Jhun etc.


    In that sense, YG, JYP, Bang Si Hyuk achieved impressive things - Successful Idol Producing CEOs.

    YG and JYP even more as they are, Idols who became Successful Idol Producing CEOs.


    Teddy - depending on how independent the BLACK LABEL was of YGE, during the early days of Blackpink.

  • There is also Brave Brothers - Brave Girls and DKB.

    Tri.Be is a joint venture with Le (Exid).


    It's crazy how many hits Shinsadong Tiger has made (roly poly, no no no, volume up, bboom bboom, up and down, trouble maker etc...) but how nugu Tri.Be are

  • There is also Brave Brothers - Brave Girls and DKB.

    Tri.Be is a joint venture with Le (Exid).


    It's crazy how many hits Shinsadong Tiger has made (roly poly, no no no, volume up, bboom bboom, up and down, trouble maker etc...) but how nugu Tri.Be are

    Yes, I remembered Brave Brothers, but for the last years viral phenomenon with Rollin.. Brave Girls or DKB aren't doing any better than the other cases.


    So being CEOs is a different ball game than just being idol producers.

    JYP, YG are definitely impressive - idols; idol producers and Idol agency CEO - successful in all three levels.

  • I think they do get a lot of credit tbh

    Well we can't confirm statistically, but let me ask you this question comparatively?


    Compared to how many movie directors are known by audiences and how much they are followed for their work - across actors, how many idol producers are known by the K-pop fans and how much are they followed for their work - across idol groups?

  • Well we can't confirm statistically, but let me ask you this question comparatively?


    Compared to how many movie directors are known by audiences and how much they are followed for their work - across actors, how many idol producers are known by the K-pop fans and how much are they followed for their work - across idol groups?

    It's obvious that you are more known as the member of the group- that is what you are first and foremost. The producing is background, its only visible due to the performances and albums of the idol in the group.


    But still, especially in Kpop and because expectations are low, idol lyricists and procuders receive a lot more attention and praise then for example artists in the West.

  • It's obvious that you are more known as the member of the group- that is what you are first and foremost. The producing is background, its only visible due to the performances and albums of the idol in the group.


    But still, especially in Kpop and because expectations are low, idol lyricists and procuders receive a lot more attention and praise then for example artists in the West.

    Well I am not rehash the entire thread for your purposes. - the obvious - has already been acknowledged multiple times.


    Music in the West is far more industrialized, that there is very little scope of a 'group-runner', the concept of idols/groups is rather unique to K-pop. So I don't see the point of comparison with western music.

    Whereas all movie industries have explicit show runner in the form of the director.


    Even so they are not exact equivalents, because the director can change team with every project, whereas the idol-producer sticks to the idol group to much longer extents.


    Perhaps a better analogy would be NFL coaches/directors, after all Kpop is as much a sport as an art.

    Then as well, NFL coaches are as followed, admired, abused as the QB/players are.. Idol producers do not match the visibility of movie directors or such coaches at all.


    Anyway perceptions.. neither of us can disprove the other..


    I still hold that 90% of K-pop fans can't name more than a couple of idol-producers, at best might know the ones associated with their own fav. group.

  • I am not gonna read the rest of the thread


    But I had a longer post in draft before I posted the thing above and the example I thought of was an art exhibition


    Curating pieces of art, putting them into the right order, chosing light, theme and place is arguably the most important thing when trying to make an exhibition successfull and the art famous


    But who ever knows the name of the curator? The painters are the one getting famous and even if the painter is involved in exhibition procedures, it does not matter at all- recognition is given only for the creation of the art piece.


    In comparison, idol producers get a lot more recognition. But frankly, I do recognize that my example is a bit farfetched.

  • Except that idols are not painters, they rarely contribute creative input.. mostly are performers.


    So movie directors, sports coaches, exhibit curators - the comparable roles are getting further and further away from what all an "idol-producer" does.

  • They do get a big chunk of the royalties.


    They are probably somewhat known in Korea, but not by International fans.



    Is sort of the same in the west, who really knows all the producers that write for Drake?

  • "Idols and groups" are primarily a Korean meme, Western Music no longer has that 'Group-producer' roles.

    An idol producer is not just a music producer..


    This not about the money, but about visibility and credit.

    Maybe Koreans know them better, but since I am an i-fan and see only i-fan data, my impression is most i-fans hardly know a couple of idol producers.

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