Do u think there should be limit on number of kpop groups?

  • Obviously there shouldn't be abusive companies, but those are kind of funny examples to pull out as I would put them all in the mid-sized or larger. TS was the same size as WM (which had artists like B1A4 and OMG), and TS screwed over its artists, ruining their careers, while WM ended up being purchased and merged as a subsidiary under RBW and every member who still wants to be part of B1A4 and OMG is. MBK, on the other hand, simply sucked at managing scandals, but they had tons of artists from T-ara, SG Wannabe, Seeya, Davichi, etc. who were very popular and well-known. So where do you draw the line? Is "incompetent at some very important things but mostly okay" unacceptable?


    There's also an aspect of: who is big today may not be big tomorrow. DSP Media used to be part of the Big Three, but after the CEO got very sick and had to step down, they cratered in relevance. There is no guarantee that the companies who would be deemed "big enough" to successfully ensure debuts will remain so in the future.

    There should be more matches between decent company & talented idols. Thats what I want.

  • Thats very different

    we are here talking about minors who have trained for years prolly giving up their studies sacrificing their whole youth or even childhood becoming slave to a company without any salaries and then left with debt.

    At least the ones u have mentioned (employees, writers or artists) mostly made their choices when they were adults and majority of them actually has degree and can make money elsewhere if their current job or whatever theyre doing fails.

  • agreed, and also agreed for omnimorphism's reply about who get to say you can or can't debuting a group...


    hence, for a brief second, I thought a survival show is the way.


    but then, seeing how does survival show executed in SK, it only adding new problems, so...


    also, creating an entertainment company is like creating the usual company...

    as long as you had the money, and do the paperwork, you'll get it (like kang daniel, or some senior artists/singer who made their idol company)


    But, the crux of our problem here is not the companies, but rather the trainees that are becoming a debt victim.

    And so, what I'll propose is:


    1. Either a new rule by the government about debut age or something, or..

    2. A regulation about debuting via school only


    I got this idea from jyp, and before you judge it, let me explain it first..


    on his conference he share his story about going to China, Japan, and other countries to scout and nurturing young talent. And then, there was an audience who was on his 20-ish asking, "Can an entrepreneur becoming an Idol too?"

    JYP laugh and said, "it's too late, if only you came to me years before then you could"


    and I somewhat agree with him, because for a specified profession like this, unless you are really gifted, you need a long time to shape and hone your skills. Many great athletes starts from young too, building their fundamental physical abilities and skill, and later on they got their specific training.


    the same could be also applied to idol trainees. At least, they needs to had a good fundamental of singing and dancing, thanks to the industry standard that keep rising and if an idol can't sing or can't dance they'll got mocked.


    A school system for trainees-to-be-an-idol could be the answer. Since by using this, you'll know yourself, if you able to continue in to industry or not. The school then must helps the trainees to find a company to debut, and the school could make some, idk.. guidelines(?) about rookie's criteria that are searched by each companies. Also school can held an examination, which could help student track their progress, and helping companies to pick their new rookies...


    for the system, I think it needs tier/class system (yeah, seems like a survival show).

    • Class A are guaranteed to debut because they are the most capable. And since many companies would like to get them, they had the chance to choose which company that they would end up with.
    • Class B are also guaranteed to debut because they passed the rookie's criteria from a company
    • Class C could have a chance to take another year so they could get to higher class, or they could opt out to get into Class D instead
    • Class D are... I'm not sure how this would go, I'll say it that this one is the "support" class. Here they will learned things that are off stage... maybe some trainees are having a knack for musics, but they just can't sing? They could try the production where they taught about writing, composing, etc.
      Why? because I've watched a series where actually there are some people who are trained to be an idol at their teenage, but ended up with something other in the "backstage", like art director, camera director and etc.


    There is surely a flaw in this School System because it's almost the same as survival show, without the voting stuff. Also a "school for idol" already exist like sopa, hanlim, etc but maybe the government could help by making this as the standard regulation if you want to debut as an idol. (the school can filter you out before you get into debt)


    tldr: make "dream high" a reality ^^^^

  • I disagree that there should be a limit. I do however think there needs to be some form of industry wide regulations that prevent many of the issues that prospective idols face.


    For example, off the top of my head;

    • Capped trainee debt, i.e. 10k per year of training so you know what you are up for in advance
    • Upon debut, an actual salary plus bonus for being successful. Idols should make a livable wage at minimum
    • *edit* transparent cost allocation, so idols know what they pay for with their income and what the company pays for


    The above alone would probably reduce the number of groups as the companies would be taking on the majority of risk instead of the individual idols like now. This way you'd need a good plan, resources, and investment in to your idols to be in the game.

    yeah its what i am saying there should be criteria for companies

  • yeah its what i am saying there should be criteria for companies

    i agree, there should be minimum standards for trainee wellbeing, and that includes decent contracts


    i don't agree with limiting the amount of kpop groups using a hard number, because that could invite hostility between companies who would just work trainees harder (or sabotage other companies) to avoid being disbanded against their will

  • those who go art schools due to their busy idol life most of them just skip classes and they just get the degree

  • i agree, there should be minimum standards for trainee wellbeing, and that includes decent contracts


    i don't agree with limiting the amount of kpop groups using a hard number, because that could invite hostility between companies who would just work trainees harder (or sabotage other companies) to avoid being disbanded against their will

    yeah i think i worded it too straightforward and wrong my idea is only most capable companies those who can provide safe environment & decent salary wage for idols should operate

  • yeah i think i worded it too straightforward and wrong my idea is only most capable companies those who can provide safe environment & decent salary wage for idols should operate

    I can see it, like a central body that ensures safety and wellbeing standards specifically for entertainment companies - in the same way your doctor or lawyer is accredited by a specialised group every few years


    I'd love to see it

  • As other people said limiting the amount of startups in the entertainment industry makes no sense. Musical theatre/Broadway is also a specialized tiny industry, but it wouldn't make sense to limit the amount of companies in that field either.


    But I am aware it's not the same thing as agencies recruiting young trainees to make idol groups, and I think what you are suggesting is more along the lines of there should be rules and enforcement for companies doing that, and they shouldn't be allowed if they do not comply with those rules


    Ah well I don’t agree on the management/limitation of how many groups debut, but I agree on the point that only capable companies should operate. There should be some kind of council that oversees the creation/management of entertainment companies and checks to make sure that they’re operating properly and managing their artists right behind the scenes. They can’t just have laws in place, because some companies would break it anyways, so they need people to enforce it and inspect every once in a while.

    This is not saying that only the big companies should be able to operate, small ones should still be able to, it’s just that all should be regulated.

    This is a little more possible than in, perhaps, the American entertainment industry, because of the nature of the K-pop industry. It’s constructed different.

    That is a good idea and maybe with some of the rules thelightoftruth suggested

  • No. Ofc not. Trying to dictate how many artists can debut, release music and promote etc. is problematic as hell. It’s something I could imagine China doing and that’s rarely a good sign.


    Plus I feel like this ignores that being an idol is a job and kpop a business venture. Imagine if the government banned new cafés from opening because there were already “too many”…

  • Thats very different

    we are here talking about minors who have trained for years prolly giving up their studies sacrificing their whole youth or even childhood becoming slave to a company without any salaries and then left with debt.

    At least the ones u have mentioned (employees, writers or artists) mostly made their choices when they were adults and majority of them actually has degree and can make money elsewhere if their current job or whatever theyre doing fails.

    Then they should add laws guaranteeing better work conditions for minors, not banning kpop groups from debuting

  • yeah i think i worded it too straightforward and wrong my idea is only most capable companies those who can provide safe environment & decent salary wage for idols should operate

    This I agree with. Higher standards for kpop agencies that they need to uphold or they are shut down. But that’s not about regulating the number of groups who debut, it’s just about making sure agencies don’t take advantage of their employees (which idols are)

  • Basically a specialized school replaces training.


    Idk just sounds like similar to Sopa/Hanlim Arts which already exists to me. Except instead of attending Hanlim while also training. All the education is from Hanlim. Trainee debt is just converted into tuition. And people choosing to begin training out of middle school or high school, forgoing a regular education, remains unchanged.


    The main thing different is what you said, if this were an actual requirement to graduate from a school like this before being allowed to audition or debut. So people need to have a certification and be at least 18 to audition/debut. This would make sure the trainees are competent and informed about the career.


    For the companies it would reduce the amount of people auditioning they can choose from. Then what about the cost of album production/performances/stylists. Would there still be a trainee debt there (even after the members paid tuition to finish idol school) or is all the cost borne by the company. I assume no trainee debt anymore and all the cost is taken on by the company




    Btw, what you said "I've watched a series where actually there are some people who are trained to be an idol at their teenage, but ended up with something other in the "backstage", like art director, camera director and etc."


    That reminds me of the PinkFantasy episode of promiSINGER. Mydoll's CEO used to be in 2 girl groups but left, then she says became a stylist before establishing Mydoll and debuting PinkFantasy.

    [promiSINGER] Pink Fantasy(핑크판타지)! Are you ready to join the PINK FANTASY fandom?
    Time to rock out and get up close & personal with K-Pop groups!We are back with Season 2 of promiSINGER, and it's better than ever!Join us every week with yo...
    youtu.be


    The girl groups were Uniz (2016) and Kirots (2006). Both of which she was in with Aini, a member of PinkFantasy (who now left PF too). So she was managing her former groupmate for a time. Aini born 1991 and Mydoll's CEO born 1992.

    (all info from the Kpop wikia)

  • Moderator

    Moved the thread from forum KPOP to forum KPOP.

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