I kinda get why pple are loyal to the big 3

After hearing what happened to Chuu or LeeSeungGi .. in recent months and the absolute horror stories you hear regarding some of these kpop agencies.. I can kinda understand why pple are loyal to certain agencies.

bECAUSE , This was really confusing at first when i started following kpop - that there were advocates for certain companies more so than the artists and it usually involved the 'big 3" - JYP, SM, and YG.

however, it's VERY apparent that some or most of the kpop companies - cube, blockberry etc are not so forthcoming or honest in dealing their artists.

Say what you will about how the big 3 "handle" their artists - that "YG keeps their artists in a dungeon", JYP not advertising for their artists enough, SM "slave contracts" etc; but their artists GETS PAID and from what little research i've done, they at the very least ARE FAITHFUL TO THE CONTRACTS, and the contracts are usually fair. JYP and GOT7 had disagreements - they ended their contract, and have since said they didnt meet eye to eye with JYP - HOWEVER THEY NEVER MENTION THAT JYP NEVER PAID THEM - it was all lack of international scheduled, not enough domestic promotion, not protecting got7 enough.. but we know GOT7 got paid - Jackson started his own company, and NON of the members are struggling financially while they were with JYP and after. Same with YG or SM artists - they are all financially better after becoming kpop idols.

the other kpop agencies that are not as big as the big 3 +hybe are a problem. I dont trust a SINGLE one. if they can get away with NOT PAYING LOONA for 6 years.. even when they sold over 500k total albums, can gaslight LSG - one of the biggest stars in korea the last decade, and NOT pay his musical earnings??? and there's LITERALLY a few DOZENS of these startup "agencies" that dream of becoming the next HYBE or JYPE in korea right now - taking advantage of their young eager talents!

i mean it's a nightmare.

There poor teenagers go in thinking they'd be the next BTS or TWICE and gets taken advantage of for pursuing their dreams.

I know for a fact even trainees under JYPE, SM, YG gets PAID a stipend during their trainee years - they pay that back when they make it big or when they debut- BUT if YOU DONT DEBUT, they're not obligated to pay - it didnt work out; the big 3 have the luxury of doing this cus of their income flow - the other agencies do not. they cant afford to treat their trainees or their artists right. they dont have any system in place - unless they are back by a huge conglomerate like starship - but even starship i dont trust AT ALL considering the shady deeds they did to try to make the competition look bad.

so if you have aspirations to become a kpop star - DO NOT SIGN with any other company other than JYPE, YG, SM, or HYBE

Quote from Slayurfaves

yeah, I know some people that are hesitant to stan groups that come from small labels for that reason they don't know if they are gonna disband or what they can expect from their management. it's unfortunate even mid sized labels aren't all trust worthy at least the big 3 + hybe are more reliable despite their shortcomings.

I feel for young trainees that aspire to debut under a big company like YG , sm or JYp but they can't so they opt for smaller agencies especially young girls it's hard to hit it big like blackpink.

MOST of the stories are from smaller companies that have to suck up to sponsors to make ends meet and it's absolutely horrifying. But even mid level to even established players are FULL of stories that mistreat their artists (like Cube/Stone and GOD only knows what or how FNC's treating their artists when they didn't even pay AOA for 3 years - I SERIOUSLY WORRY ABOUT CHERRY BULLET.) - that's made public.

NOT to mention cases like HOOk where they fix the books - GOD only knows how many agencies get away with this nonsense. It just seems that they "kpop agency" market is absolutely out of control and w/o any real regulations .

Quote from screamingbanshee

I agreed with you up until this point. The competition to become a trainee at those agencies is enormous and even if you do land a contract with them, it's a widely known practice to trade the contract around between companies, so you may sign with SM Entertainment then be passed to Woollim then be passed to DSP before your contract ends. Not to mention, that the competition is lower at those agencies as well. Also, there are people that would like to only achieve a medium level of popularity while they are active and then return to a normal life after the group disbands, so a smaller company like TOP, FNC, Woollim, DSP, etc. would be a better fit than HYBE, SM, YG, or JYP because of the amount of spotlight you'd get it would be borderline impossible to transition back to a normal life. I don't have any aspirations of being an idol, but I wouldn't want to be at big 4 for that exact reason.

idk, fellow queen. FNC didnt pay AOA until they were well into their 3rd yr after they debuted. Woolim's CEO literally punched one of infinite's members on live broadcast - that just shows the surface of the abuse these artists gets or got in those mid tier agencies. look what MBK did to T-ara.

i dont think the risk of being abused for yrs by a smaller agency is worth it just cus u dont want to be super famous.

I GET what you're saying tho. I WISH there was a system that did just that - where the trainees can explore their options SAFELY w/o being taken advantage of. SO far the systems that's in place of the big 3 for trainees is top class - it's like you get a scholarship to be trained by the best dancers, singers in the world

* so maybe i mis-wrote. maybe i meant make sure u debut under the big 3 +hybe - IF you want to be a kpop global star. but if you want to just get a tad famous, make sure you bring your lawyer when signing with small firms so that they cant swindle you ?