Isn't it now the Big 5 Companies? SM, JYP, YG, Big Hit (Hybe) and ... Edam?

Sorry I voted for the third option.

It’s great that the Edam owner included in the top 5 influential figures vote thingy but... I haven’t seen their sales figure... but I don’t think they are in level with the big 3 plus BH...Hybe so I say Big 4...

Then again the Big 3 was called like that because they were around from the beginning of the kpop as we know it, and they dominated the market for so long. BH overtook them but in a way the history what is behind the big 3 cannot be taken away. So I will respectfully say Big 3+1. Like a shop offer 😂 BH overtook them in sales anyway.

Hybe is not apart or looking to be apart of the “BIG 3”

It’s clear they’re going into being a more IT company that specializes in music. They’re competing with NAVER and Kakao

It should be big1

Quote from WhyKnock

at the height of IU's fame on 2017 she earned 16M for KakaoM and kept 9M for herself. Her company apparently had an income of 13.5 mil last year, which she probably took a large portion of it herself

That’s amazing, no doubt. IU is an amazing artist (not a Stan as her music is not my taste but I can see her popularity) no doubt and that’s sounds like a great achievement when the kpop business is so competitive. 👍 I still wouldn’t class Edam as the fifth but I learned something new about her today. 😂

I don't think Edam is as influential as the other ones. The other ones mention have strong history and credibilty, not to mention a BUNCH of very successful idols with very large and loyal fandoms. Heck, SM had some of the first KPOP idols.

Big 3 and the big 1(HYBE)

HYBE is not part of the big 3

Quote from crazydoll86

Sorry I voted for the third option.

It’s great that the Edam owner included in the top 5 influential figures vote thingy but... I haven’t seen their sales figure... but I don’t think they are in level with the big 3 plus BH...Hybe so I say Big 4...

Then again the Big 3 was called like that because they were around from the beginning of the kpop as we know it, and they dominated the market for so long. BH overtook them but in a way the history what is behind the big 3 cannot be taken away. So I will respectfully say Big 3+1. Like a shop offer 😂 BH overtook them in sales anyway.

But wasn't it Big 2 before? With DSP and SM?

Big 3 has more to do with the legacy of the industry imo, and Hybe is following a different path, thus the Big 3 + 1.

If you want to add EDAM it can be the Big 3 + 1 + 1

Quote from better-than-sex

But wasn't it Big 2 before? With DSP and SM?

Oh, yeah. Sm and DSP battle. If I would have listened kpop back then I would have been a DSP fan but i wouldn’t count DSP in as after 95-96 when YG and JYPE formed they totally overtook them. (I went to google more about DSP cuz I wasn’t sure the artist. SoBangCha 😬👀 SS501. Wow)

IU is indeed more powerful then the big 4 by herself

Quote from wendii

Hybe is not apart or looking to be apart of the “BIG 3”

It’s clear they’re going into being a more IT company that specializes in music. They’re competing with NAVER and Kakao

Problem is that Naver is the Google of Korea and 7x the size of HYBE. Maybe more like collaborating with rather than competing with Naver. I dunno how big Kakao/Melon are or whether they're just subsidiaries of a giant chaebol which would also make them way bigger than HYBE.