Posts by oneinamiyeon

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 4 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from pchromo4

    Im sorry, I don't care if you're trying to make a joke (?) or some other point, but attempting to compare Ador vs Hybe to the Israel vs Palestine conflict is in extremely poor taste. Please don't cheapen genocide like this.

    Well, to be clear, one of the points of my post is that both sides of the Ador vs Hybe conflict can be fervent to the extreme and I tried to fill in the other side from what I quoted.


    Mainly, I was trying to demonstrate loosely with an extreme analogy that when viewed from a more detached, academic context, the basic dynamics at play in serious geopolitical conflict can just as easily apply to trivial ones between kpop companies.


    At further risk of controversy, let me directly comment this time on the taboo topic at hand. As controversial as this alone will probably sound to most, there is a US/Israel position that refutes the accusations of genocide. They view the other side just as extreme and likewise refuse to even entertain the other's position. And around we go. The point is not who's right. I'm more interested narrowly in the dynamics. Or as John Meirsheimer puts it, "the tragedy of great power politics".


    All that being said. I can see where you're coming from as I can also see the main way this might be interpreted, so I'll delete my post.

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 4 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from Wateris

    External Content x.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    Why say that rather than something like "Hybe reassured the trainees of their debut under ADOR". I mean, they're gonna get a grammy winning producer at ADOR that will also work with them, right? ...Right?


    Man, imagine being a trainee that potentially turned down an SM offer due to the pull of NewJeans' style, looking forward to having their own rooms with designer furniture and a multi-million dollar payday, only for it to turn out to be a bait and switch. Oof...


    Well, I guess an SM slave contract wouldn't be much better, but still...

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 4 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from thebadguy

    Mhj must really be something, its crazy impressive how so many well reputed people coming out and openly speaking in support of mhj even though they are potentially put themselves and their careers at risk by going against the hybe.


    There must be some reason for this level of loyality that people have towards mhj, if she really was some crazy abusive toxic witch like how hybe tried portraying her to be, people wouldn't be going to this extent to support her.

    Though only a short comment that avoided delving into the mess, Jakops (Simon) producer of XG did recently comment on an instagram live that MHJ was a creative presence that the Kpop industry needed and couldn't do without. Funny the starkness of contrast in behavior of creatives vs. the suits.


    Her work speaks for itself, really. There are also those in working in other mediums who've never worked with her personally but have have acknowledged her work. I remember Tony Leung offered his services free of charge for CWY. And now she's working with the Takashi Murakami. Pretty crazy.

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 4 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from lidora

    I'm honestly confused. You should make your point in a better way because I don't understand what you wanted to say. No hate, just confusion.

    Basically, wrt your point, I think V shares similar tastes as MHJ for her creative style to have resonated with him. And the same way someone who boycotts Starbucks doesn't mean that they no longer like the taste of Starbucks coffee, I think his artistic appraisal of MHJ wasn't mistaken, and he can remain proud of his collab, her possibly planning an attack on Hybe as Hybe claims, which might have taken BTS' absence into consideration as a factor of timing, aside.


    The rest of my post just used that as a jumping off point you can ignore as removing context would make it too black and white and simplistic, as a lot of posts are.

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 4 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from lidora

    And I am saying that after the audit V's opinion on MHJ might change drastically.

    I have faith that V can compartmentalize and separate MHJ the creative from MHJ the executive. Art deals with beauty and business often gets ugly. Army can cmiiw, but V's always struck me as having a strong artistic sensibility. I wouldn't rule out that when BTS almost didn't renew, there's a possibility it might have had some to do with lack of creative freedom and possible injustices commited under the totalitarian Hybe rule of Chairman Xi Bang. To take a step further in my speculation, there's a possibility that he knew the other members were being gaslit, but put up with it in order for them to be together... less from a money/business perspective but more from his loyalty to other members, or at least I'd like to think.


    This whole mess just goes to show to the more idealistic how dirty the business really is. Those coming from a more realpolitik frame wouldn't be surprised. The analogy in geopolitics is a separatist movement. To those falling under nationalist propaganda, there is no greater evil than separatist, ungrateful or worse, traitorous. Most don't bother questioning why the separatists want to separate in the first place, let alone whether there's justification (such as a promise of autonomy previously granted but not honored in good faith). I think painting MHJ as a greedy separatist CEO wanting to "steal NJ" (after paying 1 trillion won) and to leave Hybe is a more challenging argument to make than the speculation that her goal might simply be autonomy, whether that be under the Hybe umbrella or elsewhere.


    And when you're facing a much more powerful foe, you'd need to demonstrate escalation dominance and play even dirtier to even have a chance. Hybe initiated a surprise attack and it's painting it as purely preemptive due to unverified intel of the presence of weapons of mass destruction and an unprovoked imminent attack.


    Forgive me for remaining a skeptical hippo atp about Hybe's possible exaggerations and its being a surprised pikachu when learning that MHJ could be unhappy and about her possible contingency planning, when they were in all likelihood engaged in a series of provocations and salami slicing vs. Ador all the way back to around the time RU Next was announced if not even earlier.

  • Aespa "Armageddon" : bop vs flop (IT'S OUT !!!!)

    This is a tough one to call. But settled on blop.


    Really liked the MV, their vocals and the performance in general.


    In terms of music, it very much reminds me of NMIXX Dash which I voted bop and ended up doing quite well.


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    So I'm asking myself what's different here and I think I figured it out, at least for me.


    With Dash, NMIXX got more "organized" and toned down their usual mixxpop. A welcome change, and judging by charting, a step in the right direction.


    Though they arrive at the same destination, for aespa, it feels like they took a step back to get there.


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 4 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from ItsActuallyMe

    At this time, Hive has a plan to change the Adore system to a two-person system with a production manager and a management representative. Currently, among the labels under Hive, except Adore, all other companies have a two-person system, a production manager and a management representative.

    I find it curious why this part was mentioned at all as if people would care about this operational detail. Could be a coded threat.


    But it is indeed an important key to why ADOR was able to come up with some innovations (subsequently adopted and reproduced if we want to avoid the word "copy") that allowed them to turn profitable and for NewJeans members to be able to be paid so quickly after debut and now so well.


    This response from MHJ is an example from an interview when asked about 4 MVs and budget in general:


    Our budget is not too different from other companies or labels, because the production budget was planned from my experience with budgeting and market research. If anything, we were much more efficient given the amount produced. And sure, budget helps, but a lot of it doesn’t always lead to good results. I try my best to balance spending and creativity based on my experience in the field. And that’s one of the factors that allowed for a NewJeans to be paid so quickly. Account balancing is different for each company and is a top secret so not a lot of people actually know how they work. Maybe it’s because of this lack of understanding, but I saw a lot of people talk about how NewJeans were paid 2 months into debut... some were arguing that it was possible because we’re a part of a large company.


    Given how rare this is in the industry, I understand. At least based on what I’ve seen, nobody had been paid this quickly. But nobody had 3 debut title tracks. And nobody had all three enter the charts so quickly and stay on top for the long run... we didn’t pay NewJeans because we were nice, and it wasn’t because HYBE is big. It happened because the necessary conditions were met. To summarize, it happened due to a balanced budget plan, a triple title strategy, and the outcome of being successful pretty quickly.


    When I first decided on three title tracks, lots of people were surprised and said a lot of things, but I was able to make the decision because I was a producer and yet a CEO. Filming several MVs was also possible because I was a producer and a CEO. If you’re a producer, you need to understand that pop culture is not free from the numbers. I able to think about how to create those numbers and alternate solutions precisely because I’m a creative and an administrator, not an administrator that has nothing to do with the creative side.


    Quote from ItsActuallyMe

    A high-ranking Hive official ... added, “In production and management, overall efficiency increases when experts focus on the areas they are good at. “Problems can arise when one person takes charge of the other,” he said. Therefore, Hive may scout a new person as head of production after replacing Adore's board of directors.

    Then how come we don't see this efficiency in the other label's profit margins for the ones that have profit? To be fair though, I agree that in general, two-way players are not the norm. Better to sign both a pitcher and a designated hitter than try to find the next Otani.


    But that's all besides the point.


    If I'm reading the translation correctly, more to the point is the possibility Hybe might be signaling to MHJ that they'll try to strip her of executive/creative control even if she does win the injunction and stays on.

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    A sequence of events, presented in the loose style of youtube wrecker Lee Jin-ho's (sp?), but with less narrative bias:


    MHJ: "I never met with any investor to usurp management rights. If you're seriously accusing me of it, name'em or better yet invite them so they can tell us all what really happened!"


    Army: "I knew it, she's definitely trying to takeover Hybe!"


    Tokkis: "But Hive owns 80% of ADOR, even if she wanted to, there's no way unless Hive agrees, right?"


    Me: JXFRVMi.png


    Hybe: *Names Dunamu and Naver. Accuses MHJ of meeting with investors.


    Army: Chants in unison, "Lock her up, lock her up...!!"


    MHJ: I said, "I never met with any investor to usurp management rights." Context is important. So is frame. You know, when I was little... [edited out as its not really relevant]."


    MHJ: [starting from next point of relevance] Chairman Song and CEO Choi, who are fans of New Genes, attended a dinner with me. It was non-investment related. And in fact, BSH had wanted to introduce Dunamu CEO to me.


    Dunamu and Naver: "There is nothing that can be confirmed". Speculative commentary: Dunamu and Naver are strategic and financial partners of Hybe, so if they indeed were fans of NewJeans and met with MHJ for non-investment related reasons, they'd not want to make Hybe look bad by going with the MHJ original version. And they'd probably not want to lie if not required to by going with the Hybe remix. This could also be interpreted as a failed attempt by BSH to secure full treaty commitment in terms of getting their full endorsement of the statement that the two investors reported her to Hybe for anything illegal in the first place. Cuz, why not come out in full force and say, "Yeah Hybe's totally on point and she's lying, we reported her." Like abstaining from a UN resolution vote, they just agreed to stay mum and not challenge that. Smart.


    M&A Lawyer - Dunamu is the third largest shareholder with a 5.6% stake in Hive. “Dunamu is not a general major shareholder, but a joint holder of Hive shares with Chairman Bang and Netmarble.” He added, “Because the joint holders have agreed to jointly exercise voting rights, he pointed out, “You can’t usurp management rights from the Hive.”


    Moral of the story: This whole thing should be retitled "Managment Usurpation" with the subtitle "Much Ado About Nothing."




  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    Flippant lack of concern for the artists (to say the least) aside, ironically they're bringing up the the same issues MHJ brought up - that the fast food production model will only yield fast food results. What happens when you replace the chef with a machine that reproduces the food. Will it taste worse, lack individual flavor... Is that cooking?


    Quote from aclassyteaparty

    well it was already said in the beginning of all this that other hybe employees dislike mhj. its not surprising that they were online shading her company

    The negativity towards MHJ/ADOR clouds what one is able to see - the possibility that MHJ's was speaking up on behalf of other labels that produce ggs as well (which she actually said in the internal report) that would also be the better way forward for the multilabel system as a whole. Instead, one would be left assuming that she's only motivated by being mad at Belift, or worse, that she's directly attacking and hating on ILLIT members.


    To me the sad thing this shows is that no one really dares speak up to Chairman Xi Bang, despite his lipservice to transparency and how he wants people to speak up. There'd be even more of a chilling effect if MHJ gets the boot.

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from jadedcraze

    What is strange to me is YG is literally known for having similar concepts, sound and music videos with their boy groups and girl groups. Why is MJH and Newjeans parents acting like these two groups can't coexist is goofy.

    I don't much follow YG's artists especially bgs, but as others have suggested I don't think blinks would be as supportive of BM if BP remained truly "active" for lack of a better descriptor.


    But you raise an interesting issue - that there may be more examples of bgs of the same company getting away with this vs ggs. Reminds me of BSH comment that army (female) would get jealous if a gg debuted under Big Hit. Maybe there's a difference in fan behavior, idk.


    Anyways, to me, the better example to use is JYP, which has multiple active ggs. Compared to Hybe, JYP is JYP, not a multilabel, so theoretically it would be less of a problem to copy/have similar groups. But even so, ITZY debuted with girl crush instead of Twice's cute/elegant and NMIXX with mixxpop and instead of girl crush.


    And herein lies the overarching theme, the common thread that ties together most of the accusations in MHJ's whistleblowing. Her internal report was a critique and request for improvement of Hybe's multilabel system, using ILLIT as only one example but the main one, that Hybe is a MINO - multilabel in name only. Secondarily, there's also a questioning of the viability of the current multilabel strategy (i.e. a fast food approach instead of prioritizing the funding of high quality ingredients and healthy food) but we can ignore that for this discussion.


    So, the important thing isn't that BSH tried to use his fat foot to step on Aespa, but that he's putting his fat thumb on the scale playing favorites and sticking his fat nose into and cross pollinating selective projects. It isn't that he just turned his fat head away from NewJeans and ignored them, but that he's ignoring the thieves that are in the house - or even worse participating in the theft himself, all 300 pounds of him. And most importantly, BSH sooo can't stand being called fat that he accuses MHJ of calling the girls fat. Hey, it's a free-for-all the way narratives are being based on questionable texts, right?


    "Come create MHJ world" he said implying infusing Hybe with her creative input. Feeling grateful for his recognition of her talent, she wasted no time and during free moments from corporate branding work (including designing the logo we now have) she managed to design them a whole ass building.


    Alas, you can't build a house on sand, and her mistake was assuming the foundation on which to build that world was solid. Even BSH couldn't avoid addressing this in court, admitting that that despite all the talk, Hybe's multilabel system has foundational flaws and needs work.


    Bish, that was all MHJ was sayin', which had you overreacting and starting this whole mess!


    :meme-u-ok:

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from K-PL

    Is that 620 billion won, or 455 million USD? She would never get ROI even in 7 years. Like I said, once the audit went public, taking NJs with her was never a viable option. She's thrown them under the bus to try to get a non-compete.


    Refer to the last sentence. cr JW and original poster

    GN8l8EabAAEYbYH?format=jpg&name=large

    What?... if these are not fabricated texts, and if I believed it would be best for the girls to set up shop somewhere else instead of holding their ground at ADOR (I'm still undecided) this isn't exactly confidence inspiring and ADOR could be more naive than I thought.


    So you mean to tell me it took until very recently - 3/14 (the time of Illit's debut, despite all sorts of conflict going back to last year) for them to finally plan for this contingency and look into how much the penalty would be?


    It's like for us, every time your financial situation changes in general, you should always roughly recalculate how much impact/damage that does and always have it in the back of your mind what your survival runrate is. You could be getting a raise, you could even be loving your job. But to not do it at least when you start suspecting the new boss has something against you makes little sense. And a backup plan lacking even in basic details wouldn't be much of a realistic plan...


    Then again, MHJ might have naively thought the value, financial and creative, she brought to Hybe would be enough for their security, when the other labels' appeasement of BSH's ego seems like a far easier and more surefire strategy.


    :meme-picard-facepalm:

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from oldies

    :thumbup:

    lmao do Hybe fans realize they just provided a reason why BSH/Hybe is trying so hard to oust MHJ and try to make a reason for dismissing her? :sweat: Like whatever reason they attributed to MHJ for this case can actually be attributed to BSH. Just from the payer perspective.

    Well, if not then maybe we should spell it out


    :pepe-smug:

    Quote from Jasmine_Waters

    And that's why Bang PD will try to oust MHJ and shelve New Jeans to bring down operating profit while they litigate over and stop/delay her exercise of put options. They are collateral damage because of his unwillingness to honor even the Hybe-favorable terms for MHJ put options. If her plan wasn't found out they didn't find an excuse right quick, she would have robbed legitimately received from Hybe of more than $1B an amount limited to her minority share (13.5%?) in ADOR that is saleable. Money they don't even have now, that would come from cash available at or bank financed using ADOR itself which will cripple every other Hybe's musical act funding as well as staff salary. And making BTS irrelevant for purposes of this discussion, let alone the possibility of them saving Hybe from a takeover them at their weakest (BTS wont be able to help them while they are still enlisted until June 2025) for a complete takeover by Kakao or UMG.

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from Jasmine_Waters

    Then the foreign investor would do the rest once the current evaluation of Ador, that is currently 13x of 20% of profits, is upgraded to 13x of 50.1% of profits. That would make Ador a billion dollar label instantly and an appetizing label to foreign investors to help buyout Ador.

    Some info is incorrect here. ADOR is valued as a whole, or 13x 100%, but that's not that important. But no, investors would rather buy at a lower valuation (i.e. get in early, buy low sell high, etc.). The reason why investors would be interested is that ADOR shares are currently kept artificially low at 13x (by Hybe) when it would trade much higher if it were listed and the market determined pricing. Very few here understand how impressive ADORs numbers have been.


    Even that evil plan or 1945 creative venting (depending how you look at it) by the ADOR's VP that MHJ responded with "daebak" clearly requires them to "suggest that Hybe sell ADOR" implying Hybe's consent at the end of the day. You're correct though in that they'd need an additional 31% for starters.


    The rest of that picture is about how they can come up with the cash to buy those 31% of ADOR shares from Hybe - IF Hybe agreed to sell. How they get the funds whether through investors or MHJ's put option proceeds is irrelevant.


    So... You think Hybe would be dumb enough to sell?


    And even if ADOR becomes a shell and worthless, you think Hybe's pride would allow them to cry uncle and willingly allow MHJ to get her way?


    And if ADOR does become worthless, wouldn't MHJ's put options, which is based on the valuation of ADOR, become worthless as well?


    Do you really believe this plan is realistic? And not a story the VP made to make MHJ temporarily feel better about the possibility of freeing herself of the kryptonite that is the 5% unsellable shares held hostage by Hybe?


    :pepe-use-head:

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from oldies

    lmao Just want to emphasize this fact here that was shared by another lovely user here in case some people did not read this:


    pasted-from-clipboard.png


    “Duanmu, which holds 5.53% of Hybe’s shares, is not just a major shareholder but a joint holder with Netmarble, collectively holding around 44% with BSH. As joint holders, they have agreed to exercise their voting rights together, making it impossible to use Dunamu for a taker”

    So Hybe caught being disingenuous again.


    I have watched in amazement at how effective this "management usurpation" mediaplay has been for Hybe. Especially when MHJ's lawyers from day one have dumbed it down for those with minimal financial literacy by pointing out the simple fact that Hybe owns 80%, so however way you cut it, even if ADOR really wanted to acquire more shares, best it can do is present a legitimate offer to Hybe who has to be willing to sell. Even those siding with Hybe shouldn't assume Hybe would be stupid enough to leave themselves open like that in the first place.


    Then again, judging by some comments in this thread, it almost seems like the case will not hinge on legalities, but rather on whether MHJ really called a NewJeans member fat (it's crazy to think those could be accusations that Hybe made in court). I wonder how they'd react if it turned out she was actually referring to BSH. :skull:

  • ADOR - HYBE Mega Thread - 3 || Summary on page 1

    Quote from K-PL

    7 years and still haven't been paid. Fromis9 is Hybe's best argument that NJs isn't being discriminated against. The Fromis9 girls are most probably wonder what parallel universe they are living in, when other idols are each getting 4 million in their 2nd year, and their boss is crying about discrimination.

    If I were a member, I'd be more concerned about making sure on the accounting that Pledis isn't screwing me over as they get paid off their label's p/l. 7 years no pay is rough...