DBSK income division: WTF?
Following the recent court decision in support of DBSK members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu in their lawsuit against SM Entertainment, the official figures for DBSK’s income division were officially released today. And they aren’t pretty.
Even prior to the case, there has been much speculation regarding SM Entertainment’ treatment towards its artists, ranging from simple financial issues to allegations of director Lee Soo Man’s physical abuse towards artists. There has been very little substantial evidence for such claims thus far… until now.
The following is a summary of DBSK’s contract since their debut in late 2003. One will see that, in sum, the DBSK members have financially earned close to nothing from their six years of work–almost no profit from album sales, DVD sales, television appearances, concert performances–you name it. Virtually all revenue generated from DBSK products have gone straight to SM.
The contract has been revised five times since then–the summary below reflects these changes.
1) “DBSK has received $0 for their album sales prior to July 2008, and only a negligible amount after that date.”
Prior to late 2008, DBSK’s contract states that no member will earn any profit off of any album that sells less than 500,000 copies. Despite their success and consumption throughout Asia at the time of release, none of DBSK’s albums have hit that 500,000 mark. Therefore, prior to July of 2008, DBSK members have earned nothing off of sales from their first album in 2004 to their most recent Korean album in 2008, as well as the numerous albums and singles in between.
On July 1st, 2008, DBSK’s contract was modified so that each member would receive 1% of profit for every album that sold over 200,000 copies. Anything below that would earn them 0%-0.6%. Despite this modification, however, SM has failed to follow through with this policy, therefore leaving the members with a 0% profit, regardless.
In sum, DBSK members have earned 0% of any revenue earned off of the sale of all of their albums and singles prior to 2008, and SM has therefore kept 95%+ of all DBSK album-generated profit since their debut.
2) “DBSK has received $0 for the sales of concert DVDs and albums featuring recordings from such concerts.”
SM Entertainment has released four concert DVDs of DBSK’s Japan tours, as well as three audio recordings of their Asia tour concerts. All of DBSK’s concert DVDs—including everything from their first live tour recording from 2005 to their Tokyo Dome final released last month—are still ranking in Japan’s Oricon charts today and still generating profit. However, DBSK members have not seen a single cent of revenue from these sales or from the sales of their live audio recordings from their Asia tours.
3) “DBSK has received $0 for their appearances on TV programs.”
DBSK is not entitled to any profit for any appearance if the appearance is of a ‘temporary nature.’ As one might recall, no DBSK member has become a ‘permanent guest’ on any variety or talk show, unlike some other k-pop celebrities. Therefore, since all of DBSK’s television appearances have been considered ‘guest appearances’ and therefore are considered ‘temporary,’ SM has collected all profits generated from any DBSK television appearance since debut.
4) “For all other possible sources of revenue, SM subtracts from the total revenue all expenses, including salaries of other staff, stage preparation expenses, rent, travel expenses, food expenses, and the like, then gives TVXQ only a fraction of the remaining amount.”
For any other profit earned by the members that doesn’t fall into any of the aforementioned categories (i.e. their All About DBSK or History in Japan DVD series, Vacation drama miniseries, etc.), SM determines the amount of money that should be subtracted in order to pay off ‘living costs.’
Like many other K-pop stars, DBSK’s living situation is almost entirely under SM’s control, as they are essentially living and working off of SM property. SM takes money directly out of DBSK’s salary to provide for their:
-Housing (including rent, electricity/water bills, maintenance, furniture, etc.)
-Performing stage preparation costs (venue reservation and the like)
-Staff salaries (including that of the manager, stylists, makeup artists, backup dancers, choreographers, etc.)
-Travel expenses (including plane tickets and hotel reservations)
-Food
These expenses are traditionally paid for by the manager. This is not the case with DBSK’s contract. In addition, SM is still entitled to take whatever they wish from the remainder of DBSK’s salary after the deduction for the above expenses, leaving DBSK members with even less. Some have argued that DBSK’s financial situation is not that dire under the false belief that DBSK’s living/travel/performing expenses are all paid for by SM Entertainment, and that their salary has thus been unaffected. According to the facts presented above, this is not the case.
The legal decision earlier this week was determined after these figures were revealed to the court. The court found that the details outlined in the contract were “unconscionable and against public policy,” thus granting DBSK’s first victory in this lawsuit saga. Following this decision, the three DBSK members will be petitioning to gain proper compensation for their six years of work.
Well, we all knew that it was bad enough for DBSK to sue…but did we know it was this bad? The numbers pretty much speak for themselves. As a DBSK fan, I’m saddened. As a K-pop aficionado, I’m disgusted. Either way, I’m disappointed…and I’ll be saving my commentary for an upcoming op-ed. But for now, chew on these questions: If this is indeed the truth, then how much more is the K-pop business world hiding? Do you think JYP and YG have similar gigs going on? Is this an SM problem or a cultural problem? What do you think?
Source: [DNBN]
Translation credits: Inklette@DNBN.pe.kr
When I heard this news, I was like “Isn’t that slavery ?”
Why did DBSK agree to sign this contract in the first place anyways ?
”Why did DBSK agree to sign this contract in the first place anyways ?”
exactly! why?
you don’t even need a lawyer to see that that contract is pure bullshit
Well most Sm trainee’s get in while they’re young and naive. And they spend like 5+ years training 24/7 so school gets totally ignored or in recent cases like Minzi of 2ne1 they just drop out eventually.
So with their entire focus being on being singers they probably wouldn’t have the grades to get into a college and set up a new career. Which leaves pretty much debuting as the viable option. After investing years of training you basically make this your career choice by your teens so you take a bullshit contract, hope to get famous, get some leverage on your company,then deal with the contract.
well, the contract wasnt revealed to anyone–not dbsk, not the public–until now. sm has a history of not revealing all the details of the contract to the people who sign with them until the court demands it from them. so yeah, dbsk didnt know what they were getting themselves into; they couldnt have. a few months ago it was reported that sm had flat out refused to reveal the details of the contract for court inspection, denying a specific request made by jaechunsu in the context of the lawsuit. the court overturned sm’s refusal to provide the information, and thus, these facts were released. but judging from the facts of the contract, i suppose one could say that they had plenty to hide…
Three members HAD to see that contract, otherwise SME could just give court the copy of contract without those terms. The fact that court was given this copy means that SME could not give fake because they could be proven as liars by DBSK members. It seems that way to me (but maybe I was not able to translate correctly?)
Also, don’t give me “they were young” reasons. Where did their parents look as their legal representatives who had to take part in signing contract?
If we put aside the fact that I blame DBSK for signing the papers in a first place (duh, FREE CHOICE), I still think that such terms in contract are really over the top. The desire to gain some money is understandable but some basic rules of moral would be nice (says the girl who helped to fire pregnant woman yesterday, sigh, working at HR department is bad for karma)
”also, don’t give me “they were young” reasons”
Agree, that is not a reason.. well it is but not really a valid one ’cause everyone has a choice like Xenia said: ”duh, FREE CHOICE”
DBSK probably thought they could handle the contract (when signing it) but in reality they could not (which then again I don’t know, not being close to them and what not XD), which is not a surprise cause that CONTRACT IS PURE BULLSHIT XD
They had choose this path.. They deal with it..
Exactly, the members have to deal with it and that is why they brought the lawsuit. Dealing with it (cos they got themselves in that situation in the first place) doesn’t mean they have to honor the terms of the contract when these are CLEARLY and without a DOUBT unconscionable and unfair. It was a big MISTAKE for them to have signed the contract in the first place but it would be even more stupid of them to put up with that kind of arrangement any longer than they should … It’s not right for the company to take advantage of their artists like that. Even if they freely agreed to the unfair terms, by LAW such unconscionable terms are ILLEGAL and therefore have no binding force. So, good for the 3 DBSK members to be fighting for their rights. They deserve so much more for their hard work.
exactly! why?
you don’t even need a lawyer to see that that contract is pure bullshit
”Why did DBSK agree to sign this contract in the first place anyways?”
exactly! why?
you don’t even need a lawyer to see that that contract is pure bullshit
PLEASE DELETE THIS AND THE TWO OTHER COMMENTS ABOVE ^^
THOSE WERE ACCIDENTALY SEND. SORRY ^^
We don’t mind your clumsiness, as long as it was not accidental pregnancy… lol-joke.
wanting to get famous .. but they deserve soooooooo much more money .. hope they get everything back they lost through these years
this is similar to the case of 2pm too. they too get nothing. trust me, i got this from 2oneday forums. so the hottest boycotting is to keep money from going into jyp’s pockets cuz even if they the albums, 2pm gets nothing anyway.
Oh really ? Can you give me some links or another source etc ?I’m very curious >_<
2oneday is brainwashing all of you… funny how you guys believe all the crap they feed you….which makes me wonder, how old is the average 2pm member believing their crap? Because you seem unable to think for yourselves.
99,99% of the things you read on that forum are based on assumptions and interpretations that fits their conspiracy theories.
——-
SM got an army of puppets, man. it’s always good to see a people rebel, or rather demand proper treatment. That contract is as ridiculous as delusional conspiracy theory obsessed hottests
JYP’s artists have a 5:5 share of profit with the company…. Everyone knows that O_O
I don’t like 2OneDay so much these days :/
You mean they earn 50 % of the profits ?That’s a lot °_°
yeah. but of course, the 50% gets divided between the members.
Ah yes of course,thanks ^^
that is better than sm artist. i wonder whats the case with snsd,super junior and boa.
no wonder hwanhee hates SM.
really? 50%?
then why did jay say that he hasnt earned enough?
Im just curious..
b/c it is split among the other 6 members. 2pm is just 7 member image the income suju members are earning.
yeah junho said that.. maybe they don’t pay right away.. but if junho able to say bout that I think there’s nothing fishy bout the contract
It’s impossible.
Holy crap no wonder our idols work so hard and take every gig they can. They got to just to earn a few bucks, damn.
I wonder what groups like BIGBANG and WONDERGIRLS get paid?
they look like they’re well off, just look at the things GD can afford lol. the wondergirls, well we hvn’t heard anything bad from them yet lol
the first moment i heard of this, my mind just kept going, ‘dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!’
we love those boys; but now we find out that NONE of our love has actually gotten to them? I think that the only reason some of them haven’t committed suicide is because they know that fans will commit suicide after they do. otherwise, they’d be ten times less happy (which would make it -10 times, because they’re at zero right now.)
dammit, SM, dammit!
this is just absolutely unethical! they DESERVE what they earned! they’ve been worked haggard for 6 years, 6 years of 3 hours sleep per day and work the rest of the 21 hours, and now we find out that they haven’t earned ANYTHING? i mean, i think that SM takes in these people young and early and trains them hard so that college isn’t an option and that they HAVE to sign the contract. WTF, SM, WTF.
dammit!
I feel exactly the same.
And Have you read of that letter Yunho & Changmin signed? They basically said that they are on SM side and that what Jae, Micky & Junsu are doing is just unopportune, even stating that that hong kong beauty company the three of them invested in is not trust worthy.
I was shocked. MY BOYS ARE FIGHTING NOT JUST FOR THEIR RIGHTS AS INDIVIDUALS, BUT FOR THE WHOLE GROUP TO BE TREATED AS ANY HONEST WORKER DESERVES, AND LEADER & MAKNAE STAB THEM IN THE BACK? They evend brought out their fathers so that they could make it even more drammatical. I was not only disappointed, but disgusted too. I REALLY HOPE SME FORCED THEM TO, OR ELSE I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK. YUNHO HAD THE GUTS TO SAY THAT YOCHOON, HERO AND JUNSU ARE SOMEHOW BETRAYING THEIR PROMISES TO THE FANS. BUT, I, AS A FAN, DON’T FEEL BETRAYED AT ALL FROM ANY OF THE SAID INDIVIDUALS. THE FACT THAT THEY’RE FIGHTING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND FAIR CAN ONLY MAKE ME PRUD. I FEEL BETRAYED WHEN I SEE MY LEADER SPREADING BULLSHIT ON HIS GUYS, FAKING IGNORANCE ABOUT THINGS, BLAMING THEM FOR EVERYTHING. I’M SO FRUSTRATED RIGHT NOW.
i so agree with u. jaechunsu speaking up about this will open the way for for lesser artists to voice their unfair treatment and get what they legally deserve. i can’t believe HoMin are alright with being slaves and working their asses of for basically nothing. God even WonderGirls and 2pm get 50%and their not at the level of DBSK
may u please send me the link to the letter that HoMin signed? i have to read myself to believe that they actually said that about the other three member. oh and i totally agree with you. u speak out my mind. screw SM and now i just heard that they beat their artists up too! errrgh they just really know how to piss a fan off.
Man. I was willing to accept that the terms were bad. Unfair to the extreme even. But this is just outrageous. I have no general problem of people being willingly exploited, but this goes too far.
That they were bound to do so much for nothing is just bogus — I mean not even a small tiny percentage was theirs for so much of their efforts. This is just idiotic management.
I was willing to see that those boys were just being ungrateful and whiny, but there has to be some sort of incentive for people to really perform well, otherwise you are not going to get the best out people.
That SM is pulling this crap just show how terrible the management really is over there. They may have a lot of marketing prowess and excellent training standards and programs, but given their history with past idol groups and the revelations that this case has brought clearly indicate that they need better management.
In the long run, given human nature, no idol group can last this kind of system. At some point – like practically all SM idol groups of the past, the unrequited needs and desires of the people in these groups are going to destroy the group. It’s just a question of whether or not SM continue to be able to extract enough profit from them before they implode and SM is able to continuously attract and market new talent.
I hope they fail. It’s harsh enough being in that business, but to have this kind of result even when you’ve succeeded is just horrible.
the “incentive” is the amount they’ll have to pay if they ever want, or even thinking too leave SM. (and these numbers are most likely will be ghost numbers by SM)
so much for being “asian superstars” huh?!
i wish they leave sm after their contract expires – oh wait, when’s that : 204~ever?!!!!
i dont know. sm always had a bad reputation, a horrible one to be honest. It’s said that tey overwork their artists, dont pay them appropriately and even beat them, the rumors are beyond terrible (of course, we don’t know if or how much of it is true)
i think rain was always paid good and when he decided to leave jyp to open up his own label, i never read of anything like jyp sueing him (in a way sm did with shinhwa, we all know the tragic story…), i also think wg (even though they surely work very hard) get their time off (family issues >> sunye’s dad)
Man, I was willing to accept that perhaps the DBSK were earning the equivalent of American minimum wage, but to earn NOTHING and then when they did earn something, it was barely 1% and then charge them for expenses out of their measly earnings. Geez, SM, not even a whole percent!! how greedy can you be?! It’s like sweatshop labor. With such horrible terms, I’m surprised that DBSK aren’t even paying SM to make them work for nothing! And with being in the entertainment industry, these idols aren’t equipped to deal with the outside world and on what to do after an idol career- so they’re stuck in SM.
eek…this si nasty!
i wonder why they signed this awful contract.
i mean, before signing a job contract you want to read every single line of it. werent they sort of under age when they signed with SME? where were their parents?
if 5 guys in a so successful boyband get to earn almost nothing, what the income division of SuJu can be? :s
That’s pretty bad and they worked so hard in the past 6 years both in Korea, Japan. No, around Asia for that matter.
SM oughta be ashamed of himself for doing this to his artists.
I thought SM was bad, but nothing compared to this, its close to slavery, they have work so hard and are so famous yet they get nothing.
Now im really curious bout all the other idol groups such as Wonder girls, 2pm, Big Bang…. I hope they actually recieve what they deserve.
Damn you SME, actually f*ck you
I have no words…wait I take that back. I DO have words, but I doubt God will forgive me for thinking them, let alone speaking them. I always felt that some of these Kpop artists were working like slaves in modern times. This just proves me right. I didn’t want to be right. I really hope that now that things are turning around, the fans will continue to support DBSK and all their activities so that they can finally earn what they deserve for their love of music and performance.
This is a disgusting show of abuse of power by SM. Nothing more than a ‘Deed of Indenture’ dressed up, (glossed over and highly embroidered with slick talking no doubt) and set before young hopeful teens, that wish to sing and dance. DBSK could never afford to get out of that contract with the penalty payments, with those so called wages.
Work till they are a worn out husk for 13 yrs (+ 2 yrs Military service = 15 yrs), for NO REAL WAGE, just a bit of POCKET MONEY. Their 2 yrs in the military would be more like a holiday with regular sleep, food etc.
Wonder if SM steals the Military pay of the stars already enlisted as well.
If there is any justice I hope SM gets financialy fried.
Aja Fighting DBSK.
i’m so shock by this, i’m not even DBSK fan so i didn’t know how mistreated they were…
honestly it would be nice if they dump SM but i guess it’s not that simple huh?
Well since SM also physically abuse their artists, then I guess they could easily threaten DBSK into signing the contract no? And you know… I think that they make the DBSK members so tired and physically worn out that they could barely think of those kind of things. I think that the overall picture that I have of SM ever since I saw that video of DBSK getting scolded is a company that is very strict and very intimidating. But geez, I can’t believe SM fooled people for this long, it’s scary. I hope the law will investigate further and make it fair for all their other artists too.
oo, do yu have a lnk to that vid?? do yu mind sharing it plz??! i wanna see!!
Christian-based Western Contract Law prohibits such slave contracts. . . . We should know that present day Western Laws originated from Roman Catholic Church Laws of the Middle Ages.
. . . . . . . Hope SM will be shamed into changing their inhumane ways. Pity them Milk Club idols, being milked like cows. . . . , T__T,
Kpop idols can also be termed as cowboys and cowgirls… lol-joke.
. . . . . . . Gee-dy Up ! … Hee Yah !
this is for all the people who thought DBSK was just being greedy (LOL to you) and whiny, psshhh
about why did they sign the contract thing, well, just wanna say, there are countless cases where artists aren’t aware of what they’re getting into long after. (there’s even some documentaries about american idol? can’t remember, whose contracts are notorious for using words that are even difficult to adults) I KNOW this is a ‘common’ thing in entertainment industry, but i’m just saying…
SM’s ISAK said that she didn’t know she’s also paying for the managers, foods, basically all the accommodation fees coz SME said something along the line “you don’t have to worry about anything, we’ll take care all of your needs” bleh (note that she said this herself)
and i’m not sure if their parents were there to inspect the contract or whatever, since JJ-YC-YH were away from their families at that time(trainee days)
lastly, SME, karma will hit you hard.
why doesnt some Asian Harvard lawyer try SM Entertainment in court?? Like dudEE!! OMG!
<>
i wonder how much SuJu get paid.. lol
and wow they waited SIX effin YEARS to sue?? why isnt the other two suing?? that way they could of had (or tried) to get the copyright to their name! that woudl be awesome.. and could start a company on their own lol.. or just be free agents?
im curious tho, ive been into kpop for 6 months or so now and im still new to a lot.. sm beats/abuse their artists?? does anyone have any good/reliable sources?? or why ppl think that??
dang it my other comment didnt post \=S
i think its cause they were bribed with dramas. only yunho and changmin r coming out with dramas recently.
I think you are referring to Andy of Shinhwa, being beaten/threatened. Pls wiki “Shinhwa” and HOT.
You know, you shouldn’t have signed the contract if you didn’t like the terms. No doubt they’re insanely unfair but what kind of dumbass fool signs a contract like that? And don’t give me that young and naive bullshit.
Are they illiterate? Mentally challenged? If not then they’re just idiots. Don’t get yourself in such a mess just to whine about it years into the contract. Use your brain, clearly these kpop idols are just good looks.
Bring on the cass attack, at the end of the day you all know it’s them who made the dumb choice, LSM is just the dick who gets away with it. He didn’t hold a gun to their heads are force them to sign.
TVXQ, read before you sign dumbasses
LSM, get a life and stop sucking as much money as possible out of every living thing.
are you iiliterate ? are you mentally challenged ?
YOU’RE NOT IN THEIR SHOES and certainly not in the position to say such things LOL
it doesn’t hurt to use the brain you’re born with and think just that little bit before typing something that will make a fool out of yourself *shrugs shoulders*
Like omg, NEITHER ARE YOU!!
Freak out.
No matter how much you try to excuse them, it’s obvious that they’re the ones who made the dumbass mistake of signing. End of story you biased fan.
Unless with that comment you’re saying that since I’m not in their shoes I don’t know if they’re really challenged or illiterate. In that case you’re right. I was giving them too much credit thinking they were competent people. My bad.
V and I also took two years of business law. Shame on the fool who sells his soul for fame.
wow you must have been a genius teenager.
Junsu was 12, Chun was 14 and Jae was 15.
now tell me how a 12 year old is gonna understand a legal contract?
even their parents didn’t. i doubt they could afford a lawyer either. basically their parents got them into it and now they want to get out. nothing wrong with that
You make no good point. You don’t understand the contract, you dont sign. You don’t have to be a genius to get that much.
Or maybe I really am giving too much credit to everyone, guess I am a fucking genius.
I think it’s because after training for so many years, the trainees HAVE to accept the contract because it’s either that, or dont debut at all and waste all the years of training. Once you join the company, you have to brace yourself already.
So DBSK were basically forced to sign the contract.
@marcopolo 2
I only went to law school for a year but I can tell you that law jargon is very hard to decipher, especially in contracts. If the terms in the contract were stated like the terms you read in the article then obviously DBSK wouldn’t have signed. Unfortunately the terms of the real contract were probably so jumbled with legal terms that DBSK had no idea what they were signing. Thats why people need to hire lawyers to look over contracts, because big companies can hide things in them that can screw you over. One “insignificant” line in a contract can mean you get 0 $ for 6 hard years of work. So stop calling DBSK stupid, they were cheated.
when i first heard about this these were my exact words:
” THESE BOYS ARE WAYYYYYYY TOO TALENTED FOR THIS CRAP.”
end of story.
agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Pimp much?
love you <3
i definitely think YG and JYP are doing pretty much the same… how else do u think they generate that much profits for their financial statements each year…
but well, probably not as bad as SM, we all know they are money suckers… so these are the glamorous kpop stars we know…
no wonder the wondergirls wanna go US…
yeeun said herself on twitter it’s 5:5 with jype -_-”
yea Jaebeom also mentioned at a TV show that it’s 50-50
I hope DBSK get back what they deserved….. SM = Slaves Museum….
to all hottest:
stop dragging 2pm into this fiasco… I really dunno why you fans enjoy making your idols sounds like some poor victims cause it definitely do them no good
I rather believe yeeun than your brainwashed 2OD admin
Well, on a purely hypothetical basis, I think YG probably pays better. Otherwise, how can G-Dragon afford all the designer duds he so loves to sport. (Brand-new LV kicks, anyone?)
look at wonder girls’ holy moly expensive designers stuff.
Sorry G-Dragon would not settle for next to nothing %. boy is too much of a diva and loves his expensive stuff
That is absolutely disgusting!! The fact that they have to sell over 500,00 albums just to make like 1% of the profit? I don’t think anyone in Asia has sold that much!!
I feel so bad for all those other SM-towners, in a few years they’ll be in the same situation. Blinded by the promises and stuck with nothing!
About JYPE I remember a while back when this whole thing started a fan tweeted YeEun about how much they get paid and she stated that it’s 50/50 – 50% JYPE and 50% WG.
I think the reason 2pm is not getting much is a) they have 7 people b) I really don’t think they make alot just yet, they are in a sense rookies..
I agree! 2PM may be popular but not as famous as Big Bang and DBSK yet, so their earning potential isn’t that much. 50-50 is already very acceptable, can you imagine SuJu? (13 members, with low ratio!)
Wow, I thought that they would at least get the money for their TV appearances
Someone said that 2OD brainwash people too much. I so agreed with.
I think the admin/s is/are Jay-biased enough. Everyone know Singaporean is kiasu people.
lmao the admin is singaporean?!? no wonder….
people make it seem like the contract was so simple…really this is only a translation of the summarized version of their contract…contracts can be confusing sometimes and hard to read….
remember…dbsk were trainees before they signed the contract to be in dbsk…sme is cheap…you have to pay for the training fees after you are accepted…so what do they do? refusing the contract would be a waste of time and money that they put into training…
and doesnt everyone make mistakes? why does it seem like when celebs make mistakes we are so quick to judge and assume things?..we forget that they are also human beings and sometimes dont make the best choices in life.
Sheez. This is like crazy. Is it the same for the other SM artistes? And for JYP, i think if i remember, i read or heard once somewhere that from all the profits they earn, JYP gets 50% and the rest is shared by the members. As for YG, i think there isn’t any problem cos we all know Family Family Family.
Haha.
Yep plus G-Dragon would shoot a bitch if was cheated lol.
he’d probably write a song about it
6 years and they’re still not making that musch money!! WTF is that!
at least the other companies are okay.
jype’s 50 : 50 isnt bad.
but wow. SME really is something.
i hope the other 2 members join in this lawsuit.
Though I might go impertinent at this part, I’m glad that our celebs in the Philippines are not being treated the same way like celebs in Korea do.
Yes, networks like ABS-CBN and GMA Network have their fair share of cash cows, but not reaching to the point of being put into slavery. Our celebs receive the share based on the contract they sign… they earn millions, and they REALLY earn it that is why they can invest in the likes of business venture, real estate etc… and our celebs don’t live in, like, apartments simply provided by company. They have their OWN vehicle. They have their OWN profit… and their LOVELIFE ain’t restricted.
With the case involving SM Entertainment and the craps I see on Korean Entertainment, I really start to lose my respects to Korean society—allowing cash cow slavery and everything that is communist-like. I have nothing against Korean celebrities. In fact, I feel sorry for them. I feel sorry like no other because, behind all the delusion being created by entertainment companies, we begin to realize that they don’t live as LUXURIOUS as we expect on them. Living ONLY in APARTMENT and sharing it with the rest of the members, plus you also share with one SUV or Van??? Fuck! That ain’t LUXURIOUS! That ain’t FABULOUS. Sure, Philippines is not damn rich, but some of our celebrities could even pass as one of the socialites in town if they earn and save their earnings right. We may not have idol groups—-rock bands in particular…. but even an average rock band member won’t share an apartment together with the rest of other members.
I am not bragging about Philippines, but I am simply citing an example…. kind of telling how bad celebrity life it is in Korea? And would I forget how repressive how overall society they have?????
these guys should just STAY in japan and work under AVEX. i doubt matsu will do anything like this BS.
as long as japan entertainment companies provide financial and emotional support to artists, then DBSK should work in Japan. Besides, Japan is waaaay more financially powerful than Korea
agree. i think the japanese music industry is way cleaner than korean’s. i bet avex will give the boys their own space and allow them to do what they want as long as it makes sense to do it.
I didn’t even know contracts like that were even possible under current law. I feel SM has become so hungry for money that they turned into predators. Yes these kids signed but that is not an excuse for SM to milk every last drop from them. These kids have been training with SM for years and really almost don;t have any other choice but to sign when they get picked or waste the years of training. Trainees do not have any leverage at all, its either you sign or your out. I think people gets lured by the popularity and the whole façade that SM artists are taken care off by SM.
Even the opt out part of the contract is riduluosly high especially when you take into account that DBSK earnings pay for every expense during the production.
I pity SNSD, if they have the same contract that pretty new dorm must be taking a whole chunk out of their earnings
i really wish they could just shut down sm entertainment. even if they change the contract i think their still gonna do stuff that isn’t fair for the artists…..they don’t even give breakks to their artist…atleast big bang got a 2 month break..i feel bad for the sm artist don’t kno why anyone would wanna go there….and if dbsk’s contract is like that then doesn’t that mean all the artist;s contract is like that…they should all sue sm!!!! wut about boa is her contract different??? it seems like they overwrk her too with america and japan going back and forth…and when u see car accidents it’s mostly sm artist!!! sheesh they put them in eery variety shows dramas and music shows….i mean that’s soo muchwork…at least yg just makes their artist go to like 1 variety show and 2 music shows….how sm make their artist do everything!! give them a break sheesh and give them money!!
wouu =O!!
es realmente increible … y muy decepcionante para todos lo fans del mundo del k-pop
anyone in their right mind would agree that this is unfair. even though SM helps our boys to be known, doesnt mean that they can treat them poorly or unfair.
And our boys keeps that agency from the bankrupt.
In 2008 the sales of Mirotic alone allowed SM to end the year in positive.
A SM representative said “we invested 4 mil on the group”
well, the group sold in total around 807.984 copies and I assume you took the 89% of the moneys, making them the one who saved your asses.
Now, who’s gotta be gratefull to who?
*sold in total 807.984 copies of mirotic last year
even tho it’s dbsk’s fault for signing such unfair contracts, if you think of the time they signed them… most singers then had ’slave’ contracts. all this happened before the gov’t started implementing limitations to entertainment companies. i guess that’s why they signed it besides sheer desperation to debut. i’ve heard so much negativity about sm that i hope they finally get what’s coming to them :)
As Seotaiji put it fuck the music business and the Korean Industry is full of fake ass manufactured garbage.
Anyone can make someone who can’t sing for shit sound good using auto tune which seems to be the big thing in Korea right now.
But they can sing and they compose a good part of they’re own shit, and the one who compose are mostly jaesuchun…
But yeah, SME products are usually nothing more than ur usual bubble gum pop (i’m not considering dongbang in that, since they work on their own shit), just like pledis, dsp and the others…
the only one making something decent are YG’s. And it’s still so much commercial.
I have a dream: dbsk signing to sniper sound, tasha producing their tracks…*FAINTS
Agreed DBSK ain’t my style of music but I give them mad props for being able to write their own shit and can actually sing especially when the Korean Industry is full of whack ghost writers and greedy ass record companies out to make a quick buck and with outrageous contracts suckering in the artists.
Shit needs too be done in the Korean Music industry it’s the same old manufactured pop bullshit with all these random ass last minute put together talentless girl and boy groups.
Totally Agree. Few people cares about talented people, and when such individuals come out disrespecting them seems almost legit.
Have you heard that SME reserves itself the right to assign music tracks produced by dbsk to any member of sm family, without having to ask permission to anyone ( not even the composers of the said tracks)?
This is not only dishonest, but also ridiculous. What is the use of copyright then?
(Well, I guess that at least this way nobody will have the chance to accuse them of plagarizing a trashy kazakhi diva)