20110911_seoulbeats_yjfamily

The Reason Why I Respect CEO Yang

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Written by On September 11, 2011

YG founder, Yang Hyun Suk has been getting more press these days due to his planned participating in SBS’s Survival Audition K-pop Star this December and his recent interview with Osen made me realize why I have and always will respect the man.

Yang stated that his business philosophy is rather simple.  He either seeks out talent based on word of mouth or carefully selects talent among those who comes to audition at YG.  What amazes me is his sole focus on just talent and nothing else.  Working in the business world, I often see many executives slack on innovating the product (or in this case talent), once they achieved the critical mass.  Once their product is known, a lot of executives start focusing more on the fluff, such as “branding” and “packaging”, slowly forgetting that their success was attributed to a great product, not a great packaging.  How many times have we, as consumers have been disappointed with the new and improved products from our favorite brands?

The most common reason behind the shift in focus from product is associated with cost. Approximately 95% of products fail and investing in various products to see another product succeed is very cost prohibitive.  As a result, a lot of companies try to milk as much as they can from their current successes.  For example, consider what happened to Kodak?  Despite owning the “Kodak moment”, the company is struggling to stay afloat.

Conversely, companies who continuously invest in product innovation (think Apple, Google, etc.) are the ones who delight the consumers with a truly amazing product.  And reading that Yang has the same business philosophy as these companies, with a proven track record makes me respect the man even more.

I love  that he refuses to compromise on talent, no matter what other companies in the industry do.  No matter how long it takes to produce an album or debut an artist, Yang always took his time to make sure that they are ready.   YG Family artists are notorious for exposing their boss regarding the long training days, but as we all know, Yang never budged.  And that’s why we are able to enjoy the likes of Big Bang, 2NE1, Se7en, Gummy, etc.

It would be nice to see more executives in Korean entertainment focus on the product, rather than compromising talent for a quick buck in the near future.  Who do you think is a close second in terms of executives investing in talent rather than the packaging?  SM?  JYP?  DSP?  LEON?

(Osen)

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  • Anonymous

    I think LEON should be in second because above all , talent is most important to that company.

  • kk

    dara throws a wrench in this article.

    • Anon

      While Dara can’t really sing or dance, I think Dara  is a little talented in being able to market herself and the group. 

      • victoriee

        I have to agree to the part of, Dara being able to market herself and the group well. She is good at pulling off those crazy hairstyles.

      • hkg

        Being able to market yourself even though you don’t have the required talent for your chosen field is a small form of talent.  But if you’re going to respect her for this then other idols who are in the same position in their groups should get the same respect.  Also if this is counted as one of the talents YGE is looking for then you can say that all the other agencies also focus on looking for talent as well.  Yoona of SNSD, Goo Hara of Kara, Nikhun of 2PM and Kim Hyun Joong of SS501 all play the same role as Dara does for 2NE1 so if she is not considered an exception of the whole I look at talent only concept then you can’t consider the others as exceptions either.  

        • fangirl.

          To be successful at marketing, imo, is a talent. Massive companies require whole teams to come up with decent marketing campaigns- and here we have idols like Dara who successfully ‘market’ themselves and their teams. Marketing isn’t easy, but it’s necessary for success especially in the entertainment industry. So I reckon props should be given to idols that are labelled the ‘face’ of a group. If no one can recognize the face of an idol group, it’s very likely that no one will recognize their team either.

          • hkg

            I agreed that marketing yourself is a form of talent.  My comment was to say that if you do recognize this as a talent for Dara then you also have to be consistent and recognize it as a talent for other idols.  I have seen so many comments by people putting down other idols for just being the face of their groups but praising Dara for being able to market herself.  These people seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that Dara and these other idols are doing the exact same thing.  Maybe I shouldn’t have made my comment in reply to Anon since she didn’t bring up other idols (which I respect), I just get so tired of people talking about YGE as if its this perfect company.  Its a business and some of their artists are going to be there more for their appeal than their singing talent.  I do agree that YGE does have less of these artists than the other large agencies.

    • http://twitter.com/zamuz gonzalo muñoz ferrer

      I agree, although she is pretty much the only exception in YG to the “we only look for talent” claim. SM and JYP, although they don’t claim publicly to look only for talent, have about 3 exceptions per group.

      • Sooyoungster

        I dunno about that… TOP is kind of the Dara of BB IMO. Yeah he’s got a great rapping voice but apart from that he’s pretty much only the visual. 

        That said I do really like both of these groups, Dara and TOP included, and no matter what group there is there’ll always be the debatable “who is the least [comparatively] talented?”. These members make the groups who they are.

        • http://www.facebook.com/Mimichiko Michelle Yee

          TOP may not be the best dancer, but he’s got some pipes. Ever heard of his rendition of No Diggity? UMPH. <3

        • fangirl.

          TOP’s talent isn’t in his rapping voice :O thats more like… a bonus. He’s one of the most talented idol rappers in the industry. There are so many songs in kpop that have ‘rap’ breaks but imo, most of the time it’s just sounds like someone trying to talk as fast as they can within a set time frame -.-”
          Even though TOP can’t dance as well as Taeyang, or can’t sing his head off like Daesung… Considering how there’s such a diversity of talent within groups, like Big Bang, I don’t know what criteria people use to base this whole ‘who’s the least talented?’ debate on…

        • fangirl.

          TOP’s talent isn’t in his rapping voice :O thats more like… a bonus. He’s one of the most talented idol rappers in the industry. There are so many songs in kpop that have ‘rap’ breaks but imo, most of the time it’s just sounds like someone trying to talk as fast as they can within a set time frame -.-”
          Even though TOP can’t dance as well as Taeyang, or can’t sing his head off like Daesung… Considering how there’s such a diversity of talent within groups, like Big Bang, I don’t know what criteria people use to base this whole ‘who’s the least talented?’ debate on…

        • http://twitter.com/zamuz gonzalo muñoz ferrer

          I love 2NE1 too, although I have to disagree with you about TOP. He’s a rapper, not in the k-pop-rapper sense (that equals rappers to “people who can perform rap verses”) but in the “true” sense – he writes the stuff. He’s not just a “rapping voice” plus “good looks” combo. In fact, I think he’s the best active rapper in YG right now.

        • 123

          you don’t know TOP… so shut up! 

          oh wait! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BIG BANG. 

    • Anonymous

      I agree that Dara isn’t the most talented, heck I still wonder why she is singer because she was really bad at singing in the Philippines, but I don’t think that she puts a wrench into this article.  CEO Yang has repeatedly said that he told Dara to choose a different career because lets face it singing isn’t the girl’s specialty but has also said that he respected her endurance to keep trying and at least trying to improve on things he told her she is lacking.  While she still is a weak at best singer I think he eventually put her in a group because he respected her work ethic and he has since been very good with working with the limitations of her voice by giving her parts in songs that work with her softer limited singing range. 

  • http://other-worldly.org Justine

    Mine has to be JYP. This is probably just my bias talking, but I really respect his recruiting style to be based on ability. I like how he really sees potential in someone and turn it into something to their advantage, even if it means his loss (millions in debt? poor guy). Khun, Taec and Chansung are definitely not singers but 2PM wouldn’t be 2PM without their hard work and determination to become a quality male group. JYP made them to be something because he believed in their ability. I would say as someone who’s very inclined to performing arts, that Khun who has absolutely no background in singing or dancing to be in this position now, I think it’s great and he’s improved so much. So yeah before this comment turns into an essay talking about Wonder Girls, miss A, Joo and 2AM I’m going to just stop lol

  • Artdd

    JYP should be last when it comes to picking out the ones with natural. He chooses these guys and gals and then trains them to be something they have no experience in.

  • anon

    “just talent?” so bom’s plastic surgery is her own choice?

    • *-*

      Probably, if she even did get it she is old enough to make her own decisions.

    • Anonymous

      I don’t think YGE made Bom get plastic surgery, for whatever reason Bom made that choice because even though she was really pretty pre-surgery.  She was recruited because of her talent and was used on a few big bang songs pre 2ne1 but the reason why she wasn’t promoted as a solo I am assuming is because of her stage freight and inability to control her voice on stage. 

    • gonzalo

      The point is YG claims to search for talent regardless of looks, and not the other way around. It doesn’t mean that YG wants ugly talented people.

      That said, I do believe YG gives the artists a choice about plastic surgery. Think about it – out of all the YG artists, only Bom and Gummy have had surgery, while the rest of the artists gather up a number of single eyelids that is unfathomably high compared to other companies. If YG really wanted pretty, hopefully talented people, this wouldn’t be the case.

    • Ace_ikin92

      park bom never go through PS before..the reasons her face is stiff bcoz her lymph node(??) i think..she can’t open her mouth too big..even she’s have been under the knife b4,it’s her choice..many korean idol do the same action,even SNSD..she’s just not confident as CL,that’s all..

  • victoriee

    I agree with you. But for the other companies. Like SM. I feel that they do have talents and looks but they just milk the money. They care more of money than the celebrities that work for them.

    That is just my opinion.

  • tsang007

    explain dara? ( i don’t dislike her, just think that she isn’t a great singer…)

    • Anonymous

      CEO Yang tried repeatedly to get her to choose another career since she wasn’t really meant to be a singer but Dara was very persistent and kept trying to improve everything time he said she lacked something so I think he put her in a group because he respected her work ethic and figured he could market her.  I agree she isn’t a great singer but I think YGE is really good at giving her parts of songs that work with the soft and limited vocal range she has. 

    • Anonymous

      Also I don’t think Yang has originally accepted her in the company to become a singer, I think he originally wanted her to be an actor.

  • Anonymous

    I have always respected and admire YG because of his ideals. It also shows in the way his artists talk of him. It just means YG is doing excellently in terms of artist treatment. I also like the YG family
    dynamics, it doesn’t look as forced or “marketized” as SM town, United Cube and JYP nation.

     However, Ihave an issue in the way he talks about artist recruitment. He has always emphasized that YG recruits based on talent alone. This should the basic for any management company. The problem is… Dara will be always be picked at because of this. You see, she is a peculiar case. Personally, I think Dara deserves her spot in 2NE1 but she is certainly a case of “talent acquired through unrelenting effort”. Anyhow, as YG said, she’s from Mars. Maybe he sees something in her that other people don’t see. I wish for once YG becomes vocal in admitting he also takes into consideration the overall appeal of an artist.

    • Anonymous

      The thing is people forget that YGE is not only a music company but also has quite a few strong actors under its belt, probably the most out of the three big music companies (SME also has actors but only one or two of them I would consider “strong” or decent actors).  Dara will always be picked on because he ended up putting her in a music group but I don’t think thats why he originally accepted her into YGE.  I think Yang was originally intending on promoting her as an actress but she was persistent about being put into a group.  So I don’t think YG has done anything different then what he has says about recruitment.  People need to remember that he doesn’t recruit for musicians only but actors as well. 

      • Anonymous

        Oh. I totally forgot the actors and actresses YG
        handles. Thanks for reminding me. :) Considering that, it makes sense why he
        recruited Dara. While singing talent is often imminent first hand, acting talent
        is not. Makes sense now. Having said that, I can see now how YG recruits based
        on talent. However, he also recognized hard working ones especially people who
        can make impossible possible. =) It also appears that he is harder on “such
        talents” as he knows the industry will also be more brutal to them. In the end,
        most of “such talents” develop the strongest backbone and ends up being the
        most triumphant.  

        • asianromance

          Maybe when he talks about talent- he also meant charisma, persistence, and perseverance, too! 

  • Noona971

    One of the main reason i respect YG daddy is because, coming from a band himself (seo taji’s one) he knows perfectly that talent is important an vital for not an idol but an artist with a big A. He helps his artists growing into stronger performers and musicians, experiment new things even weird ones (yeah that’s for you teddy ;) ) and give them freedom to discover themselves.
    Moreover he push each one of the member of his band to do solo activities and it allows us to see a different side of them but also how they are unique in their own style ! It maybe a marketing tricks but it helps having the “illusion” that each one of them is unique and yeah fucking talented ! I love Yang Hyun Suk and his relation with music and talent.
    As for Dara if i remeber right she was an “actress” before, when she used to live in thailand our malaysia doing already CF and stuff (sorry cant’ remember ^^ ) anyway she never stop improving her voice and let’s be frank she is the face of 2NE1. 2NE1 once qualified as ugly back to their start. Yang Hyun Suk is not looking for cute little face taht always wink and giggle (this one is for you Goo Hara lol) but real artists who can rap, dance and reach high notes (Boomie <3)
    GO YG daddy :)

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000352513348 Nette Ganal

      dara never lived in 
      thailand or malaysia… she lived in PHILIPPINES!~ and became an actress

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000352513348 Nette Ganal

      dara never lived in 
      thailand or malaysia… she lived in PHILIPPINES!~ and became an actress

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000352513348 Nette Ganal

      dara never lived in 
      thailand or malaysia… she lived in PHILIPPINES!~ and became an actress

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000352513348 Nette Ganal

      dara never lived in 
      thailand or malaysia… she lived in PHILIPPINES!~ and became an actress

  • asianromance

    “Once their product is known, a lot of executives start focusing more on
    the fluff, such as “branding” and “packaging”, slowly forgetting that
    their success was attributed to a great product, not a great packaging” — that is so true! 

    Makes me really sad about groups like T-ara and SNSD.  Most of the girls in those groups have talent, but the stuff they put out is getting progressively worse as their companies scramble to come up with a new concept for each song.  YG artists know how to take one concept and make it fresh with each new “comeback”. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/Mimichiko Michelle Yee

    You totally forgot Cube Ent.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t think Dara is that talented honestly. She can dance alright and they carefully choose her parts. But her determination is admirable and she must be a really nice person if the other artists in the company personally helped her so she could debut in 2ne1. YG knows it will be the hardest for her when the group debuts but dang the girl really is lucky. She’s one of the few people on this earth who seems like they are meant for stardom. 

  • http://twitter.com/CluelessBonnie Bonnie Yuen

    i personally think JYP is a good company for talent. of course second to YG

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