Estimated expenses to debut a 5 member idol group

[theemii.livejournal.com]

Instiz: The expenses needed for a 5 member idol group to debut

Fixed expenses per month

- Dormitory (25 pyung) - $1,000
- Choreography practice room (30 pyung) - $1,000
- Food and snacks - $3,000
- Choreography training - $2,000
- Vocal training $2,000
- Rap training - $1,000
- Acting training - $2,000
- Beauty/plastic surgery - $10,000
- Casting director - $3,000 ($1,000~$2,000 per director / casting a trainee from another company also costs around $5,000~$10,000)
- Employee pay (per 5) - $15,000

Total = $40,000 x 6 months = $240,000

Expenses per album release

- Song expenses (four tracks) - $12,000
- Recording mastering - $8,000
- Photographer - $3,000
- Jacket design & stylist - $4,000
- Clothing production (four outfits) - $20,000
- Music video - $50,000
- Promotion (including showcase) - $100,000
- Hair and make up - $5,000
- Choreography (two tracks) - $6,000
- Backdancers ($350 per performance) - $7,000
+ Additional expenses - $215,000


-----------

"Hul.. daebak..."

"I'm sure idols make all that much back and more (upon success) right?"

"I wonder how much EXO cost then..."

"Pretty sure EXO cost even more than double that then..."

"If only five cost this much.."

"Keep in mind this doesn't have contracting fees either..."

"Pre-debut idols pretty much cost as much as a house.."

"I heard that idols need to at least win #1 on a music program to make back the expenses on their album production. INFINITE couldn't make it back until around Paradise and stayed in the reds until then.. Idols who aren't successful barely make enough performing at several off camera events."

"So I guess this is why idols say they don't make money until 2-3 years after their debut ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ"

"But all you really need is one thing to blow up and start rolling in the cash.. and idols like IKON nowadays make their own money with royalties and such."

"All of these expenses are up to the idols to pay back in the end, I heard.."

"I wonder where smaller agencies get all the money to produce idols with."

"It's probably different for larger agencies since they own their own practice halls and such and don't need to rent any."

"SM probably spends double that considering they use big name choreographers and the like."


Source: Netizenbuzz

Comments

[rmarques.livejournal.com]

And yet, despite the fact that this is all something idols have to pay back, watch people still assume their barely relevant oppas and unnies are rich and they got those designer clothes by buying them. Watch.

[koibira.livejournal.com]

tbh i don't see any of the newer groups making it in china

[sweet16een.livejournal.com]

they could save a little money if they stop doing all that unnecessarye plastic surgery

[purpleglaceon]

What's a 'pyung' ?

[samfrack.livejournal.com]

Unit size of a room. Like square meters, square feet etc. It's equal to about 3.3 square meters.

[atopworld.livejournal.com]

I'd be pissed if I had to pay back for some plastic surgery I didn't want. Also, they get charged for food....as in things the manager has to buy like at a 99 cent store or like if they eat food at the company [ like YG/Cube]?

[rmarques.livejournal.com]

I remember in a show where Crayon Pop's day was shown, they bought their food at a convenience store.

[windygables.livejournal.com]

I really boggled at that too because even if they ate out for every single meal that's still an impossible number. More like one person eating out all the time is still less than 300 .

[taylorniw.livejournal.com]

This actually doesn't seem like that much. It feels off.

[missingmisnomer.livejournal.com]

mte

[4minutesluts.livejournal.com]

who the fuck is ikon

[waves-of-light.livejournal.com]

yg's new group?

[olive-101.livejournal.com]

"- Beauty/plastic surgery - $10,000"

could've saved 10k, just saying

[uguukawaii.livejournal.com]

i mean they could have saved probably 3/4 but all their hair extentions and skin treatments come under that banner too i would think theyre expensive
plus some idols never would have made it without surgery so idk

[princetabi.livejournal.com]

i'm still in shock that there is such a thing as rap lessons lmao. how about just no rapper????

[darlingwendy5.livejournal.com]

So many groups could do so much better without random rap sections in the middle of their power ballad love songs. Sometimes it works, but most often it can be really jarring.

[darlingwendy5.livejournal.com]

I wonder how much idols actually make. I know it's basically nothing for the first few years they debut but I wonder about after.

It's hard to tell. You can't judge based on their clothing, because the company stylists supply (and charge the idols) for that.

I actually thought it would cost more to create a five member group (with the exception of the food/snack budget because that's huge and I am 1000% certain trainees are not allowed to eat that much with all their enforced diets, etc.)

[4minutesluts.livejournal.com]

i think cars & houses are the only way to get a reasonable guess at that

[coteo.livejournal.com]

That's pretty ridiculous. I don't even want to know how much it'll be for a bigger group.

I need that kinda money in my life, tho. I'd be able to pay off all my college debt and then some.

[princetabi.livejournal.com]

4real :(

[lilrand0m-chik.livejournal.com]

This is so different compared to managing overseas ;_; I mean think of kids like Bieber who get all the things they want (and become spoiled little brats along the way) but at the same time, someone who gets only debts is quite unfair, especially when it's all one big gamble to begin with.

[kicking-tenshi.livejournal.com]

Some of these numbers feel really off to me. Like $20 000 for clothing production... 4 outfits/person in a 5 member group so $1000/outfit? Then why am I always side-eyeing the cheapness/weird things idols wear on stage?

Also, that much for an outfit they'll only be seen in for 4 minutes. Boggles my mind.

[cordyceps.livejournal.com]

That 1k is probably for a few stage outfits, not just one.

Oops, I read that again, but depending on what designer labels they're wearing (if that) it could be like around $300 for a shirt, kind of thing.

[ranlikar.livejournal.com]

I have zero knowledge on how much lessons like vocal/acting/rap training cost so I'll just take this article's word for it. I was pretty surprised at the clothing expenses (it comes out to $1000 PER OUTFIT?!) but then I remembered some of the designer clothing the idols have been wearing. I recently found a twitter account that IDs WINNER's outfits and was surprised.

[eburnine.livejournal.com]

ooh do you have the link to that twitter acc?

[10135.livejournal.com]

I wish there was more to these numbers. I get it's estimated, but how? Somehow I feel they are averaged out or might be for companies who have a bigger budget and therefore can have more access to better things. Idk.

[izumichan31.livejournal.com]

I want to know what a 5 member group is eating that makes the monthly estimate for food $3000.

I live in a family of 4 and we eat well enough on just under $300.

[donutism.livejournal.com]

I don't believe the food thing. Especially if they are on a diet, there's no way they are eating 600$ food each a month. And isn't food cheap in Korea?

[kiki3291.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've read everywhere that food is cheap there, and not just cheap but that you get side dishes for free. You can likely spend less than $10 on a meal and get a shitload of food basically. That's what all my friends there say, anyway.

[girltragedy.livejournal.com]

A few of these expenses have got to be exaggerated.

"Clothing production (four outfits) - $20,000" baffles me though. If they're getting the outfits custom-made, I find it hard to believe that each one costs $1000, unless the fabrics are woven from unicorn hair. And if they're using designer pieces, I was under the impression that a lot of stage outfits are sponsored and/or borrowed? I really hope they're not actually spending this much money since about 50-75% of the outfits I've seen looked like they were designed and sewn by blind mice.

[bunica1990.livejournal.com]

They're probably spending less and putting the rest of the money in their own pockets.

[adamoocculo.livejournal.com]

Ok people, I believe the $3000 a month thing for food and it's actually not that much. People always say that food in Korea is cheap or whatever, but it's really hard to find food to eat that is cheaper than 6000 won ($6) unless you go to a 분식 all the time or just eat kimbap.

$3000 split 5 ways is $600/each member. $20/day/member, which comes out to $6.66/meal/member.

It says it also includes 간식 and stuff, so that would also lower the available funds.

When they're working, they're probably going out to eat or getting delivery, which is around $6-8 at the cheapest. They're not cooking ALL the time, which is how I think a lot of you are getting your budget for how you feed 4 people for $400/month or something.

Food in Korea is not as cheap as you think unless you are eating strictly Korean food all the time. Also, the ingredient prices in Korea are off the charts right now.

[bunica1990.livejournal.com]

Some of these prices are exaggerated imo so companies can screw over idols financially.

[jackieee94.livejournal.com]

For the clothing don't some idols return the clothes? I can't tell you how many times I've seen the price tag on idols' clothing. They probably use the outfit, return and get their money back, buy a new outfit. This makes more sense to me, why spend so much when you are only going to be seen wearing it for four minutes. I feel bad for these kids, more than half aren't going to pay their companies back.

[bunica1990.livejournal.com]

Designers loan the clothes for publicity (airport fashion, video shoot etc.). Nobody has to buy anything.

Also, companies have deals with fashion brands, which is why you will see idols from the same company wear the same shirt on different occasions.

[the-erotomanic.livejournal.com]

eh, this is not really surprising. i mean americans go through so much to pay for their college tuition fees. some go to the military to pay for college, and they end up locked in a contract to stay in the military for a certain amount of time just like these idols.

[annhh.livejournal.com]

Expenses I get yeah but "- Beauty/plastic surgery - $10,000"

[luminousbodies.livejournal.com]

i just watched crazysexycool and the first thing i thought about was this article lmao