How much does it cost to create idols?

[sparklop.livejournal.com]

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding many idols about their "slave contract," especially in SM Entertainment. TVXQ's Junsu, Jaejoong and Yoochun left SM Entertainment because of it, and so did Super Junior's Hangeng, quoting the same reason. However, are their actions justified? SM Entertainment puts in an uncountable amount of effort, time and money to build the idols to what they are now.

So how much does it take to make one person to be an idol?

When SM Entertainment trainees sign a contract, they sign up for at least 3 years of training. During their trainee season, everything is paid for - including food, transportation and even dorms are provided for those who live too far away to travel back and forth every day. Not only this, but trainees get lessons on dancing, singing, acting and foreign languages. They are paid to go to gyms and hair salons and even to get plastic surgery if required.

Everything they need is paid for, and each person costs on average 20,000,000 KRW - 40,000,000 KRW ($18,000 USD - $36,000 USD) per year, and many end up costing more. Since large companies such as SM Entertainment has at least 20 trainees at a time, money spent on trainees end up being over 1,000,000,000 KRW ($900,000 USD) per year.

On average, every trainee spends about five years training. So if one person need 150,000,000 KRW ($135,000 USD) to debut, a 9-member group such as Girls' Generation will need at least 1,300,000,000 KRW ($1.2 million USD).

However, for them to debut, a manager needs to be hired, a car needs to be bought, and a dorm needs to be prepared. On top of that the artists need stage outfits, and albums need to be made, produced and promoted. In the end SM Entertainment spends at least 2,000,000,000 KRW ($1.8 million USD) just on their debut, and will keep spending about the same amount even after debut. For bigger groups like Super Junior the money is exponentially more. TVXQ also costs incredible amount of money because of their heavy promotions in both Japan and Korea.

Does this change your perspective of the contracts?

Source: Herald Biz +  Koreaboo

or you know, they could get a better business model that doesn't require the successful to pay for the failures

Comments

[iconusa.livejournal.com]

Nothing in this article surprised me

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Does this change your perspective of the contracts?

[askbask.livejournal.com]

In other words, no.

[stopthedisco.livejournal.com]

tl;dr a lot of time and money

[mingobus.livejournal.com]

That's actually not much money, for an investment that could potentially make you hundred of millions.

[xcherryblossomx.livejournal.com]

I think not all companies pay the whole training. Probably only the 3 big ones.

I wonder if they get pimped for money... Like send them to karaokes with the client$.

I read that with Johnny their trainees pay for most of the things and that is why they are so stressed out because they need to debut in order for Johnny to pick up the tabs.

[pinkeuu.livejournal.com]

Figures.

[831panda831.livejournal.com]

Does this change your perspective of the contracts?

not really , Its your fault you feel the need to create your idols instead of picking up talent from of the streets that doesn't need to be synthesized and shaped into the perfect ～‘＊ＩＤＯＬ＊‘～

[stopthedisco.livejournal.com]

they sign up for at least 3 years of training

lol not all of them

[jlie-ly.livejournal.com]

I'm still confused, didn't back then the boy (well at least Yunho and Jaejoong, some SJ members too) say in talk shows that they had had to struggle for a living when they were a trainee, housing, food, and tuition fee at SM academy? o,o so SM don't cover every cost right?

[letseaticecream.livejournal.com]

but the Johnnys kids also get paid for backdancing in things like Shounen Club and concerts i think

[nisakomi.livejournal.com]

If they pick up talent from the streets that aren't perfect ~idols~ how can they be sure people you end up liking them?

[cherrypop.livejournal.com]

The training is so just sooo... unnecessary in my opinion. Why can't companies choose people who are already struggling singers and musicians instead of people with no background in music whatsoever?? Or people who already possess great entertaining skills instead of people who have to spend time to develop it? It's very stupid and puts those people who are working hard to develop their talent on their own even more at risk.

[booksandsarcasm.livejournal.com]

Yeah... don't they pretty much cover those trainee costs after a few releases and going overseas (depending of course on popularity)? Considering the ratio of profit that goes to the company vs the amount that goes to the talent... I wonder what happens with a group that debuts but never becomes popular...

[notyourgeisha.livejournal.com]

The very fact that new groups are "created" by their agency points to a fundamental flaw in the system - this business model suggests ownership, not partnership, and when an artist and agency are not working hand-in-hand but are instead in a faux-indenture servitude relationship, the artist themselves simply cannot blossom and maximize their potential. Additionally, just because a company bore the financial burdens of the creation of a group doesn't give it the right to burn it to the ground either.

[t-domination.livejournal.com]

Didn't YG have like, no trainees at some point?
But now they have those superstar k people.

[freezing-flames.livejournal.com]

is that Ryo in your icon? O_O

[shiz-lestat.livejournal.com]

Does this change your perspective of the contracts?

Nope. Not at all.

[booksandsarcasm.livejournal.com]

How could they be sure people will end up liking the people they have now? They have moments when they misjudge that as well.

[cherrypop.livejournal.com]

LIKE LIKE LIKE. THANK YOU. This is so true. Idol companies have their heads on backwards.

[anathema-switch.livejournal.com]

I just randomly remembered sm academy I wonder how much money they make/save through that.

[headswillroll88.livejournal.com]

Wow some of them have literally been raised with SM.

[meccamputech.livejournal.com]

omg this is stunning

[freezing-flames.livejournal.com]

ia

[erbalurbal.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter what business model you use. It is very expensive to debut and promote an artist even in the western world. That is why most artists make no money from album sales unless they write or sell millions.