Small agencies take the lead
It's no longer just the Big 4 - here are four smaller agencies to keep an eye on
Pre-2020, the Kpop discourse was dominated by the big 3 agencies - SM, JYP, and YG. Part of the allure of BTS was that they were David in the David and Goliath game of Kpop, coming from an agency outside these 3. With the success of BTS came the rise of their agency, Big Hit Entertainment, and it became HYBE entertainment in 2021, and now there are the big 4 agencies.
Concurrently, a slew of internationally famous third generation groups, both male and female, have aged out of their group contracts and have started branching out as soloists. For many of them, this has involved setting up their own agencies, a phenomenon I explored earlier this year.
Another trend with Kpop agencies I want to talk about is the rise in successful smaller agencies. These smaller agencies are finding success in their ability to fill the gaps left by the ever-increasing pace of the Kpop industry and expanding global audience. There are a few I want to highlight in particular.
First up is KQ Entertainment. KQ manages two boy groups: ATEEZ and xikers. They also have two sub-labels: Seven Seasons, formed in 2013 to exclusively manage Block B (although several members have subsequently left), and KQ Produce, a label for their in-house producers and songwriters. In-house production teams are not something terribly unique, but KQ does seem to take it further than most other agencies, with the production team led by Eden producing the entire discography for their artists. This results in a very cohesive vision and sound. KQ as an agency also doesn’t shy away from promoting their artists via world tours in small venues at the very early stages of their career, resulting in a large international fan base for their groups.
Next up is an agency that has been around since 1991 but really earned its flowers this year - DSP Media. DSP has managed successful artists in the past, for example managing girl group KARA until 2016. In 2017, DSP debuted a unique co-ed Kpop group called KARD, but then in 2018, the CEO of the label passed away. I imagine there were a few years of turmoil, but then in 2022, the label became a subsidiary of RBW, an agency that is home to several other fairly promenent artists. I think this may have given DSP a leg up in budget and marketing because ever since this moment, I feel that KARD have been really picking up steam with their comebacks. Further, KARD member BM released his first EP this year and it was fantastic. The lead single featured Jay Park! Finally, at the end of 2023, DSP debuted a girl group for the first time since 2015 - Young Posse. This group is a collaboration with Beats Entertainment and they are truly incredible. I think there’s something in the water over at DSP!
Third up we have an interesting case - Big Planet Made (BPM) Entertainment. This is the newest agency on our list, founded in 2021 by two musicians. Despite its youth, BPM has had some major success swooping up artists at the end of their contracts with other agencies. They debuted VIVIZ in 2022 with former GFriend members Eunha, SinB, and Umji. VIVIZ has released four top ten albums and had great success with last year’s super popular Maniac. This year, they had a huge coup when they signed Taemin away from SM Entertainment. They’ve given Taemin a lot more creative control over his solo work and it seems to be going really well! BPM’s method of recruitment is not without controversy however. In 2023, they were accused by SM of trying to poach Exo artists Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin. SM later apologized and retracted the claims. Of course, those three did leave SM this year and form their own agency, INB100, which is now a subsidiary under the same umbrella company as BPM. Finally, also this year, BPM debuted its first girl group, Badvillain, who are really great. Definitely an agency to watch.
And finally we have Modhaus. This agency was founded by Jaden Jeong, formerly of BlockBerry Collective (iykyk). It has an interesting concept for sure! It presents itself as an EnterTech start up, the first “open architecture entertainment” agency, by which it seems to mean it will include fans more deeply in the Kpop process. This has resulted in some weirdly crypto-dystopian moments like fans voting for comeback singles via purchasing NFTs. It’s kind of nice to see a Kpop agency just be entirely unashamed of their capitalism. And the most important thing is…the music is great. Modhaus currently manages two girl groups - tripleS and ARTMS (which is formed of former members of LOONA). Both groups released excellent albums this year, and what more can we ask for honestly?
So there you have it - four smaller agencies to keep an eye on in addition to the Big 4! Are there other agencies you’re following?