7 Top Kpop Entertainment Companies In 2023
Check out the top Kpop Entertainment Companies and their net worths below. In this article, we’ve also listed out the various Kpop artists under that label.
You might love all the glitz and glamour of Kpop but did you know that there is a huge force behind your favourite Kpop idols?
Yes, it’s their respective Kpop Entertainment Companies!
These are similar to the record labels we have in the US and Europe. However, the massive difference is that they actively search for new talent and build new Kpop bands and stars from scratch.
Some of these companies have scored big such as HYBE Corporation (previously Big Hit Entertainment) with successful artists like BTS.
BTS has not just achieved success in South Korea but they’ve gone on to do huge sales worldwide too. They’ve appeared on SNL in 2019 and then topped the Billboard music charts in 2020.
The BTS army and other fandoms are all about loving their idols. But behind the scenes, Kpop is a billion-dollar business.
So it’s no wonder that these Kpop entertainment companies are a force to be reckoned with in Korea.
| Top Kpop Entertainment Companies | Net Worth | Best Kpop Artists |
| JYP Entertainment | $128 million | 2PM, JJ Project, GOT7, Day6, Twice |
| HYBE Corporation | $2.8 billion | BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT |
| SM Entertainment | $665 million | EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, Super Junior |
| YG Entertainment | $6.53 million | BlackPink, Big Bang, PSY, iKON |
| STONE Music Entertainment | $ 280 million | X1, Kim Feel, IzOne |
| Cube Entertainment | $100 million | Lightsum, Pentagon |
| FNC Entertainment | $300 million | F.T. Island, CNBLUE, AOA |
Top Kpop Entertainment Companies 2023
If you want to know more about the Kpop entertainment companies your favourite idols belong to just read on to find out their net worth, new Kpop groups debuting with them, and much more.
JYP Entertainment
Active Since: 1997
Popular Artists/Acts Under Their Label: 2PM, JJ Project, GOT7, Day6, Twice, Stray Kids, and Itzy
Net Worth: US$128 million (2019)
JYP Entertainment was established by Park Jin-Young in the year 1997. And since then they’ve taken over Korea’s entertainment industry.
If you were to ask about the top 10 Kpop entertainment companies, JYP Entertainment will certainly be among them.
They started out doing event management and concert production and then made it big in the Kpop industry thanks to their creation of acts like GOT7, Twice, Itzy, and other popular Kpop stars.
They also manage solo artists such as Hwang Chan-sung, Jang Woo-young, J. Y. Park, etc.
JYP Entertainment has branches in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and China too.
There are also several entertainment companies that are JYP subsidiaries. These include names like Studio J, AQ Entertainment, and more.
HYBE Corporation
Active Since: 2005
Popular Artists/Acts Under Their Label: BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT, Lee Hyun, Jinhoon, Hello Venus, Han Dong-geun, ENHYPEN
Net Worth: $2.8 billion
If you’re wondering, “hey why haven’t I heard of this company before?”, let me tell you they went by a different name before. HYBE Corporation is none other than Big Hit Entertainment!
Sound’s familiar? Of course, it does! Especially if you’re a part of the BTS Army.
Big Hit Entertainment, responsible for the biggest Kpop band in the world, was actually a subsidiary of the larger conglomerate called HYBE.
They’ve recently undergone a rebranding and now Big Hit is also called HYBE.
Apart from BTS, HYBE is also home to other Kpop bands like SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, and 8Eight.
And there are several individual artists supported by HYBE as well, namely Agust D, Lee Hyun, and RM.
- Related: What Is Kpop
- Related: List of Korean Girl Groups
- Related: List of Korean Boy Groups
SM Entertainment
Active Since: 1995
Popular Artists/Acts Under Their Label: EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, Super Junior, TVXQ, Taeyeon
Net Worth: $665 million
SM Entertainment isn’t just one of South Korea’s top entertainment companies, it is also one of the oldest.
In fact, we can actually credit SM Entertainment for the Hallyu wave or the popularity of Korean pop culture around the world.
The early Kpop artists that made waves in the west like HOT, BOA, and SES, belonged to SM Entertainment.
Unlike several entertainment companies on this list, SM Entertainment isn’t just about event and music management. It also manages several actors.
Some of the best actors that are managed by SM Entertainment include Yoo Ho-jeong, Kim Min-jong, Lee Jae-ryong.
Unfortunately, SM Entertainment has also been embroiled in a lot of controversies.
These usually seem to involve their impossibly long contracts with their artists which can stretch to 13 and sometimes 17 years.
YG Entertainment
Active Since: 1996
Popular Artists/Acts Under Their Label: BlackPink, Big Bang, PSY, iKON, Lee Jong-Suk, Winner, Treasure
Net Worth: US$6.53 million
If you were to ask me which Korean entertainment company has the best profile of Kpop artists, I’d probably say YG Entertainment!
They have some of the most iconic Kpop artists in the world. There are bands like BlackPink, Big Bang, iKon and more.
Remember PSY? The Kpop artist behind the viral hit “Gangnam Style”? Yes, he’s also a part of the YG Entertainment group.
Like SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment also manages actors. Some of the more popular Korean actresses and actors like Go Joon-hee, Koo Hye-sun, Koo Hye-sun, and Lee Jong-suk were once managed by this group.
STONE Music Entertainment
Active Since: 1993
Popular Artists/Acts Under Their Label: X1, Kim Feel, IzOne, Eric Nam, Yoo Seung-woo, Spica, JBJ, Yoon Ji-sung, Natty
Net Worth: US$ 280 million
Stone Entertainment is a music production company and talent agency that comes under the umbrella of the larger conglomerate CJ ENM Entertainment.
It has often partnered with other subsidiary companies such as Swing Entertainment and MMO Entertainment to manage artists.
Some of the other subsidiaries under STONE Music include Jellyfish Entertainment, Amoeba Culture, MNH Entertainment, among others.
Cube Entertainment
Active Since: 2006
Popular Artists/Acts Under Their Label: Lightsum, Pentagon, Yoo Seon-ho, Lee Hwi-jae, Park Mi-sun, Roh Ji-hoon, Rain
Net Worth: US$100 million
Cube Entertainment dons several hats. It is a music production company, talent agency, event management company, a record label, and surprise, surprise… a publishing house!
They have several in-house artists and guest composers. But Cube Entertainment differs from other companies on this list due to their emphasis on having artists that compose and produce music on their own.
This entertainment company is going one step further to produce video content for their IPs by partnering with the webtoons platform Comics Family.
Cube Entertainment is also looking to move into the Korean drama industry and has planned to launch several K-dramas on OTT platforms.
FNC Entertainment
Active Since: 2006
Popular Artists/Acts Under Their Label: F.T. Island, CNBLUE, AOA, N.Flying, SF9, Cherry Bullet, Lee Dong-gun, Park Gwang-hyun, Sung Hyuk, Jung Hae-in, and Jung Jin-young
Net Worth: US$300 million
The name of this Kpop entertainment company comes from the Christian story of the five loaves and the two fish, which is not surprising considering the founder of FNC is a devout Christian.
In early 2021 FNC Entertainment announced two new music subsidiaries would be formed.
There’s their collaboration with HOW Entertainment called FNC-B and a separate company for girl groups called FNC-W.
FNC Entertainment is a music production company, talent agency, and record label. Like SM and YG Entertainment, it also manages actors along with Kpop artists.
Starship Entertainment
Starship Entertainment is home to several popular K-pop groups, including MONSTA X and Cosmic Girls.
It is known for its diverse talent pool and global collaborations.
Starship Entertainment also provides support for individual artist activities, such as acting and hosting.
IVE will release their first full album in April, Starship Entertainment confirms. pic.twitter.com/QBQqf3KJR0
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 17, 2023
Pledis Entertainment
Pledis Entertainment manages artists from various genres, including K-pop and ballad.
It represents groups such as SEVENTEEN and NU’EST.
Pledis Entertainment is recognized for its emphasis on self-production and involvement of artists in various aspects of their career.
Woollim Entertainment
Woollim Entertainment is known for its focus on producing artists with exceptional vocal abilities.
It represents groups like INFINITE and Lovelyz.
Woollim Entertainment is praised for its emphasis on musicality and artistic growth.
RBW Entertainment
RBW Entertainment is recognized for its diverse range of artists and music genres.
It manages groups such as MAMAMOO and ONEUS.
RBW Entertainment places importance on vocal talent and focuses on producing meaningful and impactful music.
These are just a few examples of Korean K-pop entertainment companies, each with its own unique characteristics and contributions to the K-pop industry.
#RBW Acquires #WM Entertainment https://t.co/OB0JY545PL pic.twitter.com/BWWgJTWNZw
— Soompi (@soompi) April 7, 2021
FAQs – Top Kpop Entertainment Companies
Do you have a few more questions about the Kpop entertainment companies behind your favourite idol or band? I’ve tried answering a few of them below. Check it out!
How many Kpop entertainment companies are there?
While I’ve given information about the top Kpop entertainment companies in this article, there are a total of 234 of these in South Korea. Most of these are smaller, entrepreneurial ventures and are not as big (in terms of both popularity and revenue).
What is the best company to audition for Kpop?
If you’re looking to be a Kpop artist, you should audition for the top entertainment labels in South Korea. These companies include:
HYBE Corporation
JYP Entertainment
SM Entertainment
YG Entertainment
What is the most successful Kpop company?
The most successful Kpop company in South Korea is HYBE Corporation (previously known as Big Hit Entertainment).
They are home to the biggest Kpop act of all time – BTS! The net worth of HYBE Corporation is estimated to be around 6 trillion Korean won or $5 billion in US currency.
Which Kpop company is best for girls?
As I’ve mentioned before, there are around five top-tier Kpop entertainment companies that both boys and girls can apply to. These include HYBE corporation, JYP, SM, and YG Entertainment.
However, SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment have already produced immensely popular girl group Kpop acts like Girl’s Generation and BlackPink respectively.
So a lot of girls are inclined to audition for these particular companies.
What Kpop groups come under Brave Entertainment?
Some of the artists who’re under Brave Entertainment include:
Chakun
Red Cookie
JS
Maboos
2Champ
Brave Brothers
Kpop entertainment companies may be the reason why your favourite Kpop band exists, but they’re a business at the end of the day.
In recent years, a lot of these companies have come under fire for the way they manage their talent.
There are stories of budding Kpop idols being put through strict diets and rigorous training sessions.
And there’s the accusation that these entertainment labels often “manufacture” talent, and do not let new singers or songwriters flourish organically.
Whatever the case, you cannot deny that these Kpop entertainment companies have massive sway over Korea’s soft power.
Also Read:
List of Kpop fandom names and their meanings
Kpop idols with birthdays in November
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