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YG Entertainment () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. In addition, the company operates a number of subsidiary ventures under a separate public traded company, YG Plus, which includes a clothing line, a golf management agency, and a cosmetics brand. Current artists include
Eun Ji-won Eun Ji-won (; born June 8, 1978) is a South Korean rapper, singer, actor and entertainer. He is the leader of the first generation idol group Sechs Kies (). He is recognized as an ancestor of the K-pop world, paving the way for hip-hop in the K ...
,
2NE1 2NE1 (, ) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. The group consists of Park Bom, Bom, CL (rapper), CL, Sandara Park, Dara, and Minzy. Known for their Experimental music, musical experimentation, fashion, and stage pre ...
, AKMU, Winner,
Blackpink Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
,
Treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...
, and Babymonster. Former artists include Swi.T, Moogadang, Wheesung, Epik High, 1TYM, Big Mama, Gummy, Seven, Nam Tae-hyun,
Psy Park Jae-sang (; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name Psy ( ; ), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter, known domestically for his humorous music videos and stage performances and internationally for his hit singl ...
,
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, Lee Hi,
Jinusean Jinusean (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean Hip hop music, hip hop duo signed to YG Entertainment. The duo, which is made up of Kim Jin-woo (also known as Jinu) and Noh Seung-hwan (also known as Sean), debuted in 1997 and rose to fame wit ...
, Bang Yedam, Mashiho, iKon, Jisoo, Jennie,
Rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...
,
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
, BigBang, and Sechs Kies.


History


1990–2005: Pop culture roots, early success and first generation K-pop

In March 1996, Yang Hyun-suk, a former member of the first-generation K-pop group
Seo Taiji and Boys () was a South Korean music group active from 1992 to 1996. The three members of the boy band, Seo Taiji, Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno, experimented with many different genres of popular Western music. Seo Taiji and Boys was highly successful ...
, founded YG Entertainment under the name Hyun Planning (). The company's first act was the hip-hop trio Keep Six. The group did not attract much popularity, and their failure sent Yang into debts of 400 million won. After Keep Six, the company changed its named to MF Planning, and launched the groups
Jinusean Jinusean (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean Hip hop music, hip hop duo signed to YG Entertainment. The duo, which is made up of Kim Jin-woo (also known as Jinu) and Noh Seung-hwan (also known as Sean), debuted in 1997 and rose to fame wit ...
and 1TYM. Yang credits the success of both acts for bringing YG and the hip hop genre into mainstream Korean music. In 1998, YG changed its name once again to Yang Goon Planning, after Yang Hyun-suk's nickname Yang Goon (). In 1999, YG's artists released a collaborative album under the name YG Family. The label followed with releases from artists such as Perry, Masta Wu, Swi.T, Big Mama, Lexy, Gummy and Wheesung. It also established the "YG Underground" label, which housed 45RPM and Stony Skunk. In 2001, YG changed to its current name, YG Entertainment, which was named from the initials of Yang Goon, and a second YG Family album was released. Among others, the album featured a 13-year-old
G-Dragon Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), best known as G-Dragon (), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of K-pop". Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, G-Drag ...
, who was then a trainee. The agency found success in both Korea and Japan with its first " idol" singer Seven in 2003, who became the company's first artist to attempt to cross over into the US music scene, though his US debut failed to gain momentum.


2006–2011: Mainstream breakthrough

Following Se7en's success, YG formed its first idol group
Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...
in 2006. Despite an initial lukewarm reception, the group's breakthrough the following year and their consistent popularity have made them one of the biggest and most bankable boy bands in the world. This was followed by YG's first successful girl group
2NE1 2NE1 (, ) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. The group consists of Park Bom, Bom, CL (rapper), CL, Sandara Park, Dara, and Minzy. Known for their Experimental music, musical experimentation, fashion, and stage pre ...
in 2009, Kim, Hyeong-wu
2NE1 아이돈케어 '힙합전사에서 귀여운 여인 깜짝 변신' (''2NE1's "I Don't Care" "Swift Change from Hip-Hop Warriors to Sweet Girls"'')
. '' IS Plus''/''Newsen''. July 1, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
who, prior to their split in 2016, were considered one of the most successful and popular girl groups in South Korea. Similarly to Seven, both groups conducted successful careers in Japan. In 2010, YG made a highly publicized move into a new building, while the old headquarters became a training facility. In the same year, the company unsuccessfully applied for listing on the stock exchange; it was suspected that this was because the company had too few active music groups and an unstable cash flow, despite an increase in earnings in 2009. Later that year, the label signed established artist
Psy Park Jae-sang (; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name Psy ( ; ), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter, known domestically for his humorous music videos and stage performances and internationally for his hit singl ...
.


2012–2016: International recognition and business expansion

2012 brought YG international recognition when Psy's "
Gangnam Style "Gangnam Style" () is a K-pop song by South Korean singer Psy, released on July 15, 2012, by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, ''Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1'' (''Ssai Yukgap Part 1''). The term "Gangnam Style" is a n ...
" gained worldwide popularity as a
viral video Viral videos are video, videos that become popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhon ...
. On August 21, it charted at number one on the iTunes Music Video Charts. This feat was a first for a South Korean artist. By November 24, "Gangnam Style" had become the most viewed video in
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
history, and the first video to surpass a billion views. The song was credited as the main reason for YG's share prices increasing by more than 60 per cent, with the record label subsequently filing its first annual report in 2012 with profits of over 50% after going public on the
KOSDAQ The Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ; ) is a trading board of Korea Exchange (KRX) in South Korea established in 1996. Initially set up by Korea Financial Investment Association as an independent stock market from the Korean ...
the year before. That same year, the label signed rapper and producer Tablo, leader of the hip hop group Epik High, relaunching his career after a musical hiatus following his Stanford controversy. Tablo's band Epik High later transitioned into the record label following his success. Yang's increased involvement on competitive reality television series led to several record deals with contestants, starting with ''
K-pop Star ''Survival Audition K-pop Star'' () is a South Korean reality competition television series where three entertainment/talent agencies in South Korea hold worldwide auditions to find the next potential K-pop stars. Preliminary auditions are held ...
s first season runner-up Lee Hi. Other participants on the show were signed as potential members of the label's future boy groups. On the second season of the show, both the winners, sibling duo
Akdong Musician AKMU (; ), formerly Akdong Musician (; ), is a South Korean duo consisting of siblings Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun (singer, born 1999), Lee Su-hyun signed to YG Entertainment. As prominent figures of South Korea, their musical impact in their ...
as well as runner-up Bang Ye-dam, signed under the agency. The reality program ''Win: Who is Next'' was later launched by YG, in which two teams of male trainees competed against each other for the chance to sign a contract with the label to debut as the company's next boy band. The conclusion of the reality series saw the formation of Winner. In 2014, YG acquired T Entertainment's staff and actors including
Cha Seung-won Cha Seung-won (; born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand model (person), fashion model in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films ''Kick the Moon'' (2001), ''Jail Breakers'' (2002), ' ...
, Im Ye-jin, and Jang Hyun-sung. Through the acquisition of modelling agency KPlus, it expanded its acting division through the acting debuts of models Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk. YG also signed a contract with actress Choi Ji-woo. French luxury giant
LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...
's private equity arm, L Capital Asia, later announced that it would be investing up to US$80 million in YG. Headquartered in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, L Capital Asia would become the second-largest investor in YG with an 11.5% stake, second only to Yang Hyun-suk's 28%. In 2014 YG expanded into the beauty industry with the creation of its cosmetics brand Moonshot. In 2015, YG invested nearly US$100 million in a new
Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...
-based industrial complex which was slated to be complete by December 2018. Real estate in Seoul worth
The won sign , is a currency symbol. It represents the South Korean won, the North Korean won and, unofficially, the old Korean Empire won, Korean won. Appearance Its appearance is "W" (the first letter of "Won") with a horizontal strike ...
16 billion (US$14 million) was also purchased for the purpose of expanding their headquarters. In that year, the company also saw the creation of two sub-labels, the first led by Tablo and the second headed by YG producers
Teddy Park Teddy Park (born Park Hong-jun on September 14, 1978) is a Korean Americans, Korean–American Rapping, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Park moved to the United States with his family as a young child. Wh ...
of 1TYM and Kush of Stony Skunk. The members of the losing team from the reality series ''WIN: Who is Next'' regrouped and debuted as iKon, along with a new member. In April 2016, Gong Minji, the youngest member of 2NE1 announced that she had left 2NE1, YG Entertainment stated that the group would continue as a trio. In November 2016, YG announced that CL and Dara had renewed their contracts as solo artists, indicating Park Bom's departure from the agency and the disbandment of 2NE1. On January 21, 2017, 2NE1 appeared as a trio and released "Goodbye" as a farewell song that CL wrote when she heard the news of Minji's departure. Sixteen years after the group's disbandment, first-generation K-pop boy band Sechs Kies signed a contract with YG in May 2016 to relaunch their career. In the same month, Chinese technology enterprises
Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. ( zh, s=腾讯, p=Téngxùn) is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimed ...
and Weiying Technology announced an investment of in YG. Weiying took an 8.2% stake in the company and Tencent a 4.5% stake. YG later added Lee Jong-suk, Kang Dong-won, and Kim Hee-jung to their list of actors. YG debuted their second girl group
Blackpink Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
in 2016, their first since
2NE1 2NE1 (, ) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. The group consists of Park Bom, Bom, CL (rapper), CL, Sandara Park, Dara, and Minzy. Known for their Experimental music, musical experimentation, fashion, and stage pre ...
, followed by the solo rapper
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
the following year.


2017–2019: Scandals, controversies, and artists' departure

At the end of 2017, YG with JTBC launched a talent survival show entitled '' Mix Nine'', a contest between trainees from different agencies. Although the winning team was scheduled to debut as idols, YG revealed that the debut for the male winning group had been cancelled. The failure of the show led to incurred losses of ₩7 billion won in the first quarter and ₩4 billion won in the last three months of 2017, causing
JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...
to surpass YG as the second-highest valued K-pop company. In May 2018, Psy left the company after eight years. Epik High member Tablo announced that his hip-hop group had terminated its contract with YG after six years of working together in October 2018. At the same time, HIGHGRND and it artist have been released from YG and Epik High. In November 2018, YG announced YG Treasure Box, a talent survival show to determine the line-up for their next boy group scheduled to debut in 2019. YG later announced that this event would produce two groups, Treasure and Magnum, both of whom would be active as Treasure 13. In 2019, the Burning Sun scandal involving
Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...
Seungri heated up, which resulted in Seungri's decision to retire from the entertainment industry on March 11, 2019. Seungri was then sentenced to 3 years in prison in August 2021, which was reduced to 18 months in January 2022. Comedian Yoo Byung-jae decided to leave YG before his contract ended, after this scandal further dragged the name of the agency. In early June 2019, B.I, the leader of iKon, was reported to have attempted to purchase LSD and marijuana illegally in 2016; he announced his apology to fans and declared his departure from iKon and YG Entertainment. Yang was also reported to have colluded with the police to cover up the B.I case. Yang is also accused of money laundering, illegal gambling, and preparing sexual services for potential investors. Due to this series of scandals and controversies, Yang Hyun Suk resigned from all his positions at the agency. Likewise, his younger brother, Yang Min Suk, relinquished his position as CEO of YG Entertainment as a form of accountability. This resignation was officially announced on June 14, 2019. CFO Hwang Bo-kyung was appointed as the new CEO of YG on June 20, 2019. In July 2019, rapper
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
announced that he had parted ways with YG and founded his own sole agency. Following 2NE1's disbandment in 2016, CL announced that she would not be renewing her contract with YG Entertainment in November 2019. At the end of December 2019, solo singer Lee Hi announced that YG was no longer her agency, not long after that she released a new album with AOMG.


2020–present: Recent developments

In 2020, YG announced plans for
Treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...
's debut which had been delayed since 2019,
Blackpink Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
's first full album and
Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...
's comeback which was eventually delayed until 2022. They were expected to appear at the 2020
Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...
festival, until it was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. During the first half of 2020, YG's financial growth slowly rebounded after the slump. This was assisted by the direction of its business strategy which was primarily international fan oriented. Domestic public sentiment still had not shown a positive influence, but 70% of YG Entertainment's revenue came from overseas fans, most of which came from iKon's first activities after B.I's departure and
G-Dragon Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), best known as G-Dragon (), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of K-pop". Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, G-Drag ...
's activities in China at the time. During the second half of 2020, YG displayed a positive financial trend due to Treasure's debut album series, Blackpink's full album, Winner's Mino, Yoon's solo activities and AKMU's Suhyun's solo activities. Although not in line with the expected target, this value is thought to be due to COVID-19, which caused some concerts to be cancelled. The construction of the new YG Entertainment building was declared complete in September 2020, this building was chosen as the most luxurious and most expensive entertainment agency building in South Korea. In January 2021, it was reported that
Big Hit Entertainment Big Hit Music (, stylized in all caps), formerly Big Hit Entertainment (), is a South Korean record label established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk. It was re-branded and re-structured into an independent label under Hybe Corporation (formerly Big Hit ...
and its tech division beNX had invested a total of 70 billion won (US$63 million) in YG Entertainment's subsidiary YG Plus, or 17.9% of the company's total shares. This investment was made as a form of strategic collaboration between Big Hit Entertainment, beNX, YG Entertainment, and YG Plus, which will work together in various business areas such as platform, distribution, content, and merchandise. YG Plus is the main distributor of
Hybe Corporation Hybe Co., Ltd. (; stylized as Hybe Corporation; commonly known as simply Hybe) is a South Korean multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The company operates as a record l ...
's products and beNX (now known as Weverse Company) provides content and a platform for YG artists. On May 4, 2021, The
Korea Exchange Korea Exchange (KRX, ) is the sole securities exchange operator in South Korea. It is headquartered in Busan, and has an office for cash markets and market oversight in Seoul. History The Korea Exchange was created through the integration of K ...
announced that YG was demoted in status from blue-chip companies to regular mid-sized businesses. The blue-chip status had been acquired in April 2013. The company recorded a net loss of 1.8 billion won and a return on equity of -0.5%. Its main business, music production and management, has experienced operational losses over the past two years. In 2022, YG Entertainment announced that
Treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...
will be coming back with their new album, the album will be released in February 2022. After Jinwoo and Seunghoon finished their mandatory military service in January 2022, Winner gathered with a full lineup and announced that they would soon return with a new album and a full lineup after Seungyoon and Mino actively released solo albums during the group's break, YG Entertainment announced that Seungyoon will be releasing a single album in March 2022. Treasure and Winner will be holding concerts in April 2022, separately. In February 2022, YG Entertainment announced that
Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...
would be releasing their first comeback after a hiatus which lasted for five years. In addition, they also announced that T.O.P terminated his contract with YG. On July 1, 2022, Yang Min-suk, brother of YG Entertainment founder, Yang Hyun-suk, returned to the agency after 3 years as co-CEO, joining with the current CEO, Hwang Bo-kyung. On December 26, 2022, it was announced that both Taeyang and Daesung would be leaving YG Entertainment after 16 years. Taeyang joined The Black Label whereas Daesung is looking for a new start under a new agency, and both reassured that they will remain BigBang members. On December 30, 2022, YG announced that all remaining members of iKon had decided not to renew their contracts after 7 years in the industry. The debut of YG's new girl group in seven years, Babymonster, was also teased, before their debut date was announced to be on November 27, 2023. On July 22, 2024,
2NE1 2NE1 (, ) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. The group consists of Park Bom, Bom, CL (rapper), CL, Sandara Park, Dara, and Minzy. Known for their Experimental music, musical experimentation, fashion, and stage pre ...
re-signed with YG and would celebrate their 15th anniversary world tour starting in October 2024. In October 2024, 2NE1 officially kicked off their much-anticipated 15th anniversary reunion tour, titled " Welcome Back", starting with a concert in Seoul at the Olympic Hall. In January 2025, YG announced that it would no longer manage actors in order to focus on their artists.


Partnerships


Music distribution

YG Entertainment's records are distributed by the following: * YG Plus (Overall since 2019),
Kakao Entertainment Kakao Entertainment Corp. () is a South Korean entertainment, mass media, and publishing company founded in 2021. A subsidiary of the Internet company Kakao, it was established subsequent to the merger of the latter's two subsidiaries KakaoPa ...
(Specific releases only) - South Korea * YGEX - Japan *
Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. ( zh, s=腾讯, p=Téngxùn) is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimed ...
- China (online only) * WMG - rest of Asia (Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, India, Malaysia etc.) * Interscope/UMG - Europe, Oceania, North America, and Japan (for
Blackpink Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
only) *
Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
(until 2012), Warner Music Philippines and MCA Music Philippines - Philippines * Columbia - (for
Treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...
only)


Genie Music

In March 2010, seven record labels in Korea (including the three biggest agencies: YG,
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...
,
JYP Entertainment JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1997 by Park Jin-young, J. Y. Park. Operating as a record label, talent ...
, Star Empire Entertainment, Medialine, CAN Entertainment, and Music Factory) jointly established KMP Holdings, a service platform aiming to provide digital music distribution and television program productions. It was speculated that this was in challenge to the
duopoly A duopoly (from Greek , ; and , ) is a type of oligopoly where two firms have dominant or exclusive control over a market, and most (if not all) of the competition within that market occurs directly between them. Duopoly is the most commonly ...
on music distribution in Korea by
Mnet Media Stone Music Entertainment (Hangul: 스톤 뮤직 엔터테인먼트), is a South Korean music distribution company under CJ ENM, as part of a partnership with the music streaming store Genie Music since 2021. It was one of the largest co-publish ...
and LOEN Entertainment. In November 2012, KMP Holdings was acquired by KT Music. In January 2014, the seven agencies behind KMP Holdings formed a collective bond partnership and purchased 13.48% of KT Music's stocks, leaving parent company
KT Corporation KT Corporation (Hangul: 주식회사 케이티), formerly Korea Telecom, is a South Korean telecommunications company, mobile network operator (MNO) and List of mobile virtual network operators in South Korea, mobile virtual network operator (M ...
with 49.99%.


YGEX

YGEX was established on April 12, 2011, as a partnership between Avex and YG for the promotion and release of all YG's material in Japan. Prior to this, YG's Japanese releases had been in partnership with Nexstar Records, a
Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...
label that managed Japanese releases for Seven, and Universal Music Japan (which signed a three-year exclusive contract in 2008 for
Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...
's Japanese releases).


YGMM

YGMM was established in May 2021 as a form of collaboration with GMM Grammy, Thailand's largest entertainment company with a capital of 200 billion baht (US$5 billion), the company will focus on entertainment and consulting businesses for concerts, theater and acting. GMM Grammy is one of the longest-serving mainstream entertainment companies in Thailand having a number of music labels along with TV and film productions. GMM Grammy is set to hold a 51% stake in the company, while the other 49% belongs to YG Entertainment.


Other partnerships


United Asia Management

In April 2011, United Asia Management was formed as a joint talent management agency between YG, SM, JYP, KeyEast, AMENT, and Star J Entertainment.


Live Nation

YG first collaborated with Californian concert promotion company
Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...
to produce BigBang's Alive Galaxy Tour (2012). Live Nation subsequently directed 2NE1's New Evolution World Tour (2012) and G-Dragon's One of a Kind World Tour (2013). General Manager of Live Nation Asia, Mats Brandt, said in an interview that the company considered BigBang to have the most potential to become a "global artist".


Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines Asiana Airlines Inc. ( ) is a South Korean airline headquartered in Seoul.Home
." Asiana Airlines. Retrieved 13 September 2 ...
signed a deal with YG in January 2013, providing transportation for its personnel to and from domestic and international destinations in return for advertising.


Subsidiaries


Sub-labels


YG Plus

YG Plus Inc., previously named Phoenix Holdings Inc., is a publicly traded media and advertising company acquired by YG Entertainment in November 2014. In 2019, the company entered the music distribution industry and also engages in production, distribution, and licensing of merchandise related to music artists. In January 2021,
Hybe Corporation Hybe Co., Ltd. (; stylized as Hybe Corporation; commonly known as simply Hybe) is a South Korean multinational entertainment company established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk as Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. The company operates as a record l ...
and its technology subsidiary, Weverse Company, acquired 17.9% of the company in a merchandising and distribution deal that would see YG Entertainment's artists join
Weverse Weverse () is a South Korean mobile app and web platform created by South Korean entertainment company Hybe Corporation. The app specializes in hosting multimedia content, the sale of artist-related merchandise, content subscription, and artist ...
in return.


Associated-labels


The Black Label

Following the successful formation of HIGHGRND, on September 22, 2015, YG Entertainment announced the creation of another independent sub-label, to be headed by YG producers Teddy and Kush. On November 16, 2020, as per the quarterly stock report of YG Entertainment, the label was converted to an associate company status. In April 2023, The Black Label formed a joint venture with Thailand's largest conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group called The Black Sea to expand its label into the
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
n region. The label currently houses artists: Meovv, Allday Project,
Jeon Somi Ennik Somi Douma (born March 9, 2001), known professionally by her Korean name Jeon Somi (), is a South Korean and Canadian singer signed under The Black Label. Born in Canada to a South Korean mother and a Dutch-Canadian father, she moved to ...
, Taeyang,
Rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...
, Bryan Chase, Løren, Vince, and R.Tee.


Former sub-labels


Highgrnd

Highgrnd (read as "high ground") was an independent sub-label headed by Epik High's Tablo. Announced in March 2015, the label was set up by Yang Hyun-suk under the YG Entertainment umbrella as part of a long-term goal to reach out to the Korean indie and alternative scene. On June 21, 2015, Tablo introduced the band Hyukoh via Instagram as the label's first official artist. The company had fostered artists Millic, offonoff, Punchnello, Code Kunst, Way Ched, The Black Skirts, Idiotape, and Incredivle. However, on April 11, 2018, an article was released that Highgrnd was no longer active due to Tablo's resignation as CEO the previous year. As of the release of this article, the artists in the label soon revealed that they had signed in with other labels and had other companies to distribute their new releases that year. Epik High eventually left YG Entertainment in October as all three members declined to renew their contracts. In June 2019, YG Plus took over the social media accounts of Highgrnd and relaunched them under the name SEOUL MUSIC.


PsyG

On September 1, 2016, representatives of YG announced that
Psy Park Jae-sang (; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name Psy ( ; ), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter, known domestically for his humorous music videos and stage performances and internationally for his hit singl ...
would be leading an independent sub-label titled PsyG, a portmanteau of "Psy" and "YG". The label was registered as a corporate subsidiary in June and marked another chapter in the collaboration between Psy and long-time friend Yang Hyun-suk, as it was revealed that the YG CEO had implicitly promised the creation of a sub-label when Psy had signed on to the company in 2010 amidst personal difficulties, having been encouraged by his wife to work with the YG founder. As Psy left the company in mid-2018, PsyG has ended its operations and closed its doors.


YGX

Yang Hyun-suk announced, in May 2018, that a subsidiary company called YGX Entertainment would merge with Seungri's DJ label NHR. On June 4, on his official Instagram account, he posted a picture of a business card showing Seungri as the CEO of YGX. In 2018, the label launched a dance and vocal academy, called X ACADEMY, where students could potentially be scouted by YG as trainees. In 2020, the label was converted to a full-fledged dance group and academy with all of its actors, recording artists, and producers transferred to YG Entertainment. The YGX academy announced its end of operations on 30 April 2024.


KPlus

KPlus ''(formerly YG K+)'' is a partnership between YG and Chorokbaem Media as a Korean model management company. As of 2014, KPlus model agency housed over 170 models, including Kang Seung-hyun, Park Hyeong-seop, Lee Sung-kyung, Nam Joo-hyuk, Jang Ki-yong,
Sandara Park Sandara Park (; born November 12, 1984), known mononymously as Dara (), is a South Korean singer, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in the Philippines as a contestant on the ABS-CBN original talent show ''Star Circle Quest'' i ...
, and Choi Sora. Since the partnership, KPlus models have appeared in YG recording artists' music videos, as well as YG-owned brands' advertisement campaigns. YG has also reportedly provided YG K+ models with roles in TV dramas, notably Nam Joo-hyuk in '' Who Are You: School 2015'' and Lee Sung-kyung in ''
It's Okay, That's Love ''It's Okay, That's Love'' () is a 2014 South Korean Korean drama, television series starring Zo In-sung, Gong Hyo-jin, Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo, and D.O. (entertainer), Doh Kyung-soo. It aired on Seoul Broadcasting System, SBS from July 23 t ...
'', and have formally transitioned models to their acting division.


Philanthropy

YG pledged to donate 100 won for every album sold, 1% of all merchandise sales, and 1,000 won for every concert ticket, to charities. In 2009, they raised US$141,000, and in 2010 $160,000. The company has also directly delivered US$4,400 worth of charcoal to families in need during the winter season. It announced that it would be donating around US$500,000 for disaster relief to Japan after the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a  9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...
. In 2013, Yang Hyun-suk made headlines when he donated all of the dividends he received as a shareholder of YG to help young children needing surgery. His dividends totalled around US$922,000. In 2015, YG donated a total of ₩100 million (US$92,450) to the Korean Committee for UNICEF in disaster relief following the earthquake in Nepal. In March 2022, YG donated million to Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help residents affected by wildfires in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, Samcheok, and Gangwon.


Artists and producers

All musical artists and actors under YG Entertainment are collectively known respectively as YG Family and YG Stage.


Recording artists

Groups *
2NE1 2NE1 (, ) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. The group consists of Park Bom, Bom, CL (rapper), CL, Sandara Park, Dara, and Minzy. Known for their Experimental music, musical experimentation, fashion, and stage pre ...
* AKMU * Winner *
Blackpink Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
*
Treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...
* Babymonster * Next Monster (project name) Soloists *
Eun Ji-won Eun Ji-won (; born June 8, 1978) is a South Korean rapper, singer, actor and entertainer. He is the leader of the first generation idol group Sechs Kies (). He is recognized as an ancestor of the K-pop world, paving the way for hip-hop in the K ...
* Lee Su-hyun * Lee Chan-hyuk * Yoon * Mino *
Jinu Kim Jin-woo (; born October 23, 1971), better known by his stage name Jinu, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He debuted in 1994 as a solo singer before teaming up with Sean to create a hip-hop duo Jinusean in 199 ...
* Hoony


Producers

* YG * Choice37 * Future Bounce ** P.K ** Dee.P * Kang Uk-jin * Airplay * Lydia Paek * Ham Seung-cheon * iHwak * Rovin * Bigtone * Diggy * * Illjun * Sonny * Lil G * Se.A * Hae * 1105 * LP


Former artists, actors, producers and talents


Former artists

*Keep Six (1996) *
Jinusean Jinusean (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean Hip hop music, hip hop duo signed to YG Entertainment. The duo, which is made up of Kim Jin-woo (also known as Jinu) and Noh Seung-hwan (also known as Sean), debuted in 1997 and rose to fame wit ...
(1997–2020) * 1TYM (1998–2006) *Perry (2001–?) *Swi.T (2002–2005) * Wheesung (2002–2006) * Masta Wu (2003–2016) *Digital Masta (2003–2011) * Gummy (2003–2013) * Big Mama (2003–2007) * Seven (2003–2015) * Lexy (2003–2007) * (2003–2004) * Wanted (2004–2006) * Brave Brothers (2004–2008) * Stony Skunk (2005–2008) *45RPM (2005–2008) *SoulStaR (2005–2007) *Moogadang (2006-?) * BigBang (2006–2024) ** Seungri (2006–2019) ** T.O.P (2006–2022) ** Taeyang (2006–2022) **
Daesung Kang Dae-sung (; born April 26, 1989), better known mononymously as Daesung and his Japanese stage name D-Lite, is a South Korean singer who made his musical debut in 2006 as a member of the South Korean boy band Big Bang. He debuted as a solo ...
(2006–2022) **
G-Dragon Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), best known as G-Dragon (), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of K-pop". Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, G-Drag ...
(2006–2023) * GD & TOP (2009–2022) * GD X Taeyang (2014–2023) *Jieun (2007–2008) *YMGA (2008–2011) *
2NE1 2NE1 (, ) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment in 2009. The group consists of Park Bom, Bom, CL (rapper), CL, Sandara Park, Dara, and Minzy. Known for their Experimental music, musical experimentation, fashion, and stage pre ...
** Minzy (2009–2016) ** Park Bom (2009–2017) ** CL (2009–2019) **
Dara Dara is a given name in several languages. Dara, Daraa, or DARA may also refer to: Geography Africa * Dar'a, region in northern Ethiopia * Dara (woreda), region in southern Ethiopia Asia * Dara (Mesopotamia), an archeological site in Mard ...
(2009–2021) *
Psy Park Jae-sang (; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name Psy ( ; ), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter, known domestically for his humorous music videos and stage performances and internationally for his hit singl ...
(2010–2018) * Lee Hi (2012–2019) * Epik High (2012–2018) * Winner ** Taehyun (2014–2016) *BOM&HI (2014–2017) * Hi Suhyun (2014–2019) *HIGHGRND Artists (2015–2018) *
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
(2015–2019) *
Katie Katie is an English female name. It is a form of Katherine, Kate, Caitlin, Kathleen, Katey and their related forms. It is frequently used on its own. People Sports * Katie Boulter (born 1996), British tennis player * Katie Clark (born 1994), ...
(2015–2018) * iKon (2015–2022) ** B.I (2015–2019) ** Jay (2015–2022) **Song (2015–2022) ** Bobby (2015–2022) **DK (2015–2022) ** Ju-ne (2015–2022) ** Chan (2015–2022) * MOBB (2016–2019) * Sechs Kies (2016–2024) ** Kang Sung-hoon (2016–2019) *
Blackpink Blackpink (, stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie (singer), Jennie, Rosé (singer), Rosé, and Lisa (rapper), Lisa. Regarded by ...
** Jisoo (2016–2023) ** Jennie (2016–2023) **
Rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...
(2016–2023) **
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
(2016–2023) *
Treasure Treasure (from from Greek ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constit ...
**Mashiho (2020–2022) ** Bang Ye-dam (2020–2022) *Zayvo (2019–2020) *Blue.D (2019–2020) * Anda (2018–2021) * Viini (2019–2024)


Former producers

* Brave Brothers (2004–2008) * Teddy (1998–2018) * Kush * R.Tee (2016–2020)


Former actors

* Park Han-byul (2002–2004) * Jung Sung-il (2009–2011) * Heo Yi-jae (2009–2011) * Kang Hye-jung (2001–2013) * Stephanie Lee (2014–2017) * Lee Yong-woo (2014–2017) * Koo Hye-sun (2003–2017) * Jung Yoo-jin (2016–2018) * Lee Jong-suk (2016–2018) * Go Joon-hee (2017–2019) * Oh Sang-jin (2017–2019) * Kim Hee-jung (2016–2019) * Kim Sae-ron (2016–2019) * Im Ye-jin (2014–2019) * Wang Ji-won (2018–2020) * Nam Joo-hyuk (2013–2020) *
Sandara Park Sandara Park (; born November 12, 1984), known mononymously as Dara (), is a South Korean singer, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in the Philippines as a contestant on the ABS-CBN original talent show ''Star Circle Quest'' i ...
(2009–2021) * Son Ho-jun (2016–2021) * Jo Hye-joo (2017–2021) * (?–2021) * (2015–2021) * Jung Yoon-seok (2019–2022) * Kwon Han-sol (2019–2022) * (?–2022) * Lee Woo-je (–2022) * Park Soo-yeon (?–2022) * (2019–2022) * Seo Lee-seo (?–2022) * Gang Dong-won (2016–2022) * Kim Ji-soo (2016–2023) * Choi Ji-woo (2014–2024) * Kwon Hyun-bin (2019–2024) * Kang Hui (?–2024) * Mun Ji-hyo (?–2024) * Yu Yeon-su (2021–2024) * Jang Doek-su (?–2024) * Cha Jae-yi (?–2024) * Park Hyung-seop (?–2024) * Choi Da-hye (?–2024) * (2021–2024) *
Lee Joo-myung Lee Ju-myoung (; born December 1, 1993) is a South Korean actress and model. She debuted in the television and film industry with ''My Fellow Citizens!'' (2019) and is best known for her roles in ''Kairos (TV series), Kairos'' (2020), ''Twenty- ...
(2016–2024) * Yoo Seung-ho (2022–2025) * Kim Hee-ae (2016–2025) *
Cha Seung-won Cha Seung-won (; born June 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who began his career as an in-demand model (person), fashion model in the 1990s. Cha achieved stardom through the hit comedy films ''Kick the Moon'' (2001), ''Jail Breakers'' (2002), ' ...
(2014–2025) * Jang Hyun-sung (?–2025) * Yoo In-na (2006–2025) * Jung Hye-young (?–2025) *
Claudia Kim Kim Soo-hyun (; born 25 January 1985), better known by the stage name Claudia Kim, is a South Korean actress and model. She has appeared in Western films such as ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015), ''The Dark Tower (2017 film), The Dark Tower'' ...
(2021–2025) * Lee Sung-kyung (2014–2025) * Jang Ki-yong (?–2025) * Lee Soo-hyuk (2017–2025) * Kyung Soo-jin (2018–2025) * Han Seung-yeon (2020–2025) * Son Na-eun (2021–2025) * Seo Jeong-yeon (?–2025) * Jin Kyung (2020–2025) * Kal So-won (2014–2025) * Park So-yi (2021–2025) * Lee Ho-jung (2015–2025) * Joo Woo-jae (?–2025) * Lee Ki-taek (?–2025) * Nam Kyu-hee (?–2025) * Park You-na (2023–2025) * Kim Hyun-jin (2015–2025) * Kim Seung-yun (?–2025)


Former talents

* Yoo Byung-jae (2015–2019) * Ahn Young-mi (2015–2020)


Discography


See also

* Korean hip hop * List of South Korean musicians


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yg Entertainment South Korean companies established in 1996 Companies based in Seoul Companies listed on KOSDAQ Cosmetics brands of South Korea Electronic music record labels Event management companies of South Korea Hip-hop record labels Labels distributed by Warner Music Group Labels distributed by CJ E&M Music and Live Music publishing companies of South Korea Pop record labels Publishing companies established in 1996 Record labels established in 1996 Soul music record labels South Korean record labels Sports management companies Synth-pop record labels Talent agencies of South Korea K-pop record labels