{"id":623864,"date":"2026-09-22T12:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T12:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/623864\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T12:18:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T12:18:20","slug":"can-small-k-pop-agencies-still-succeed-in-the-post-bts-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/623864\/","title":{"rendered":"Can small K-pop agencies still succeed in the post-BTS era?"},"content":{"rendered":"

BTS\u2019s ascent to global superstardom remains the defining example of what K-pop calls the “small-agency miracle” \u2014 a cathartic underdog story<\/a> of an inconspicuous startup label beating the odds in a notoriously cutthroat industry.<\/a><\/p>\n

More than a dozen years after the megaband\u2019s debut, however, such a rise seems less like a blueprint than a myth now.<\/p>\n

Amid growing doubts about whether a K-pop group can still build itself from the ground up, Wayf Boys<\/a>, the first act launched by startup label Wayf, made its debut on Aug. 7.<\/p>\n

The five-member act, which describes itself as the first generation of “Nu K-pop,” is about as grassroots as K-pop gets in an industry where even the rough edges are carefully curated \u2014 with all members taking part in creating the music, choreography, artwork, styling, content and promotions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Boy band Wayf Boys poses for a photo ahead its Waterbomb appearance on July 26.
\n WAYF\n <\/p>\n

“‘Nu K-pop’ refers less to creating an entirely new genre of music than to the way artists and the company make and promote music,” Wayf founder and producer Son Sung-ho, also known as Czaer, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. \u201cRather than presenting the image of a fully formed idol as if it were the one right answer, we want to show the process of the five members freely working things out and growing together as a crew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wayf Boys joined K-pop\u2019s rookie roster amid mounting warnings from industry insiders that the odds are increasingly stacked against small agencies.<\/p>\n

Yet survival for K-pop\u2019s underdogs may no longer depend on producing another once-in-a-generation breakthrough \u2014 or a music miracle. In a global market larger but more fragmented than ever, smaller acts are testing whether a distinct identity \u2014 and the audience it can attract \u2014 can offer another way forward.<\/p>\n

Bigger market, wider divide<\/p>\n

K-pop has never been bigger. Then why are smaller agencies louder than ever in voicing their struggles?<\/p>\n

The answer, according to the industry insiders, lies in the widening divide reshaping the ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n BTS poses for a photo during the first week of its debut in June 2013, when the group launched as a hip-hop act under BigHit Entertainment, now BigHit Music under HYBE.
\n SCREEN CAPTURE\n <\/p>\n

K-pop\u2019s rapid global expansion has pushed production standards, as well as costs, higher. Producing a release polished enough to compete with those from industry giants such as HYBE now requires far greater investment, while the battle for attention and visibility in an increasingly crowded global market has driven up marketing expenses as well.<\/p>\n

The figure commonly cited for the capital required to launch a group today ranges between 7 billion won and 10 billion won ($5 million and $7.2 billion). Average costs have risen seven or eight times from prepandemic levels, according to Kim Jin-woo, the CEO of the entertainment company RBW.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeveloping a rookie act isn\u2019t like what it used to be,\u201d Kim said during a panel discussion at the MWM Conference in western Seoul on Sept. 4. \u201cThe industry has become so polarized that the scale of spending by major companies on marketing and production is simply beyond what small and midsize companies can match.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"K-pop<\/p>\n

\n K-pop boy band BTS performs during the halftime show in New Jersey at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on July 19.
\n REUTERS\/YONHAP\n <\/p>\n

Evolution of miracle<\/p>\n

Yet new agencies and acts continue to enter the business, and some underdogs are finding ways not merely to survive but to thrive.<\/p>\n

That tension lies at the heart of K-pop\u2019s changing economics, as global expansion has made it more expensive for small companies to compete on the industry\u2019s traditional terms, but it has also created a vast and increasingly diverse audience that distinctive acts can reach without first becoming mainstream hits in Korea.<\/p>\n

The question, then, may be less whether the small-agency miracle is fading than whether it is taking a different form in finding a more specific audience overseas.<\/p>\n

Chung Chang-yun, a producer known as Andnew and the founder and CEO of the music publishing company Salpot Music Group, suggests that small agencies still have a chance in the current climate precisely because the landscape has changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusical genres have now become so diverse, with everyone trying to find something special within that diversity, and small companies can showcase distinctive qualities \u2014 not only musically but also visually \u2014 that large companies are not able to attempt,\u201d he told the Korea JoongAng Daily.<\/p>\n

Chung sees originality as the strongest weapon available to small agencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat matters is having a unique identity \u2014 something sharper,\u201d he said, adding that even somewhat controversial concepts and authenticity can help set a group apart. For long-term survival, he added, \u201cYou must not try to follow the major agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Groups with \u2018something sharper\u2019<\/p>\n

Chung cites XLOV as one of the prime examples of such innovation.<\/p>\n

XLOV, K-pop\u2019s first self-described \u201cgenderless\u201d act, <\/a>debuted in January of last year under 257 Entertainment, which was acquired by RBW earlier this year and rebranded to Strange Lab. The act has been garnering significant traction particularly overseas, with its latest EP, \u201cI, God,\u201d selling over 220,000 copies in its first week and making Billboard’s “25 Best K-pop Albums of 2026, So Far” list.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n “Genderless” K-pop act XLOV
\n STRANGE LAB\/RBW\n <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the quality of the many platforms and channels has improved and global interest in K-pop has risen sharply, I think fans who relate to and like a particular concept and identity can more easily discover and connect with the act through searches when its concept, identity and direction are distinctive and clear,\u201d Park Jae-yong, the CEO of Strange Lab, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I think there are far more opportunities to build a fandom than in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

High costs definitely remain a serious challenge for small agencies with limited resources, Park noted, but he also added that those constraints pushed XLOV to think more creatively.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to differentiate ourselves through ideas precisely because we lacked funding and resources, and also had to find resources that suited us and could set us apart within a limited budget,\u201d he said, adding that such a process made the team grow more close-knit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Boy band XLOV poses for a photo during a press showcase for its second EP, “I, God,” held at Gabin Arthall in southern Seoul on May 27.
\n NEWS1\n <\/p>\n

Wayf Boys, fresh off the starting line, has recently signed with Universal Music Group-backed Interscope Records for U.S. promotions, and has so far gained 1.29 million followers on Instagram, a notable growth from its recent launch.<\/p>\n

“To be honest, we did not begin with a strategic focus on either ‘small agencies need to target a particular market’ or ‘how should we differentiate ourselves from major agencies,'” said Wayf\u2019s Son. “We did know, however, that we could not simply follow how major agencies operate, and we did not want to do so in the first place.”<\/p>\n

Son acknowledged that rising costs have hit smaller agencies especially hard, not only in production but also in marketing, yet also stressed that the opportunity has expanded thanks to overseas success of established acts.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, I believe this is an era in which the capital gap has widened, but at the same time, the possibility of reaching overseas fans directly has also grown, provided you have good music and a clearly defined identity,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe what matters is clearly showing who you are rather than taking a contrived niche-market strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BTS\u2019s ascent to global superstardom remains the defining example of what K-pop calls the “small-agency miracle” \u2014 a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623865,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-623864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}