All About S.M. Entertainment

Main Information

Company Logo

Type: Public
Traded as: KRX: 041510
Industry: Music & Entertainment
Genre: Pop, dance
Founded: February 14, 1995
Founder: Lee Soo-man
Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea
Area served: Worldwide
Key people:
- Lee Soo-man (chairman)
- Kim Young-min (CEO)
- Lee Jong-in (CFO)
Products: Album, Concert
Services: Publishing records, Entertainment agency
Revenue: 98,536,225,756 won [₩] (2010)
Owners:
- Lee Soo Man (27%,2010.06)
- Neowiz Internet (7.83%,2010.06)
- 파트너스엠앤에이투자조합(7.35%,2010.06)
Employees: 965 (as of March 2010)
Subsidiaries:
- SM TinTin Hall (2000)
- SM Entertainment Japan (2001)
- SM Academy (2003)
- SM Pictures (2007)
- SM Amusement
- SM F&B Development
- SM Entertainment USA (2008)
Website: www.smtown.com

History

After graduating from Seoul National University and pursuing his own career as a singer, Lee Soo Man surveyed teenage girls on what they wanted to see in music groups and started the boy band H.O.T. and girl group S.E.S.. Both groups became successful during the late 1990s. Soon thereafter, Lee created Shinhwa, and once again, the band attained the same popularity and success, continuing Lee's streak of successful artists.

However, problems began appearing in SM Entertainment following the breakup of H.O.T. Some assumed financial issues to be the problem, but real reasons have never been officially disclosed. S.E.S. disbanded a year after H.O.T., and a few years later in 2003, SM Entertainment would see the departure of Shinhwa as well, though the group shifted towards a new management instead of breaking up and continued their success outside of SM Entertainment.

In the following years, some of its newer ventures, such as Isak N Jiyeon and Black Beat, failed to attain the popularity achieved by earlier SM artists.

The agency later found new successes in many other acts. SM Entertainment debuted a solo singer BoA in 2000, a five-member boy group TVXQ in 2003, a four-member rock band TRAX in 2004, a four-member girl group The Grace and a thirteen-member boy group Super Junior in 2005, a solo singer of Chinese descent Zhang Liyin in 2006, a nine-member girl group Girls' Generation in 2007, another five-member boy group Shinee in 2008 and a five-member girl group F(x) in 2009.

In addition to marketing to domestic audiences, many artists have been aggressively promoted in Japan, as part of the company's recent blue ocean strategy to export Korean talent to larger overseas music markets. SM first entered into a joint venture with VAP to release music of S.E.S., then Avex to debut and release music of BoA, TVXQ, The Grace, TRAX and Ahyoomee, another with Nayutawave Records to release music of Girls' Generation and just this recently, with EMI Music Japan to release music of SHINee in Japan as well. Super Junior M and Zhang Liyin have been heavily promoted in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

On November 24, 2010, Avex Entertainment, as well as SM Entertainment Japan, released a statement about the renewal of contracts of SM artists signed to Avex.

Locations

South Korea: 521, Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
United States: 4322 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90010

Artist under SM Entertainment

1. SME Main Singer

- BoA
- F(x)
- Girls' Generation
- The Grace
- Dana
- Iconiq (formerly known as Ahyoomee)
- Kangta
- M&D
- SHINee
- SM The Ballad
- Super Junior
- Super Junior-M
- Henry
- Zhoumi
- TRAX
- TVXQ
- Zhang Liyin

2. SME Actors and Actress

- Go Ara
- Hyunjin
- Isak
- Kim Min-jong
- Lee Yeon-hee
- Park Hee-bon
- Kim Woo Jung

Subsidiaries

1. Left the Company

- 2pm Junsu
- Jaejoong
- Yoochun
- Fly To The Sky
- Han Geng
- Kang Jung Woo
- Jang Nara
- Jang Woo Hyuk
- Lee Jae Won
- Moon Hee Jun
- No Min-woo
- Park Myung Soo
- Shinhwa
- Tony An

2. Disbanded

- Black Beat
- H.O.T.
- Isak N Jiyeon
- M.I.L.K. (from BM Entertainment)
- S
- S.E.S.
- Shinvi (from Cid. K Entertainment)

3. Former Notable Artist

- Park So Yeon (now a member of T-ara)
- Heo Chanmi (now a member of Co-Ed School)
- G-Dragon (now a member of Big Bang)
- Son Anna (now under Nine Media Group)
- Zico (now a member of Block B)
- Heo Youngsaeng (now a member of SS501)
- Kei Nangon (now under Clumsy Media)
- Lee Sungyeol (now a member of Infinite (band)

Author: Chal (K.O.R.E.A.N.SiTe)Source: wikipedia