SM Entertainment facts for kids
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Native name
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SM 엔터테인먼트
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Formerly
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SM Studio (1989–1995) |
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| Traded as | KRX: 041510 |
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| Founded |
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| Founder | Lee Soo-man |
| Headquarters | SM Entertainment 83-21, Wangsimni-ro, Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea Singapore (TBC) |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Revenue |  US$657 million (2022) |
| US$62.3 million (2022) |
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Number of employees
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601 (As of 2023[update]) |
| Subsidiaries | See subsidiaries |
SM Entertainment is a big entertainment company from South Korea. It was started in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. This company is one of the largest in South Korea. It has helped many K-pop stars become famous around the world.
SM Entertainment does many things. It works as a record label, which means it helps artists make and release music. It's also a talent agency, finding and managing singers and actors. Plus, it produces music, organizes concerts, and publishes songs. SM Entertainment played a huge part in making K-pop popular worldwide. This global popularity is often called the "Korean Wave" or "Hallyu." Early stars like H.O.T., S.E.S., and BoA helped start this wave.
Today, SM Entertainment works with many famous K-pop artists. These include Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, Exo, Red Velvet, NCT, Aespa, and Riize. In the past, they also managed groups like Shinhwa and f(x). They also manage actors like Lee Jae-ryong and Cho Jun-young.
Contents
About SM Entertainment
How SM Entertainment Started
After studying in the United States, Lee Soo-man came back to Korea in 1989. He started a company called "SM Studio" in Seoul. His first artist was a singer named Hyun Jin-young.
In the 1990s, SM Studio created a special system. This system helped manage all parts of an artist's career. Lee Soo-man wanted to create successful entertainers. He focused on finding and training teenagers. In February 1995, the company changed its name to SM Entertainment. They then created many popular groups. These included the boy band H.O.T. (1996), girl group S.E.S. (1997), boy band Shinhwa (1998), duo Fly to the Sky (1999), and solo artist BoA (2000).
New Artists and Global Growth
In the early 2000s, some groups like H.O.T. and S.E.S. stopped performing. Shinhwa moved to a different company. But SM Entertainment kept growing. In 2001, they started SM Entertainment Japan. This helped them work with Japanese music companies.
In 2003, SM Entertainment introduced a new five-member boy group called TVXQ. Over the next few years, more artists debuted. These included TRAX (2004), The Grace (2005), and Super Junior (2005).
Expanding Worldwide with New Groups
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Around 2005, SM Entertainment started focusing on promoting artists outside of South Korea. They debuted Chinese solo artist Zhang Liyin (2006) and Japanese solo artist J-Min (2007).
Many popular groups also debuted during this time. These included Girls' Generation (2007), Shinee (2008), and f(x) (2009). In 2008, a Chinese sub-unit of Super Junior, called Super Junior-M, was formed. SM also planned for BoA to debut in the American music market.
New Projects and Partnerships
In 2010, Lee Soo-man stepped down from his role on the board. He wanted to focus more on SM's global business and artist development. SM Entertainment also started working with other big entertainment companies. They formed KMP Holdings to help distribute music.
In 2011, SM joined with other agencies to create United Asia Management. This group aimed to promote Asian music around the world. SM also partnered with a Thai media company to create SM True.
In 2012, SM debuted a large boy group called Exo. Exo was split into two units to promote in Korea and China at the same time. SM also started a travel business called SMTown Travel. It offered special travel packages for fans attending concerts.
Many of SM's artists became company stockholders in 2012. This meant they owned a small part of the company. SM also expanded into television by creating SM Culture & Contents (SM C&C). Famous TV personalities like Kang Ho-dong and Shin Dong-yup joined SM C&C.
Third Generation Artists and Music Ventures
In 2013, SM C&C bought Hoon Media, a company that produces TV shows. They also acquired Woollim Entertainment, a record label with artists like Infinite.
In 2014, SM debuted Red Velvet. They were the first new girl group from SM in five years. In 2015, SM partnered with a sports marketing company to create Galaxia SM. This company managed famous athletes.
In 2016, founder Lee Soo-man announced plans for a new boy group called NCT. NCT stands for Neo Culture Technology. This group was planned to have "unlimited members." Its first sub-unit, NCT U, released songs in April 2016. NCT has since grown to include units like NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV.
SM also opened a restaurant called SMT Seoul and stores selling branded foods. In 2016, the Chinese company Alibaba Group bought a small part of SM Entertainment. SM also started a digital music channel called SM Station.
NCT Grows and Business Expands
In 2017, SM announced plans for an international K-pop academy. This school would train aspiring artists. SM also acquired the independent record label Mystic Entertainment.
In 2018, SM bought entertainment agency KeyEast. They also partnered with Trans Media in Indonesia. In 2019, SM opened its Indonesian office in Jakarta.
In January 2019, NCT's China unit, WayV, debuted. On August 8, 2019, SM and Capitol Music Group announced SuperM. This was a "supergroup" made of members from Shinee, Exo, and NCT. SuperM debuted in October 2019. Their first album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the US. This made SuperM the first Asian artist to do this with a debut album.
In 2020, SM and Naver created Beyond Live. This was a series of online live concerts. They were made for global audiences, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. SM also partnered with JYP Entertainment to create Beyond Live Corporation. This company produces Beyond Live concerts. In October 2020, SM announced their new girl group, Aespa. They debuted in November.
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In December 2021, SM announced an all-female supergroup called Girls On Top. The first lineup, Got the Beat, included BoA, members from Girls' Generation, Red Velvet, and Aespa. They released their first song in January 2022. In 2022, SM also launched an amusement park collaboration with Everland called Ever SM Town.
New "SM 3.0" Era and Changes
On February 3, 2023, SM announced a big change called "SM 3.0." This new system would have many production teams. These teams would supervise music production and artist promotions. The goal was to avoid delays in making music.
Soon after, Kakao bought a part of SM Entertainment. Then, Hybe Corporation also bought a large part of SM. This led to a competition between Kakao and Hybe to become the biggest shareholder. In the end, Kakao became the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment.
On March 31, 2023, Jang Cheol-hyuk became the new CEO of SM Entertainment. Lee Soo-man, the founder, said it was "the end of an era" for the company he started.
In August 2023, SM Entertainment announced a new joint company with Kakao Entertainment in North America. They also started a music publishing company called Kreation Music Rights. SM debuted a new boy group called Riize in September 2023. In November 2023, SM signed a deal to debut a new British boy group. The final NCT sub-unit, NCT Wish, debuted in February 2024.
SM Entertainment's Businesses
SM Entertainment has many different parts that help it run.
- SM Studios: This group includes several companies.
- SM C&C: Makes TV shows and other content.
- SM Life Design Group: Focuses on design and lifestyle products.
- Dear U: A company for fan communication.
- Mystic Story: An entertainment company with various artists.
- KeyEast: An agency for actors.
- Dream Maker Entertainment: Organizes concerts and events.
- SM Brand Marketing: Manages SM's brands and products.
- ESteem: A modeling company.
- Galaxia SM: Manages sports stars.
- SM Town Planner: Helps plan SM Town projects.
- SM Culture Partners: Works on cultural projects.
- Studio Kwangya: Focuses on new technologies and content.
- Kreation Music Rights: A company that publishes music.
- Kustomade: A new production label under Kreation Music Rights.
- Studio White: Another new studio.
International Branches SM Entertainment also has offices in different countries:
- SM Japan (Japan)
- SM USA (United States)
- SM True (Thailand)
- SM Entertainment Beijing (China)
- SM Entertainment Indonesia (Indonesia)
- SM Entertainment Vietnam (Vietnam)
Music Labels SM Entertainment has special music labels for different types of music or artists:
- ScreaM Records: This label focuses on electronic dance music (EDM).
- Label V: This label manages the activities of the group WayV in China.
- SM Classics: This label works with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to create classical versions of K-pop songs.
- Krucialize: A new label for a future SM project.
Past Labels Some labels that were once part of SM Entertainment:
- Baljunso: An indie record label that SM bought but is now closed.
- Label SJ: This label used to manage Super Junior but is now closed.
- Woollim Entertainment: A record label that was part of SM C&C for a while.
- All I Know Music (AIKM): A hip hop label that was part of SM.
- Million Market: A record label that SM acquired.
Artists
You can find a full list of artists managed by SM Entertainment at SM Entertainment artists.
Discography
For a list of music released by SM Entertainment, see SM Entertainment discography.
Filmography
For a list of films and TV shows produced by SM, see SM Culture & Contents#Filmography.
Helping Others
On February 13, 2023, SM Entertainment donated 200 million won (Korean money) to help people affected by the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.
See also
In Spanish: SM Entertainment para niños
