Arirang “Pops in Seoul”: Stars You Think Would Be Perfect as DJs on Radio Programs

Source: arirangworld @ YT

[NEWS] Korea Times: Celebrities With Biggest Income in 2012

Simply put, 2012 was the year of Psy.

The 36-year-old singer and songwriter, who rocked the world with “Gangnam Style” and earned worldwide fame, was the highest-paid Korean celebrity last year, earning more than $40 million in sales through globe-trotting concerts, TV commercials and other profitable activities.

His estimated personal income was a whopping $28 million under his 7:3 profit-sharing contract with YG Entertainment.  

Five-member boy band Bigbang ranked second, followed by figure skater Kim Yuna. Coming next were Girls’ Generation and rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae, who accumulated massive wealth by appearing in various TV commercials.

The sixth-highest celebrity income earner was gold-medal-winning swimmer Park Tae-hwan. Following him in the pool were six-member boy band 2PM, actress Kim Tae-hee and singer and actor Lee Seung-gi.

The list was collated based on news reports, including one from Forbes Korea, and multiple earning reports from securities companies. The exact income of each of the listed celebrities was not available.

Psy is expected to retain his status as the highest-paid Korean celebrity this year considering that he posted about 10 billion won ($8.86 million) in sales during the first quarter of the year alone. The biggest contributor was a commercial that aired during halftime at the U.S. Super Bowl match in February, in which he was paid some 5 billion won to wear a pistachio green blazer and dance with long-legged dancers dressed as nuts. Psy’s income for the rest of the year is expected to hinge on his new song, “Gentleman,” that will be premiered at a Seoul concert on April 13.

Bigbang raked in a staggering 78 billion won in sales last year, largely through its world tour concerts, according to a report from LIG Investment and Securities. The band earned 6.7 billion won with only two concerts in Taiwan last October, the report said, reflecting the group’s massive popularity in Asian countries.

It’s unknown how the profit was distributed between individual members and their agency, also YG Entertainment. The band’s leader G-Dragon confessed during a TV show last month he gets the largest slice of the pie, saying “My earning is really nice.”

“My parents, especially my mom, are very happy with this,” he said. “We moved to a new house and bought a new car with my income.”

The third highest income earner, Kim Yuna, reportedly earned 25.1 billion in sales last year by featuring in as many as 34 TV commercials, according to public relations company Innocean Worldwide. Her employers include global companies such as Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motors.

The 22-year-old athlete saw her sagging popularity rebound sharply after winning the World Figure Skating Championships in Canada last month. She will retire after the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia next year.

Nine-member band Girls’ Generation earned more than 60 billion won (Not 600 billion) in sales with Yoo-na known to be the highest-paid member. The majority of the profit was made in Japan where their album and music video almost flew off the shelves.

While rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae reportedly earned 16.2 billion won, swimmer Park Tae-hwan made 14.7 billion won. The biggest contributor to their profit was appearance fees for TV commercials. Park’s fans vented frustration last month over his “excessive” money-making activities, which included shopping channel appearances.

Most profitable agency: SM

A growing number of local management agencies are cashing in on the worldwide boom of Korean pop culture and entertainers.

SM Entertainment, headed by singer-turned-businessman Lee Soo-man, was the most profitable agency with 241.3 billion won in sales last year, a 69 percent increase from 143 billion won in 2011. Its operating profit was 60.5 billion won, nearly double the previous year. SM represents Girls’ Generation, TVXQ, Super Junior, BoA, SHINee and others.

The second most profitable agency was YG Entertainment, owned by singer-turned-businessman Yang Hyun-suk. The firm that manages Psy, Bigbang and 2NE1 posted 99.7 billion won in sales last year, up from 62.5 billion won in the previous year.  

Coming next was JYP Entertainment, owned by singer and songwriter Park Jin-young, which earned an estimated 40 billion won in sales last year. Two agencies vied for the next place ㅡ Cube Entertainment and FNC Entertainment.

Cube possesses popular boy band Beast and girl band 4minute, while FNC has CNBLUE and FT Island.

“We will see more agencies reaching the 100 billion sales mark as the popularity of Korean music and celebrities continues to increase worldwide,” said Kang Tae-kyu, a music industry analyst.

Source: Park Si-soo on Korea Times 
Via: BBU

[NEWS] Forbes Korea’s Top 10 Celebrities

1. Psy

He has rocked the world with “Gangnam Style,” which got a record-breaking 1.4 billion hits on YouTube and 40 million digital downloads. His gross income in 2012 was over $40 million.

2. Girls’ Generation

The girl group’s single “Twinkle” nearly topped the album charts in the first half year of 2012. Girls’ Generation is in high demand in advertising and TV shows.

3. Son Yeon-Jae

The rhythmic gymnast placed fifth overall in the finals at the 2012 London Olympics.

4. Kim Soo-Hyun

Popularity significantly increased with TV series Moon Embracing the Sun. Starred in recent blockbuster movie The Thieves.

5. Big Bang

Mini-album Alive and special edition Still Alive have hit No. 1 in various musical charts. Won Album of the Year at the 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Last year they sold 652,120 album copies.

6. Park Tae-Hwan

Won the silver medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle swimming event at 2012 London Olympics.

7. Song Joong-Ki

Starred in TV role in The Innocent Man and also played a main role in the box office hit movie A Werewolf Boy.

8. IU

Nation’s favorite girl singer again managed to become No. 1 on the charts with “Every End of the Day.” She was also cast as a main character in KBS television series You’re the Best, Lee Soon-Shin.

9. Kim Yu-Na

Figure skater has announced that she will be retiring after the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

10. Super Junior

Their sixth album, Sexy, Free and Single, sold 570,000 copies; they also won Best Artist Group Award at the 19th Korean Entertainment Arts Awards.

Source: Forbes 
Via: BBU

[NEWS] G-Dragon Records the Most Friends in Korea on LINE

G-Dragon has made a record for himself in number of friends on the ‘LINE‘ app.

He opened his official account only 10 days ago on the 15th, but he has already recorded 215,000 friends on the application in Korea, and almost 800,000 friends all over the world. Not just that, he had an event inviting a few fans to the rehearsal and the standing area for his ‘One of a Kind‘ world tour, and over 800,000 fans applied to the event.

Recently, he wrote, “Daesung, hyung is really sorry that I can’t go to your Japanese tour“, and added on a cute sticker, to the delight of many fans. G-Dragon has also been checking the messages that he receives through the application.

Currently, G-Dragon is preparing for the first dates of his ‘One of a Kind’ solo world tour on March 30 and 31. He’ll be going to 13 different cities in 8 different countries, performing in front of a total of 550,000 fans. Also, he’ll become the first Korean solo artist to have a 4-Dome tour in Japan.

Source + Image: Allkpop

[NEWS] Big Bang Voted by Idols in Five Categories to Determine ‘Best Idols’

22 idol groups (70 idol stars in total) participated in a survey entitled ‘Best Idols’ by ‘Sports Donga‘ to cast their votes in five categories: Best Vocalist, Best Rapper, Best Dancer, Best Ulzzang (Best Visual), and Best Star Factor/Talent.

Check out the results below as well as the reasons some of the idols gave while voting for their favorites!

Best Vocalist

Male:

1. Junsu (JYJ) (25 votes)
2. Jonghyun (SHINee), Yoseob (7 votes each)
3. Hongki, Jun.K(3 votes each)

Female:

1. Hyorin (34 votes)
2. Taeyeon (16 votes)
3. Ailee (13 votes)
4. Baek Ye Rin (2 votes)
5. IU + 3 others [names not mentioned] (1 vote each)

On picking JYJ’s Junsu as the best vocalist, KARA‘s Nicole shared, “He is an amazing vocalist who turns any song into his own.” AOA‘s Seolhyun shared, “His expression of emotions is good and his vocal range is wide, so during his live performances, there is no shakiness.” The ‘best female vocalist’ title went to SISTAR‘s Hyorin. KARA’s Seungyeon shared, “The resonance and strength coming from her voice is unlike any I’ve heard before, and she has a wide vocal spectrum.” Big Bang‘s Seungri also complimented Hyorin, “She is a vocalist with her own color and stability.”

Best Rapper

Male:

1. G-Dragon (33 votes)
2. Zico(18 votes)
3. T.O.P (8 votes)
4. Gary+ 10 others (1 vote each)

Female:

1. CL (34 votes)
2. Miryo , LE (11 votes each)
3. Baby-J (3 votes)
4. Yubin + 6 others (1 vote each)

G-Dragon was picked as the best male rapper by 33 idols. miss A‘s Suzy shared her reason for voting for him, “G-Dragon’s rap contains something special.” F.T. Island‘s Jonghun commented, “I can definitely sense his own color throughout his songs.” G-Dragon’s labelmate 2NE1‘s CL also won the ‘best female rapper’ category. KARA’s Jiyoung shared, “Her rap is unique and filled with her own style, she has an attractive voice color.” U-KISS‘ Dongho also described CL as “A rapper overflowing with swag.”

Best Dancer

Male:

1. Taeyang (37 votes)
2. Taemin, Eunhyuk, Jay Park (6 votes each)
3. Wooyoung(3votes)

Female:

1. Minzy (21 votes)
2. Hyoyeon (19 votes)
3. HyunA (8 votes)
4. Min (7 votes)
5. BoA (4 votes)

Big Bang’s Taeyang beat out the competition as the best male dancer. Suzy shared, “His dancing is very stylish.” JJ Project‘s Jr. said, “He has his own style and groove.” Meanwhile, the ‘best female dancer’ title went to none other than 2NE1′s Minzy. CNBLUE‘s Yonghwa shared, “Minzy’s dancing is on another level.” KARA’s Gyuri added, “The energy that comes out when she is dancing is the best. The feeling when a person suddenly changes.”

Best Ulzzang (Best Visual)

Male:

1. T.O.P (19 votes)
2. Nichkhun (8 votes)
3. Siwon, L (6 votes each)
4. Jaejoong, Minho (SHINee) (3votes each)

Female:

1. YoonA (16 votes)
2. Suzy (10 votes)
3. Krystal (7 votes)
4. Taeyeon (5 votes)
5. Sulli (4 votes)

As for the category of ‘best visuals’ or ‘best ulzzang’, T.O.P came in first. Gyuri stated, “He is a singer who has the face of an actor. His prominent, sculptured facial features are handsome.” F.T. Island’s Hongki also agreed from a man’s point of view, “He has masculine charms.” Girls’ Generation‘s YoonA also came out on top as the best female visual. AOA’s Yuna shared, “There are no words needed, she is the exemplification of beauty.” U-KISS’ Kiseop agreed, “She has a doll-like visual.”

Best Star Factor/Talent

Male:

1. Jo Kwon (24 votes)
2. G-Dragon, Kwanghee (16 votes each)
3. Taeyang, Shindong (3 votes each)

Female:

1. HyunA (13 votes)
2. CL (11 votes)
3. Minah, Min (8 votes each)
4. Yewon (6 votes)

2AM‘s Jo Kwon, famous for his ‘kkab’, came out on top as the best male with that star factor or natural talent that helps him shine. KARA’s Jiyoung commented, “His natural speaking ability and the way he doesn’t get nervous in front of the camera and overflows with confidence is impressive.”4minute‘s HyunA beat out the rest as she was chosen as the best female idol with that star factor. Big Bang’s Seungri shared, “No one can imitate that star factor she shows on variety shows.”CNBLUE’s Jungshin shared,“Every time I watch her on TV, I am awestruck.”

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The idol groups that participated in voting in this survey include Girl’s Day, Nine Muses, Rainbow, miss A, Big Bang, Girls’ Generation, B.A.P, Shinhwa, CNBLUE, AOA, F.T. Island, EXO-K, MBLAQ, U-KISS, ZE:A, JJ Project, JYJ, G.NA, 2AM, 2PM, KARA, and 15&.

Source + image: Sports Donga 
Via: Allkpop

[NEWS] What Percentage of 2012’s Total Album Sales were by Big Bang and YG Entertainment?

Super Junior have been the kings of physical album sales since 2010, but it’s hard to visualize thatwith just the numbers.

To help visualize the breakdown, a Korean netizen put together pie charts to see how each group did in sales. The pie charts were released in five categories with the first three charts breaking down the sales within the Big 3 companies: SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment. The last two charts broke down the overall percentage based on companies and individual artists.

YG Entertainment

As expected, Big Bang dominated YG Entertainment sales in 2012, taking up 50% of the sales as a group. G-Dragon‘s solo sales put on an additional 26%, which was followed by Psy‘s 12%, and 2NE1‘s 4%.

Percentage of total album sales in 2012 by company

Since Super Junior and TVXQ took up the #1 and #3 spots overall for album sales in 2012, it’s not surprising that SM Entertainment artists accounted for 28% of the total album sales for 2012. They were followed by YG Entertainment, who had 15% of the sales.

Surprisingly, #3 was INFINITE‘s Woollim Entertainment with 6%, followed by B2ST, 4minute, and G.NA‘s Cube Entertainment with 5%. FNC Entertainment, with CNBLUE, F.T. Island, AOA, and Juniel followed. Another surprising number came up next with B1A4‘s WM Entertainment with 3%.JYJ‘s C-JeS Entertainment came up next, and then JYP Entertainment and Core Contents Mediawrapped up the rest of the companies at 3%.

Percentage of total album sales in 2012 by artist

The artists were then ranked, Super Junior and Big Bang took up the first two spots with 10% and 8% respectively. Various Artists was third with 7% which combined all the OST sales. TVXQ came in fourth with 7% as well, followed by INFINITE, SHINee, G-Dragon, B1A4, JYJ’s Junsu, and Busker Busker.

*omitted unrelated parts*

Source: Allkpop

[NEWS] Daesung (D-Lite) is #2 on Oricon’s Daily Chart with ‘D’scover’ (130301)

Big Bang‘s Daesung has found himself at the top tier of Oricon‘s Daily Album Chart with the release of his solo cover album ‘D’scover‘ in Japan!

Even for the 26th, the album made it up to the #4 spot, and through the chart revealed for February 27th (the actual date of release), Daesung, or should we say ‘D-Lite‘, jumped up two to come in at #2!

Selling 10,876 copies for February 27th, Daesung comes in behind popular Japanese girl group NMB48, who sold 30,946 copies to rank #1.

With this solid start under his belt, Big Bang’s crooner will be embarking on his Japanese tour, titled ‘D-LITE D’scover Tour‘, starting on March 23rd!

Congrats to Daesung!

Source + Image: Allkpop

[NEWS] Big Bang Ranks #5 on Forbes Korea’s “2013 Power Celebrity 40”

In celebration of their 10th year of establishment, Forbes Korea has reported this year’s list of the top 40 ‘Power Celebrities’.

The list picks the top 40 from a long list of actors, MCs, singers, and athletes and ranks them accordingly based on profit, influence, name value, and professionalism.

Psy topped this years list, pushing Girls’ Generation down to #2. The girls topped this list in both 2011 and 2012. Big Bang, Park Tae Hwan, IU, and Kim Yuna all managed to keep their rankings within the top 10 for the second consecutive year while 16 new celebrities made their first appearance on the list.

The full Top 40 list is as follows:

1. Psy
2. Girls’ Generation
3. Son Yeon Jae
4. Kim Soo Hyun
5. Big Bang
6. Park Tae Hwan
7. Song Joong Ki
8. IU
9. Kim Yuna
10. Super Junior
11. Lee Seung Gi
12. Yoo Joon Sang
13. KARA
14. Lee Dae Ho
15. 2PM
16. Ki Sung Ryong
17. miss A
18. Joo Won
19. Park Ji Sung
20. INFINITE
21. CNBLUE
22. T-ara
23. TVXQ
24. Kim Tae Hee
25. JYJ
26. SISTAR
27. Shin Bora
28. Oh Yeon Seo
29. B2ST
30. Yoo Jae Suk
31. Han Hyo Joo
32. Kim Nam Joo
33. Kim Joon Hyun
34. Ryu Seung Ryong
35. Yang Hak Sun
36. Kim Byung Man
37. Lee Min Jung
38. Um Tae Woong
39. Lee Kwang Soo
40. Ha Ji Won

Source + Image: Allkpop