A short while later, after the meeting ended.
Some agency representatives, seeking an escape route, began cautiously gauging the atmosphere while keeping an eye on each other.
“Team Leader Han Se-jin said that this isn’t necessarily bad for our agency.”
“How can that be? The distribution rate for artists is set at 50% with 300 won per song.”
“Does that concern us?”
“Right. Looking at the people gathered here, it seems like we’re all dealing with famous singers. So, the distribution rate is actually dictated by the affiliated singers.”
“Exactly. And apart from the distribution rate, although 300 won per song is a bit low, since Jungle came into play, the price of albums has significantly dropped. But they sold like crazy.”
“Indeed…”
These individuals were running small agencies.
Especially, some of them were even giving over 50% of the sales amount to certain singers under favorable conditions.
There are always two sides to everything in the world.
Just as there are established agencies, there are also established singers.
Being around them, the crumbs falling off were so small that it often made one think about nurturing new singers instead.
That desire spilled out from someone’s mouth.
“You know Team Leader Kang Dong-ho, right? He suggested nurturing new singers or composers instead. He said Jungle Music is practically a space full of opportunities for eager and young talents.”
In other words, the entry barrier had been lowered.
Even if it was an unexplored territory and an untraveled path, it sounded plausible when mentioned by Jungle.
“It does seem possible. As you know, how has our industry changed since Jungle started selling albums through their online shopping site? Album sales doubled every month out of nowhere.”
“That’s right. The total sales have been increasing exponentially. Especially since the younger generation can buy albums easily, they seem to be making purchases without any hesitation.”
“Exactly. Team Leader Han said that this time, Jungle Music will make it even easier to make payments and listen to songs.”
“Can we trust that?”
“Given what Jungle has achieved so far, we can’t help but believe it.”
“Indeed, the media has been saying that Jungle is reshaping not just the music industry but the entire Korean economy.”
“Regardless, the music industry is changing the fastest. Nine Sound and MS Entertainment have grown tremendously thanks to Jungle’s support.”
“Nine Sound was already big, so that’s understandable, but MS Entertainment? It’s no joke. No matter how good Candyboy’s song was, they can’t say they didn’t benefit from Jungle.”
“Perhaps that’s why those two didn’t show up today.”
“They’re probably being cautious. If they make a wrong move, they’ll be at odds with Jungle.”
“They wouldn’t dare. If some agencies can benefit from Jungle during this time, it’s like creating a competitor.”
With the last remark, silence suddenly fell.
It was inevitable because there was no rule that said they couldn’t benefit from Jungle.
“We have to be cautious and balance both sides.”
“I’m just going to take this opportunity to stake my future on Jungle. I’ve had too many failures, and I want to grab the rope that Jungle is lowering.”
“Oh? If CEO Yoo says that, I want to join too.”
Once one person steps forward, others often follow suit.
This time was no different.
One by one, more and more people joined, and eventually, everyone resolved to cooperate with Jungle.
In the grand scheme of things, these agencies were small in number.
However, the fact that there were defectors was significant.
A few days later, they all visited Jungle to negotiate with Han Se-jin, and Jungle agreed with these agencies on a 300 won per song and a 50% distribution rate for the affiliated singers.
The remaining 50% was, of course, split between Jungle and each agency, with each side taking half.
If a song’s sales profit was 100 million won, Jungle would get 25 million won, the agency 25 million won, and the singer 50 million won.
While singers welcomed this agreement, major entertainment companies dismissed it as absurd.
There was bound to be noise.
Several established agencies, threatening legal action, made quite a stir, prompting Han Se-jin to quickly report to Lee Hyun-woo.
Upon hearing this, Lee Hyun-woo said,
“That’s great. I hope it gets noisy and more people find out about it.”
He was even delighted, calling it a new marketing strategy for Jungle Music.
Han Se-jin looked bewildered.
“Getting noisy and making it well-known to people is a good thing?”
Lee Hyun-woo was a difficult person to understand.
However, since there was always much to learn from him, Han Se-jin mentally noted this down.
“Being well-known, whether positively or negatively, is the best.”
Then, suddenly, Han Se-jin thought of something and asked Lee Hyun-woo a question.
“Should we take the initiative? Should we actively increase the distribution channels for singers and show that we’re working for their rights, while some agencies are only concerned about their own interests?”
“Exactly. This is about ensuring the rightful interests of singers over the agencies. I’m sure many people will support us.”
Receiving praise from a respected boss made Han Se-jin beam with pride.
Following this, Han Se-jin moved swiftly, and some media outlets began covering the news.
『The Practices of Some Agencies Squeezing the Blood Out of Singers』
『This is Why It’s Difficult to Protect Copyrights in Korea』
With support from the Korean Singers Association, agencies that hadn’t compromised with Jungle began to panic.
Some of them started criticizing in conjunction with record producers.
『If Jungle Music succeeds, all agencies, record producers, and distributors in Korea will go bankrupt!』
As the end of the year approached, the issue started to cause a stir.
It even became a daily topic on the news.
Concerned, a singer friend reached out to Lee Hyun-woo.
It was Kim Yoon-sun.
(Hyun-woo, it’s me.)
“Oh, Yoon-sun. How have you been?”
(I’m the same as always.)
“Aren’t you busier because it’s the end of the year?”
(A bit, but as a singer who’s past her prime, it’s different from before.)
Feeling a bit sorry for her, Lee Hyun-woo quickly began encouraging her.
“What are you talking about? 1996 was your comeback year. Next year, you’ll be the most famous singer in Asia, not just Korea.”
(I hope so. Anyway, I called to see if you’re doing okay these days.)
“These days? Ah, you mean the noisy news? Of course, I’m fine. No, I’m very happy.”
(Happy?)
“Yes, the public is starting to recognize Jungle Music, which hasn’t even launched yet. Various places are reporting about it, so I don’t think we’ll need any additional advertising.”
(Ah….)
Kim Yoon-sun, who didn’t yet know about noise marketing, let out a faint sigh of realization.
Lee Hyun-woo continued in a cheerful voice.
“Remember when I briefly mentioned Jungle Music to you before?”
(Yes, and I understood it perfectly from the detailed news. You’re planning to charge 300 won per song and distribute 50% to the singers, right?)
“See? You know all about it. It feels like I’ve discovered a way to advertise without spending any money. Oh, right. How are the other singers reacting?”
(Of course, they are actively supporting you. Honestly, it’s harder to find singers in this industry who haven’t been cheated or scammed out of their money. Most have been entangled at least once. Recently, some agencies like the one managing Candyboy are trying to be transparent, but I heard it still takes quite a while to get proper settlements.)
Had she been waiting for this moment?
When asked, she spilled everything like a waterfall.
There seemed to be a bit of her own story mixed in, but Lee Hyun-woo reacted happily, pretending not to notice.
“Just as I thought. Anyway, if this settles successfully, it will become a new source of income for you all. Plus, it will set a good standard, reducing future damages.”
(I hope so.)
“Anyway, don’t worry about me. You’ll be busy at the end of the year, so take care of your health.”
(Yes, you too.)
“Okay, see you later.”
After hanging up, Lee Hyun-woo reflected on the conversation.
“Judging by the singers’ opinions, it seems the atmosphere is now solidly in place.”
He then called for Han Se-jin again.
“Yes, Director. You called?”
“Please release another response article to the media.”
“About what?”
“We need to rebut the recent claims made by some agencies and record producers. They said if Jungle Music succeeds, they won’t be able to make a living in Korea.”
“Ah, I’ve already prepared something for that.”
“Really? How?”
“Isn’t technological advancement in the music market always present? From LPs to tapes, and then to CDs. Did record producers go bankrupt because of that? No. Some of them even grew bigger and survived. Therefore, they need to adapt to the new ecosystem. This is the content I plan to report. What do you think?”
“Perfect!”
It was a reply that made him feel truly proud of nurturing talent.
It was 100% correct.
They too could develop technology to provide music services like Jungle Music or research other ways to survive in the new environment.
“Trying to hold onto their privileges will only make them stagnant and fall behind. There’s no room for rebuttal.”
Would they just back down like this?
But now that they had lost the argument, their words would sound like nonsense.
‘I can leave this to Han Se-jin or Kang Dong-ho perfectly.’
Lee Hyun-woo’s prediction was correct.
Among the various stakeholders fiercely debating in the media, the public started to lean towards Jungle and the singers.
How did he know this?
Lee Hyun-woo had forums, blogs, and comments on portal sites to gauge public opinion.
Soon after, even discussion forums were opened.
A brief look at these forums revealed a fierce denunciation of the current agencies’ abuse of power.
To summarize roughly:
― I had no idea there were agencies exploiting singers like this.
― Honestly, shouldn’t the singers who work hard earn more money?
― I don’t want my oppa to starve!
Fans, then and now, were remarkable.
And moving forward, fanbases would inevitably have an even greater influence.
It was being proven that Lee Hyun-woo had anticipated not only a technological world.
Eventually, some fanbases issued statements in the Jungle discussion forums on portal sites.
“We Support the Statement of the Korean Singers Association!”
