[Deremith]

Just wondering since I'm thinking of entering the music industry in korea... (can someone clarify whether DBSK really were paid 3 cents? - thanks in advance)

p.s. if you guys can, can you state roughly how much they may get paid? thanks in advance again XD)

[littlejade]

yes they are under paid! i know because they told me!

[Tonyc402]

Well , they definately dont make as much money as American and Japanese singers thats for sure. But you have to realize the Korean music market isnt as big and so they do have to try a little bit harder to make more money.

[CitrusFlower]

I doubt they get pay only 3 cents. That is too far fetch

[maharu.]

I bet they're not that paid...like overworked and probably doesn't have a great salary.
I think they def. earn more than 3 cents PER CD though.

In DBSK's case, they live together (as like many of the boybands) and I think the company pays for their living and all so prob.
even though they are underpaid, they can make a decent living.

But I think Korea's ent. is screwed up imo. You get overpromoted (SHINee) or you get REALLY underpromoted ( Cho Shin Sung).

[dancingbymyself]

But I think Korea's ent. is screwed up imo. You get overpromoted (SHINee) or you get REALLY underpromoted ( Cho Shin Sung).

That's because Shinee is from SM and is going to
be popular even if they don't do anything, whereas
Cho Shin Sung is from a smaller company so even if
they're better (which I feel they are) they won't get promoted as much.
They don't have enough cash to pay for everything, and all the promotions
and hype and such. If you're worried about like DBSK, SUJU, Wonder Girls Etc...
they're getting paid alot. But most singers only get paid about the same a a normal person.
Sometimes they can make more, but other times they can only make enough to scrape by.

[emceej]

im not really sure myself =(
i know wonder girls made a grossing of 120 billion won excess this 2008. (94.8 million dollars)
this includes earnings from so hot, nobody, tbj, vita 500, uniform endorsments, make up line, samsung, and the list goes on.
so im guessing they get paid more than 3 cents O_O but i do know that most of the money probably goes to JYP himself.

[Tonyc402]

im not really sure myself =(
i know wonder girls made a grossing of 120 billion won excess this 2008. (94.8 million dollars)
this includes earnings from so hot, nobody, tbj, vita 500, uniform endorsments, make up line, samsung, and the list goes on.
so im guessing they get paid more than 3 cents O_O but i do know that most of the money probably goes to JYP himself.

Correction: They are grossing an excess of 12 billion won ( 8,444,153.8268 USD).

There was a thread about this and the OP made a typo of 120 billion instead of 12

Source: http://wondergirls.wordpress.com/2008/11/0...illion-in-2008/

[P a p e r_C l i p]

Actually i heard somewhere that SM artists get paid a steady salary
as in they get a certain amount of money, period.
any extra money they make off of gameshows, cd's, etc, they dont get any of that
but they still get paid that steady amount

if you're really popular (DBSK or something) they might raise your salary i guess
but im not sure
o.o

[emceej]

Correction: They are grossing an excess of 12 billion won ( 8,444,153.8268 USD).

There was a thread about this and the OP made a typo of 120 billion instead of 12

Source: http://wondergirls.wordpress.com/2008/11/0...illion-in-2008/

ohh. didn't see that. thanks ^^
but that's still a lot of money tho.

[azpeach]

umm, 3 cents? LOL what a crazy thing

[kriza_09]

If you're talking specifically about DBSK, no I don't think they're underpaid...

Of course they don't get as much royalty per CD sold as American artists, but they're definitely not underpaid.
Didn't a member buy a house for his parents recently??? (i forget if it's Yoochun or Jaejoong)
And they were already able to buy high-class cars when they had only been around for 3 years. (I think I heard news about Jaejoong with his BMW last year or 2 years ago)
In short, they're definitely rich now.

I think people have this misconception that SM artists are underpaid. They're NOT. Not the younger ones anyway. And SM does give them a good life. I saw DBSK's apartment when they just debuted in 2003. And SUJU's aparment early this year. That was one really nice apartment.

The really underpaid SM artists are the ones from the older generation: HOT and Shinhwa and perhaps SES. Their contracts started when SM was just starting so SM needed their money to expand their business, make investment in training their trainees, etc. They needed so much money to send Boa to Japan. And imagine where those money came from. Of course, the predecessor artists (HOT, SES, Shinhwa).
And I was kind of surprised at how 'poorly' they lived. By poor, I mean not so celebrity-like. If you compare Shinhwa's house in 2002 and DBSK's in 2003. BIG difference. (Poor Shinhwa LOL)

And I'm not sure if SM artists nowadays get a steady salary or not. But it's definitely not the case back then. I concluded this based on Hyesung's story about Shinhwa's 1st album failure. So basically, artists (in general or only SM) are (or were) the last one to get paid. At the end of an album promotional activitiy, they calculate how much money they get from album sales. Then they subtract all the production costs. Then all the staffs get paid. The back dancers, managers, coordinators, etc. Then they subtract their accommodation cost, transportation cost, meal cost, etc. After all that, then they divide what's left between the artist and the company. Not half-half obviously. I don't know if this still applies to all artists or not, but that's what happened to Shinhwa. Hyesung said their first album resulted in deficit, so all members didn't get even a cent from their first album. And SM had to cover their loss. And they were told that they ate too much so they starved themselves during the 2nd album activities. Again, it's not SM who made them starve. And it's not because they wanted to look slimmer or anything. It's just they HAD to reduce their meal cost. LOL.


Anyway, I do think Korean singers don't earn as much as we would think (them being celebrities and all). Well, unless you're Lee Hyo Ri and some other idol groups. Surprising as it may sound, they often have struggles with financial difficulties. Dongwan even had to sell his car, motorbike, and even a guitar when he didn't have any income at all. I mean, how much can he get from selling a guitar. Imagine how dry his wallet must've been.

[Namine]

if they were getting paid 3 cents i doubt .. that um... they'd still be... out there and under SM label,, not that i know how long their contract is or anything, but seriously guys idk
3 cents
i mean you get more working at mickeyds

[yahoojedi]

i don't think they're underpaid. . .coz they're under sm. . .
i know korean artists don't earn much like the americans and others coz the the entertainment industry is not that big to support bigger loss of money. . .
but i think the guys are a lot richer now. . .

[IwishIwasKOREAN]

They might be underpaid compared to other celebrities in the music industry, such as Boa, but I don't think their underpaid compared to the average person living in Korea. Not to mention all the perks they receive as celebrities, which includes all the free clothes, food, and living expenses.

If they use and save their money wisely, they're probably set for life.

3 cents
i mean you get more working at mickeyds

And they offer benefits!

[belarus*]

they are compared to American singers and some others but they can make a decent living.


gameshow money goes to the singers (or maybe just SM). I remembering hearing from one of the TVXQ members in a show that even if one member does a show, all of them share the money equally between themselves...so obviously they are keeping the money. also, shinhwa mentioned that Jun Jin was the first one to do an invididual contract with a clothing line and that he split the money he got from the contract equally between the members.

also, although idol stars/ famous singers are underpaid compared to American singers, think about all the things that cassiopoeia (or whatever they are called) and other fan clubs provide for them. laptops, clothes (even underwear), jewelry, food (plus food for staff), gifts, house appliances (hyori got a fridge and furniture for her house from her fan club) etc. and SM pays for housing and food. so if you think about it, they are pretty well off.

[YoungNSexy]

i seriously doubt that they are underpaid, that simply doesn't make sense to me. of course it's possible, but doesn't seem logical.

[ZWD]

Well they're a lot richer than your average joe.

[dancingbymyself]

they are compared to American singers and some others but they can make a decent living.


gameshow money goes to the singers (or maybe just SM). I remembering hearing from one of the TVXQ members in a show that even if one member does a show, all of them share the money equally between themselves...so obviously they are keeping the money. also, shinhwa mentioned that Jun Jin was the first one to do an invididual contract with a clothing line and that he split the money he got from the contract equally between the members.

also, although idol stars/ famous singers are underpaid compared to American singers, think about all the things that cassiopoeia (or whatever they are called) and other fan clubs provide for them. laptops, clothes (even underwear), jewelry, food (plus food for staff), gifts, house appliances (hyori got a fridge and furniture for her house from her fan club) etc. and SM pays for housing and food. so if you think about it, they are pretty well off.

Actually this might be true for some DBSK, but I know that's not the case with SUJU.
They all get paid individually for going on shows, and hosting and such.

[XIAHT!C]

3 cents!? no. that can't be. look at the cars they drive!