VICTON’s Hanse recently made headlines when he shared shocking details about the financial implications of becoming a K-Pop idol, sending shockwaves through the industry as well as among his fans. On the 8th of May, Hanse chose to connect with fans through the fan-centric messaging platform, Bubble, he shared surprising revelations on how little idols actually make from these appearances.
VICTON’s Hanse reveals K-Pop idols get paid ~$36 per Music Show appearance. PIC.TWITTER.COM/16ZLXCPLT7
— Pop Base (@PopBase) MAY 9, 2024
“Music shows are very nice. They’re cool, but then the profitability is not so good”, said Hanse. He elaborated that the groups themselves are paid around 10 million KRW for a single weekly appearance on a music show. However, the fee per appearance for each of the groups is much less – at around 50,000 KRW, or approximately $36, per group.”
He continued, “There are very few idol teams that get paid. Except for the idols who become headliners at the top festival lineup or gain recognition from the public not only their fandom, most of the teams’ contracts expire with just debt left.”
He also added that there are extra expenses of a music show appearance following the comeback, including the set construction, hair, makeup, styling, staff costs – amounting to 20 million KRW (about $14,000 USD). As a result, idols might end up vent worker first options it shows, and it is more profitable to produce a good music video than to stay on these shows for only one or two weeks.
“It’s not like the promotional effects are huge, like how it was for the 2nd generation seniors I used to watch when I was a baby. It costs 10 million KRW (~7,320 USD) to attend music shows for a week, but you get paid 50,000 KRW (~36.59 USD). I don’t know if the amount increased these days but during my time, it was 50,000 KRW (paid) per team. It was like that,” Hanse added.
Hanse expressed his respect for K-pop idols, realizing how brutal the world is. “Whenever I release a song, you guys ask me to appear on music shows. So I’m just sharing with you guys why we don’t appear in music shows,” he added.
Hanse’s story has enlightened fans to the dark side of the korean music business and made them question random idols’ ability to actually succeed. Additionally, this worker has been praised for acknowledging and attempting to teach fans about the difficulties that the individuals they liked had to suffer.
All evidence to the contrary, Hanse is still very committed to his craft and his audience. He wants only to focus on the internal work and do his part to make sure his lyrics are as strong as they can be for his fans. Ultimately, no matter what the industry climate is, this musician has a understandably strong desire to write and write his story.
The conversation passes from subject to subject before it becomes clear that the industry must witness some form of shift. Hanse’s status as a whistleblower has inadvertently inspired a conversation regarding just how much money K-Pop idols can, should, or should not generate for the major streaming platforms – and this dialogue will certainly be pursued.
