[2011.01.19] KARA


icyheart

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I just don't buy the fact that Gyuri was unaware of the situation. Her saying that she didn't know anything is just another way of saying "NO COMMENT!"

I think the family members have more to do with this rather than the girls themselves. Gyuri's mother is opposing her terminating the contract as well and that might explain why she's still with DSP.

As for Hara's situation, I prefer to think of it as stalling her decision.

Whatever their parents have planned for them, I'm sure its in the girls' best interests. Remember that no matter how much we love them, their parents love them more. And lets not put it as a 3:2 situation. The girls aren't fighting each other

I pray that when the dust finally settles, They will remain as the 5 members of KARA, and get a better deal be it from DSP or another agency

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I really hope they do not split:( i felt like crying when i first saw the news after school but after that i had tuition and i was not concentrating the whole time:( i dont think i can sleep tonight :( KARA please stay together!!

Edited by moonlight13
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This is really messy. The Landmark lawyers said that they could not and would not compromise, and now what?! Hara isn't going through with it? That's just too suspicious, what the hell happened in the meantime? Also, the "other agency" tampering with Kara is just unbelievable, that sort of activity can be extremely destructive. There's no guarantee that Kara would've gotten a new contract if they terminated their current one with DSP, and signing a new contract in advance without the prior knowledge of DSP is definitely illegal. Additionally, if Hara was lured back with new terms from DSP, or blackmailed/threatened in some way, this case will turn sour fast.

I also cannot understand why the five girls didn't come to a unanimous decision regarding their contracts before announcing it, especially since Hara reneged on that and Gyuri claims she had no idea, while her mother claimed differently. The timing of the announcement was woeful, it sounds like they had a great deal more negotiating to do before going all out and saying they're done with DSP. I mean, their reputation in the industry is hanging on a thread now, and there's no certainty regarding how the case will go if it goes to court. What if they lose? They could've ruined their entire careers for nothing. The fact that there was no statement on why Gyuri chose to not terminate her contract in the initial report is also extremely frustrating. Gyuri's mother also appears to be her spokesperson, but are the five girls not all represented by the same lawyers? What on Earth?

Of course, reading these articles from allkpop is probably an exercise in futility, first off, they've been known to make errors in translation and words are the most important factor when it comes to legal proceedings. A single word here or there can change the entire meaning of the issue when it comes to contract law. Conflicting statements from all parties is definitely not helping, it merely confounds the public and the legal system when it comes time to litigate.

I'm about to begin ranting here, so feel free to skip my post from here.

This issue highlights one of the most concerning facets of the Korean music industry. Han Geng, DBSK and now Kara, all these legal battles have been caused by the way the industry is structured and bad faith on the part of the entertainment companies (SM, JYP, YG, DSP, etc). Unlike in the US, there are very few artists who have full or near-total control of their artistic direction and style, and probably fewer who have entered the industry on the strength of their raw talents alone. Yes, in the US, most big artists are signed to the big labels, but they are usually discovered by a label who wants to sign them, not the other way around like in Korea. In Korea, these kids audition for the big companies and if the company sees talent or potential, they sign them and then begin training them over a number of years. This is pretty much unheard of in the US, few artists over here are signed with a label for over a decade and receive training, instead, they're usually aspiring musicians who catch the eye of some A&R or other music big wig who then sign them. The point is, a lot of American musicians already have skills in singing, dancing, producing or songwriting that they can use to promote themselves, as opposed to being a blank slate that needs to be trained over a number of years. American artists usually don't sign the important contracts until they're much older than Korean artists, and the legal representation in the US is also much more developed and artist-oriented.

Thus, aspiring American musicians can negotiate more favorable terms which include a greater distribution of income for the artist, creative control over their music and what-not. Now take a look at Korea, where these kids sign contracts when they're like 14, 15 years old and with poor talent management. Hell, I don't even know if they have A&R in Korea, people who scout artists they think will be profitable and/or popular. Instead, they train people from the ground up to fit a certain niche rather than finding people who will be ahead of the curve, creating music that will become popular. A lot of this has to do with the unfortunate fact that Korean idol music is largely derived from popular American music like rap, R&B and pop. So trends usually follow current US sensibilities, and thus the companies train new artists to fit this mold rather than finding unique talent that will define the Korean entertainment industry. Now bear with me when I say this but of course K-pop is not exactly the same as US-pop. Girl/boy bands are the norm for one. Ballads are also popular, and Korean tastes are different from American tastes (especially regarding cute and softer concepts). However, you still hear "rap" verses in most popular songs, autotune is pervasive and the usage of "Konglish" is widely accepted and probably encouraged.

So the unique and talented individuals who can make their own music are often thrown to the wayside doing less glamorous work like songwriting and producing, while the pretty ones are formed into groups and forced to record the songs the label wants them to record. How many popular/idol Korean musicians actually write their own work? GD? CN Blue? I'm sure there are others but I know groups like SNSD, Kara, DBSK, etc. don't actually participate even 10% in the whole songwriting process. They're usually given lyrics, music and a dance and that's it, do it because we're making you famous and you would be nothing without our help.

It's sad, and I don't usually like to talk about it, but this issue has really boiled my anger when a band I love is in the midst of self-destructing because of poor management and the nature of the Korean entertainment industry.

I mean, what are they gonna do? Take for example someone like Yoona (I don't want to use Kara as an example right now, and everyone knows SNSD is popular). She joined SM in 2002, at the age of 12. When you're a child, you don't have a talented and aggressive lawyer, you don't know any better and your parents don't either, what sort of contract are you gonna sign with a big dog like SM? It's not like she can say "hang on a second, I'm beautiful, I can sing and dance and I'm writing hits left and right for popular musicians". She's 12, and nobody knows how she's going to turn out. If it turns out she sucks, then fine, you can be a backup dancer/singer or get a real job, but I'm happy just having a job in the entertainment industry and maybe I can do something later. If it turns out she's stunningly beautiful and talented, oops, you signed a slave contract when you were 12 for 13 years, leave prematurely and you're nothing, just another pretty girl in a sea of many desperate wannabes. Now wait, I'll stick it out till I'm 21, wow, now I'm incredibly famous, I have actual power, people love and respect me, I'm set with all my endorsements, my drama career, and I have SNSD on my resume, I'll always be famous. But why am I working 20-hour days, my schedule is up to the gills with events, shows, concerts, promotions and whatever else, and I'm being paid a meager wage when I'm raking in millions for SM?

She has two options, stick it out till she's 25 and then find greener pastures (another few years of hell, psychological and physical trauma and making less money than a mid-level white collar office worker) or terminate/renegotiate my contract, possibly ruining my reputation (she's greedy, only in it for the money), crushing my career (look at SM vs JYJ), breaking up SNSD (fans start resenting her for destroying the band) and definitely having to go through a long, arduous and psychologically traumatizing litigation process (so why didn't I just stay with SM). Okay, maybe I won the case, the contract was unlawful, I even get damages from SM, but now what? Hell, let's consider four other Sonyuhs follow her, but 5/9 SNSD is NOT SNSD.

We could easily apply this theoretical proposition to Kara's Seungyeon, Nicole and Jiyoung. I know it's not too late to re-negotiate and come to a settlement or compromise, but even then, what is DSP going to think of them? They're a liability now, and maybe they're greedy too. Let's promote Rainbow instead, Kara can be the B-team. A settlement? Okay, I got damages from the bad contract, but where am I going to go? After School? 4minute? Highly improbable, and I just don't see something like SNJ working out successfully, unless they get serious backing from a big dog like JYP, YG or SM, but will they trust them?

Plus, what about their intergroup relationship? Is Gyuri going to treat them the same? Are they going to treat Hara the same? Something like civil litigation can very easily destroy a relationship.

-----------

There's going to be no easy way out of this, I think the damage has been done. Even if they reach some sort of compromise and Kara remains intact, there are a lot of underlying factors that will remain dormant because of this announcement. I can only hope that things work out, but from my experience in legal matters and the entertainment industry, things like this very rarely have a happy ending. I'm not blaming Kara, DSP or any of the parties in this dispute. But I must illuminate the treacherous nature of K-pop, something like this was BOUND to happen, it's inevitable when the industry is structured like this.

Most of all, this makes me scared for the other groups I love, like SNSD, Big Bang, etc. We know what happened with SJ and DBSK. We know the past history of DSP regarding SS501, FinKL and Sechskies. The industry cannot sustain this model, this is a problem that needs to be addressed at its core or we will see more breakups.

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Everything you said there.. makes complete sense.

@beatnix

Thanks for explaining even though that was brief, it was better than looking at words I don't know how to read.

Thanks for the compliment... I have been a member of this forums for about a year and have not posted anything until now. I fell in love with Kara because they were one. They seemed to be the closest of friends. Now, everthing is up in the air. I hope this hasn't damaged their love for each other. :crying:

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@CronoDroid

That is a VERY well thought out post.

She has two options, stick it out till she's 25 and then find greener pastures (another few years of hell, psychological and physical trauma and making less money than a mid-level white collar office worker) or terminate/renegotiate my contract, possibly ruining my reputation (she's greedy, only in it for the money), crushing my career (look at SM vs JYJ), breaking up SNSD (fans start resenting her for destroying the band) and definitely having to go through a long, arduous and psychologically traumatizing litigation process (so why didn't I just stay with SM). Okay, maybe I won the case, the contract was unlawful, I even get damages from SM, but now what? Hell, let's consider four other Sonyuhs follow her, but 5/9 SNSD is NOT SNSD.

This. [no further comment]

Before I start, pardon me for my lack of extended knowledge in English.

The vase is broken, it can be glued back but will never be the same again. I'm saying, if they were to leave DSP, they have recently trademarked the name KARA & they will not be known as KARA anymore if they sign with another label. My whole post jumps from topic to topic, some not very relevant to the point, but (here I go again) I'd like to say that I can agree with "things like this will very rarely have a happy ending". It looks like the case right now, but the best we can hope for is for them to forget about whatever happened today and be the awesome Entertainment company & artist they are.

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The following article talks about possible halting of all activities for Kara.

DSP rep. has stated that he cannot reach 3 remaining holdouts from Kara. He goes on to explain that previously scheduled activities may have to be cancelled also. They were to make an appearance at the "Seoul Music Awards" tomorrow. However, the current situation would make that appearance unlikely.

The article goes onto explain that "UraKara" has still not wrapped up shooting and is currently unknown whether it will continue or not.

Nicole's involvement with the show "Heroes" is also mentioned. She currently has two weeks off until the next shoot. However, if the current situation is not resolved, she may have to withdraw from the show.

http://spn.edaily.co.kr/entertain/newsRead.asp?sub_cd=EA2&newsid=01640006596119360&DirCode=0010200&searchDate=&startArrow=0&strPage=1

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As I read the yet another one of your translations, the more I read it.. the more heartbroken I felt. It's really saddening to see everything falling apart when they were fine just yesterday.

Thanks for the translation.

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This cannot be happening, I only started loving KARA not long ago I don't want to stop now!!!!!

I just hope Gyuri knows what to do, she is the leader and a goddess afterall.

They do sound like they're being underpaid and cheated by DSP, I mean $3000 each is too little.

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The following story explains that Goo Hara never knew the details of the paper work she was given to sign during a filming shoot. She did not know that the papers she was signing would lead up to a possible disbanding of Kara. Let's hope that the other members signed the papers without knowing the full consequences of their action. :(

http://joynews.inews24.com/php/news_view.php?g_menu=700100&g_serial=544420

Edited by beatnix
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^^ after reading this post, i hav finally calmed down. Since this morning i have came back here countless times, more times than i have been here in a day...

I think we should all not get mad n point fingers at anyone for now. There is still hope that hammie, cole and jing sign the papers like hara did. I mean, they cant b contacted yet right? So im just gonna stay hopeful that everything will work out fine. Hope u guys do so too!

I know that the damage has been done, but the girls bonds aint that weak right? It cant b broken by juz misunderstandings. im sure kara will overcome this and come back stronger and better!

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whatever happens i just hope there will a unanimous decision between the "members" and not by the parents. if the majority wants to leave DSP then all 5 five should leave together vice versa. i don't know if one of their dreams is to be together until the end but nothing comes out good if a group is split apart. if they leave DSP they should know that they can't be KARA anymore because DSP bought the name but they can form a new group with a new name.

Edited by tomochan
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What really annoys me is that... apparently the Japanese distributors of their albums received 85% of the profits from $18M?

That means that they received over $15.3M? So that means DSP was left with only $2.7M. Clearly, the issue here is the agreement that DSP made with the Japanese company. So the Japanese company they're under doesn't pay Kara at all? They keep ALL that money to themselves? What the hell is this? I'm really, really ticked off right now... The lawyers are making it seem like DSP are the bad guys when in reality it's the distributors for their albums in Japan that are stealing money from Kara... I mean, who else could they mean by that other than the company they're under? So does this mean that SNSD is being ripped off too since they're under the same company in Japan as Kara?

Ridiculous.

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DSP bought the name?!?!?!?!?!?! :scared:

But doesn't the name belong to the members themselves? How does a company just buy a name to themselves?

@Nyokou, yea I noticed that too, it seemed really weird that 85% goes to the distributors in Japan, that's a bit too much to be paid for just distributing. :thumbdown::thumbdown:

Edited by I<3seungyeon
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Kamilias... I will try my best to translate some up to date info as much as I can to fill you in on this on going situation...

The following article talks about why Gyuri did not decide to leave DSP. Gyuri's mother is a veteran actress in the Korean entertainment business. She is familiar with the contracts and the business decisions, and decided to let Gyuri remain with DSP.

http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201101191804531&code=960801

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The lawyers are making it seem like DSP are the bad guys when in reality it's the distributors for their albums in Japan that are stealing money from Kara... I mean, who else could they mean by that other than the company they're under? So does this mean that SNSD is being ripped off too since they're under the same company in Japan as Kara?

it is not the fault of the japanese distributor (Universal Music Sigma Japan)because DSP agreed with it. SNSD is under Nayutawave Records, although a subsidary of Universal Music Japan, their operations are different.

Edited by tomochan
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