[2011.01.19] KARA


icyheart

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Truthfully, I didn't see this coming at all!!

Well, that's one more proof that sth.'s not going right in the korean music industry.

And they are not being selfish just because they want to get the fair amount of money they earn.

It is true that at the beginning the company have high upfront costs from creating an idol, but I bet they already got all the money back they had invested in KARA, from KARA's album sales and others!! Plus we all know that DSP is not the best company in terms of promotion, so they might not spend as much money as other companies do. Nevertheless, I hope they can quickly solve their problems and come back together as 5!!

Edited by Jen
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I hope the parents are sure of what they are doing. Other than caring for their children they should know how the idol industry works too =/ Its undoubtful that for the girls to continue their success, the only way is to stay as a 5-member team, they cannot split up.

Poor our girls, now the majority is blindly bashing HamColeJing now. I can't even believe when I know a number of Korean Kamilia changed their status from Seungyeon fan to Gyuri fan lol wth, did they even think???

@goddessfollower you always make good points. People need to think straight and look at the situation properly. I agree with you and I'm pretty sure too that the girls aint directly coming up with the decision-making. Their case is different from previous others we heard of, cos they are under great influence of their parents, or I can even say all the happenings are only between DSP, the parents and the lawyer. Pls remember how 2/4 are not considered "adult" in Korea yet, and 1/4 doesnt seem to have direct back up from her parents.

I feel sorry for all our 5 girls cos they are stuck in the middle, not only Gyuri. I know they want to run to each other so badly but their parents might be the block here..oh I'm not attacking their parents lol every parent wants the best for their child, and in this case its even more understandable.

But I want to remind you that, don't forget the MAJOR role of their parents and put all the blame on the girls directly.

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I wanted to cry but after reading this and because of Kamilia I feel better but still there r some Kamilia that r kind of rude but guys try to be optimictic at least because of our BEST ing 5...........even thought they r not thata popular in Korea we true Kamilia know that they r strong and they will support each other until the end so lets patiently wait

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I hope that they will resolve this is a good way. I really do not wish that KARA will split. The name KARA represents all the 5 members, not just an individual. To all Kamilias, lets ignore the rumors and await for the officials. For now we still hope for the best. Kara Hwaiting:)

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i really hope all the members of kara can stay together = [

i was shocked to see that, for now, at least three of the members are leaving the company... when i read the topic title, i thought they were leaving each other and was ready to break down and cry ;_;

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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.

Your comment A++, everything I wanted to say but in words that make sense. I'm not taking sides but in general I wish that this decision was held off for IDK about three of four more years. it seems hasty and rushed and the fact that Hara revoked her termination request seems like she realised that but alas, like you said the damage is done, and unless DSP is really forgiving, and KARA can continu to be the main bread winner, they might be put on the back burner.

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*sigh* this is sooooo intense, don't know what I'll do without Kara in my life....... :mellow::mellow:

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HARA backtracked ;/ I support any decision on the girls!

but it would be better Hara to go out and take Gyuri together, because there rumors that other agencies are making deals!

The bad thing would be if the four to leave and stay Gyuri; / Stay together girls !!

:unsure:

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I have a feeling this was their parents doing. Another company approaches them, give them some 'advice', and then they tell the other parents, lawyers are called... how else can anyone explain Gyuri not knowing? If this started from members, then she would have known. It's just a case of parents being too greedy. DSP has been better towards them than most companies are towards their idols. They worked brilliantly to establish them in Japan (they are the number 1 female kpop group there, despite facing competition from many others), and they stuck by them when kara was completely unrecognised ... I think they shouldn't do this, certainly not if all members aren't involved, and especially not now, when they are at their most popular and growing...

The fact that Gu Hara has changed her 'decision' to me shows that it probably wasn't hers. I'm convinced ot was the parents.

Edited by ngah
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Haizzz...Hope this will be cleared soon ..I never wanna see such things happen to the gals..

So relieved to know Hara cancels the termination ..At least gyul is not alone..

Im sure hamjingcole not aware too that this will lead to splitting..Remember Ham's story on strong heart protecting KARA on her own..I jus can't believe that she wans to split this easily..Hope the gals settle this calmly..

I guess it all started with the parents..But yeah which parents wont worry about their children right..??

Im sure KARA wont break down so easily...They work so hard to get to where they are only to see they split ?

Hope they will go through these obstacles as a group..Stay United..Hwaiting..be strong!

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http://www.allkpop.com/2011/01/dsp-entertainment-responds-to-tv-report-article

------------------------

im getting more and more convinced that Ham/Jing/Cole did not make the decision to terminate the contract with full knowledge of what they had signed. after this article, i really wanna know what is the girls story....

No matter what lets all keep supporting Kara!

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I think the parents are probably the main decision makers which explain why hara was able to backtrack so easily. Why? Because her parents are far away and dont give a damn about her for years now, she doesnt need to consult her parents before making decisions. However, Seungyeon, Nicole, Jiyoung are all bounded by their parents' decisions in this sense.

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Haizzz...Hope this will be cleared soon ..I never wanna see such things happen to the gals..

So relieved to know Hara cancels the termination ..At least gyul is not alone..

Im sure hamjingcole not aware too that this will lead to splitting..Remember Ham's story on strong heart protecting KARA on her own..I jus can't believe that she wans to split this easily..Hope the gals settle this calmly..

I guess it all started with the parents..But yeah which parents wont worry about their children right..??

Im sure KARA wont break down so easily...They work so hard to get to where they are only to see they split ?

Hope they will go through these obstacles as a group..Stay United..Hwaiting..be strong!

But that's just the thing, they're not protecting them. Their 'reasons' and 'arguments' appear half-baked and untrue. A company that's falling appart and lacking leadership is capable of acting so brilliantly in promoting KARA in Japan? They timed it perfectly, picked all the right activities, everything. They had a lot of competition, and yet, they are, without a doubt the most popular female kpop group there. It may be possible that they are not getting enough of their earning etc. but these are industy-wide problems. Signing over to another company won't solve them. And what were they doing by starting this without even informing one of the members? How is not keeping Kara together in their best interest, or will result in better conditions/earnings for them?

I have a feeling another company approached the parents (Kara is an established group with a huge popularity, DSP is a small company, not capable of acting the way SME does), and with the aid of lawyers, and the backing of whoever is backing them, they went ahead. It might have been started because of concern for their children, rather than greed, but then, why wasn't Gyuri informed? She clearly stated that she had no idea. If protecting their children was the primary goal, then they should have at least done so for all the children. And now Gu Hara stated that she isn't going along with the termination. If this started from the members, I doubt she would have changed her mind, even if we ingnore the fact that there's no way Gyuri wouldn't have known if this really started from the members.

KARA, fighting, stay strong, and STAY TOGETHER!!!

I think the parents are probably the main decision makers which explain why hara was able to backtrack so easily. Why? Because her parents are far away and dont give a damn about her for years now, she doesnt need to consult her parents before making decisions. However, Seungyeon, Nicole, Jiyoung are all bounded by their parents' decisions in this sense.

I don't think that she doesn;t care about her parents, it's more likely that they decided to do this without even telling her, and then she disagreed with it, and convinced them not to do it. Jiyoung is a minor, she has no choice (It's quite possible that here parents were the first 'target' of the rival company's propaganda ('we'll give you better contracts'; Marginally better, just to entice them, probably...)...

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I think the parents are probably the main decision makers which explain why hara was able to backtrack so easily. Why? Because her parents are far away and dont give a damn about her for years now, she doesnt need to consult her parents before making decisions. However, Seungyeon, Nicole, Jiyoung are all bounded by their parents' decisions in this sense.

i was thinking the same as soon as they mentioned hara was not gonna go for the law suit, hara been known for a while to have a bad relationship towards her parents, i won't be suprised that their parents lied to them saying all members including gyuri was gonna go for the lawsuit. and jiyoung she just turned 17 do you think she really thought of a lawsuit. but the leader of making them do lawsuit is nicole's mother, i dont't really know if nicole really agrees on the lawsuit thing but if i remember what i read before, nicole's mother didn't want to come to korea because she doesn't like it their (maybe of the way korean culture or things are done in korea)

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I also agree that the problem is from the mothers. if it's from the members, there's no way Hara would back off and Gyuri not knowing anything. Hara and Seungyeon are still together after arriving Korea from Thailand, then Seungyeon back to the parents and hara to DSP, I guess they are trying to solve the problem. JiYoung is too young, but Seungyeon...? Maybe because Seungyeon and Jiyoung's parents are close. But Im looking forward to hear from Nicole. Since the rumors said it's her mother who start. But I believe Nicole once was strong enough to decide to come to Korea to persue her dream despite parent's disagreement, and as the one who hate lies, she will speak up her opinion.

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I have a feeling another company approached the parents (Kara is an established group with a huge popularity, DSP is a small company, not capable of acting the way SME does), and with the aid of lawyers, and the backing of whoever is backing them, they went ahead. It might have been started because of concern for their children, rather than greed, but then, why wasn't Gyuri informed? She clearly stated that she had no idea. If protecting their children was the primary goal, then they should have at least done so for all the children. And now Gu Hara stated that she isn't going along with the termination. If this started from the members, I doubt she would have changed her mind, even if we ingnore the fact that there's no way Gyuri wouldn't have known if this really started from the members.

I don't think that she doesn;t care about her parents, it's more likely that they decided to do this without even telling her, and then she disagreed with it, and convinced them not to do it. Jiyoung is a minor, she has no choice (It's quite possible that here parents were the first 'target' of the rival company's propaganda ('we'll give you better contracts'; Marginally better, just to entice them, probably...)...

but it was told that the japanese company contacted with gyuri's mother before they contacted the 4 other members mothers, so the first one who should have known about this shouldive been gyuri, unless her mother didn't tell her. and from what it sounds there were even a meeting'(s) with all 5 KARA members mothers with the japanese company.

about HARA all i can say is she never really mentioned about her parents, she only mentions being raised by her grandmother. yea i think the parents did the lawsuit thing without telling all 4 of the members.

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i was thinking the same as soon as they mentioned hara was not gonna go for the law suit, hara been known for a while to have a bad relationship towards her parents, i won't be suprised that their parents lied to them saying all members including gyuri was gonna go for the lawsuit. and jiyoung she just turned 17 do you think she really thought of a lawsuit. but the leader of making them do lawsuit is nicole's mother, i dont't really know if nicole really agrees on the lawsuit thing but if i remember what i read before, nicole's mother didn't want to come to korea because she doesn't like it their (maybe of the way korean culture or things are done in korea)

Well, Gu Hara 'changing' her mind, Gyuri not knowing, it all points to the parents. On top of that, the fact that DSP hasn't really done anything wrong (I'm not saying that the company is perfect, or doesn't do what all others do (take a larger than deserved share of profits etc), but to say that they lacked leadership for a year and didn't give the right support, in the same year that KARA made their biggest leap, is ridiculous! It would have been impossible withouth a strong company support. What they achieved in Japan, outperforming all other female kpop groups, and becoming number one, it required more than just the girl's talent. I think this would have had to have included some imput from rival company/ies, so I think it might be less likely that Nicole's mom was the one that started it.. I think Jiyoung parents have the strongest position (they are LEGALY empowered with making the decision for her)...

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but it was told that the japanese company contacted with gyuri's mother before they contacted the 4 other members mothers, so the first one who should have known about this shouldive been gyuri, unless her mother didn't tell her. and from what it sounds there were even a meeting'(s) with all 5 KARA members mothers with the japanese company.

about HARA all i can say is she never really mentioned about her parents, she only mentions being raised by her grandmother. yea i think the parents did the lawsuit thing without telling all 4 of the members.

I wrote a long reply and accidentally deleted it, but here's a summarised version:

I didn't hear that, but regardless, I find it very unlikely that their Japanese company would do it. They have a contract with DSP, not the group directly, so if the girls leave DSP, then other Japanese companies could also take them in. This would have had to have started with a rival Korean company (Kara is a big group, from a small company. DSP doesn't have SME's power to fight something like this..), because it would have been hard for a Japanese company to get in touch with the parents, and, not to mention, the Japanese companies couldn't offer them anything within Korea without a Korean company's help (and same goes for a Korean companies in Japan). It's just a bit far fatched (it's just more likely it started at home, than that an overseas company was behind it, but I guess it is possible..)..

I find it unlikely that Gyuri's parents knew, because if they did, and made the decision not to do this, then they would have definitely told their daughter or the company (because their daughter was now essentially being excluded from the group; to know, decided not to do it, and then say nothing, would mean that they didn't care, which I find unlikely (it's not the same as the other parents not telling their daughters, because they were making a decision with the majority, and not telling the daughters was advantageous to their plans, but for Gyuri's parents not to say anything, there's no advantage to it.. no reason for it..)..

Also, Nicole's mom is overseas, and I doubt the other parents know her, so how did they get in touch with her (there must have been a company involved, and a large one)... I also think that it's more likely this started within a parent within Korea (for nicole's mom to explain it from overseas seems unlikely, and it seems unlikely that the company would bypass the three local mothers and go all the way overseas in order to make their offer (that's assuming there was a company involved, which I think there was).

So, I think it's pretty obvious the girls didn't know (they would have told Gyuri if they knew, or if this started from the girls!), and for Jiyoung's parents, who have the legal power, Gu Hara's (who seem to have regained their interest in their daughter only recently... I think you know what I mean by that; I don't want to say it directly because I may be wrong (I apologize if I am)), who surely would have felt awkward so they just went behind her back, and Nicole's, who are far away, and probably still see her as a little girl, it was perfectly normal not to tell the girls at all..

Gu Hara 'changing' her mind clearly shows she didn't want this, and if one of the other two girls (excluding Jiyoung) does the same, I think the remainder's parents will give in...

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Wow, this was totally not what I wished for the New Year ... I'm sad. I never thought they will come to this.

I just hope the relationship between the members will not be shattered because of this. I hope they work things

out and stay a group. I mean come on, let's not let three years go to waste! It's taken them that long to be

where they are today ): I'm disappointed in everything. Honestly, I'm on no side(s). I just want Kara to be

ONE and that's all. I don't care if they stay in DSP, as long as Kara is one for the rest of the upcoming futures.

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I think this is the doing of the company that promised a better offer.

They saw this as the perfect opportunity to poach KARA while they are at their zenith. Therefore they tried to cajole KARA into leaving DSP.

If such is the case, I would strongly urge Seungyeon, Nicole and Jiyoung to reconsider it, like Hara did.

As the saying goes:"The grass always seems greener on the other side".

The offer does sound good. Offers always sound good, to lure the offered, but how good can the offer actually be?

This is the entertainment industry. The companies function more or less the same way, not to mention all the entertainment agencies are controlled by the top few conglomerates of Korea.

KARA is certain to be treated better if they switch. That's inevitable, given their current status. Wouldn't DSP have thought the same?

DSP is not dumb. They knew they would have to treat KARA better. I guess it's just a matter of time.

I suppose KARA is just a little tired with DSP's imposing schedule but this is the price to pay for fame, isn't it? Without DSP's proactive push, would KARA be as successful as now?

As you can sense, I'm kinda with DSP on this. I find the 4 members' decision a bit ungrateful. DSP never gave up on them when they weren't so popular. They could have conveniently disbanded KARA when Sunghee left, but they didn't, because they saw their potential. Although "First Blooming" wasn't a success and with a membership issue, DSP sought to make KARA better with 2 new members and repackaging. From then on, KARA took flight and with that, increased workload.

So this is how they repay the company?

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it still worries me why hara cancelled it or since now she on the other side of 3 and gyuri being in the middle not knowing what happen :mellow: i really want to believe in them just staying together is fine with me as long they are together i don't mind what company the sign in :( i hope everything goes well i don't want to see another article about members leaving/separating/departing/disbanding/lawsuit things like that :crying:

--edit---

after reading everyone's comment

i don't think blaming either DSP/companies/parents/members will do them any good

unless the come out with a official statement about

this. no one wants to tell the truth or their dirty

little secret the industry has done. yes i believe

is like this. one, either stay so you don't ruin your imagine/reputation of either the members/company

or two, sue them for treating you like this, make them

pay for what they done, expose all their dirty little

secret/make the company go bankrupt/win all this. but

then thats their own benefit unless other agree with them. yet theres a problem what will happen to the people that work/train under there ? will they be

jobless/in a great depression ? what will happen to them ? that's the big problem. there's also a cause and effect to things like this. if this continues i don't even know/think any companies will sign them in or DSP letting them since it's illegal and they have no permission. thanks for listening to my rant feel free to comment/reply to it. no harm done by this.

Edited by akuma
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