[2011.01.19] KARA


icyheart

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Oh my god things are getting worse. It's all because of the CEO is currently in hospital. And its from March, no wonder SS501 leave DSP. But with the reasons stated in the article, I think its not enough for them to decide to make thing this serious. Court? I don't even want to think about it.

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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.

Though that's a possibility, I think it has more to do with Japanese promotions, and the change in administration ever since DSP's CEO was hospitalized back in March.

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.

Good point.

Edited by checarlos87
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japanese company doesn't pay kara. DSP does. if the thing about 85/15 is true, DSP should have negotiated the profit division in the first place before they signed the deal. you can call it very witty because the japanese company might offered something to kara and dsp in exchange for an unfair contract (e.g free food, house, massive media exposure for kara, new sound sytem for dsp etc.). note that this deal is only for the cd profits and looking at the whole music industry now, artists really don't make much from cd sales. their other activities is paid fairly based on the articles.

grrr, my comment didn't post, again..

The Japanese company does a great share of the work in Japan, and, more importantly, holds the key, so DSP had little to negotiate with. They got as much as they could. DSP's profit ration with the Japanese company is no different to the unfair ration of some artists with their companies... they are essentially being exploited. BUt as for the amount they give Kara, the parents are being unreasonable, because DSP gives more than most other companies, and, not to mention, doesn't get all that much themselves... If DSP's share was larger, then it would have been reasonable to ask for a higher percentage for the girls, but given that the amount they receive is small, the percentage given to girls is also small (DSP needs a certain amount to cover the costs, and make earnings)...

As for the netizens; I commend them on supporting Gyuri's an Gu Hara's loyalty, but to attack the other girls is idiotic. It is the PARENTS that are entirely responsible for the finances, and dealing with DSP with regards to the earnings. It's likely that they either just wanted to scare DSP, but it was mishandled, or that they were approached by a rival company, but regardless, it's obvious that the girls didn't know and have little control (Jiyoung doesn't even have any legal right to say anything). Had the parents included all the girls, I would say that I suppose they had the girls' interests at heart, but they didn't. Gyuri stated she didn't even know, Gu Hara said she wouldn't go along with it, which all suggests that the other girls didn;t know either (if they did, why not tell Gyuri? And Gu Hara's actions are those of someone who just found out and acted to rectify the situation, not of someone who knew from the start)...But the parents didn't include all the girls, they decided to go with an incomplete group, and do something that could mean the end of the group, without (I think; it's sure in Gyuri's case) even telling the girls... those seem like actions motivated with greed (even if it is greed on behalf of their child), not so much with care... In Gu Hara's case, her parents don't seem to have had much contact with her, untill the money appeared (she was brought up by her grandparents). Of course, it's possible that they were wonderful parents, who had to work hard, and secreficed spending time withe their daughter. But to me, and I might be beinge negative, it gives the impression of parents suddenly taking the role the grandparents played until yesterday, and talking care of the money, without much contact with the daughter (I've never seen Gu Hara mention her parents; something very rare.. she always talks about her grandparents in situations that ask for her to talk about her parents... I don't know if her grendparents are still alive, but I get the impression that they gave up their right on the money in favour of the parents, because they saw it as an oportunity to bring Gu Hara and her parents closer together.. It seems like a classic case of old people, coming from a time when people valued family more than money, selflessly secrificing time after time, and wisely seeing that they can never replace parents, and thus using this as a way to bring them together... GRANTED

That might be all my imagination, and it doesn't matter, nor should I make judgements based on so little, but I just get that impression...

Edited by ngah
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T-T............. Suddenly I don't feel so good....It breaks my heart to hear about this news.......... :( . Is this the end for KARA? I just hope the beautiful relationship between the girls won't be destroyed because of this. OH MY!!!!!!! I FEEL LIKE CRYING :((((( it all happened so sudden :((((

Even if the 3 girls form another group it won't be the same without Hara and Gyuri because in my opinion the girls compliment each other... if they are not complete the feeling and impact will not be the same. there will be a void that can never be filled :(

T-T all we can do is hope and pray that this problem will be settled in a nice way and hope that the girls will still be friends and more importantly still be KARA after this problem. :(

no matter what happens I will still love them as the best girl group known to man -KARA-

.................... :( so disappointed

JYP please take KARA away from DSP and make DSP pay for what they did PLEASE!! ^-^

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T-T............. Suddenly I don't feel so good....It breaks my heart to hear about this news.......... :( . Is this the end for KARA? I just hope the beautiful relationship between the girls won't be destroyed because of this. OH MY!!!!!!! I FEEL LIKE CRYING :((((( it all happened so sudden :((((

Even if the 3 girls form another group it won't be the same without Hara and Gyuri because in my opinion the girls compliment each other... if they are not complete the feeling and impact will not be the same. there will be a void that can never be filled :(

T-T all we can do is hope and pray that this problem will be settled in a nice way and hope that the girls will still be friends and more importantly still be KARA after this problem. :(

no matter what happens I will still love them as the best girl group known to man -KARA-

.................... :( so disappointed

JYP please take KARA away from DSP and make DSP pay for what they did PLEASE!! ^-^

WHat did DSP do? Why is it people always blame the company. From what I see, the parents and the company are the ones that were in control, and given that the parent's demands (AND CLAIMS; they are claiming DSP didn't have proper leadership; given Kara perfect Japanese debut (even if aided by a Japanese company), and their Korean activities running at the same time, that's unlikely)) are unreasonable considering both the industry as a whole, and DSP's share of profits, I think the parents are at fault. They don't seem to have even told teh girls, and excluded Gyuri entirely by acting on behalf of only four members. And DSP stood by this group when they had barely any support. It would have been much easier to diband them (many companies have dibanded groups that did better than Kara did at the start, but they didn't, which is to their credit..)...

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WHat did DSP do? Why is it people always blame the company. From what I see, the parents and the company are the ones that were in control, and given that the parent's demands (AND CLAIMS; they are claiming DSP didn't have proper leadership; given Kara perfect Japanese debut (even if aided by a Japanese company), and their Korean activities running at the same time, that's unlikely)) are unreasonable considering both the industry as a whole, and DSP's share of profits, I think the parents are at fault. They don't seem to have even told teh girls, and excluded Gyuri entirely by acting on behalf of only four members. And DSP stood by this group when they had barely any support. It would have been much easier to diband them (many companies have dibanded groups that did better than Kara did at the start, but they didn't, which is to their credit..)...

Okay! ^-^ but please respect my opinion. that is all I want to say to you. I respect your opinion don't ridicule mine. BTW in my opinion the girls are the ones who work their butts of not DSP. Just pray that they will all work it out one way or another okay? Thank you very much ^-^

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God, this completely ruined my day x.x

I hope nothing bad happens to kara and they can stay together, it must extremely hard on them right now :/

I wish I knew more about the situation, I can't put full blame on the company at this point with so many people involved. This issue needs to be solved quick, I'll definitely support any decision they make but i can't imagine K-pop without Kara

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This is the second statement from LANDMARK lawyers:

"The loss of faith in our company is what hurts us the most!

The members of Kara and DSP Media began to lose trust in one another ever since the change in DSPs top management which occurred in March 2010. This is due to the fact that the members of the new management, who lacked professional knowledge, failed to provide proper management for Kara. The current executive director of DSP Media is the wife of Mr. Lee Ho Yeon, the ex-director who is currently ill. She has never worked in the entertainment management industry before; and so far, she has only been concerned about DSPs profits and the health of DSP. She failed to build a trusting relationship with the members of Kara as she disregarded situations and the growth potential of the members.

The contract turned into a registration form!

The members of Kara signed the contract for their work in Japan under the knowledge that it was a simple registration form. The members and the parents were told that the contract, which was in Japanese, was a form for simply registering as a music artist in Japan. This made them sign the contract without knowing that they were signing a contract, and when they asked for a copy of the contract after the fact, a DSP employee declined their request as the contract was not to be released outside of the company.

The company had no rights to make deals in Japan!

The executive director of DSP Japan, the company in charge of Karas work in Japan, is the same person as the original DSP executive director (wife of Lee Ho Yeon). The company removed part of the earnings as a share of DSP Japan, and then paid the members with a percentage of the remaining portion. This means that the same manager, who owns both companies, cut Karas share of the earnings through a transaction out of formality, which resulted in Kara getting taxed twice by the company. According to their contract with DSP, Kara members had their rights violated by this action.

Karaya is owned by the executive director and his family!

Karaya is an online clothing store for which three members of Kara (Gyuri, Hara and Jiyoung) work as models. It is owned by the current executive director of DSP Media, and other managerial positions are held by the directors family members, which clearly shows that this is another scheme to profit from the Kara members. Karaya also made the members wear clothing with the inappropriate line BEST IN FIVE on it then posted the photos on its website, which not only disregarded the reputation of the members, especially Jiyoung who is a minor, but also resulted in heavy complaints from Karas fans. This action by DSP was a clear display of how the DSP disregards the reputation or profit of the artists and is only concerned about the profits of itself."

(this is from allkpop)

============

Well, this could either be all true, or nitpicking you expect from lawyers (frankly, at least half of it bears the hallmarks of exactly that)

'Loss of trust': Okay, it's easy to say that, but give some reasons. The enormous success Kara enjoyed lately seems to suggest otherwise (how could such an dysfunctional company do so well at promoting them??). The new president: Is her lack of experience really to do with this, or is it just a convenient fact that can help the arguments.

THE CONTRACT: If what they say is true, that's illegal. It's easy to claim that they were refused a copy, but that needs proof. It's certainly illegal to make someone sign something they don't understand, as it is irresponsible to sign something you don't understand, but I see a BIG FLAW IN YOU CLAIM; who signed for JiYOUNG? she is NOT AN ADULT! She needed her parents to sign, which mean that at least her parents already saw the contract, and if they signed it without understanding, they have no grounds on which to complain.

NO RIGHT TO MAKE DEALS: That's a complex question; I don't think Korean courts even have any authority in this area. This is wrong (if true), but not exactly uncommon in the industry.

KARAYA: "Using the girls"? Um, they are part of the company! That's like saying that a company is using an artist by making them sing a song! Granted, the inappropriate content of the slogan on the t-shirt is concerning, but why is it being brought up only now! It's seems like you are just looking from things to back you up (i.e. THESE SEEM LIKE EXCUSES USED TO COVER UP THE REAL REASONS, rather that the REASONS themselves. This isn't what led to this, if it was, this would have happened earlier. I do not condone DSP's actions at all (assuming you portray them in the true light), but this should have been delt with earlier, if indeed it was the reason!)...

Okay! ^-^ but please respect my opinion. that is all I want to say to you. I respect your opinion don't ridicule mine. BTW in my opinion the girls are the ones who work their butts of not DSP. Just pray that they will all work it out one way or another okay? Thank you very much ^-^

I support the girls fully, and I don't blame them at all. I don't think that DSP is perfect, and it certainly has many things it should be ashamed about, but I think they are better than most companies, and on top of that, the actions of the parents don't seem much better. Not informing the girls, being willing to exclude one of the members.. they are not the actions of parents concerned about the group at all; they are the actions of parents who see this group the same way many netizens accuse the companies of treating their groups, as a source of income. It just gives the impression that Kara means nothing more to them than money.

Edited by ngah
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Well, this could either be all true, or nitpicking you expect from lwayers (frankly, at least half of it bears the hallmars of exactly that)

'Loss of trust': Okay, it's easy to say that, but give some reasons. The enormous success Kara enjoyed lately seems to suggest otherwise (how could such an disfunctional company do so well at promoting them??). The new president: Is her lack of experience really to do with this, or is it just a convenient fact that can help the arguments.

THE CONTRACT: If what they say is true, that's illegal. It's easy to claim that they were refused a copy, but that needs proof. It's certainly illegal to make someone sign something they ddon't understand, as it is irresponcible to sign something you don't understand, but I see a BIG FLAW IN YOU CLAIM; who signed for JiYOUNG? she is NOT AN ADULT! She needed her parents to sign, which mean that at least her parents already saw the contract, and if they signed it without understanding, they have no grounds on which to complain.

NO RIGHT TO MAKE DEALS: That's a complex question; I don't think Korean courts even have any authority in this area. This is wrong (if true), but not exactly uncommon in the industry.

KARAYA: "Using the girls"? Um, they are part of the company! That's like saying that a company is using an artist by making them sing a song! Granted, the innappropriate content of the slogan on the t-shirt is concerning, but why is it being brought up only now! It's seems like you are just looking from things to back you up (i.e. THESE SEEM LIKE EXCUSES USED TO COVER UP THE REAL REASONS, rather that the REASONS themselves. This isn't what led to this, if it was, this would have happened earlier. I do not condone DSP's actions at all (assuming you portray them in the true light), but this should have been delt with earlier, if indeed it was the reason!)...

As I mentioned in the Discussionbox,

"I will say though... I really don't trust that Landmark lawyer firm representing Nicole, Seungyeon and Jiyoung (and formerly, Hara). I am open-minded about all 5 members, and even about DSP, but I don't trust that firm. It's just the way they talk about DSP in public statements is so inflammatory and prejudicial, I can't shake the feeling that they're trying to manipulate public opinion against DSP. If the girls' claims are truly valid, I hope they are not misrepresented by some greedy lawyer firm trying to make some big money by going against a huge entertainment company... "

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As I mentioned in the Discussionbox,

"I will say though... I really don't trust that Landmark lawyer firm representing Nicole, Seungyeon and Jiyoung (and formerly, Hara). I am open-minded about all 5 members, and even about DSP, but I don't trust that firm. It's just the way they talk about DSP in public statements is so inflammatory and prejudicial, I can't shake the feeling that they're trying to manipulate public opinion against DSP. If the girls' claims are truly valid, I hope they are not misrepresented by some greedy lawyer firm trying to make some big money by going against a huge entertainment company... "

Well put. That's what I was trying to say. i get the impression that this is more about manipulating the public opinion, as you say, and finding things to portray as reasons, while keeping the real reasons hidden. I kept blaming the parents, but at this point it seems the lawyers, as is customary, saw a good oportunity, and decided to fan the flames and push this to the point of no return. I just hope the parents don't just roll along, and actually think about the girls. At the very least they should try to keep the girls together, even if it means making less money.

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This remind me of JYJ when the groups split 3/2

the name trademark thing remind me of Shinhwa when they tried to leave SM and SM sued them for their name to keep Shinhwa in the company...

..either way...this is such big mess. idk who's wrong but i hope they come to an agreement cuz Kara is doing very~ well in Japan, DSP would probably try their best to keep Kara in the company cuz of their success.

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So sad.. there are too many vultures around for this to turn out well. The members themselves seem to be the only sight in this dark mess... they're the only ones that can fix it, because all other are far to biased and concerned with other things rather than the group... The only ray of hope is that KARA has had it's more than fair share of challenges, and has overcome them, so let's hope this will be just one more on the list, and not something more significant...

The whole commercialized side of the industry is having a really negative impact on the artists, groups, and the people they work with. It takes away the humanity and poisons a lot of the relationships. I think this needs to be resolved once and for all, so it no longer threatens the kpop we all love; it's and ugliness that, at times, threatens to overshadow the beauty, and noone seems to be imune to it...

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After reading the latest statement their lawyers released, I still don't understand what SNJ's parent's were hoping to accomplish by doing all this. Do they want more money? All this bad publicity and breaking up KARA will only hurt the girls financially, not help. They complain about their lack of trust in the current executive director, the wife of the ex-director who is ill. She isn't going to resign and DSP is not going to fire her just because of their complaint. Are they upset with the girl's hectic schedules and lack of control over their daughter's career path? Unfortunately that's the status quo in the KPOP idol industry. I'm not saying I'm ok with that, but is there really another company that can offer better? YG and JYP maybe but KARA doesn't fit with YG's style and JYP has too many other girl groups to give KARA their full attention. In fact I'm still unclear as to whether SNJ's parents are even suing DSP for anything. At first glance (correct me if I'm wrong) it seems like the parents of SNJ are just ranting and burning bridges without any regard for how their daughter's reputations will be hurt.

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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).

I thought Nicole's mom moved to Korea along with Nicole? Obviously they don't live together since Nicole is at KARA's dorm but I could swear I've read/heard that Nicole's mom works at/owns a restaurant in Korea.

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After reading the latest statement their lawyers released, I still don't understand what SNJ's parent's were hoping to accomplish by doing all this. Do they want more money? All this bad publicity and breaking up KARA will only hurt the girls financially, not help. They complain about their lack of trust in the current executive director, the wife of the ex-director who is ill. She isn't going to resign and DSP is not going to fire her just because of their complaint. Are they upset with the girl's hectic schedules and lack of control over their daughter's career path? Unfortunately that's the status quo in the KPOP idol industry. I'm not saying I'm ok with that, but is there really another company that can offer better? YG and JYP maybe but KARA doesn't fit with YG's style and JYP has too many other girl groups to give KARA their full attention. In fact I'm still unclear as to whether SNJ's parents are even suing DSP for anything. At first glance (correct me if I'm wrong) it seems like the parents of SNJ are just ranting and burning bridges without any regard for how their daughter's reputations will be hurt.

I'm still reluctant to take sides. The parents are obviously an integral part of Seungyeon's, Jiyoung's, and Nicole's decision to pursue this fight, but I still think we don't have enough info to discard that the three girls themselves might be pushing for this. For now, I hesitate to think the parents alone are the ones doing this, and the girls are just getting dragged around...

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After reading the latest statement their lawyers released, I still don't understand what SNJ's parent's were hoping to accomplish by doing all this. Do they want more money? All this bad publicity and breaking up KARA will only hurt the girls financially, not help. They complain about their lack of trust in the current executive director, the wife of the ex-director who is ill. She isn't going to resign and DSP is not going to fire her just because of their complaint. Are they upset with the girl's hectic schedules and lack of control over their daughter's career path? Unfortunately that's the status quo in the KPOP idol industry. I'm not saying I'm ok with that, but is there really another company that can offer better? YG and JYP maybe but KARA doesn't fit with YG's style and JYP has too many other girl groups to give KARA their full attention. In fact I'm still unclear as to whether SNJ's parents are even suing DSP for anything. At first glance (correct me if I'm wrong) it seems like the parents of SNJ are just ranting and burning bridges without any regard for how their daughter's reputations will be hurt.

OMG I actually am just thinking abou this now due to your post :blink: what ARE they after??? Do they want a new contract, more money, or to just do done with DSP and work with another company, which like everyone said doesn't gaurantee a better deal. I think the girls themselves need to come out and finally just say whats going on, and as for them not even talking to each other, and staying with thier parents, its not making the problem any better. if the girls come to a decision together, and not the parents then thats the decision they should go with, if jiyoung's parents really cared about her finding hr dream they would also let her continue too, if thats what she chooses

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I thought Nicole's mom moved to Korea along with Nicole? Obviously they don't live together since Nicole is at KARA's dorm but I could swear I've read/heard that Nicole's mom works at/owns a restaurant in Korea.

I think your right, Nicole's mom is definately in Korea. She owns a small resturant, its the one Jeajoong visits. So where all this info about Nicoles mom not being involved because she isn't even in Korea is coming from is way beyond me. Im not saying she is but she is definately in Korea and definately able to be involved.

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Part of the reason the Korean entertainment business have so many disgruntled artists in my opinion... The so called "Managers" the idols are paired up with do not actually look out for the best interest of the artists. The "Managers" are basically babysitters who are hired by the entertainment companies like DSP, YG, SM, or JYP. Their job is basically get the artists to the venues on time, make sure the artist stays out of trouble, and act as bodyguards when the need arises. Korean artists need to adopt the western method of star management. Hire a 3rd party person to work as a real manager (who puts the client's need first before anything else). The manager works as a buffer between the artist and the entertainment companies. This way there is no conflict of interest for the "Manager" when it comes to making important artistic, scheduling, or monetary decisions.

With that said, it saddens me to read that every statement made by both parties are slowly but surely putting a wedge between our girls and our dreams of getting our Kara back. I hope the girls will still be friends after the dusts settle.

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Korean artists need to adopt the western method of star management. Hire a 3rd party person to work as a real manager (who puts the client's need first before anything else). The manager works as a buffer between the artist and the entertainment companies. This way there is no conflict of interest for the "Manager" when it comes to making important artistic, scheduling, or monetary decisions.

With that said, it saddens me to read that every statement made by both parties are slowly but surely putting a wedge between our girls and our dreams of getting our Kara back. I hope the girls will still be friends after the dusts settle.

The thing about Western management is that with each member having the power to command themselves, music groups become increasingly rare, because it's really hard to make a group that pleases everyone's interests. Basically, the Korean way of management (where the artists are employed by a company) is the system that makes music groups like girl groups and boy bands so common. Western management, on the other hand, has each artist acting as self-employed (instead of being employed by a company) and entering in legal agreements (contracts) with companies. Since artists are self-employed, coordinating a bunch of artists and forming a group is rare.

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The thing about Western management is that with each member having the power to command themselves, music groups become increasingly rare, because it's really hard to make a group that pleases everyone's interests. Basically, the Korean way of management (where the artists are employed by a company) is the system that makes music groups like girl groups and boy bands so common. Western management, on the other hand, has each artist acting as self-employed (instead of being employed by a company) and entering in legal agreements (contracts) with companies. Since artists are self-employed, coordinating a bunch of artists and forming a group is rare.

Sure self management is a issue for some ppl (Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, Miley Cyrus, Most of the Rolling Stones etc...) however if the 3 hold out members don't want to follow the company policies than they must be prepared to form their own path... There are thousands of talented young kids in Korea who would love to be in their places.

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I think we just want this to be settled amicably..

It's very messy at the moment.. and remember what comes out in statements are only bits and pieces of the situation. I really hope the members themselves come out and say something but I have a feeling this is all over their heads right now.

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I really couldn't believe this when i heard it. KARA was the last person, i would think who would file a lawsuit between DSP. This is so not happen, it can't happen. I don't want the girls to disband, or because like jyj. It like it totally jyj situation, just hope that the girls come out of this with 5 members, and the name KARA

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