BTS agency strikes new distribution deal with UMG

SEOUL: HYBE, the South Korean agency behind K-pop sensation BTS, announced yesterday an expanded 10-year deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), including exclusive distribution rights for its artists’ music.

“UMG will exclusively distribute physical albums and digital music released by labels under HYBE to the global market for the next 10 years,” HYBE said in a statement.

The deal applies not only to “existing labels but also to new labels to be incorporated under HYBE” in future, it said.

“Universal Music Group is to also support promotion and marketing of HYBE artists’ activities in North America,” it added.

The latest announcement follows HYBE and UMG’s initial collaboration in 2017 on BTS, through a distribution agreement in Japan.

Last year, UMG’s Geffen Records and HYBE collaborated on The Debut: Dream Academy, a YouTube audition series that highlighted their joint venture to form a girl group in the US using HYBE’s K-pop training programme.

The winners of the audition show – a six-member group – are set to make their debut this year.

“HYBE has secured infinite growth potential through its partnership with Universal Music Group, the most iconic company in the music industry,” HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk said.

UMG’s artists include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber.

HYBE’s BTS, on the other hand, has become a global cultural phenomenon, selling out stadiums around the world and dominating key US charts while raking in billions for South Korea’s economy and building an international legion of fans known as ARMY. – AFP