The Kpop industry is so fast-paced that before fans know it, idol groups are up for contract renewal with their agencies. This means that idol groups that debuted in 2014 are now in negotiations with their respective agencies.
Among the top groups that debuted in 2014 are GOT7, WINNER, MAMAMOO, Red Velvet, Lovelyz, and LABOUM. AKDONG Musician (AKMU) also debuted in the same year, All Kpop reported.
Contract renewal is a sensitive topic for fans when idol groups' activities hang in the balance. For a specific idol group to continue, all members need to agree to renew the contract with the agency. For some, negotiations take a long time, while some lose members after talks with the labels hit a snag.
Another aspect to consider is the label's trademark ownership of the idol group's name. Some idol groups who have left their agency but wanted to stick together were forced to change their idol group name as they moved forward with group activities. An example of this situation was the group Highlight, which debuted under the name of BEAST under Cube Entertainment in 2016. Yoon Doojoon, Yong Junhyung, Yang Yoseob, Lee Kikwang, and Son Dongwoon adopted the new name after they left Cube Entertainment while one of their members, Jang Hyunseung, opted to remain with the agency, Billboard reported
Another case would be BIGBANG's G-Dragon and Taeyang, who will lose the privilege of using their stage names should they choose to leave YG Entertainment. YG owns the trademark rights to both names which have become iconic parts of the Hallyu wave all around the world.
With the current renewal scenario, it is expected that WINNER will have to negotiate their contracts with YG Entertainment while two of their members are enlisted in the military. Jin Woo and Seungyoon recently reported for mandatory service while Song MINO and Seunghoon are expected to carry out solo promotions this year.
GOT7 is also on its seventh year with JYP Entertainment with a lot of positive indications of staying on. Throughout their career under the agency, GOT7 has effectively carved out a niche for themselves as one of the top male idol groups in the industry. Aside from their regular comebacks as a group, members have also promoted as solo acts like Jackson Wang and Jinyoung. Jackson releases solo tracks while Jinyoung is very much active in Korean dramas.
AKMU is also, reportedly, up for contract negotiations this year but little is known whether the talented brother and sister duo would choose to stay on with YG or move to another agency.
Some fans are speculating that Red Velvet will not be talking about contract renewal yet as SM traditionally holds artists to a 10-year contract before renewal. According to fans, MAMAMOO will almost certainly renew their contracts but the existing one won't expire until January next year.
