Cube Entertainment
Cube Entertainment Inc. (Korean: 큐브엔터테인먼트; RR: Kyubeu Enteoteinmeonteu) is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for having "self-composing and self-producing" idols.[4] In April 2020, the founder of Cube, Hong Seung-sung, resigned from the company due to an ownership dispute.[5]
Native name
큐브엔터테인먼트
August 29, 2006 (as Playcube, Inc.)[1]
- Hong Seung-sung
- Shin Jung-hwa
- Hong Seung-sung (Co-founder and chairman)
- Shin Jung-hwa (Co-founder and CEO)
- Noh Hyun-Tae (Vice president)
- ₩ 29.830 billion (2019)[2]
- ₩ 969 million (2019)[2]
- VT GMP (37.60%)
- Seung-gon Kang (9.30%)
- Cheol Jeong (3.21%)
- Samsung Asset Management (1.50%)
- Cube Entertainment (1.11%)
- Others (47.28%)[3]
79 (2018.9)
- Cube Entertainment Japan
- U-Cube
- www
.cubeent (Korea).co .kr - cubeent
.jp (Japan)
The label currently manages several artists, namely Jo Kwon, Pentagon, Choi Yu-jin, Yoo Seon-ho, (G)I-dle, Lightsum and Nowadays. It also manages several entertainers and actors, including Lee Hwi-jae, Heo Kyung-hwan, Park Mi-sun, Kim Jin-woo and Park Sun-young.
It was formerly home to K-pop artists such as 4Minute, Beast, G.NA, Roh Ji-hoon, Hyuna, Rain, E'Dawn, A Train To Autumn, Lai Kuan-lin, Jang Hyun-seung, Elkie, Sorn, Soojin, Yeeun, CLC, BtoB and Na In-woo.
History[edit]
2006–2010: Formation and first-generation artists[edit]
Cube Entertainment was founded on August 29, 2006, by Hong Seung-sung (aka Simon Hong), former president of JYP Entertainment, and Shin Jung-hwa (Monica Shin) as Playcube Inc.[6] Due to the founder's past relations, Cube is sometimes mistaken as a subsidiary of JYP Entertainment, however, it is an independent corporation.[7]
In 2009, Cube's first two groups debuted, with girl group 4Minute debuting in June and boy group Beast in October.
In 2010, G.NA became the first solo artist in Cube to debut.[8]
Philanthropy[edit]
Cube Entertainment artists teamed up with US major league team, Los Angeles Dodgers's Korean player Ryu Hyun-jin by donating all the profit from two collaboration songs to Hanbit School for the Blind.[100]
In September 2015, the artists from the agency performed at the "Cube Festival" concert.[101] The concert was hosted by Shanghai TV, Channel M, and BesTV. At a preceding press conference, a Cube representative said, “A while ago there was a heartbreaking accident in China. BEAST, 4minute, G.Na, BTOB, and CLC donated a portion of their earnings from their recent concert in Shanghai to the victims of the 2015 Tianjin explosions.” Representing the concert organizer, Yeom Gyu Suk from Butterfly Media went on to explain, “While in the midst of preparing for the concert, the event sponsor and Cube Entertainment heard the news of the accident and decided to do the show for the victims, and after gathering the artists agreed.”[102][103]
In 2018, Cube Entertainment President Hong Seung-sung joined the Honor Society and gave a donation of more than ₩100 million for patients with rare incurable diseases. Hong Seung-sung, who has been suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease for the past 7 years, said, "As a person suffering from the same pain, I want to be a little push for children with rare diseases that need help."[104] Over the years, it is common for United Cube to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge, as a way to raise awareness for the disease.[105][106][107][108][109][110][111]
In April 2019, according to the Disaster Relief Association, Cube Entertainment donated a total of ₩50 million to the Korean Committee to help those that were affected by the Sokcho Fire.[112] On December 30, Cube delivered ₩10 million through Foundation for International Development Cooperation NGO for a child care facility in Seoul and a promised for monthly donation and volunteer activity.[113]
On March 6, 2020, Cube and their artists donated ₩50 million through Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to prevent the spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. The contribution will be used to support daily necessities, hygiene products and health goods for medical staff and families.[114] In June, Cube Entertainment's parent company, VT GMP donated 10 million won worth of antibacterial paper bags for COVID-19 self-container sanitary kit.[67]
Controversies[edit]
2019: Contract ruled invalid for Lai Kuan-lin[edit]
On June 17, 2021, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in Lai Kaun-lin's favour and ended his contract with Cube Entertainment. This brought to a close a 2 year dispute that started in July 2019 when Lai requested to terminate his contract. One of the claims Lai made was that Cube Entertainment had sold his artist management rights in China to a third party without notifying him. The judge agreed with Lai and deemed the contract invalid. Lai also claimed Cube scheduled conflicting events that he could not attend and impersonated the signature of Lai Kuan-lin's father.[165][166][167]