SM Entertainment is the largest K-pop agency in South Korea housing most of all the hugest groups that have paved way for K-pop to get known around the globe since 1995 when founder Lee Soo Man started the record label up to the present.
The company has constantly been listed in "Forbes Asia's 200 Best Under a Billion" with a market capitalization of $660 Million in 2013. It has also expanded in China, Japan, and in the U.S. successfully flourishing the growth of the "Hallyu" or Korean Wave in other countries that are potential sources of much bigger income than it will ever earn in South Korea alone.
SM Entertainment used to be very meticulous in managing its groups - with few lapses like its alleged slave contract case with former TVXQ members who are now in a new group called JYJ and complaints from some of its groups' fanbases such as the never ending accuse of ELFs from SM's disregard to Super Junior's welfare.
In recent years, however, the label's influence has grown wider in target audience, new projects in the West, the SMCOEX Center that sells various products from its label artists, new trainees being hired and exposed to the media, and new groups being debuted.
Speculations reveal that the agency focused so much on its expansion that it has started to lose touch in its old groups.
Some of these are the successive dating scandals from Girls' Generation which in the past, the agency would fix right away, member Jessica's alleged unjustified kick-out from the girl group, EXO members leaving and accusing SM from treating the Chinese members unfairly, the lack of its care in the members' health, and the ignored cries of girl group F(x) fans to have an official fanclub name.
SM managers are also reportedly unnecessarily rude to both the fans and the artists they are assigned to. EXO's manager for instance has been fined for injuring a fan at the airport last August.
The manager of the newest girl group Red Velvet has been seen quite often cursing at the fans and exhibiting unneeded harsh attitude not only to the fans but to the members as well. Although it has been rumored that he was fired after not seeing tagging with the group, Korean netizens still noted how common male SM managers often cross the line, violating nearby people, and getting away with it.
SM Entertainment's mismanagement also extends to the minute things such as unreleased songs being leaked, unsynchronized release of new album songs in domestic and international music sites such as iTunes which happened with Girls' Generation, and promotions not being properly taken care of.
The latest display of mismanagement took place just two days ago when fixed schedule of releasing of its male group SHINee's music video in various platforms such as YouTube has been postponed last minute, a day later when the album has already been released in the charts.
What irks fans more is that the agency did not seem to put importance in the group's comeback after two years, releasing only three teasers before the release of the "Odd" album on the 18th, and no highlight medley uploaded so that mainstream listeners can have an idea on what is the album all about.
SM Entertainment is surely moving forward with its effective tactics to get fans to buy its groups' products. However, the fans are praying that the influential agency owned by South Korea's conglomerates would consider treating its artists as dignified humans too, and not some disposable money-generating machines.
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