BigHit and Universal to Develop BTS-Level Boy Group Through Global Auditions

Big Hit Entertainment and Universal Music Group (UMG) announce their global boy group development plan through the digital live streaming platform 'VenewLive'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Big Hit Entertainment, the agency of BTS, is collaborating with Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music label, to discover K-pop boy groups that will perform on the global stage.

On the 18th, Big Hit announced that it will establish a joint venture (JV) with UMG in Los Angeles to select and train boy group members who will be active globally. The joint label will be led by Big Hit, which made history with BTS's nomination for the '2021 Grammy Awards,' and Geffen Records, a global music label under UMG that has produced world-renowned musicians such as Nirvana and Elton John.

Boy group members will be selected through a global audition scheduled for 2022. Big Hit plans to create content such as videos documenting the entire process from auditions to group training. These members will operate under K-pop's 'full production system,' which combines music, performance, fashion, music videos, and fan communication. Bang Si-hyuk, Chairman of Big Hit's Board, said, "Both Big Hit and UMG share values and visions in pursuing innovation in the music industry and delivering authentic music and uncompromising quality content to fans," adding, "We will create synergy that opens a new era in the global music industry."

This news from the two companies was revealed through the digital live streaming platform VenewLive. VenewLive officially launched last September when Big Hit established a joint venture with Kiswe, a non-face-to-face live streaming company. Big Hit has been conducting various online concerts through this platform. Despite approximately 760,000 simultaneous viewers attending the BTS online concert held last year, the platform proved its stability in streaming, high-quality video, and audio levels. It supports multi-view functionality, allowing viewers to watch artists' performances from multiple angles in 4K and HD high resolution. Additionally, it features diverse interactive elements such as live chat and light stick synchronization.

Thanks to this technological capability, VenewLive's influence is expanding further. On the 10th, YG Entertainment and UMG announced their joint investment in KBYK Live, a joint venture established by Big Hit and Kiswe. Starting with these equity investments, VenewLive is expected to evolve into a large-scale digital live streaming platform supported by four global companies. These companies plan to develop VenewLive into a global platform featuring their affiliated artists as well as various musicians.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.