SM Artist Weverse Entry, Signal of HYBE·SM Collaboration

12 SM Artists to Join Weverse by September
Weverse Shop Also to Launch Selling Albums and Official Merchandise
'SM Acquisition Battle' Signals Collaboration Between Both Platforms

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Twelve artists under SM Entertainment will join Weverse by September this year. This marks the first step of the 'platform collaboration' following the agreement resulting from the 'SM acquisition battle.'

On the 17th, HYBE and SM officially announced the entry of SM artists onto Weverse. Weverse is HYBE's platform that offers live broadcasts and more. SM artists will move from their existing SM fan community platform, 'Gwangya Club,' to Weverse. Official communities for each artist under the label are scheduled to open by September.

Additionally, SM will also join the commerce platform 'Weverse Shop,' where albums and official merchandise can be purchased. Albums and MD products released by SM will be sold on Weverse Shop alongside 'SMTOWN & Store' and existing sales sites. The global official fan clubs will also be operated through Weverse's 'Membership' service.

This collaboration announcement between HYBE and SM signals the start of 'platform collaboration' following the conclusion of the SM acquisition battle. Recently, Kakao Entertainment and HYBE fiercely competed for SM's management rights. Ultimately, HYBE gave up the acquisition, making Kakao the largest shareholder. While Kakao holds the management rights, they agreed to collaborate with HYBE on platform-related matters.

Weverse is HYBE's global fandom life platform, boasting approximately 65 million community members worldwide. It supports all fan activities, from community services and media content provision to commerce services through Weverse Shop, which sells official merchandise. It currently operates official communities for about 80 domestic and international artists, including those under HYBE and YG Entertainment, as well as audition programs.

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