The Big Three (K-pop)
| Synonyms: | The Big 3, big three, big 3 |
| See also: | |
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The Big Three in K-pop refers to the three South Korean entertainment companies YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and SM Entertainment. These companies dominated the K-pop industry from the late 1990s to today. In the late 2010s, there were arguments over including Big Hit Entertainment to create a new Big 4 with the company's success from their group BTS.
History
YG Entertainment established themselves as a member of the Big 3 by signing artists such as PSY, BIG BANG, and 2NE1.
JYP Entertainment established themselves as a member of the Big 3 by signing artists such as 2am, 2pm, and Wonder Girls.
SM Entertainment established themselves as a member of the Big 3 by signing artists such as SHINEE, SNSD/Girls Generation, BOA, Super Junior, f(x), and EXO.
Impact
The Big 3 companies, with their connections and hold over the entertainment industry in South Korea, are capable of allegedly blacklisting ex-idols. Current rumored blacklisted idols are:
- From JYP Entertainment:
- From SM Entertainment:
- JYJ (South Korean music group) (Xiah Junsu, Yoo Chun, and Jaejong)
- Jessica Jung (Former SNSD/Girls Generation) member
When blacklisted, an ex-idol cannot promote their music on South Korean music shows like SBS Inkigayo, M Countdown, Music Bank, and Show Champion and are often barred from resources in the industry.