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[a3day]

ADOR, HYBE, and Ownership of Influence

As I've spent the past few weeks re-introducing myself to the scene, I've been keeping up with the story that won't stop giving over at ADOR/HYBE. Not since the bulk of 2023 with SME (losing CEOs, former CEO starting a business, flagship artists leaving) have I been this interested in the activities of a business in SoKo.

It's a lot, though.

There's so much to say... too much tbh, getting in at this point ... so here's the latest summary from a respected writer.

My question -- one that has 50-11 potential answers -- is about the source of this entanglement. Who actually owns the sound when it's established that ADOR is under the HYBE umbrella?

Let me be clear: Who is the source of "the sound" and style/charisma that's implied to have been stolen, because is it either label, honestly?

Are there similarities? Absolutely. Is it a bit sus? Contextually, we might not ever be able to definitively know.

The teams and influences behind these acts aren't exclusively a reflection of South Korean creatives. No, I am NOT saying that South Koreans are not creative, that's ridiculous and absolutely false. What I am saying is

• international writing teams exist • researching trends and concepts from other international spaces exists, and • increased accessibility to global artistry via streaming makes it super-difficult to not create similarities and overlap at some point

Don't plagiarize but also don't act like melodies, styling, concepts, themes, etc. have limitations.

It is damn hard in 2024 to create an original vibe that doesn't make someone feel like it's been heard or seen before. It's especially difficult when there's "a formula" for success that's followed in-house by a subsidiary, it wins, and the fans express confusion. Hell, even with the music I produce I have to do as much combing through other media as I can to attempt to minimize false accusations of plagiarism or copyright infringement.

What do you think about all of this, if anything?

[a3day]

Off top, my sister popped off on the photos. She's such a talent and I enjoy working with her. If you're not subscribed to my sister on YouTube...

READ MORE - FOR FREE! - ON PATREON

[a3day]

#5yearswitha3daypodcast Episode Preview

Listen to the first few minutes of my comeback episode in celebration of An Album a Day’s 5th podcast anniversary! Full episode drops April 15, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. Central Time U.S.

[a3day]

Mic check 1,2...

I'm scheduled for a return to podcasting on April 1. I'm literally at my desk, recording content now, to get to the deadline. A lot's happened and I'll talk about it during the episode but I didn't want to get too mushy or long-winded here.

There's some reconfigured websites, links, etc.

Just... a lot.

So, I'll "see" y'all soon, eh?

[a3day]

Peeking 'Round the Curtain

Hey y'all... umm... you good? Just... wondering...

[a3day]

Curtain Close

With the exception of my Discord (which a link will be shared temporarily soon), all things aligned with A3Day will be at a stand still.

[a3day]

Get Ready To Be Wowed by New K-Pop Boy Group XODIAC in Debut Music Video "Throw A Dice"

April 25, 2023 - Hong Kong-based entertainment agency, One Cool Jacso announced nine members from OCJ NEWBIES, their 17 member trainee group, as the new K-pop boy band, XODIAC. Members LEX, HYUNSIK, ZAYYAN, BEOMSOO, WAIN, GYUMIN, SING, DAVIN and LEO stand out in XODIAC’s official debut single “Throw A Dice”, now available on all streaming platforms. The first K-Pop band to land four major magazine shoots including Cosmopolitan, ELLE MEN, Harper’s Bazaar, and Men’s Uno - from Hong Kong - before their official debut and winning at the global Weibo Account Festival held in Japan on December 20 is unprecedented. The group as a collective received an award for “Potential New Boy Group”, and XODIAC leader LEX is one of the first solo pre-debut artists to receive the “Fashion Rookie” award.

“Throw A Dice” is a musical journey from an Ocean's 13 film vibe with high stakes and winner at the end, featuring XODIAC’s gentlemen in sharply dressed visuals. The music is a perfect blend of pop and rap elements that delivers high energy and powerful rhythm to get listeners moving. XODIAC's singing style is a fun and light pop sound, contrasted with a lower and more mature rap beat, adding depth and variation to the song. Each member performs their best moves smoothly and effortlessly, making a strong impression of their highly-skilled choreography. Overall, "Throw A Dice '' music video is a feast for the eyes, and a perfect complement to the catchy and upbeat song. Throw A Dice is a fusion of dance and hip-hop that creates a catchy and electric beat that flows the upbeat tempo perfectly.

The outfits are shown with all members in high-fashion attire such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Fendi. Fashion plays a huge role for XODIAC as a group, so it is only fitting for them to have a youthful, modern, yet mature look. Although, now stepping into the K-pop scene, they show a lot of promise with their crisp and precise performance skills. The sextet checks all the boxes in Korean culture with their upbeat and classy sound, precise dancing, fashion sense, and overall visuals.

Dazzled in gold and luxury, XODIAC introduces fans to a world of glitz and glamorous roulette. Opening the video with LEX, who exudes an aura of mystery and allure, he presents himself as the Gamemaster who will lead us through the journey that is beginning to unfold. Adorned in designer suits and slicked back hair, the suave members are preparing to enter a high stakes game that's more than meets the eye. Seemingly meeting for the first time, in an ocean’s 8-esque reveal, the members size up one another as they partake in a match of deception. Though as the video progresses, we witness shots of the members meeting with one another in secret and it makes the audience ask, are they really strangers and who can we trust? Approaching the midpoint of the video, the intentions of the players are slowly revealed and the once elusive end-game is in sight, there can only be one winner in this elite game of cat-and-mouse. Closing out the video with an intense dance break that echoes the climax of the story, the audience is left on the edge of their seats. With each throw of the dice, fans are drawn deeper into the world of XODIAC.

Talent is served in abundance with these boys. Group and dance leader LEX has been learning modern dance since he was a child and has won several national dancing awards in Korea. XODIAC is one of the most highly-anticipated boy groups set to takeover as rookies in 2023 as they prepare to visit fans overseas in Amsterdam and London on 30th May and 1st June respectively.

PRESS PHOTOS (Credit: One Cool Jacso)

--

Connect with XODIAC: Instagram | YouTube | Twitter

For XODIAC U.S. PR Inquiries:

Miller PR

(323) 761-7220

xodiac@miller-pr.com

[a3day]

"When you have a lot of companies in the success of an act, there's likely a lot of interest before they hit the big stage." In Apink's case, they did it via cable TV. Learn more about their beginnings when you listen to Season 7 Episode 2 of #a3day 🎉

Listen Now!

[a3day]

An Album a Day Begins Apink's Discography

Blending together the letter A for its grade of perfection and the word “pink” for its femininity and innocence, Apink was initially a seven-member girl group under A Cube Entertainment, which eventually became IST Entertainment. At the time of this episode, the group is now composed of five members, with two departing in 2013 and 2022, respectively.

A Cube Entertainment was an independent label of Cube Entertainment from 2011 until 2015, in which LOEN Entertainment would buy 70% of the shares, thus changing it into Plan A Entertainment until 2019. Eventually, Kakao M, now known as Kakao Entertainment, would own the company and merge it with Fave Entertainment and become Play M Entertainment until 2021. All of these name changes by way of mergers eventually ended at IST Entertainment. That was a mouthful, but necessary in revealing how the group was established.

When you have a lot of companies involved in the success of an act, there’s likely a lot of interest before they hit the big stage. In Apink’s case, their founding in 2011 was chronicled in a reality show called Apink News. The cable show chronicled their launch process for three seasons with second generation K-pop idols as the hosts, such as members of BEAST, MBLAQ, and 4MINUTE.

Then, on April 19 of that year, members Son Na-eun, Park Cho-rong, Oh Ha-young, Jeong Eun-ji, Hong Yoo-kyung, Yoon Bi-mi, and Kim Nam-joo made their debut with their first extended play, Seven Springs of Apink.

Listen to the overview of this album and hear highlights at https://a3dayhq.carrd.co/

[a3day]

Y'all are so sensitive or whatever, but here you go. 😏

[a3day]

This was an incredible experience, seriously. The amount of well-preserved historical items blew my mind!

I took several photos that you can see here while in the museum and learned more about influences I never knew about in the cultural exchange of music.

I especially enjoyed the fact that the museum is curated by others who are passionate about preserving the history of South Korea's popular music. Fans far and wide submitted items and artists who might've been long forgotten are celebrated in the halls of K-POP Museum.

I intend to build on some stories from things discovered while there but for now, I hope the podcast recap is enjoyable!

[a3day]

THANK YOU FOR FOUR GREAT YEARS, LISTENERS!

An Album a Day: A Review of Every Album in K-pop was established on April 14, 2019, in Daegu, South Korea. The English-language podcast promotes commentary on South Korean pop music. The show focuses primarily on idol groups (active, on hiatus, and disbanded) in alphabetical order, and related music history within the vast K-pop scene.

4년 동안 감사했습니다, 청취자 여러분!

《A Album a Day: A Review of Every Album in K-pop》은 2019년 4월 14일에 대한민국 대구광역시에서 설립되었습니다. 영어 팟캐스트는 한국 대중음악에 대한 해설을 홍보합니다. 이 쇼는 주로 알파벳 순서의 아이돌 그룹(활동 중, 활동 중단 중, 해체됨)과 방대한 K-pop 씬 내의 관련 음악 역사에 초점을 맞춥니다.

¡Gracias por cuatro grandes años, escuchadores!

Un álbum a día: Una revisión de cada álbum en K-pop fue creada el 14 de abril de 2019, en Daegu, Corea del Sur. El podcast en inglés promueve comentarios sobre la música pop de Corea del Sur. El espectáculo se centra principalmente en grupos idólicos (activos, en interrupción y disueltos) por orden alfabético y en historia musical relacionada dentro de la vasta escena del K-pop.

[a3day]

ATINY deserve better than this, I know it! An Album a Day will make up for this with a solid Great Moments in Production & Delivery experience soon. Please anticipate both that and Season 7 of the podcast!

[a3day]

K-Pop History, Stateside. This is a worthwhile read!

[a3day]

Hey everyone, this is a letter from the past. (Seriously, I did all of this on album debut day... )

Just pretend that it's December 2022, mmm'kay? Feign ignorance.

I just finished listening to Kim Nam-joon's (RM) first solo album "Indigo" and provided commentary on each track I was excited to hear and read so many thoughts on RM's solo work both leading up to its release, and definitely later today, so I want to get my review out ASAP.

[Stares in the future in pain...]

This feels... I dunno... I wanna say significant? Not just to fans and general listeners but A Huge Thing for RM, you know? I mean, BTS announced their intentions about taking a break and the masses ran with it as a (misinterpreted) disbandment announcement. Then J-Hope came to let us know that the middle child of the group ain't no chump. Jin gave us something precious before enlistment and Suga started a whole online show. Things were shifting and RM was simply uploading pics to Instagram. I'm NOT mad at that, I'm just sayin'...

RM likely knows the significance of his first solo album far deeper than any of us ever could. All that I can do is add some insightful commentary on each track, noting the poeticness of the lyrics and the importance of reading translations to fully understand the meaning.

Overall, I highly recommend giving this episode a listen if you're a fan of BTS or interested in exploring the artistry of RM.

As always, thanks for tuning in and supporting the podcast. Don't forget to hit play on the latest episode of "An Album a Day" when it goes live this afternoon!