Welcome to the fame factory
Fame used to be something you stumbled into. These days stars aren’t born, they’re built. From K-pop idol academies to content creation camps, the business of stardom is more science than serendipity—and more profitable than ever. Let’s take a Deep Dive.
🧚🏻♂️ For global superstars like BTS or Blackpink, it involves a fairy god agency with an uncanny sense for what will work, combined with years of relentless training, branding and storytelling, and a tireless team.
🤳 On the digital front, factory-like influencer farms where aspiring influencers are trained and managed in large numbers—some in physical spaces—are commonplace, fuelling the live commerce industry.
🏘️ TikTok houses, accommodations where creators live and film content together, have popped up worldwide, from Los Angeles to Bangkok.
QUOTABLE
“Starting my career in Korea as a K-pop artist has restricted so many sides of me, where it wasn’t just allowed to be shown because I’m a K-pop idol.”
— Jennie Kim, singer-songwriter and rapper
BY THE NUMBERS
7 Idol contracts with agencies are an average of seven years.
US$760 As of 2022, the average monthly training cost per entertainment trainee in South Korea is KRW 1.1 million, or US$760.
60% More than 60 per cent of 10,000 Chinese respondents in a 2023 survey said they would be interested in a job as an internet influencer or livestream host.
2009 The first collaborative YouTube house was founded in 2009.
QUIZ
What is the most outrageous item Viya, China’s live streaming queen with over 100 million social media followers, has sold online?
A. A space rocket launch service
B. A pet cloning service
C. A 24-karat gold-plated sports car
Scroll to the bottom for the answer.
DID YOU KNOW?
You’ve heard of internet celebrities, but have you heard of the CEO-influencer? CEOs of large multinationals in China are becoming internet celebrities to boost company sales.
THE EDIT
👩🏻 Momager. In contrast to K-pop’s rigorous system, momager and shrewd business woman Kris Jenner single-handedly turned the Kardashian-Jenner clan into a billion-dollar brand by mastering the art of media, marketing and cultural influence.
🎦 Fame creation. Creator camps are sprouting up across the US and are teaching children skills like video editing, scripting and filming.
🇸🇬 School is in session. The Singapore Raffles Music College (SRMC) and the School of Performing Arts Seoul (Sopa) are partnering to start the country’s first K-pop high school—and the first outside of Korea.
🚫 Not so fair trade. The South Korean Fair Trade Commission has implemented regulations to prohibit unfair practices in contracts between K-pop trainees and entertainment agencies.
WATCH
Can enrolling in K-pop bootcamps in South Korea boost one’s chances at stardom? This video follows a 14-year-old Singaporean idol hopeful as she embarks on a 10-day bootcamp for a chance to become a trainee.
THE FULL PICTURE
Since 2019, the influencer marketing market worldwide has grown more than three times from US$6.5 billion to US$21.1 billion in 2023.
KEY PLAYER
Bang Si-Hyuk
Bang Si-Hyuk is the founder and chairman of Hybe Corporation, South Korea’s largest entertainment company, renowned for managing K-pop sensation BTS. Under Bang’s leadership, Hybe has established divisions like Hybe America, with Scooter Braun serving as CEO, and Hybe Latin America, which launched in 2023 to tap into the Latin music market.
HONOUREE TO KNOW
Shye
Trinity Shye-Anne Brown, known professionally as Shye, has amassed awards and produced her own EPs and an album since she debuted as the youngest winner of the 2018 Vans Musicians Wanted competition at the age of 16. In 2022, she was named Best New Act from Asia at the NME Awards, and performed at the South by Southwest festival in 2023.
ONE FINAL THING
A Chinese man who signed up as a livestreamer is embroiled in a contract dispute after discovering he was paid 0.3 yuan, or a “service subsidy”, for a month of his efforts.
