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Draft:ADOR

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  • Comment: This draft is written from the viewpoint of the company, focusing on what the company says about itself. Corporate notability is based on what independent reliable sources have written about the subject.
    Not every business corporation is notable, and this draft does not establish corporate notability. You may ask for advice about corporate notability at the Teahouse.
    This draft is about a division of a company. There is not enough information about what third parties have written about the division to justify a separate article, but this information can be added to the article on the parent company. Robert McClenon (talk) 04:03, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

ADOR
Native name
어도어
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry
GenreK-pop
FoundedNovember 2021
FounderMin Hee-jin (CEO)
Headquarters
Seoul
,
South Korea
Services
Revenue₩110.2 billion (2023)
₩33.5 billion (2023)
₩26.5 billion (2023)
Total assets₩39.8 billion[2] (2023)
Owner
ParentHybe Corporation
Websiteador.world

ADOR (acronym for All Doors One Room) is a South Korean entertainment company established in November 2021 by its current CEO, Min Hee-jin, as a subsidiary of Hybe Corporation. After becoming CBO of Hybe Corporation in 2019, Min started planning to form a K-pop girl group. She subsequently decided to establish her own label to gain full control over the production process. The label's first girl group, NewJeans, debuted in July 2022 to commercial success. After the group's second successful release, Hybe sold a significant portion of its stake back to ADOR and allowed a change in the board of directors that led to ADOR gaining increased autonomy. To promote the group, the label has collaborated with one of Hybe's subsidiaries, Weverse Company, to develop a NewJeans-exclusive mobile application, Phoning, which was successfully launched in July 2022.

History

[edit]

2019–2022: Origins and establishment

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After working for 16 years at SM Entertainment,[3] creative director Min Hee-jin left the company and became the chief brand officer (CBO) of Hybe Corporation in 2019.[4] That year, Min started planning to debut a K-pop girl group.[5] In November 2021, Hybe announced the establishment of the wholly-owned record label ADOR, with Min as its CEO.[6] Initially formed as a division of one of Hybe's subsidiaries, Source Music, ADOR was subsequently acquired by Hybe through an investment of around 16 billion, becoming the first label to be established solely by Hybe.[note 1] The label's initial board of directors included as inside directors Min and two Hybe executives: chief financial officer (CFO) Lee Kyung-joon and head of corporate strategy Lee Chang-woo. Hybe supported the label through monetary investment and financial and corporate strategy consulting provided by their executives.[8]

In January 2022, the label hosted the online ADOR Global Audition.[9] The planned girl group, named NewJeans, debuted under ADOR in July 2022 with the release of the music video for their first single "Attention",[10] which topped the South Korean Circle Digital Chart.[11] That same month, one of Hybe's subsidiaries, Weverse Company, launched the mobile application Phoning, an artist-to-fan communication service developed exclusively for NewJeans in collaboration with ADOR.[12] NewJeans' first extended play (EP), New Jeans, was released in August 2022 to commercial success; it topped the Circle Album Chart and sold over a million copies, becoming the best selling debut album by a K-pop female act in South Korea and the only debut album to achieve this since the establishment of Circle Chart in 2011.[13][14] The marketing strategy implemented to promote NewJeans was considered innovative in the K-pop industry; Lee Seung-yoon, digital cultural psychologist and professor at Konkuk University Business School, analyzed the album rollout, highlighting their unconventional introduction to the public, use of transmedia storytelling in music videos, and close communication with fans through Phoning, among others.[15] In the second half of 2022, sales reportedly totaled up to ₩18.6 billion.[16]

2023–present: Increased autonomy and conflict with Hybe

[edit]

NewJeans' first single album, OMG, was released in January 2023.[17] The album topped the Circle Album Chart with over a million copies sold and spawned two singles including "Ditto",[17] the longest-running number-one song on the Circle Digital Chart and the group's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.[18][19] In the first quarter of 2023, sales had reportedly increased to ₩26 billion and the company had recorded a net profit of ₩4 billion. That year, Hybe sold 20% of its stake in the company; Min Hee-jin exercised her call option right and bought 18% for ₩1.1 billion, while other officials at ADOR bought the remaining 2%.[2] In April 2023, Lee Kyung-joon and Lee Chang-woo left the board of directors and were replaced by Min's long-time collaborators Shin Dong-hoon, vice president (VP) of ADOR, and Kim Ye-min, senior creative director at ADOR; both had previously worked with Min at SM Entertainment. Analysts noted that the move would guarantee the label more autonomy. Hybe subsequently stated that the change had been enacted "to strengthen ADOR's artist management and production capabilities". Analysts interpreted both moves as "recognition of the capabilities of CEO Min and other key officials" at ADOR from Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk following NewJeans' commercial success. In the first half of 2023, sales had reportedly increased to ₩44.9 billion and ADOR recorded a net profit of ₩11.6 billion, becoming Hybe's sixth highest-grossing subsidiary.[16]

From March to June 2023, ADOR hosted a series of worldwide online and offline auditions, titled 2023 ADOR Global Audition – The Real Hybe Boys, to recruit members for a future boy group; offline auditions were held in South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.[20][21] In May 2023, ADOR and the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand hosted the 2023 ADOR Onsite Global Audition in Thailand, open to both male and female trainees.[22] The company also hosted the online ADOR Audition from November 2023.[23] The company reported a revenue of ₩110.2 billion, an operating income of ₩33.5 billion, and a net profit of ₩26.5 billion for 2023.[24][2]

On April 22, 2024, Hybe called for the resignation of Min as the CEO of ADOR in the wake of an internal audit conducted amidst allegations of Min and another management official's attempts to establish ADOR as an independent entity.[25][26] In response, Min issued a public statement refuting the allegations, claiming that it would be impossible for her to do so without Hybe's consent.[27] Min claimed that she was asked to resign because of her complaint that Hybe and its subsidiary label Belift Lab had been ignoring the creative similarities between NewJeans and Illit, who debuted in March 2024 under Belift. She believed that Hybe and Belift had failed to address accusations of Illit appropriating NewJeans' image, ranging from their musical style to their fashion. Hybe's share value consequently experienced a decline of 8.03%.[28][29] Accompanied by two lawyers, Min held an emergency press conference on April 25 to discuss the allegations; Min's lawyer reiterated that it would have been impossible to seize control of ADOR, since Hybe still owned 80% of the shares.[30] ADOR's board convened on May 10 to schedule an extraordinary shareholders' meeting for May 31; the agenda will include the proposed dismissal of Min, as requested by Hybe.[31]

Philanthropy

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In December 2022, it was announced that ADOR and NewJeans would annually donate part of the profits from the group's album sales to the Snail of Love charity to fund cochlear implant surgery and speech therapy treatment for the hearing-impaired.[32] The following year, ADOR and NewJeans joined the Snail of Love's Soul Leader club, having donated over 99 million in total.[33] In February 2023, ADOR and NewJeans donated ₩200 million to the World Food Programme to help victims of the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria that month.[34]

Artists

[edit]

Products

[edit]

Phoning

[edit]

Phoning is a mobile application developed exclusively for NewJeans by ADOR and Weverse Company.[7] The app was launched by Weverse Company on July 25, 2022.[12] Created as a marketing tool to promote the group, Phoning was the first app to be developed by Weverse Company for a specific artist. Users can interact with members of NewJeans through multiple features, including a live stream service, a private messaging service, a photo album, and a calendar detailing the group's upcoming schedule. The private messaging service was initially limited: NewJeans' members could send messages but users could not reply.[7] In December 2022, the app implemented a subscription-based private messaging service, priced at ₩9,000 per month or ₩99,000 per year, where users could send messages to the members.[35] Upon release, users could also dress avatars of the members in different outfits and virtually decorate albums, but the features were discontinued following the end of promotional activities for the group's first EP.[7][36] The app is designed to mimic the user interface of a mobile phone: NewJeans' members appear listed as "friends", while live streams are dubbed as "calls". Based on NewJeans' concept, the app's visual style is inspired by the design of 1990s Nokia phones and the Y2K aesthetic.[36]

Ten days after its release, Phoning had been downloaded more than 50,000 times through Google Play.[7] Writing for Mashable, Elizabeth de Luna appreciated its design and unique features, but lamented the app's slowness, the limited notification settings, and the inability to talk to other fans.[36] Upon release, pop culture critic Jeong Deok-hyeon called the app an "aggressive marketing strategy" that, if successful, could have further shortened "the profit recovery period" by helping the group establish a loyal fandom. Analysts speculated that Hybe had used the app to test the private messaging paid service, which could have been eventually implemented on their main artist-to-fan communication service, Weverse, depending on Phoning's performance.[7] In April 2023, Weverse announced they would launch a subscription-based private messaging service in line with Phoning's own private messaging service.[37]

Discography

[edit]
Date of release Title Artist Type Format Ref.
August 1, 2022 New Jeans NewJeans Extended play CD, digital download, streaming [10]
December 19, 2022 "Ditto" Digital single Digital download, streaming [19]
January 2, 2023 OMG Single album CD, digital download, streaming [17]
April 3, 2023 "Zero" Digital single Digital download, streaming [38]
June 21, 2023 "Zero" (featuring J.I.D) [39]
July 7, 2023 "Super Shy" [40]
July 21, 2023 Get Up Extended play CD, digital download, streaming [41]
December 19, 2023 NJWMX Remix album Digital download, streaming [42]

Notes

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  1. ^ Hankook Ilbo reported an investment of ₩15.4 billion,[7] while The Korea Economic Daily reported an investment of ₩16.1 billion.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lee, Ji-hye (September 20, 2023). '노력하는 천재' 방시혁, K팝 아닌 '팝'으로 글로벌 승부 ['Efforting genius' Bang Si-hyuk, global match with 'pop', not K-pop]. The Bell (in Korean). Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Kim, Ik-hwan (April 9, 2024). 프로듀서 민희진, 뉴진스 소속사 2대주주 올라 [Producer Min Hee-jin, the 2nd largest shareholder of New Jeans's agency]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Choi, Hee-jae (December 2, 2021). 민희진 "SM 이사 1년만 퇴사→하이브行…이수만과 울었다" (유퀴즈)[종합] [Min Hee-jin, “SM director left after one year → moved to Hybe… I cried with Lee Soo-man” (You Quiz) [Comprehensive]]. Xports News. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Choi, Ji-won (July 19, 2021). "Who are the key players at Hybe in the post-Bang Si-hyuk era?". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Lee, Seung-gil (December 1, 2021). 민희진 "하이브 새 걸그룹, 2년 전에 이미 노래 준비" ('유퀴즈') [Min Hee-jin "Hybe's new girl group already prepared a song two years ago" ('You Quiz')]. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (November 12, 2021). "Hybe to establish new music label with Min Hee-jin at helm". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Kang, Eun-kyung (August 3, 2022). BTS 의존 탈피하려는 하이브, 신인 걸그룹 '뉴진스' 띄우려 전용 소통 앱 실험 [Hybe, trying to break away from dependence on BTS, experiments with a dedicated communication app to promote new girl group ‘New Jeans’]. Biz Hankook (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Choi, Pil-woo (November 18, 2021). 하이브, '자체 레이블' 어도어 설립…'재무·글로벌' 지원 [Hybe establishes ‘own label’ Adore… ‘Financial/Global’ support]. The Bell (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  9. ^ Kim, No-eul (December 1, 2021). 하이브 新 레이블 ADOR, 글로벌 오디션 개최…민희진 진두지휘 [Hybe's new label ADOR holds a global audition... Conducted by Min Hee-jin]. Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2023 – via Naver.
  10. ^ a b Dong, Sun-hwa (July 22, 2022). "'Attention': Hybe's girl group NewJeans arrives on K-pop scene". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "Circle Digital Chart – Week 34, 2022" (in Korean). Circle Chart. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Kim, Seul-gi (July 29, 2022). 하이브 '뉴진스'로 보는 위버스컴퍼니 활용법 [How to use Weverse Company through Hybe’s ‘New Jeans’]. The Bell (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  13. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 33, 2023" (in Korean). Circle Chart. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Hong Yoo (February 20, 2023). "NewJeans debut album "New Jeans" sells 1M copies". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Lee, Seung-yoon (May 17, 2023). 콘텐츠 소비방식을 뒤집었다 … 뉴진스가 만든 뉴트렌드 [디지털로 읽다] [The way we consume content has been overturned... New trend created by NewJeans [Read digitally]]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Kim, Kyung-tae (September 18, 2023). [이사회 분석]'뉴진스 소속사' 어도어, 방시혁 신뢰로 '자율성 강화' [[Board analysis] 'NewJeans agency' ADOR, 'strengthening autonomy' with Bang Si-hyuk's trust]. The Bell (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Min, Shin-hee (January 27, 2023). "Girl group NewJeans's latest EP 'OMG' sells one million copies". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  18. ^ Kim, Hyun-sik (March 23, 2023). '온 차트가 뉴진스'…'디토' 1위 질주 언제까지? ['On the chart is New Jeans'... How long will 'Ditto' run for first place]. Edaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Hong, Yoo (January 18, 2023). "NewJeans' 'Ditto' lands on Billboard Hot 100 at No. 96". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  20. ^ Cho, Yong-jun (March 28, 2023). "Entertainment agency ADOR to host auditions for new boy band members". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  21. ^ Yeo, Gladys (March 28, 2023). "NewJeans label ADOR launches global auditions for new boyband". NME. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  22. ^ Tangsathaporn, Poramet (May 27, 2023). "K-pop auditions see 2,500 hopefuls". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  23. ^ Yeo, Gladys (November 20, 2023). "NewJeans' agency ADOR has launched new global auditions". NME. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  24. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (March 19, 2024). "HYBE affiliates behind NewJeans, Le Sserafim hit financial high notes thanks to fandoms". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  25. ^ Ko, Dong-hwan (April 22, 2024). "Hybe launches audit into Ador's management amid spin-off allegations". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  26. ^ Kim, Ji-ho (April 22, 2024). ""하이브 비공개 문건 빼와"...민희진, 부정행위 포착 감사" ["Take Hybe's private documents"... Min Hee-jin audited to uncover misconduct]. Dispatch (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  27. ^ "[단독] 민희진 대표 “어떤 투자자도 만난 적 없다..내부 고발을 했을 뿐” (인터뷰)" [[Exclusive] CEO Min Hee-jin "I have never met any investors...I just filed an internal complaint" (Interview)]. 일간스포츠 (in Korean). April 23, 2024. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  28. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (April 22, 2024). "ADOR CEO slams Hybe group ILLIT as 'NewJeans copycat'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  29. ^ Bernardo, Jaehwa (April 22, 2024). "Copycats? NewJeans' boss reportedly hits fellow Hybe group ILLIT". ABS-CBN News. ABS-CBN Corporation. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  30. ^ "As it happened — ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin press conference". Korea JoongAng Daily. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  31. ^ "Ador to hold extraordinary shareholders meeting May 31 to decide CEO's fate". koreatimes. May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  32. ^ Lee, Jeong-beom (December 29, 2022). 뉴진스, 청각장애인 위해 매년 음반 매출 일부 지속 기부…선한 영향력 [New Jeans continues to donate a portion of album sales every year for the hearing impaired... good influence]. Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via Naver.
  33. ^ Lee, Jae-hoon (December 22, 2023). 어도어·뉴진스, 올해도 청각장애인 후원금 전달…"소리 선물 의미" [ADOR and NewJeans deliver donations to the hearing impaired again this year...“Sound gift meaning”]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  34. ^ Cho, Yong-jun (February 17, 2023). "NewJeans donates 200 million won to help earthquake victims". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  35. ^ Lee, Eun-young (January 30, 2023). 팬 플랫폼 라이벌 위버스·디어유, IP·서비스 확대로 대결 [Fan platform rivals Weverse and Dear You face off with IP and service expansion]. Chosun Biz (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  36. ^ a b c De Luna, Elizabeth (August 28, 2022). "A guide to K-pop fan apps". Mashable. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  37. ^ Cho, Yong-jun (April 24, 2023). "Private messaging service Weverse DM unveiled for K-pop fans". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  38. ^ Choi, Ji-won (March 31, 2023). "NewJeans and Coca-Cola collaborate for a new song". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  39. ^ Yeo, Gladys (June 21, 2023). "Listen to NewJeans' new remix of 'Zero' featuring J.I.D". NME. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  40. ^ Zellner, Xander (July 18, 2023). "NewJeans Hit No. 1 on Emerging Artists Chart Thanks to 'Super Shy'". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  41. ^ Cho, Yong-jun (July 28, 2023). "NewJeans's 'Get Up' sells over 1.65 million copies in first week of release". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  42. ^ Kim, Soo-jung (December 15, 2023). 뉴진스, '디토' 1주년 맞춰 리믹스 앨범 'NJWMX' 19일 발매 [New Jeans releases remix album 'NJWMX' on the 19th to celebrate the first anniversary of 'Ditto']. No Cut News (in Korean). Retrieved December 15, 2023.

Category:Hybe Corporation Category:K-pop record labels Category:Record labels established in 2021 Category:South Korean companies established in 2021 Category:South Korean record labels