Sigh~ if this is how businessman thinks, I don't want to study it anymore.

Ok people, before jumping on my throat for posting such an article here
Can you please read the whole of it first?

I wanna say that I am studying business management and also running a business with my family at the same time.
So I always believe I am quite a fair judge when it comes to this topic.
(sorry if I offend anyone) I am a fan of many groups from SM but not a die-hard fan, so I dare to say I always put my brain before I act.

But this article I see from soompi make me feel so ashame Is this how one who is running a business thought?
I am having an argument with this person and so far, I dont think this person will ever see the point I wanted her to see
I'm going to discuss this topic as one who knows and lives closely to business world, therefore I'm not going to bash every sentence about this company


My SM love among all the hate!
By: highonsugar
source : http://www.soompi.com/content/101002

From what I read in the last couple of months I conclude that I’m the only one who thinks that SME is an amazing and impressive company? (maybe it’s because I do businesses and they are amazing from that point of view..)

Everyone is crying out for the “unfair” treatment of DBSK… but what about the SM side? They are a HUGE entertainment company. Thousands of employee’s salaries, hair and makeup, trainee costs, building costs, dorms costs, cost of producing albums, marketing, PR, purchasing music, food, water, transportation, global and local auditions, etc. These costs are huge, even when ignoring the beyond expensive costs of Korean items and goods (why do you think they keep handing out beef as prizes on shows?). We know the approximate numbers that DBSK earns, but we don’t not know how much money is spent maintaining DBSK and letting SM survive as a company.

SME is a COMPANY! They are out to make money, not to be kind to people. DBSK is a product, SNSD is a product, Super Junior is a product, and they are no different than a person promoting an item. They are the ‘face’, they get paid to be the ‘face’, and the companies behind them reap in the profit of selling the item the ‘face’ promotes. The companies don’t give vast amounts of money to the person promoting, just enough to keep them happy, and keep enough of the profit to pay the cost of producing items and still have a profit.

Without SM there is no DBSK, it’s just a group of boys, bunch of makeup, a background and clothes. SM put them together to CREATE DBSK. It’s kind of weird to hate the company that made the one you ‘love’ into who they are. SM also has to pay for the groups that don’t succeed, not every group earns back the money spent. SM is a venture capitalist in a sense, VC invest in 10 companies, 9 of which will fail, they charge an interest of up to 90% on the 1 company that makes it big. Why? To get their money back, to make a profit. SM is doing the exact same thing! The only reason why they have recently loosened the terms of the contract is because the vast majority of their groups are doing well. But that’s not how it always was, or always going to be.

So hate all you want, but just take a look from SM’s side. And no I don't think SM is perfect about the DBSK issue, but the case isn't black and white. Thanks for reading through my rant.



After I read this article, me and her have an argument going on

Viola501 said:
I am also doing and studying business, but I notice something that I think you seem to forget to mention. The Good Governance and/or Corperate Ethics.
A good company not only maximize their profit and please the shareholders, but they also have to make sure that their employees PLUS the customers (in this case, the fans) are happy with their works and (in your word) their product. In this department, SM failed, big time!
As an enterpreneur, I would never consider SM as a truly successful company I should idolize as a role model or whatever, I would have learn from them what I shouldn't do as the one owning big business.

highonsugar said:
@viola501: That's a good point, however the lawsuit's main argument is the LENGTH of the contract and the share of the profit. The whole slavery and human ethics issue was first brought up by Cassies. If there really is a slavery problem, with the fact that DBSK won their case, other SM artists should rebel also. It makes no sense for them to sit around and not do anything. Being 'forced' by SM, is not a legit reason, because as we can tell DBSK was under SM control also but this didn't stop them from suing SM...

viola501 said:
The DBSK trio wouldn't have problems with the LENGHT of the contract if they are happy to be with SM. The fact is they are unhappy, so they want to part from the company.
I don't know about others who still stick with them. but I admit that big and powerful company like SM can provide more than the smaller ones can. That could be one of the reasons ppl still stay there. However, there are also those who are already out and never return PLUS SM also treat them badly after they departed - JTL, SES, Shinhwa.
From my point, I think SM should start treating their people as HUMANs, not as products or money-making machines. I dont know about you, but I was taught to do business with civil and treat my people with respect.

highonsugar said:
@ viola501: I think that if SM wasn't treatly DBSK fairly and that's why DBSK is suing. Then addressing the length of the contact in the case is a funny way of going at it. It makes sense that SM treats artists who leave their company not as well as they should. I wouldn't like someone who I helped and raised into popularity ditch me as soon as they become sucessful. I'll ignore that jab at me, but I think that if you don't recognize DBSK as a product then SM has done it's job very well. They created an character that you adore, so much that you no longer see the makeup and costumes.



Sigh~
I decided not to continue arguing with her. Not because I think she’s right, but because I don’t think she will ever get my point. So it waste my time to do so =P

Spoiler:

I just have a curious question
Is there anyone here an entrepreneur? Is this how businessman/woman thinking?

I admit that SM is an amazing company when it comes to their business. They know how to create artists, how to train them, how to choose them among thousands of people auditioning. They know how to deal with the worst situation, how to fight off the antis, etc.

But when it comes to the internal issues especially their human resources, all SM has is bad things.
When I studied on the freshmen year (1st year in university) the very first things they taught us are the business ethics and morality. This includes how a businessman or a company can win over their co-workers or employees’ heart. Make your people love you and they will work more than 100% for you. They would never want to betray you. They would never want to go to your rival company.
Can I say SM fail in this part?

If they have treated their former artists better, they may have gained much more than they have today.

This person said “I wouldn't like someone who I helped and raised into popularity ditch me as soon as they become successful” but I disagree.
A strayed dog would never forget the one who feed them. But if that person feed them but keep hitting them at the same time, if you are the dog, will you stay with the feeder?
I can see it 2 ways.
1. The dog would leave as soon as it regains their energy or…
2. It would have bitten him.
SM should be glad that all the ex-SM artists are filial enough that they chose no.1
(I’m sorry with the comparison with the dog, it’s a saying in our language and I couldn’t find a better one to compare.)

She asked “…other SM artists should rebel also. It makes no sense for them to sit around and not do anything. Being 'forced' by SM, is not a legit reason…”

There are many ways to force people to do as we want and don’t need to use the legit way. Even with the scandalous case with DBSK, SM is still one of the big 3 entertainment company of Korea.

Why the aspired young artists still want to get into this company?
Because, even with their flaws, SM is still a very big and powerful company. It can guarantee you to a certain point that you are willing to overlook the flaws of it, no matter how awful it is. Being an SM artist can guarantee that you will definitely be successful at a certain point.

But all to all, I wanted to remind that it’s not just about the company, the training session and the contribution. The artist also must have what it takes to be truly successful.
You can train a singer wannabe for 10 years and they will never be able to make it if they don’t have the voice or at least know how to sing. Trust me, there are too many already in the scene.


So lastly, am I the weird one?
Is it typical for these businessmen to treat people as machines and not as human?
Is it so bad for me that I do care for people who have worked with me and work FOR me?
or I am the only sane one?

i also study business management
i think that those who work in SME is kinda weird. Just sitting there and watching how LSM treats the artists sometimes. I think it's weird that they don't do something. A good business man/woman knows how to look after people and knows how to respect others, so i think it's stupid that they don't do something for the artists instead of letting them get hurt and let them loose sight of their dreams.

am i right?

Hirin wrote:

i also study business management
i think that those who work in SME is kinda weird. Just sitting there and watching how LSM treats the artists sometimes. I think it's weird that they don't do something. A good business man/woman knows how to look after people and knows how to respect others, so i think it's stupid that they don't do something for the artists instead of letting them get hurt and let them loose sight of their dreams.

am i right?

I can understand why those who work under SM let the "evil" continue though
They might risk their job and their own safety if they step in and do something to better the situation
I have heard that almost 1/4 of Korean population are jobless, so if they cannot put up with this sh!t, get out. A famous company as SM can always find another replacement.

sigh~ it's harsh but it's true

And dont forget that SM is very powerful. I remember the case with JTL and Shinhwa when SM forced the 3 big stations - MBC, SBS, KBS to not air their songs and MVs.
This was not strategic move, it's a dirty trick to destroy artists.
If SM think these people must rely on them to be a big star, why try to block their way?
A good man would prove they are better with their works, the honest way
The fact that SM goes for the dirty way because they are no good. In this case, I mean moral.
Because I have to admit that, althg it's a dirty way, it sure is an effective way

As I state earlier, I do not agree with how SM (also highonsugar) see as the way to treat their people.
I am taught to do business with civil and treat my people with respect.
which I think SM did neither

Yeah I totally agree with your side of the argument in this case..also DBSK is forced to provide for their own shelter and food :\ I think it's definitely unfair to use these "products" without giving them the proper respect..SM jumpstarted their career, but the company is not the only factor in keeping the artists' careers afloat or profiting. The important thing is that the artists worked hard but they gain little from their perseverance. One may think that maybe it's for all the glory and fame..but what if in the background, someone has been cheating you off of your well-deserved profit. It's just inhumane and corrupt of a company to exaggerate the terms of a contract in order to "steal" from the artists' hard work. Also, in DBSK's case, it's like they're going on shows for "the fun of it" even though they sometimes wear a mask on shows to hide their exhaustion, they don't get paid for ANY shows they go on..everything goes to SME to use on other incoming artists who will also suffer the same fate. It's an extremely unfair cycle that will never stop unless somehow JaeChunSu wins their case and proves a point to the entertainment industry. hehe yeah wrote too much i think xD

Viola wrote:

Hirin wrote:

i also study business management
i think that those who work in SME is kinda weird. Just sitting there and watching how LSM treats the artists sometimes. I think it's weird that they don't do something. A good business man/woman knows how to look after people and knows how to respect others, so i think it's stupid that they don't do something for the artists instead of letting them get hurt and let them loose sight of their dreams.

am i right?

I can understand why those who work under SM let the "evil" continue though
They might risk their job and their own safety if they step in and do something to better the situation
I have heard that almost 1/4 of Korean population are jobless, so if they cannot put up with this sh!t, get out. A famous company as SM can always find another replacement.

sigh~ it's harsh but it's true

And dont forget that SM is very powerful. I remember the case with JTL and Shinhwa when SM forced the 3 big stations - MBC, SBS, KBS to not air their songs and MVs.
This was not strategic move, it's a dirty trick to destroy artists.
If SM think these people must rely on them to be a big star, why try to block their way?
A good man would prove they are better with their works, the honest way
The fact that SM goes for the dirty way because they are no good. In this case, I mean moral.
Because I have to admit that, althg it's a dirty way, it sure is an effective way

As I state earlier, I do not agree with how SM (also highonsugar) see as the way to treat their people.
I am taught to do business with civil and treat my people with respect.
which I think SM did neither

i know and i agree with your point.
but i learnt one thing for sure in my school and from danish culture; if you want to stay in the business invirontment and have respect from others, you have to show the people what you stand for, that you respect them too and can show people that you will not back down because of fear.
I know it must be hard because they stand to lose their job, but as a business man/woman they must surely know what power they actually have compared to LSM. If they stand together and say to the world what LSM have done, they actually have the power to get LSM out of the entertainment invirontment, not allowing him to get into it agian, and so help the artists.

People who handle such things like this and ignore the bad things because of fear will never could live without guilt nor whould they know how to be independant.

but that is just my sight on things ^-^

I actually agree with you both.
DBSK and SM are both being screwed over.
However, SM actually deserves to be screwed over for the way he treats his artists.
I do think there's something weird about what DBSK chose to sue for.
This is were I agree with the other person at; if they're upset over bad treatment, then why is it their suing about the contract?
Also, didn't they read the contract before signing it? So shouldn't they've known they were signing as "slave contract"?
Can someone help me on that one? I don't fully understand the "slave contract" thing.

Anyway, I really don't like SM. I agree that DBSK is a product (in loose terms), but one thing the writer failed to understand is that DBSK is not a suntan lotion, a brand of yogurt or a cosmetics line - they're people.
Suntan lotions, yogurt and cosmetics don't have feelings. They can stand being photographed all day and all night without being tired, they can do whatever you want them to without the ability to complain or even feel weary, they can't feel mistreated or abused, they can't getlonely and they can't sure either.

But DBSK are humans, they can't be treated the same as inanimate objects.

SM is heartless.