What are the plans for 2022 of KPOP’s BIG4 including HYBE, SM, YG, JYP, which no one can now disagree with?
Their performance was great in 2021, so people are expecting the influence of the BIG4 companies in 2022 to be considerable both in Korea and abroad.
Let’s take a look at the expected plans for 2022 of HYBE, which is expected to grow more as a latecomer, SM, which is sale-oriented, JYP, which led the rising of the next worldwide artists, and YG, which had relatively insignificant achievements in 2021.
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◆ Less dependence on BTS
BTS, which became a world star with the best years in 2019 and 2020, also gained enormous achievements in 2021. Them being the first Korean singers to reach the top of the Billboard single and album charts has already been mentioned several times in 2021.
Amid the great success of the mega hit single “Butter,” BTS safely completed its solo concert in LA at the end of 2021, and the members are currently on their second long-term vacation. Even during the break, the BTS members each opened their first personal Instagram account, boasting their great influence, and are expected to focus on their plans for a comeback in the first half of 2022.
Of course, BTS’s expected success in 2022 is still as good as 2021. The fact that the group’s solo concert in Seoul in March and it’s comeback with a new song in the first half of the year were announced early is making ARMYs (BTS fandom) around the world excited. By the time the pandemic situation in 2022 gets better, BTS’s comeback fever is likely to rise.
Meanwhile, HYBE was expected to reach 402.4 billion won in sales and 72.3 billion won in operating profit in the fourth quarter of 2021, its largest quarterly sales renewal ever, which contributed to the company’s 1 trillion won in annual sales. On top of that, the company’s so-called “dependence on BTS” is gradually decreasing as HYBE artists’ album sales hit 4.77 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, including 2.13 million for Seventeen and 1.3 million for ENHYPEN.
On top of that, BTS’s attendance at the Grammy Awards postponed to February, the possibility of its re-opening a world tour starting with a concert in Seoul in March, the launch of Weverse 2.0 in the first half, and the launch of the NFT platform are also expected to be launched in 2022.
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◆ What are the future plans of SM, YG, and JYP for 2022?
SM‘s fourth-quarter earnings in 2021 was expected to be 192.7 billion won in sales and 18.4 billion won in operating profit. With the major comebacks of artists such as NCT 127, aespa, KAI and Super Junior D&E, the company’s album sales succeeded in exceeding 4 million copies. Especially, NCT 127’s long run on the Billboard Chart and aespa’s Rookie of the Year awards and Daesangs in 2021 were also big achievement.
Although the industry’s expectations for SM is somewhat tilted after the acquisition of CJ ENM, the company’s direction toward F2E (Fan to Earn) and entering new businesses such as Metabus is clearly worth expecting.
It was regrettable that YG‘s artist performance was relatively insignificant in 2021. Some point out that the company earning 77.2 billion won in sales and 6.4 billion won in operating profit in the fourth quarter of 2021 is an “earning shock.” Only BLACKPINK and Song Mino joined the comeback competition, and it was difficult to say that Song Mino and Kang Seung-yoon’s solo concerts showed great results.
For YG, it seems that BLACKPINK will have to make a turnaround with their comeback activities in 2022. Rosé and Lisa have already proven their influence in the U.S. after entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their solo albums, and whether or not the debut of the “BLACKPINK’s sister group,” which is carefully mentioned by YG, will happen is gathering keen interest from the public.
JYP’s sales in the fourth quarter of 2021 recorded 58.4 billion won and operating profit recorded 14.5 billion won. Besides JYP’s biggest 2021 hit maker Stray Kids, TWICE and ITZY also showed off their popularity across the Korean and Japanese markets, while the company’s Japanese localized K-pop girl group NiziU also showed off their power as rookies in Japan.
JYP is now preparing to launch Xdinary Heroes, 7-member girl group NMIX, and a boygroup from SBS’s program “LOUD.” The company is also expected to focus more on expanding new businesses such as NFT and Metabus contents.
