Fans expressed different opinions in the debate on whether SM still has the throne on the Big3 hierarchy or not.
The notorious Big 3 hierarchy which consists of 3 most powerful companies has had significant contributions to the K-pop entertainment industry. However, among SM, JYP or YG Entertainment, the debate about which company is the most successful has been a hot topic for a long time. Recently, there has been a post on Korean site “Pann” that dug up this issue once again. The owner of the post listed out all the reasons why SM should be the top company and netizens expressed diverse opinions regarding the matter.
The owner of the post claimed that during the working years, SM has managed to gain a long and significant list of achievements. Most of the successful groups before and now are from SM, such as H.O.T, BOA, SNSD, DBSK, Super Junior, Shinee, EXO, Red Velvet, f(x) and NCT. When it comes to the number of hits and megahits, SM appeared to be the company with the most popular songs. With two senior groups DBSK and Shinee, SM has earned a huge amount of profit despite the groups having worked for more than 10 years. Even if these two groups don’t actively work, the profit of the company is still around 10 billion won.
The owner continued to elaborate that SM also had the upper hand in the foreign markets with EXO in China, DBSK, Shinee, and Boa in Japan. Moreover, SM is the company which has always been given the honor to attend the national events. Minho (Shinee) and Tae Yang (Big Bang) are the promoting representatives for Pyeong Chang Olympics this year. Minho once joined the meeting with USA president Donald Trump and the First Lady Melanie. We can’t forget to mention that Red Velvet performed in North Korea. The list seems to be endless.
Most of SM’s fans agreed with the post on SM being the most successful company. They also commented that SM had the most Daesangs and it’s very hard to have a second company like this these days. Despite some fans agreeing with the point, a lot of other netizens shared their opposite opinions. Some thought that all the achievements were in the past, and now SM’s idols are not as good as they used to be. A few fans also shared that SM couldn’t get over their success and has rested on its laurels for too long.
-“So what about now? EXO can’t beat BTS, Red Velvet is behind TWICE and BlackPink, the SM’s female solo idols can’t even reach IU and Suzy.
-“But they are falling down now. Fans always excused that SM’s class in 2010 is higher than the other companies whenever EXO was defeated by BTS or when TWICE beat Red Velvet.
-“SM fans are just illusional about their glorious past and forget about the present.”
SM Entertainment has always been at the top of the pack and stood out among Big3 and among other companies in general. However, as the K-pop industry underwent massive changes with the rise of underdogs BTS and the growth of reality TV-formed groups like Wanna One, fans are questioning SM’s ability to catch up. Will SM be able to maintain the position in Big3 and truly become the most successful company in the future?
