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On October 7, 2023, South Korean YouTuber and reporter Lee Jin-ho aired an episode Is She Really 100 Billion Won? on his official YouTube channel, Entertainment President Lee Jin Ho regarding BLACKPINK member Lisa.
In the video, the reporter highlighted that Lisa’s market value is a staggering 100 Billion KRW ($74 million approximately).
Moreover, @onlystanLISA, a fellow BLACKPINK fan, tweeted about Lisa's rising prominence in the global entertainment industry and her growing popularity among luxury brands. This has significantly boosted her market value as both an artist and a global celebrity.
The reporter further mentioned Lisa’s performance at the Crazy Horse Cabaret in Paris stating that if the rapper had signed with YG Entertainment then performing on such an internationally acclaimed theater stage wouldn’t have been possible.
“Lisa is making bold moves. If Lisa had re-signed with YG, it would've been difficult for her to appear in such a show.” — Lee Jin-ho
With over 480,000 YouTube subscribers, Lee Jin-ho has been in the media business in South Korea for over 15 years and is considered quite a stalwart. During that time, Lee Jin-ho has worked as a sports and entertainment writer for the media outlet Sports Chosun, and as a member of the broadcasting staff for CJ ENM's eNEWS.
"YG has very few attractive cards they can offer to retain Lisa": Reporter Lee Jin-ho claims
Furthermore, Lee Jin-ho mentioned that since the BLACKPINK members Rosé, Jennie, and Jisoo are household names in South Korea, however, Lisa’s Thai heritage has already put her on the international pedestal. He added that the Thai rapper’s international stature has already taken her beyond K-Pop and has established her as an international megastar with a value of 100 Billion KRW ($74 million approximately).
This has further made it difficult for YG Entertainment to sign exclusive contracts with each member of the group since each member has gained the attention of the whole world on their own merits.
"It's true that, domestically, Korean members Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé receive more attention. However, Lisa's role in BLACKPINK's global success has also been significant. According to our research, Lisa's market value is reported to exceed 100 billion won – well beyond the 50 billion won mark. Even though K-pop is immensely popular worldwide, it's challenging to invest 100-200 billion won in a single member. In this situation, YG has very few attractive cards they can offer to retain Lisa."
Lee Jin-ho further mentioned the ongoing negotiations between YG Entertainment and the four members of BLACKPINK and the speculations regarding a few of the members establishing their own independent agencies. Furthermore, he mentioned new speculations doing the rounds where a certain member’s parent is already in talks with several investors.
Evidently, the group members would prefer to go their separate ways since they are highly sought-after by international brands and music labels which the Korean music company is well aware of. Hence, Lee Jin-ho mentions that individual exclusive contracts for the members are out of the question since YG Entertainment doesn’t have a better deal to offer them, especially Lisa.
"International performances are attractive to the members, and because BLACKPINK's intellectual property belongs to YG, they continued to propose terms for full-group activities while acknowledging individual contracts. These individual contracts with YG are practically a done deal. From YG's perspective, they are all in for BLACKPINK's full-group activities,"— Lee Jin-ho
However, the reporter and YouTuber, Lee Jin-ho, also elaborated upon how YG Entertainment still owns the copyright for BLACKPINK’s intellectual property. This means that the music company owns the rights to all the group’s songs whether written by the members themselves or by other songwriters as well as the rights to the music videos and any other creations by and of BLACKPINK as a group.
"They won't renew." Fans expressed their support for BLACKPINK potentially leaving YG Entertainment
He further added that the relationship between the members and the company isn’t the same as before and that the group activity might not continue after the year 2023 ends. However, amidst rising uncertainties about the group's future, Lee Jin-ho further predicted the outcome of the entire situation and said:
"However, the members' relationships are not the same as before. There are even members who don't share their personal matters at all. The prospects for member-specific contracts between the members and YG have become practically difficult. We can expect to see BLACKPINK in their full-group capacity until the end of this year. However, starting from next year when individual contracts intensify, it'll be difficult to see BLACKPINK as a full group for several years."— Lee Jin-ho
Fans of BLACKPINK have always shown support for the girls to depart from YG Entertainment. However, BLINKs have expressed their opinions with equal passion as to how much they would like the group to stay together and continue performing as BLACKPINK.
While @MixedBagDeal stated that the group deserves better, another fan, @gLennciaga, stated that the members have earned their right to grow beyond YG. Similarly, other fans have voiced their opinions on the matter as well.
Nevertheless, as the year 2023 nears its end, many fans wonder if this would also be the curtain call for BLACKPINK as a group with each member going their separate ways, or if will there be a new hope on the horizon.
