This is sort of a continuation of the Melon & MAMA post I had previously here.
This will be purely random and purely my thoughts, with no black and white evidence whatsoever. Some people may find this delusional, crazy or that I am thinking too much. But hey, its my brains, my fingers doing the typing, on my blog, so it is up to me. And I have decency to admit its just random thoughts that comes to my mind, I am not even saying this is the truth. Not like some blogs who claims they know the true story behind tvxq, when in fact I believe there isn't a single person on this earth who knows the whole complete story/truth from each angle. Even the 5 boys themselves, may not know every single truth, unless they can read each others' mind, SM's mind and parents' mind.
So, let me start...
I've been reading that, for MAMA, if you do not attend the award show, you will not be allowed to win, no matter what. Is this true? I am not sure, have not done enough research. I will probably have to find out the list of winners and attendees of every year's MKMF (up till 2009) and MAMA (2010/2011). But even so, it will only support the statement and not proof it, because coincidence could happen. If you have a link, where MAMA themself said that "no show = no win", please let me know.
So, in that case, we know TVXQ Act II (HoMin) was nominated, although their online votes did not top, but they didn't do that bad, only trailling slightly behind Super Junior. Seeing that online votes only counts for 20% of final decision, they still have a very good chance. But, why didn't HoMin attend MAMA 2011. I can't for the life of me figure it out. I mean, of course the answer would be "SM is disallowing them to attend", but why? SM why? Nothing seems to make sense to me.
For what I know, this is their schedule:
KPop Masters in Las Vegas 25th -26th November
Fanmeeting in Singapore 4th December
MAMA is on 29th November, they could definitely make it back from Las Vegas no? SNSD made it.
And Singapore Fanmeeting is on 4th, they could have attended MAMA on 29th Nov, stay around till 4th Dec for fanmeeting and then depart immediately on 4th Dec back to Korea. Look at JaeChunSu, they left for Barcelona on 24th/25th Nov for the Barcelona concert which was on 26th Oct and they hung around after that. Next they travelled to Berlin from Barcelona on 1st Nov for their Berlin concert which was 6th Nov. After that, the 3 went back to Korea. That's a total of 2 weeks duration to cover 2 nights' worth of concert. And HoMin can't spend 6 days (29th Nov to 4th Dec) to cover a music award show and a fanmeeting? Let's suppose they can't spend 4 days doing nothing in Singapore except waiting for Fanmeeting to happen. Well, fly back to Korea after MAMA then. Its only a 6 hours flight. Not like SM never made the boys travel more than flight attendants do. So, it just keep bugging me, why didn't SM allow HoMin to attend MAMA. Some speculations from me:
1. SM is still bitter about the bad bout with Mnet
Well, I am sure SM is bitter, but I guess not bitter enough to disallow HoMin attending MAMA. SNSD and Super Junior attended.
2. SM is so bitter that it doesn't want its top idol group to attend.
SM does make it look like HoMin is their cream of the crop. In events and press conference, HoMin always gets center spot, aside from BoA. However, if BoA is their top female idol/singer and TVXQ Act II is their top male idol group, then SNSD is their top female idol group. Then how come SNSD gets to attend??
3. SM just wants to milk whatever money they can from HoMin without plans to groom them to an even higher level
Sadly, I feel this is the most likely answer. To me at least.
By allowing HoMin to come back as TVXQ Act II, SM know they will definitely be able to make money. There are still many Cassies around. Although they have lost some completely to JYJ, it is fine, the fandom is still significant. You may ask, if SM just want to milk more money, why are they letting HoMin promote so much. Well, its not like SM pays for all promotional fees. Those fees are to be shared between SM & HoMin. And no one knows exactly how much SM needs to pay.
So, while they continue milking money from HoMin, they also want to ensure they continue promoting whichever other group they want to. I think it is very clear that to SM, their super group now is SNSD. At least that is what SM wants SNSD to become, SM's super-money-making-group. And perhaps for boy group, it would be Super Junior. I am not too sure about this though. Also, if clearly SNSD is the only group in SM's main agenda, they would not want to send HoMin to MAMA and let the 2 boys become a threat to SNSD.
While we are on this topic, might as well continue with my thoughts.
That is, how "legit" is the MAMA awards. As in, the way winners are decided, was it fair?
Did SM have any hand in this? Suppose if SM does have a hand in it, why didn't they get anything for HoMin? Or were they the one who actually made sure HoMin does not get anything? You might ask, why keep HoMin if you are going to destroy them? Well, I am sure SM knows how powerful the 5 boys are when they are together. By keeping HoMin with SM, they will never be 5. This ensures no other entertainment can reap monetary benefits from the 5 boys. And if somehow by keeping HoMin, they managed to get JaeChunu back, it will be jackpot! 5 powerful boys earning money for SM all over again. If any of this is in any way true, I am truly worried about HoMin's future.
If SM didn't have anything to do with this? Could it be Mnet itself? Some silly conspiracy by all these awards to tell SM & the 5 boys, they need to reunite. That is they (DBSK) want to win something, they have to be 5. 3 is awesome, 2 is awesome, but nothing beats 5. I mean, look at it, TVXQ is not even inside Golden Disk Award's nominee list, that just sound so impossible. Its like the awards themselves are silently telling SM and the 5 boys, what should be done. Silently protesting. Just like how despite SM wants to label JaeChunSu as traitors, people are getting the 3 boys to be endorsers and honorary ambassadors. Also feels like a form of silent protest to me. And a way of showing support.
[I know the above lines sound so silly, but oh well]
These thoughts are all so messy and hard to organized, so of course, I have to come up with a good ending.
What else is better paired to messy thoughts than an abrupt ending?
DBSK Hwaiting!
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Honest opinion about DBSK lawsuit
Few days ago, my friend and I were travelling together. The journey was pretty long, and we didn't have much to do besides talk, sleep, stare at scenery or some other mundane activities. So, we did everything and when it comes to talk, I took the opportunity to ask this friend's opinions on the DBSK lawsuit fiasco.
A little background on the friend
- adult, male
- working professional
- non kpop fan
- in fact not a particular fan of any singers/idols/celebrities. He does have have songs he likes and maybe sometimes the singers too, because of the song. But not on the level where one would label him as a fan.
- he does know about the lawsuit, the contract, the return as JYJ and TVXQ Act II, the Yunjae ^.^ etc. Not overly detailed, but he knows.
So here goes:
Me: Why do you think JaeChunSu decide to leave SM and sue? I don't need you to take sides, just tell me what you think.
Him: Because they felt they were treated unfairly, so they leave. The lawsuit is just repercussion of their act of leaving.
Me: If it was unfair, why didn't HoMin leave?
Him: Well, honestly, I think, its because they do not want to go through the trouble. They do not want to risk everything and prefer the stable career they have now. They just want to continue doing whatever they have been doing all these years.
Me: To continue a stable career, so stay on in SM, regardless if it was unfair or not. Even at the expense of losing your band mates?
Him: Yes
Me: If it were you, would you?
Him: Yes, if it were me, I wouldn't sue too. I don't have the courage. I just want to continue and do not want to risk everything. And yes, at the expense of losing my band mates if they have chosen a different from me.
Silence...because I was thinking, about his answers and also what else to ask...
Me: There was a rumor, that originally all 5 intended to leave together, but one hour before, HoMin pulled out.
Him: They pulled out one hour before does not mean they have not though of pulling out hours, days, weeks or months before that. Their (HoMin) decision to leave together as 5 may have been shaky in the first place.
Me: Do you think, it is possible that, the profit distribution in SM was not unfair, that JYJ was asking for much more than SM could give?
Him: Of course it is possible, they are humans too. But, you said SM haven't been able to provide the account books, so I'd choose to believe the profits division was not fair. If I am SM, and I have nothing to hide, I would proudly bring out all DBSK related account books, prove my case and make the 3 pay all the money. And that's a lot of money we are talking about. Money should always come first for a company, so if they are not producing the account books which could help end the case, then there must either be no account books or the profit division were so shady it must not be shown.
Me: DBSK is like the hottest group and biggest money making machine in SM. Why didn't SM do their best to keep the group together?
Him: I have no idea.
Me: Do you think it was because they (DBSK) were getting too hot and popular for SM to handle?
Him: Huh? Isn't hot and popular good? That would mean more money.
Me: Told him about Hot & Shinhwa. I don't know all details about Hot & Shinhwa. But the gist is, when SM want to renew contract with both groups, they only wanted to renew certain member. For Hot, it worked out for SM. They managed to retain Kangta and Moon Heejoon, while the other 3 were let go. Shinhwa on the other hand, stuck to each other like glue and left SM together.
Him: Hmm....SM seems really weird, I can't think of why I want to break apart boy bands who are successful. Maybe they are just sick.
Me: Why is the lawsuit so long? How come the court doesn't do anything about SM not presenting to court the paperwork (accounting) that the court have ordered them to?
Him: I don't know. They bribed the judge?
I didn't ask any other questions after that, my friend was getting sleepy. But, hey, if you are reading this and you have something on the DBSK lawsuit fiasco that you would want a 2nd or 3rd opinion, you can drop me a comment. Granted my friend is not God, not a lawyer, not someone from entertainment circle, but its nice to hear or read a refreshingly different point of view at times.
A little background on the friend
- adult, male
- working professional
- non kpop fan
- in fact not a particular fan of any singers/idols/celebrities. He does have have songs he likes and maybe sometimes the singers too, because of the song. But not on the level where one would label him as a fan.
- he does know about the lawsuit, the contract, the return as JYJ and TVXQ Act II, the Yunjae ^.^ etc. Not overly detailed, but he knows.
So here goes:
Me: Why do you think JaeChunSu decide to leave SM and sue? I don't need you to take sides, just tell me what you think.
Him: Because they felt they were treated unfairly, so they leave. The lawsuit is just repercussion of their act of leaving.
Me: If it was unfair, why didn't HoMin leave?
Him: Well, honestly, I think, its because they do not want to go through the trouble. They do not want to risk everything and prefer the stable career they have now. They just want to continue doing whatever they have been doing all these years.
Me: To continue a stable career, so stay on in SM, regardless if it was unfair or not. Even at the expense of losing your band mates?
Him: Yes
Me: If it were you, would you?
Him: Yes, if it were me, I wouldn't sue too. I don't have the courage. I just want to continue and do not want to risk everything. And yes, at the expense of losing my band mates if they have chosen a different from me.
Silence...because I was thinking, about his answers and also what else to ask...
Me: There was a rumor, that originally all 5 intended to leave together, but one hour before, HoMin pulled out.
Him: They pulled out one hour before does not mean they have not though of pulling out hours, days, weeks or months before that. Their (HoMin) decision to leave together as 5 may have been shaky in the first place.
Me: Do you think, it is possible that, the profit distribution in SM was not unfair, that JYJ was asking for much more than SM could give?
Him: Of course it is possible, they are humans too. But, you said SM haven't been able to provide the account books, so I'd choose to believe the profits division was not fair. If I am SM, and I have nothing to hide, I would proudly bring out all DBSK related account books, prove my case and make the 3 pay all the money. And that's a lot of money we are talking about. Money should always come first for a company, so if they are not producing the account books which could help end the case, then there must either be no account books or the profit division were so shady it must not be shown.
Me: DBSK is like the hottest group and biggest money making machine in SM. Why didn't SM do their best to keep the group together?
Him: I have no idea.
Me: Do you think it was because they (DBSK) were getting too hot and popular for SM to handle?
Him: Huh? Isn't hot and popular good? That would mean more money.
Me: Told him about Hot & Shinhwa. I don't know all details about Hot & Shinhwa. But the gist is, when SM want to renew contract with both groups, they only wanted to renew certain member. For Hot, it worked out for SM. They managed to retain Kangta and Moon Heejoon, while the other 3 were let go. Shinhwa on the other hand, stuck to each other like glue and left SM together.
Him: Hmm....SM seems really weird, I can't think of why I want to break apart boy bands who are successful. Maybe they are just sick.
Me: Why is the lawsuit so long? How come the court doesn't do anything about SM not presenting to court the paperwork (accounting) that the court have ordered them to?
Him: I don't know. They bribed the judge?
I didn't ask any other questions after that, my friend was getting sleepy. But, hey, if you are reading this and you have something on the DBSK lawsuit fiasco that you would want a 2nd or 3rd opinion, you can drop me a comment. Granted my friend is not God, not a lawyer, not someone from entertainment circle, but its nice to hear or read a refreshingly different point of view at times.
Melon Music Awards & Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) 2011
Just a quick post on the these 2 awards which are part of the major music award ceremonies in South Korea. From what I know, the big brothers of music awards are as follows:
- Golden Disk Award [Founded 1986]
- Seoul Music Awards [Founded 1990
- Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) {Previously known as Mnet KM Music Festival, MKMF} [Founded 1999]
- Melon Music Awards [Founded 2009 and I believe it only counts digital sales & online votes]
Melon Music Awards 2011
When: 24th November 2011
Where: Seoul Olympic Park Stadium
What I want to say:
TVXQ Act II (HoMin) didn't win anything at all. Not even 2011 Top 10 Artist. As for JYJ (JaeChunSu), well everyone including the three boys have long accepted the fact that they will not even be nominated in any of these year end awards. To me, everything is just plain sad. And I don't even know how to explain it.
But then again, since Melon is so new and it only counts on digital sales and online votes. I can still let it slide. So, whatever.
Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) 2011
When: 29th November 2011
Where: Singapore Indoor Stadium
What I want to say:
I am just going to copy and paste whatever first few lines I wrote for Melon:
TVXQ Act II (HoMin) didn't win anything at all. Not even 2011 Top 10 Artist. As for JYJ (JaeChunSu), well everyone including the three boys have long accepted the fact that they will not even be nominated in any of these year end awards.
The winning criteria for each category are as follows
20% audience vote
20% special Judge
30% search ranking
10% album sales
10 digital chart
10 Selection committee
I checked the online voting results 2 days ago, and for all categories below, TVXQ was lagging behind Super Junior:
-Artist of the Year
-Song of the Year
-Best Male Group
I thought, oh well, since Cassiopeia have sort of split, and Elfs are still going strong, of course Super Junior will win the online voting. Besides it wasn't exactly a landslide win for them. And, online votes is only 20%.
But then, when all award winners are made known, sigh, TVXQ really did not win anything.
Come on boys, reunite already. You each are talented singers and dancers, but to compete as a group, then you guys need to be together, all 5 of you. I know its hard to reunite, given the current situation. Many have given their opinion that there is only 1 way for them to reunite and that is for HoMin to leave SM. Because there is no way JaeChunSu is ever stepping back into SM. But of course, even if HoMin were to agree to leave SM now (casting aside whatever reason they had for staying with SM 2 years ago), SM will definitely sue for breach of contract for ALL 5 of them. I don't want to imagine how much the boys have to pay for breaching it. Can they even afford the astronomical figure? And if the boys do not want to pay, again, I cannot imagine how long the lawsuit will go on. 10 years? And if that happens, then all 5 can say goodbye to any awards shows. But then again, JaeChunSu have already said goodbye to these music awards, HoMin although still in the game, is not winning anything. TVXQ didn't win anything at Melon & MAMA, and did not even get nominated for Golden Disk Award 2011. That means they are gone-with-the-wind at 3 out of 4 major music awards. For Seoul Music Awards 2011, it was in January of this year. TVXQ Act II just made their comeback, couldn't have qualified for anything. So, in conclusion, TVXQ is not winning anything at all this year.
So, at the end of the day, what difference does it make? HoMin, please wake up and leave. Go back to your 3 brothers. Maybe you wanted to be grateful for what SM had done for you, but trust me, you have repay SM more than enough. Don't your fans love you? Don't you want to show gratefulness to fans who have supported all 5 of you. Your 3 brothers have shown to you, life may be hard outside of SM and there are obstacles in every half a step. But with perseverance, the rainbow will come after the rain. They have shown to you that:-
- without SM, they can still make good music
- without SM to form Cassiopeia for them, they still have a huge following of loving fans. And these fan's don't even need an official fan club name.
- without Avex, they still managed to hold an Unforgettable Concert in Japan for 2 days, with 40000 turnout each day
- without SM, they managed to hold a concert in Barcelona and Spain.
- without SM to negotiate CF deals for them, they still managed to snag Penzal Q, Nature Republic, NII, LG Optimus Q2 and others
- without SM backing them, there are people who still believe in them. Look at them being appointed as ambassadors for FLL Korea, G20, UNAIDS, MEST, just to name a few
Confession:
In my sometimes naive mind, I actually think that part of the reason JaeChunSu is working so hard with their music, concerts, drama, musicals, CFs, ambassador work etc, is to show to HoMin, that while leaving SM have its perils, it will not be the end of the world. Of course, their own passion for their work, the monetary rewards, to thank their fans are definitely part of the reasons. But I just feel, deep down, they are trying to show SM, they will not go down without a fight. And also trying to show HoMin, that they will not wilt and die the moment they leave SM's cocoon.
- Golden Disk Award [Founded 1986]
- Seoul Music Awards [Founded 1990
- Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) {Previously known as Mnet KM Music Festival, MKMF} [Founded 1999]
- Melon Music Awards [Founded 2009 and I believe it only counts digital sales & online votes]
Melon Music Awards 2011
When: 24th November 2011
Where: Seoul Olympic Park Stadium
What I want to say:
TVXQ Act II (HoMin) didn't win anything at all. Not even 2011 Top 10 Artist. As for JYJ (JaeChunSu), well everyone including the three boys have long accepted the fact that they will not even be nominated in any of these year end awards. To me, everything is just plain sad. And I don't even know how to explain it.
But then again, since Melon is so new and it only counts on digital sales and online votes. I can still let it slide. So, whatever.
Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) 2011
When: 29th November 2011
Where: Singapore Indoor Stadium
What I want to say:
I am just going to copy and paste whatever first few lines I wrote for Melon:
TVXQ Act II (HoMin) didn't win anything at all. Not even 2011 Top 10 Artist. As for JYJ (JaeChunSu), well everyone including the three boys have long accepted the fact that they will not even be nominated in any of these year end awards.
The winning criteria for each category are as follows
20% audience vote
20% special Judge
30% search ranking
10% album sales
10 digital chart
10 Selection committee
I checked the online voting results 2 days ago, and for all categories below, TVXQ was lagging behind Super Junior:
-Artist of the Year
-Song of the Year
-Best Male Group
I thought, oh well, since Cassiopeia have sort of split, and Elfs are still going strong, of course Super Junior will win the online voting. Besides it wasn't exactly a landslide win for them. And, online votes is only 20%.
But then, when all award winners are made known, sigh, TVXQ really did not win anything.
Come on boys, reunite already. You each are talented singers and dancers, but to compete as a group, then you guys need to be together, all 5 of you. I know its hard to reunite, given the current situation. Many have given their opinion that there is only 1 way for them to reunite and that is for HoMin to leave SM. Because there is no way JaeChunSu is ever stepping back into SM. But of course, even if HoMin were to agree to leave SM now (casting aside whatever reason they had for staying with SM 2 years ago), SM will definitely sue for breach of contract for ALL 5 of them. I don't want to imagine how much the boys have to pay for breaching it. Can they even afford the astronomical figure? And if the boys do not want to pay, again, I cannot imagine how long the lawsuit will go on. 10 years? And if that happens, then all 5 can say goodbye to any awards shows. But then again, JaeChunSu have already said goodbye to these music awards, HoMin although still in the game, is not winning anything. TVXQ didn't win anything at Melon & MAMA, and did not even get nominated for Golden Disk Award 2011. That means they are gone-with-the-wind at 3 out of 4 major music awards. For Seoul Music Awards 2011, it was in January of this year. TVXQ Act II just made their comeback, couldn't have qualified for anything. So, in conclusion, TVXQ is not winning anything at all this year.
So, at the end of the day, what difference does it make? HoMin, please wake up and leave. Go back to your 3 brothers. Maybe you wanted to be grateful for what SM had done for you, but trust me, you have repay SM more than enough. Don't your fans love you? Don't you want to show gratefulness to fans who have supported all 5 of you. Your 3 brothers have shown to you, life may be hard outside of SM and there are obstacles in every half a step. But with perseverance, the rainbow will come after the rain. They have shown to you that:-
- without SM, they can still make good music
- without SM to form Cassiopeia for them, they still have a huge following of loving fans. And these fan's don't even need an official fan club name.
- without Avex, they still managed to hold an Unforgettable Concert in Japan for 2 days, with 40000 turnout each day
- without SM, they managed to hold a concert in Barcelona and Spain.
- without SM to negotiate CF deals for them, they still managed to snag Penzal Q, Nature Republic, NII, LG Optimus Q2 and others
- without SM backing them, there are people who still believe in them. Look at them being appointed as ambassadors for FLL Korea, G20, UNAIDS, MEST, just to name a few
Confession:
In my sometimes naive mind, I actually think that part of the reason JaeChunSu is working so hard with their music, concerts, drama, musicals, CFs, ambassador work etc, is to show to HoMin, that while leaving SM have its perils, it will not be the end of the world. Of course, their own passion for their work, the monetary rewards, to thank their fans are definitely part of the reasons. But I just feel, deep down, they are trying to show SM, they will not go down without a fight. And also trying to show HoMin, that they will not wilt and die the moment they leave SM's cocoon.
Thursday 24 November 2011
[Emotional] JYJ... The Beginning
On 14th October 2010, JYJ released their first album, titled The Beginning.
The release of this album sparked another round emotional roller coaster among the fans.
As usual
Blue for HoMin
Green for JaeChunSu (JYJ)
Purple for me
1. Really now? THE BEGINNING? So what was 2003-2009?
2. You kept saying you want to reunite, but then you went ahead and formed JYJ and then you went ahead and release an album. And to drive the last nail in the coffin, you named it The Beginning.
1. We want to reunite, but we do not want to go back to SM and you two do not want to leave/
2. As much as it hurts you, it IS The Beginning for us, the 3 of us.
1. It is true that this is their first album as 3, and The Beginning really makes a meaningful name for it.
2. Once JaeChunSu have decided to continue pursuing their dream and career as singers/artist/idols, and debut as JYJ, releasing an album is an inevitable consequence.
3. Debut as JYJ, release album(s), calling the first album The Beginning doesn't mean they do not want to reunite with HoMin. I fail to see the connection. A lot of times, the human tends to get over imaginative.
4. The Beginning can mean a lot of things, for example:
a. The beginning of JYJ, with intention to reunite with HoMin as DBSK once situation permits
b. The beginning of JYJ, with no intention to reunite with HoMin as DBSK once situation permits. It will be JYJ and JYJ only.
c. The beginning of leaving SM.
d. The beginning of working towards becoming a different kind of idols. Idols that are not mere eye candy. Idols that are real artist and appreciated for their talent first before their looks.
e. The beginning of a long and arduous fight for what they believe in: freedom, fairness, respect
5. Despite all the above I have written, I have to say, if I am Yunho and Changmin, I would probably burst into tears upon seeing this album. And there will be many flashbacks going through my head. Wasn't Hug our Beginning? Why is there another beginning now? Remember, HoMin are humans too, they have feelings too. If fans can get imaginative with album titles, so can they.
6. As HoMin, I would think: I thought we had one same dream, one goal. We started together, and we may have lost our ways now and got separated, but we will eventually find our way back to each other, continue our journey and reach The End together. But why, why are you coming up with a new beginning now? You are creating a starting point without the 2 of us.
In this world, not everything is either black or white. Different things happening at different time can have various different impact on different individual. Even for the same person, reading about the same topic under different environment, in different mood can have different effect. Have you ever gotten so angry about something, only to laugh about it a few hours later? Or have you ever brush off or laugh at some remark someone made, but some time later, the more you ponder upon the remark, the more disturbed or upset you get? Dreams aside, forming idol groups, releasing albums are, to put it bluntly, all about business. But the thing is, the people doing this are not emotionless machines, they are flesh and blood with emotions. And once you mix business with emotions, it is difficult to draw a line, things get complicated. One should never judge and condemn others so easily in such situations. However, that is exactly what everyone is doing now. They go deciphering that every single action or words from the boys (all 5 of them) are the result of a big conspiracy, there must be a motive behind. This.....is not healthy and definitely not helping, no matter whose side you are on.
The release of this album sparked another round emotional roller coaster among the fans.
As usual
Blue for HoMin
Green for JaeChunSu (JYJ)
Purple for me
1. Really now? THE BEGINNING? So what was 2003-2009?
2. You kept saying you want to reunite, but then you went ahead and formed JYJ and then you went ahead and release an album. And to drive the last nail in the coffin, you named it The Beginning.
1. We want to reunite, but we do not want to go back to SM and you two do not want to leave/
2. As much as it hurts you, it IS The Beginning for us, the 3 of us.
1. It is true that this is their first album as 3, and The Beginning really makes a meaningful name for it.
2. Once JaeChunSu have decided to continue pursuing their dream and career as singers/artist/idols, and debut as JYJ, releasing an album is an inevitable consequence.
3. Debut as JYJ, release album(s), calling the first album The Beginning doesn't mean they do not want to reunite with HoMin. I fail to see the connection. A lot of times, the human tends to get over imaginative.
4. The Beginning can mean a lot of things, for example:
a. The beginning of JYJ, with intention to reunite with HoMin as DBSK once situation permits
b. The beginning of JYJ, with no intention to reunite with HoMin as DBSK once situation permits. It will be JYJ and JYJ only.
c. The beginning of leaving SM.
d. The beginning of working towards becoming a different kind of idols. Idols that are not mere eye candy. Idols that are real artist and appreciated for their talent first before their looks.
e. The beginning of a long and arduous fight for what they believe in: freedom, fairness, respect
5. Despite all the above I have written, I have to say, if I am Yunho and Changmin, I would probably burst into tears upon seeing this album. And there will be many flashbacks going through my head. Wasn't Hug our Beginning? Why is there another beginning now? Remember, HoMin are humans too, they have feelings too. If fans can get imaginative with album titles, so can they.
6. As HoMin, I would think: I thought we had one same dream, one goal. We started together, and we may have lost our ways now and got separated, but we will eventually find our way back to each other, continue our journey and reach The End together. But why, why are you coming up with a new beginning now? You are creating a starting point without the 2 of us.
In this world, not everything is either black or white. Different things happening at different time can have various different impact on different individual. Even for the same person, reading about the same topic under different environment, in different mood can have different effect. Have you ever gotten so angry about something, only to laugh about it a few hours later? Or have you ever brush off or laugh at some remark someone made, but some time later, the more you ponder upon the remark, the more disturbed or upset you get? Dreams aside, forming idol groups, releasing albums are, to put it bluntly, all about business. But the thing is, the people doing this are not emotionless machines, they are flesh and blood with emotions. And once you mix business with emotions, it is difficult to draw a line, things get complicated. One should never judge and condemn others so easily in such situations. However, that is exactly what everyone is doing now. They go deciphering that every single action or words from the boys (all 5 of them) are the result of a big conspiracy, there must be a motive behind. This.....is not healthy and definitely not helping, no matter whose side you are on.
Wednesday 23 November 2011
[Emotional] Jaejoong Yoochun Junsu Debut as JYJ
I just rewatched DBSK's live performance of Love in the Ice [Five in the Black Tour Soul Power Tokyo Summit 2007] & Proud [this is also during Five in the Black tour, at Nippon Budokan]. These two performances makes me cry. Love in the ice because it is just so touching, the lyrics were really meaningful and their voices are just so...so indescribable. They expressed the song so damn well in this live version. Definitely better than the studio version. If anyone can beat DBSK, it is DBSK themselves.
As for Proud, Yoochun broke down crying in the middle, till he could not sing his part with Changmin and he had to turn around to hide his crying face. Junsu tried to comfort him and Jaejoong patted his shoulder. At this point, we can see that Yunho's eyes are watery, Jaejoong's eyes are watery and red, Junsu looks like he is ready to cry anytime, there was no closeup of Changmin. After a while, Yoochun managed to calm down a little and was singing his part with Junsu, but Junsu broke down crying this time and can't sing. This lead Yoochun to cry again. Then Jaejoong sang, and camera pans to Yunho. He was looking longingly at his 2 crying members, as he is on the opposite end of them, and you can see him biting back his tears. So yea, that's why I have been crying.
I have not even gotten into the topic of today's post yet, even after typing so much. But seriously, looking at that Proud performance in Budokan, can you seriously, from the bottom of your heart call JaeChunSu greedy liars who left because money is all they care. Can you seriously say, Yunho has completely let go of his 3 beloved members just like that? If you want to say that everything is scripted and Yoochun, Junsu and Yunho cried for popularity, then I have nothing to say to you, because nothing ANYONE say will change how you think. I know concerts are scripted. JaeChunSu said that themselves, they revealed how free they felt after the Berlin concert, because they no longer have scripts to memorize, compared to last time (when they were in SM), where memorizing the script was the hardest, harder than the singing and dancing. If so, why didn't all of them cry, just sob openly and hug each other in the middle of performance, screw the singing, just cry and do a group hug. The fans will go crazy for that and will not mind missing a 1-2 minutes of singing. And if Jaejoong is so greedy, why didn't he act and break down crying there? We know how popular Jaejoong is in Japan, fans would shower him with even more love if he does that. What about our cute maknae Changmin? Everyone have a soft spot for this maknae, if he cries, fans would lap it up too. Are you saying the script writers are so lousy? The ultimate answer is: What we saw in that performance were the boys' real emotions. They were crying because they had a hard time in Japan. Everything was from zero when they stepped into Japan. They were young, families were far away, language is foreign, they had no support. And finally to perform in Budokan, the Budokan that is filled up with their fans who loves them and support them so much. All the memories and emotions going through their mind, that's why they cried.
Ok...*wipes tears*, I need to move on, to the topic that is.
Under Rhythm Zone, JaeChunSu debut as JYJ in April 2010. As I didn't know them nor DBSK back then, I do not know what are the responses of fans and antis. But that is fine, because evidences of the angst are still all over the internet to this day. I will summarize in my own words what I have read, though there may be things that I miss out. I will write it from 2 different standpoint: in blue for HoMin and in green for JYJ. Finally in purple will be my opinions after looking at both.
When they debut as JYJ, antis immediately see that as an act of abandoning HoMin, abandoning DBSK. And of course, as an act of greed.
Why do they say that?
To debut as JYJ, where does that leave DBSK. Releasing albums and performing as JYJ, are you trying to wipe out DBSK and leave HoMin behind. Leave HoMin to rot while you perform, sell album, sell concert tickets and reap in cash. If you truly want to reunite with DBSK, why did you make yourself become JYJ?
Its barely months after JYJ file the lawsuit with SM, and they are starting off as JYJ. So anxious to make money eh? Can't you (JYJ) even have the decency to wait for the lawsuit to end?
JYJ fans were of course quick to defend the 3 boys.
By 2010, the 3 boys were already 24-25 years old. Typically idols are only active up to before 30 years old. After that, their popularity dips. Fans either move on to newer, younger groups or have matured to stop following idols. Time is really ticking for them, not just JaeChunSu, but HoMin as well. Not to forget, in South Korea, every male needs to get enlisted for military service, and that takes 2 years of their time away. No one knows how long the lawsuit will take. I mean, look at it now, more than 2 years and still counting. How long do you expect them to wait. Music is their career. And these boys probably have families to support, they really can't afford to just sit around. Are you expecting them to go sell bread or work in a convenience store or something like that to bring in income for the family? And, idol groups are mushrooming out by the minute. Ok, maybe by the minute is exaggerated, but the point is new groups are marketed all the time, if the boys do not catch up, they will be replaced.
So, what do I think?
1. Time waits for no man. If you want to do it, sooner is always better than later.
2. If the boys want to continue their path as idols/singers/performers/artists, they have to catch up quick. They may not be forgotten so easily, but they may get replaced. Fans are always seeking idols to follow, to love, to stalk, to spend their money on for CDs, DVDs & photobooks.
This point is reinforced by the fact that the fandom have split. Because fans need to have a clearly defined group to support, so they decide to choose either JYJ or HoMin. Only a fraction of Cassiopeia who are resilient fans that still stick to support all 5.
3. Debuting as JYJ does not necessarily mean they no longer want to reunite as DBSK. Given the sticky situation they are in, there is no way they could reunite immediately.
4. Seriously, God knows how long the lawsuit will drag. Even if JaeChunSu wins, God forbid, SM will definitely appeal x_x
As for Proud, Yoochun broke down crying in the middle, till he could not sing his part with Changmin and he had to turn around to hide his crying face. Junsu tried to comfort him and Jaejoong patted his shoulder. At this point, we can see that Yunho's eyes are watery, Jaejoong's eyes are watery and red, Junsu looks like he is ready to cry anytime, there was no closeup of Changmin. After a while, Yoochun managed to calm down a little and was singing his part with Junsu, but Junsu broke down crying this time and can't sing. This lead Yoochun to cry again. Then Jaejoong sang, and camera pans to Yunho. He was looking longingly at his 2 crying members, as he is on the opposite end of them, and you can see him biting back his tears. So yea, that's why I have been crying.
I have not even gotten into the topic of today's post yet, even after typing so much. But seriously, looking at that Proud performance in Budokan, can you seriously, from the bottom of your heart call JaeChunSu greedy liars who left because money is all they care. Can you seriously say, Yunho has completely let go of his 3 beloved members just like that? If you want to say that everything is scripted and Yoochun, Junsu and Yunho cried for popularity, then I have nothing to say to you, because nothing ANYONE say will change how you think. I know concerts are scripted. JaeChunSu said that themselves, they revealed how free they felt after the Berlin concert, because they no longer have scripts to memorize, compared to last time (when they were in SM), where memorizing the script was the hardest, harder than the singing and dancing. If so, why didn't all of them cry, just sob openly and hug each other in the middle of performance, screw the singing, just cry and do a group hug. The fans will go crazy for that and will not mind missing a 1-2 minutes of singing. And if Jaejoong is so greedy, why didn't he act and break down crying there? We know how popular Jaejoong is in Japan, fans would shower him with even more love if he does that. What about our cute maknae Changmin? Everyone have a soft spot for this maknae, if he cries, fans would lap it up too. Are you saying the script writers are so lousy? The ultimate answer is: What we saw in that performance were the boys' real emotions. They were crying because they had a hard time in Japan. Everything was from zero when they stepped into Japan. They were young, families were far away, language is foreign, they had no support. And finally to perform in Budokan, the Budokan that is filled up with their fans who loves them and support them so much. All the memories and emotions going through their mind, that's why they cried.
Ok...*wipes tears*, I need to move on, to the topic that is.
Under Rhythm Zone, JaeChunSu debut as JYJ in April 2010. As I didn't know them nor DBSK back then, I do not know what are the responses of fans and antis. But that is fine, because evidences of the angst are still all over the internet to this day. I will summarize in my own words what I have read, though there may be things that I miss out. I will write it from 2 different standpoint: in blue for HoMin and in green for JYJ. Finally in purple will be my opinions after looking at both.
When they debut as JYJ, antis immediately see that as an act of abandoning HoMin, abandoning DBSK. And of course, as an act of greed.
Why do they say that?
To debut as JYJ, where does that leave DBSK. Releasing albums and performing as JYJ, are you trying to wipe out DBSK and leave HoMin behind. Leave HoMin to rot while you perform, sell album, sell concert tickets and reap in cash. If you truly want to reunite with DBSK, why did you make yourself become JYJ?
Its barely months after JYJ file the lawsuit with SM, and they are starting off as JYJ. So anxious to make money eh? Can't you (JYJ) even have the decency to wait for the lawsuit to end?
JYJ fans were of course quick to defend the 3 boys.
By 2010, the 3 boys were already 24-25 years old. Typically idols are only active up to before 30 years old. After that, their popularity dips. Fans either move on to newer, younger groups or have matured to stop following idols. Time is really ticking for them, not just JaeChunSu, but HoMin as well. Not to forget, in South Korea, every male needs to get enlisted for military service, and that takes 2 years of their time away. No one knows how long the lawsuit will take. I mean, look at it now, more than 2 years and still counting. How long do you expect them to wait. Music is their career. And these boys probably have families to support, they really can't afford to just sit around. Are you expecting them to go sell bread or work in a convenience store or something like that to bring in income for the family? And, idol groups are mushrooming out by the minute. Ok, maybe by the minute is exaggerated, but the point is new groups are marketed all the time, if the boys do not catch up, they will be replaced.
So, what do I think?
1. Time waits for no man. If you want to do it, sooner is always better than later.
2. If the boys want to continue their path as idols/singers/performers/artists, they have to catch up quick. They may not be forgotten so easily, but they may get replaced. Fans are always seeking idols to follow, to love, to stalk, to spend their money on for CDs, DVDs & photobooks.
This point is reinforced by the fact that the fandom have split. Because fans need to have a clearly defined group to support, so they decide to choose either JYJ or HoMin. Only a fraction of Cassiopeia who are resilient fans that still stick to support all 5.
3. Debuting as JYJ does not necessarily mean they no longer want to reunite as DBSK. Given the sticky situation they are in, there is no way they could reunite immediately.
4. Seriously, God knows how long the lawsuit will drag. Even if JaeChunSu wins, God forbid, SM will definitely appeal x_x
Tuesday 22 November 2011
Cassiopeia...The Once Undefeated, Are you broken now?
I need to mention again, I only discovered DBSK (the 5 member DBSK) this year, around September. I am not an official Cassie. But since all who loved these 5 boys call themselves a Cassie, I might be considered as one. Although I may be a noona to most fans, since I am already a working person, not a teenager still in high school or a college student, I am probably a dong saeng in terms of fan-age. Don't think there is such a word "fan-age" but well, whatever. So, since I am a dong saeng fan, it might be rude for me to raise my opinions about fans. But I still need to put my thoughts down to writing.
When I first read about DBSK, I also found out about Cassiopeia. How great they were as a fanclub/ fandom, even getting themselves into Guinness World Record in 2008. I also read how united they were in events, in their love and support for the 5 boys.
But now, as I read in different blogs and forums, all I see is a broken fandom. Some have sworn allegiance to JaeChunSu (JYJ) and bashes HoMin, some who have declared loyalty to HoMin and is determined to ruin JaeChunSu (JYJ), some who have given up and left. Of course there are still some who supports both sides and is either hoping for a reunion or just happy and moving on with the way things are now.
I can just imagine how all the Cassies felt when the lawsuit fiasco happen. Because, even someone like myself who is not a Cassie, who only know DBSK for a mere 3 months is feeling so much for them (DBSK). What more the fans who have been through thick and thin with the boys. Who grew with the boys; some may have been in high school when they started and are now moving on to college, some may have been in college when they started and have now embarked on a working life. Fans who saw the boys achieving success, receiving music awards, bringing glory to the South Korean flag.
To the fans,
I know you have been hurt. I know you felt betrayed (by either JaeChunSu or HoMin; depending who you are not supporting now). I know you feel you need to protect (either JaeChunSu or HoMin; depending on who you support now). I know you have lived in confusion, some for days, some for weeks, some for months, some for years and some are still confused to even this day. I know you have shed countless tears, trust me, I really know. I signed off as Namida, that means tears, in Japanese. As I write this, I am crying. And I am not even writing directly about the 5 boys, I am writing about the fandom, yet I am crying. I know you have been angry, frustrated and helpless, and perhaps in exactly those moments, you made a choice, to choose a side, in order to end the pain. It is OK. It really is.
What is not OK is when the bashing and determination to ruin comes in.
I know I sound naive when I say this, but....
Have you ever considered that, the internet is not limited to only you and I? That the boys have every chance to read it too? They are normal boys too. In a recent interview, Yoochun said these days he have been listening to Linkin Park. So how many of you does? So are you surprised, that Yoochun listens to the same things as you? They are human too. In this whole lawsuit fiasco, there are a lot of things that we do not know, and yet we write as if we and we alone know the absolute truth and nothing but the truth. The 5 boys are public figures, there are things that they cannot say. All the more with the whole legal proceedings going on. JaeChunSu may have a little more freedom in their speech since they are not bound to SM for now (for now, because the injunction granted them a temporary suspension to their contract with SM). But still, I believe they are not telling everything. And they shouldn't be made to. Everyone have their own secrets. And for HoMin side, I would say the limitation on their speech is much much greater since they are still with SM. Please don't try to bash by saying, "they chose to stay, so they should know". We do not know why they chose to stay. Keep an open mind. Put yourself in their shoes, all 5 of them.
To Cassies who bash HoMin or JaeChunSu, you once loved all 5 of them and would never dream to hurt them. And you would not hesitate to fend off anyone who tries to harm them, or make them sad. How do you think HoMin or JaeChunSu feel when they read of your bashings, or when they found out from friends and families. Was your love for them all these while fake? Can love really just turn to hate so easily. Is it really so easy to hate someone. As I write, I try to recall, was there anyone I truly hate? I am glad to say, I can't think of anyone I hate at all. I may have gotten angry or upset at times, but to really hate someone, I don't have the strength to do that. It is tiring to hate someone. I am surprised how some anti-fans can so easily type or say demeaning things or even carry out actions to bring either HoMin or JaeChunSu down.
The HoMin stans claim that JaeChunSu didn't care about HoMin because they started their activities as JYJ, releasing the album "The Beginning". The JaeChunSu stans claim that HoMin have deserted JaeChunSu because they came back as TVXQ Act II and that the lyrics of KYHD was dissing JaeChunSu. And both sides' stans claim that the boys are doing well without the others and do not need or do not want to reunite. Did you really get them from the boys, as their heartfelt emotions? Did you?
The one thing all stans would really agree is probably this: The boys (all 5) love and care for their fans.
What if reuniting was in all the boys' mind? What if none of them have ever forgotten each other? And then they read all this negativity regarding DBSK ever becoming 5 again, how would they feel?
I had initially wanted to include in this post, the emotional happenings like
- the forming of JYJ
- the JYJ album named The Beginning
- the return of TVXQ Act II
- the KYHD lyrics
- the thanking of LSM by Yunho
- the tweets
and many more, but then I realised it would make the post way too long. So, they will probably be in separate posts.
My last words for the fandom, you can choose one side to love unconditionally, but you do not need to bash or ruin the other side. There really is nothing to gain.
And, each time, before you make some comments, tell yourself this: "I don't know the absolute truth"
Even the lawsuit, we have seen the contract, we have seen translated court proceedings, we read tweets, we read about "revealing press conference" and many more, but to me, the entire issue is still shrouded in mystery. What we have seen so far, may well be less than 10%. This is not a jigsaw puzzle that is simply missing one piece, because you can definitely make out what is the picture in the jigsaw if it is only missing one piece. What we have now is only a few pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and these pieces may not even be connecting pieces. You may choose not to agree, that's your choice.
To leave you something to think about:
Is YunJae real?
A classic example of "I thought I knew, I thought I was sure, but damn, I really do not know", and that applies to those who believe YunJae is real as well as those who think YunJae is purely fan service.
And you know what? We, the fans, will never know.
When I first read about DBSK, I also found out about Cassiopeia. How great they were as a fanclub/ fandom, even getting themselves into Guinness World Record in 2008. I also read how united they were in events, in their love and support for the 5 boys.
But now, as I read in different blogs and forums, all I see is a broken fandom. Some have sworn allegiance to JaeChunSu (JYJ) and bashes HoMin, some who have declared loyalty to HoMin and is determined to ruin JaeChunSu (JYJ), some who have given up and left. Of course there are still some who supports both sides and is either hoping for a reunion or just happy and moving on with the way things are now.
I can just imagine how all the Cassies felt when the lawsuit fiasco happen. Because, even someone like myself who is not a Cassie, who only know DBSK for a mere 3 months is feeling so much for them (DBSK). What more the fans who have been through thick and thin with the boys. Who grew with the boys; some may have been in high school when they started and are now moving on to college, some may have been in college when they started and have now embarked on a working life. Fans who saw the boys achieving success, receiving music awards, bringing glory to the South Korean flag.
To the fans,
I know you have been hurt. I know you felt betrayed (by either JaeChunSu or HoMin; depending who you are not supporting now). I know you feel you need to protect (either JaeChunSu or HoMin; depending on who you support now). I know you have lived in confusion, some for days, some for weeks, some for months, some for years and some are still confused to even this day. I know you have shed countless tears, trust me, I really know. I signed off as Namida, that means tears, in Japanese. As I write this, I am crying. And I am not even writing directly about the 5 boys, I am writing about the fandom, yet I am crying. I know you have been angry, frustrated and helpless, and perhaps in exactly those moments, you made a choice, to choose a side, in order to end the pain. It is OK. It really is.
What is not OK is when the bashing and determination to ruin comes in.
I know I sound naive when I say this, but....
Have you ever considered that, the internet is not limited to only you and I? That the boys have every chance to read it too? They are normal boys too. In a recent interview, Yoochun said these days he have been listening to Linkin Park. So how many of you does? So are you surprised, that Yoochun listens to the same things as you? They are human too. In this whole lawsuit fiasco, there are a lot of things that we do not know, and yet we write as if we and we alone know the absolute truth and nothing but the truth. The 5 boys are public figures, there are things that they cannot say. All the more with the whole legal proceedings going on. JaeChunSu may have a little more freedom in their speech since they are not bound to SM for now (for now, because the injunction granted them a temporary suspension to their contract with SM). But still, I believe they are not telling everything. And they shouldn't be made to. Everyone have their own secrets. And for HoMin side, I would say the limitation on their speech is much much greater since they are still with SM. Please don't try to bash by saying, "they chose to stay, so they should know". We do not know why they chose to stay. Keep an open mind. Put yourself in their shoes, all 5 of them.
To Cassies who bash HoMin or JaeChunSu, you once loved all 5 of them and would never dream to hurt them. And you would not hesitate to fend off anyone who tries to harm them, or make them sad. How do you think HoMin or JaeChunSu feel when they read of your bashings, or when they found out from friends and families. Was your love for them all these while fake? Can love really just turn to hate so easily. Is it really so easy to hate someone. As I write, I try to recall, was there anyone I truly hate? I am glad to say, I can't think of anyone I hate at all. I may have gotten angry or upset at times, but to really hate someone, I don't have the strength to do that. It is tiring to hate someone. I am surprised how some anti-fans can so easily type or say demeaning things or even carry out actions to bring either HoMin or JaeChunSu down.
The HoMin stans claim that JaeChunSu didn't care about HoMin because they started their activities as JYJ, releasing the album "The Beginning". The JaeChunSu stans claim that HoMin have deserted JaeChunSu because they came back as TVXQ Act II and that the lyrics of KYHD was dissing JaeChunSu. And both sides' stans claim that the boys are doing well without the others and do not need or do not want to reunite. Did you really get them from the boys, as their heartfelt emotions? Did you?
The one thing all stans would really agree is probably this: The boys (all 5) love and care for their fans.
What if reuniting was in all the boys' mind? What if none of them have ever forgotten each other? And then they read all this negativity regarding DBSK ever becoming 5 again, how would they feel?
I had initially wanted to include in this post, the emotional happenings like
- the forming of JYJ
- the JYJ album named The Beginning
- the return of TVXQ Act II
- the KYHD lyrics
- the thanking of LSM by Yunho
- the tweets
and many more, but then I realised it would make the post way too long. So, they will probably be in separate posts.
My last words for the fandom, you can choose one side to love unconditionally, but you do not need to bash or ruin the other side. There really is nothing to gain.
And, each time, before you make some comments, tell yourself this: "I don't know the absolute truth"
Even the lawsuit, we have seen the contract, we have seen translated court proceedings, we read tweets, we read about "revealing press conference" and many more, but to me, the entire issue is still shrouded in mystery. What we have seen so far, may well be less than 10%. This is not a jigsaw puzzle that is simply missing one piece, because you can definitely make out what is the picture in the jigsaw if it is only missing one piece. What we have now is only a few pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and these pieces may not even be connecting pieces. You may choose not to agree, that's your choice.
To leave you something to think about:
Is YunJae real?
A classic example of "I thought I knew, I thought I was sure, but damn, I really do not know", and that applies to those who believe YunJae is real as well as those who think YunJae is purely fan service.
And you know what? We, the fans, will never know.
Thursday 17 November 2011
Am I alone in this?
It's 12am now and I am crying, listening to DBSK's Toki wo Tomete. I only know a very limited level of Japanese but I somehow understood parts of the song, bits and pieces here and there.
I decided to google the lyrics and translation. And continue listening to the song. When I saw the translation, it felt like a song that I would like to dedicate back to the 5 boys of DBSK, from me to them...
I just miss the 5 of them together so much. I am not even a fan that was with them since debut. In fact I only found out about them this year, 2 years after the controversy started. Yes, I am a few years too late. Sometimes I wonder, am I the only one hanging on to this dream of them reuniting again? Am I just intentionally making my own life miserable.
As I listened to the song for many more loops, I felt the song could have been something they are singing to each other.
And the 'time' in question would be 2008, the DBSK year.
Note: The above is purely my opinion. And I am not even saying or hinting that they ARE singing it for each other. I am just saying it is so apt and so ironic...
Great, my eyes are completely swollen now. My nose is way past runny, it is blocked. Forgot how many tissues I have used. And tomorrow, there's a meeting with the higher-ups. Great.
And lastly, again...
Am I the only one looking for 5 to be together again?
Did the 5 themselves already abandon this dream of becoming together again... T_T
I am lost...
I am confused...
I can't stop crying...
I decided to google the lyrics and translation. And continue listening to the song. When I saw the translation, it felt like a song that I would like to dedicate back to the 5 boys of DBSK, from me to them...
I just miss the 5 of them together so much. I am not even a fan that was with them since debut. In fact I only found out about them this year, 2 years after the controversy started. Yes, I am a few years too late. Sometimes I wonder, am I the only one hanging on to this dream of them reuniting again? Am I just intentionally making my own life miserable.
As I listened to the song for many more loops, I felt the song could have been something they are singing to each other.
時を止めて
Stop the time
ずっと君のそばにいたい
I want to be by your side forever
Note: The above is purely my opinion. And I am not even saying or hinting that they ARE singing it for each other. I am just saying it is so apt and so ironic...
Great, my eyes are completely swollen now. My nose is way past runny, it is blocked. Forgot how many tissues I have used. And tomorrow, there's a meeting with the higher-ups. Great.
And lastly, again...
Am I the only one looking for 5 to be together again?
Did the 5 themselves already abandon this dream of becoming together again... T_T
I am lost...
I am confused...
I can't stop crying...
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Profit Distribution of THE contract
I haven't posted for so long, but it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking of them, all 5 of them and of course the lawsuit. In fact, they have been on my mind, and day in day out, my left and right brain continues battling with each other.
I believe I have mentioned in earlier post, that this blog is going to be my personal diary, an avenue for me to output all the thoughts I have regarding this whole Dong Bang Shin Ki saga. I have also mentioned that I am not here to prove who is right, who is wrong, who is saint and who is devil. To this day, it is still the same. I will be looking at the contract and discussing it. Everything is purely my opinion.
If you actually read my blog and is interested to continue reading this post regarding the contract, I suggest you first go google a copy of the contract in another window, have it open side by side while you read my blog. I am not in the mood to go copy, paste & credit the contract into my blog. Why? Because I do not know which blog to copy it from. It shouldn't matter actually, because the contracts are the same, regardless of whether I take it from a JaeChunSu-biased site or a Homin-biased site. But because I want to remain open and objective, I do not want to copy from either source.
I'll only be talking about the profits distribution, which is in Section 9 & Section 10 of the contract.
So, here goes (The items in each section are not numbered, I just numbered it for clarity and ease of referencing, writing & reading):
Section 9 [Distribution of Profits - Albums]
9.1.
Category: Domestic Album & Packaged products (including Licensed Albums sold overseas)
Sales volume & profit distribution:
50001 to 100k = 2% of Sales
100k to 200k = 3% of Sales
Over 200k = 5% of Sales
Distribution of profits: If you are an individual artiste, you get the whole 2, 3 or 5%, if you are a group, divide equally per number of members. This will be applicable for all profit distribution, so I will not repeat it from here onward.
My opinion:
I don't really know how many copies they sold, for each of the album they released. But I do know their best selling album was Mirotic, which exceeded 500k copies sold. There are 3 versions of the Mirotic album. Version A (CD+Photobook), Version B (CD+DVD) & Version C (CD+Photobook). For ease of calculation, let's say each version sold 167k, and total is 501k copies sold. Now, how much does each album cost? Not sure, but I tried googling and someone said they paid ~$12 for version A and ~$26 for version B. I'll assume version C cost the same as version A, since its similarly a CD + Photobook combo.
I have no idea how they calculate the sales, I mean, which version goes into which bracket? 5% of a $26 album is different from 5% of a $12 album. So, for my convenience, I will just average it out and assume a Mirotic album cost ~$16.70 (Yes, I added up all 3 and did an average). Also, for calculation, lets just assume it was 500k copies sold.
So, all of that would total to $8.35mil sales. And here's the breakdown per the 9.1:
0-50k album - 0
50001 to 100k = 2% [ $16.7k ]
100k to 200k = 3% [ $50.1k ]
over 200k = 5% [ $250.5k ]
Total of above is $317.3k and that gives $63.46k per member.
That sounds kind of meager to me, considering they are "Asia's stars". However, there are some sites [which have claimed allegiance to worship only one side and bash the other side] that claims that artists don't make money from album sales. They make money from endorsement, concerts, merchandise etc. I do agree to a certain extent, because many people just don't bother buying albums anymore, with all the free downloads and piracy going on. That could probably explain why the idols' albums always comes with photobooks. The photobooks serve as motivation for fans to purchase albums. However, when you are "Asia's stars" and you manage to sell more than 500k of your albums in this piracy age, and then you get $63.46k, now that's sad. And I forgot to mention, you sacrifice you personal time, your privacy, your identity, among many other things, plus work your ass off, and then you get $63.46k.
And that was talking about their best album, Mirotic. What about previous albums which didn't sell as much. I am using album sales figures from wikipedia, so I cannot guarantee its accuracy. Their 3rd Korean album "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap sold about 350k. Assuming again each copy cost $12, total album sales would be $4.2mil, after calculation, their cut should be $138k, each member gets $27.6k... T_T
And I did this calculation with the assumption that the "over 200k album sales get 5%" have already been implemented. If it was not, then their cut would be $102k, each member get $20.4k.
I have no further comments actually. So, let's move on
9.2
Category: Digital Wired/Wireless Downloads (Album, Songs) Except for free downloads Online, only when there's income from advertisement
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
9.3
Category: Online and wired/wireless Internet, MP3, Digital files etc
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
9.4
Category: Overseas Revenue
9.4.a
Category: Performance Loyalty (Albums made overseas)
Profit Distribution: 70% of Net Profit
9.4.b
Category: Loyalty (Limited to the songs, lyrics, written by the Artists)
Profit Distribution: 70% of Net Profit
9.4.c
Category: Master Loyalty *The whole amount of Master Loyalty is considered to be SM's revenue
Profit Distribution: Not Applicable
My Opinion:
At one glance, 9.2 to 9.4 looks good, what with 10% and 70%. But again, there are many things we do not know:
Sales [How much does it cost the buyer/ customer to download a song online? ]
- Cost [How much does it cost SM to make this transaction happen. And most importantly, the amount written in the account book, for purpose of calculating profits; is that the real amount or a blown up amount?]
= Profit [ Its 10% of this amount that will be shared by the 5 members ]
Moving on to 9.4, well, pardon me, but I really am not familiar with all these loyalty thingy. And what counts as performance loyalty? Definitely not concerts or variety show appearances (they do perform on shows like Music Bank, Music Japan etc). Just saying, maybe there isn't any job that fits into this Performance loyalty category (or even if there is, SM will fit it into another category?). So now 10% of something that will never materialize is basically worthless. Just my thoughts.
Then comes the Loyalty of lyrics and songs, which they get to claim 70% of net profit, but then there is the Master Loyalty. Not sure what Master Loyalty is, but it sounds like something that encompasses everything. In that case, wouldn't it include even the songs and lyrics? For those who work in MNC, if for example you come up with an idea that is worthy to be patented, your company will pay for the patent filling and own all rights to it. Your name will be on the patent, no doubt about that. Your company will probably also give you some incentive for coming up with the idea. So, I have nothing to argue about SM owning the Master Loyalty, I guess that is just how things work. But I am really curious about the songs & lyrics loyalty. Is it another, "70% of something that will never materialize" again? I am not judging SM. I really do not know and these are just my opinions. And they are all questions. I am not proclaiming them to be facts, just some questions to provoke one's thoughts.
Section 10 [Distribution of Profits - TV, Events, Commercials, Copyright etc]
10.1.
Category: Overseas Revenue
10.1.a
Category: CF, Events & Miscellaneous Activities
Profit Distribution: 70% of Net Profit
10.1.b
Category: Up front payment and/or down payments from various contracts
Profit Distribution: 10% of amount received by SM
My opinion:
Again, 70% looks good. But its Net Profit and we do not know how big a figure SM puts down as production cost. Let's say SM put Cost as 90%, that means profit is only 10%. And 70% of that is actually 7%. Pathetic isn't it. Again, I am not judging. I can't say SM manipulated the accounts, but neither can anyone else say SM didn't. Unless you have personal access to their account books PLUS you went through each and every expense and cross check every single invoice & receipt and verify its authenticity. Honestly, if everything is so simple, so clear cut black & white, there will be no graft in this world.
Moving on to the up front payment and/or down payment portion. How on earth did it come up to 10% of what SM receives? Suppose if the payment was for an event, which automatically renders DBSK 70% of net profit, base on 10.1.a, would this "10% of amount SM receives" correlates? I feel this clause a little on the dodgy side. WHY? Because depending on how much the down payment is, and what the down payment was for, that 10% could reduce the actual amount the group deserves to get. And this clause seems redundant, as SM does not pay them every day, nor every month. They do it every six month. So I don't see the need for a clause that takes care of down payment or advance payment. Because by the time SM payout to DBSK, they would probably have received the final payment. If SM pays them daily, weekly or even monthly, then yes, there needs to be a clause to handle advance payment so that the amount can be calculated and distributed to the group accordingly. So yes, dodgy is the word I could come up with.
10.2
Category: Commercials (Guarantees, Appearances Fees Included), TV, Radio, Cable, Satellite, Magazines, Concerts, Events etc
10.2.a
Category: Regular appearances
Profit Distribution: 65% of Net Profit
10.2.b
Category: Promotional/ temporary guest appearances
Profit Distribution: Used for cost of promotion
My opinion:
Wow, 65%. Yawn. Ermm, regular appearances. I guess that means if they become a part of the MC crew of that program, and appear for a whole season of it. With their schedule, its not possible. So yea. IT IS "65% of something that will never materialize". As for 10.2.b, basically, all the variety shows we watch, with the 5 boys in it, like X-man, Lineup, Star King, Happy Together, Family Outing and what not, they are paid, but, money goes to SM. Some argue that the amount received for these appearances are not much. But if you multiply that small amount by the large amount of appearances they make, then it is a significant sum. And I do not see why they should be deprived of it. And writing it off as "cost of promotion" is low. Because, SM does not pay for everything. Production costs are split between the 5 boys and SM. Basically, everyone who is on SM's payroll, are also on DBSK's payroll, because the pays contribute towards their paycheck. Food & lodging are also not covered by SM. So why, when there is money coming in, it goes entirely to SM? At best, it should be a 50-50 split, since the boys also bear production/promotion and whatever not costs.
10.3
Category: Revenues from Internet Business (Mobile & any revenues from Internet)
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
My opinion:
Refer to my opinion for Clause 9.2 to 9.4
10.4
Category: Photo Books using actual pictures of the Singers(Digital/Online income is considered Internet Business Revenue) - Photo Books are limited only for the products planned and produced for sales of the actual photos.
Profit Distribution: 60% of Net Profit
My opinion:
Refer to my opinion for Clause 9.2 to 9.4
10.5
Category: Revenues from Internet Business (Mobile & any revenues from Internet)
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
Character products & Licensed products utilizing Photos (except for the picture books mentioned above), Brand, Brand Name, Intellectual properties - Accessories, Clothes, Shoes, Stationary, Toys etc.
My opinion:
Refer to my opinion for Clause 9.2 to 9.4. I believe this category brings in a lot of money. But the bigger question is, how much did SM put down as production costs?
Lastly, I'll leave you with a link to download the original Korean version of the contract:
http://seoul.scourt.go.kr/dcboard/DcNewsViewAction.work?seqnum=6353&gubun=44
and of course, I'll let you ponder upon all I have written. You can agree or disagree, and while doing either of that, you can chose to be quiet or loud. I do not mind.
I believe I have mentioned in earlier post, that this blog is going to be my personal diary, an avenue for me to output all the thoughts I have regarding this whole Dong Bang Shin Ki saga. I have also mentioned that I am not here to prove who is right, who is wrong, who is saint and who is devil. To this day, it is still the same. I will be looking at the contract and discussing it. Everything is purely my opinion.
If you actually read my blog and is interested to continue reading this post regarding the contract, I suggest you first go google a copy of the contract in another window, have it open side by side while you read my blog. I am not in the mood to go copy, paste & credit the contract into my blog. Why? Because I do not know which blog to copy it from. It shouldn't matter actually, because the contracts are the same, regardless of whether I take it from a JaeChunSu-biased site or a Homin-biased site. But because I want to remain open and objective, I do not want to copy from either source.
I'll only be talking about the profits distribution, which is in Section 9 & Section 10 of the contract.
So, here goes (The items in each section are not numbered, I just numbered it for clarity and ease of referencing, writing & reading):
Section 9 [Distribution of Profits - Albums]
9.1.
Category: Domestic Album & Packaged products (including Licensed Albums sold overseas)
Sales volume & profit distribution:
50001 to 100k = 2% of Sales
100k to 200k = 3% of Sales
Over 200k = 5% of Sales
Distribution of profits: If you are an individual artiste, you get the whole 2, 3 or 5%, if you are a group, divide equally per number of members. This will be applicable for all profit distribution, so I will not repeat it from here onward.
My opinion:
I don't really know how many copies they sold, for each of the album they released. But I do know their best selling album was Mirotic, which exceeded 500k copies sold. There are 3 versions of the Mirotic album. Version A (CD+Photobook), Version B (CD+DVD) & Version C (CD+Photobook). For ease of calculation, let's say each version sold 167k, and total is 501k copies sold. Now, how much does each album cost? Not sure, but I tried googling and someone said they paid ~$12 for version A and ~$26 for version B. I'll assume version C cost the same as version A, since its similarly a CD + Photobook combo.
I have no idea how they calculate the sales, I mean, which version goes into which bracket? 5% of a $26 album is different from 5% of a $12 album. So, for my convenience, I will just average it out and assume a Mirotic album cost ~$16.70 (Yes, I added up all 3 and did an average). Also, for calculation, lets just assume it was 500k copies sold.
So, all of that would total to $8.35mil sales. And here's the breakdown per the 9.1:
0-50k album - 0
50001 to 100k = 2% [ $16.7k ]
100k to 200k = 3% [ $50.1k ]
over 200k = 5% [ $250.5k ]
Total of above is $317.3k and that gives $63.46k per member.
That sounds kind of meager to me, considering they are "Asia's stars". However, there are some sites [which have claimed allegiance to worship only one side and bash the other side] that claims that artists don't make money from album sales. They make money from endorsement, concerts, merchandise etc. I do agree to a certain extent, because many people just don't bother buying albums anymore, with all the free downloads and piracy going on. That could probably explain why the idols' albums always comes with photobooks. The photobooks serve as motivation for fans to purchase albums. However, when you are "Asia's stars" and you manage to sell more than 500k of your albums in this piracy age, and then you get $63.46k, now that's sad. And I forgot to mention, you sacrifice you personal time, your privacy, your identity, among many other things, plus work your ass off, and then you get $63.46k.
And that was talking about their best album, Mirotic. What about previous albums which didn't sell as much. I am using album sales figures from wikipedia, so I cannot guarantee its accuracy. Their 3rd Korean album "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap sold about 350k. Assuming again each copy cost $12, total album sales would be $4.2mil, after calculation, their cut should be $138k, each member gets $27.6k... T_T
And I did this calculation with the assumption that the "over 200k album sales get 5%" have already been implemented. If it was not, then their cut would be $102k, each member get $20.4k.
I have no further comments actually. So, let's move on
9.2
Category: Digital Wired/Wireless Downloads (Album, Songs) Except for free downloads Online, only when there's income from advertisement
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
9.3
Category: Online and wired/wireless Internet, MP3, Digital files etc
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
9.4
Category: Overseas Revenue
9.4.a
Category: Performance Loyalty (Albums made overseas)
Profit Distribution: 70% of Net Profit
9.4.b
Category: Loyalty (Limited to the songs, lyrics, written by the Artists)
Profit Distribution: 70% of Net Profit
9.4.c
Category: Master Loyalty *The whole amount of Master Loyalty is considered to be SM's revenue
Profit Distribution: Not Applicable
My Opinion:
At one glance, 9.2 to 9.4 looks good, what with 10% and 70%. But again, there are many things we do not know:
Sales [How much does it cost the buyer/ customer to download a song online? ]
- Cost [How much does it cost SM to make this transaction happen. And most importantly, the amount written in the account book, for purpose of calculating profits; is that the real amount or a blown up amount?]
= Profit [ Its 10% of this amount that will be shared by the 5 members ]
Moving on to 9.4, well, pardon me, but I really am not familiar with all these loyalty thingy. And what counts as performance loyalty? Definitely not concerts or variety show appearances (they do perform on shows like Music Bank, Music Japan etc). Just saying, maybe there isn't any job that fits into this Performance loyalty category (or even if there is, SM will fit it into another category?). So now 10% of something that will never materialize is basically worthless. Just my thoughts.
Then comes the Loyalty of lyrics and songs, which they get to claim 70% of net profit, but then there is the Master Loyalty. Not sure what Master Loyalty is, but it sounds like something that encompasses everything. In that case, wouldn't it include even the songs and lyrics? For those who work in MNC, if for example you come up with an idea that is worthy to be patented, your company will pay for the patent filling and own all rights to it. Your name will be on the patent, no doubt about that. Your company will probably also give you some incentive for coming up with the idea. So, I have nothing to argue about SM owning the Master Loyalty, I guess that is just how things work. But I am really curious about the songs & lyrics loyalty. Is it another, "70% of something that will never materialize" again? I am not judging SM. I really do not know and these are just my opinions. And they are all questions. I am not proclaiming them to be facts, just some questions to provoke one's thoughts.
Section 10 [Distribution of Profits - TV, Events, Commercials, Copyright etc]
10.1.
Category: Overseas Revenue
10.1.a
Category: CF, Events & Miscellaneous Activities
Profit Distribution: 70% of Net Profit
10.1.b
Category: Up front payment and/or down payments from various contracts
Profit Distribution: 10% of amount received by SM
My opinion:
Again, 70% looks good. But its Net Profit and we do not know how big a figure SM puts down as production cost. Let's say SM put Cost as 90%, that means profit is only 10%. And 70% of that is actually 7%. Pathetic isn't it. Again, I am not judging. I can't say SM manipulated the accounts, but neither can anyone else say SM didn't. Unless you have personal access to their account books PLUS you went through each and every expense and cross check every single invoice & receipt and verify its authenticity. Honestly, if everything is so simple, so clear cut black & white, there will be no graft in this world.
Moving on to the up front payment and/or down payment portion. How on earth did it come up to 10% of what SM receives? Suppose if the payment was for an event, which automatically renders DBSK 70% of net profit, base on 10.1.a, would this "10% of amount SM receives" correlates? I feel this clause a little on the dodgy side. WHY? Because depending on how much the down payment is, and what the down payment was for, that 10% could reduce the actual amount the group deserves to get. And this clause seems redundant, as SM does not pay them every day, nor every month. They do it every six month. So I don't see the need for a clause that takes care of down payment or advance payment. Because by the time SM payout to DBSK, they would probably have received the final payment. If SM pays them daily, weekly or even monthly, then yes, there needs to be a clause to handle advance payment so that the amount can be calculated and distributed to the group accordingly. So yes, dodgy is the word I could come up with.
10.2
Category: Commercials (Guarantees, Appearances Fees Included), TV, Radio, Cable, Satellite, Magazines, Concerts, Events etc
10.2.a
Category: Regular appearances
Profit Distribution: 65% of Net Profit
10.2.b
Category: Promotional/ temporary guest appearances
Profit Distribution: Used for cost of promotion
My opinion:
Wow, 65%. Yawn. Ermm, regular appearances. I guess that means if they become a part of the MC crew of that program, and appear for a whole season of it. With their schedule, its not possible. So yea. IT IS "65% of something that will never materialize". As for 10.2.b, basically, all the variety shows we watch, with the 5 boys in it, like X-man, Lineup, Star King, Happy Together, Family Outing and what not, they are paid, but, money goes to SM. Some argue that the amount received for these appearances are not much. But if you multiply that small amount by the large amount of appearances they make, then it is a significant sum. And I do not see why they should be deprived of it. And writing it off as "cost of promotion" is low. Because, SM does not pay for everything. Production costs are split between the 5 boys and SM. Basically, everyone who is on SM's payroll, are also on DBSK's payroll, because the pays contribute towards their paycheck. Food & lodging are also not covered by SM. So why, when there is money coming in, it goes entirely to SM? At best, it should be a 50-50 split, since the boys also bear production/promotion and whatever not costs.
10.3
Category: Revenues from Internet Business (Mobile & any revenues from Internet)
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
My opinion:
Refer to my opinion for Clause 9.2 to 9.4
10.4
Category: Photo Books using actual pictures of the Singers(Digital/Online income is considered Internet Business Revenue) - Photo Books are limited only for the products planned and produced for sales of the actual photos.
Profit Distribution: 60% of Net Profit
My opinion:
Refer to my opinion for Clause 9.2 to 9.4
10.5
Category: Revenues from Internet Business (Mobile & any revenues from Internet)
Profit Distribution: 10% of Net Profit
Character products & Licensed products utilizing Photos (except for the picture books mentioned above), Brand, Brand Name, Intellectual properties - Accessories, Clothes, Shoes, Stationary, Toys etc.
My opinion:
Refer to my opinion for Clause 9.2 to 9.4. I believe this category brings in a lot of money. But the bigger question is, how much did SM put down as production costs?
Lastly, I'll leave you with a link to download the original Korean version of the contract:
http://seoul.scourt.go.kr/dcboard/DcNewsViewAction.work?seqnum=6353&gubun=44
and of course, I'll let you ponder upon all I have written. You can agree or disagree, and while doing either of that, you can chose to be quiet or loud. I do not mind.
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