HYBE’s Bang Si Hyuk Shares His Three Philosophies To Creating a Sustainable Entertainment Ecosystem
Most recently, HYBE LABELS held the Weverse Con Festival and showcased performances quite different from the usual K-Pop concert. While K-Pop is receiving global attention, why did HYBE, the representative K-Pop entertainment industry, plan such a festival? What is the relationship between the future of K-Pop, a global trending product, and the Weverse Con Festival?
According to HYBE, it can be largely summarized into three categories: integration, high-quality, and new technology.
Chairman Bang Si Hyuk’s conviction that a “venue for integration” was reflected in the Weverse Con Festival. In particular, starting this year, not only artists from HYBE LABELS but also artists from other companies took the stage together, making the meaning of integration come alive. Artists such as Kim Junsu, who performed on a joint concert stage in 14 years, American singer-songwriter Jeremy Zucker, and MOONCHILD, who are expanding activities from Japan to the world, all crossed the border and stood on the stage.
They also had a dedication stage honoring legendary musicians such as the late Shin Hae Chul. Regarding this stage, Bang stated, “We need to respect the historical facts of popular music, and we need a space where we can commemorate and dedicate them. The Weverse Con Festival should be s age that preserves the meaning of the times.”
The festival also reflected the intention of “making a higher quality performance ourselves.” K-Pop and K-dance have penetrated the world, but high-quality performance services are another field. This is because it is possible when you generally invest in the stage. In fact, the LED panels installed for this festival were four times more than a regular concert, providing 8 super-large screens, vividly illuminating even the sweat of the artists, enhancing the sense of immersion in the scene. Facilities such as trolleys were also mobilized to create a dynamically changing stage. A HYBE official stated, “To stage 20 teams and 84 songs over two days, a high level of directing and technical skills are required. If you are an artist, you have to make it a stage that everyone wants to go on it, so it becomes a stage that audiences all over the world want to see.”
The third reason is the convergence of art and new technology. HYBE eliminated the line-up in front of event booths with a site-customized service that applied QR codes. If you reserve a booth visit through the queue service in the Weverse app, an alarm will notify you when it’s your turn. If you go to the Weverse by Fans menu, you can create merch using the image and design you want. It became possible to produce personalized products rather than mass-produced official products. The concert stage was also broadcast live online in real-time so that fans worldwide could also watch. This changed service results from Bang’s philosophy of “resolving the inconvenience in front of us is innovation.”
HYBE hopes that the Weverse Con Festival will ultimately become the starting point for creating a sustainable entertainment ecosystem. Bang stated, “I want it to be a venue to show all new technologies and artistic methodologies based on popular art.”
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