The Money Issue That Often Breaks Up K-Pop Groups, According To Former Idol And Trainee
Whether a K-Pop group disbands after a couple of years or calls it quits after seven, there are always reasons why it didn’t work out. A former idol and trainee revealed the most common money issue that breaks up a group.
When a viewer asked how much money an idol makes for solo promotions, former trainee-turned-lyricist Gina Maeng revealed the two ways that groups divide the money they make.
The first focused on benefitting everyone as a whole. She said, “So they can decide on their own whether to split everything equally, no matter who brings in the money.”
The second option allowed for each member to benefit from their own work. Gina Maeng added, “Or they can decide to split evenly just for the group income and get paid differently for the solo income.”
Gina Maeng also noted that groups could stick with “the same income split until the fourth year or the fifth year.” Still, there’s one problem that many groups can’t escape, which leads to their disbandment.
Former CocoSori and Blady member Coco remembered a “super famous” group with one member who did “super well compared to the other members.” The popular member had tons of “acting jobs” and “commercials” that earned her the most money but had to split it with the members who weren’t working. It became such a huge problem that the group didn’t survive it.
But I heard their contract was they need to split everything that they make, regardless of her individually working really hard. So that made the members break up eventually because it caused inside drama.
— Coco
Gina Maeng confirmed that it was a common problem in K-Pop groups and said, “It happens a lot. It happens a lot.”
Coco then revealed how the rest of the members felt just as upset by the situation.
She’s making all this money, but then it’s getting split all different ways. And the members are also really sad because they’re still getting the money, but they’re not getting any opportunities. So they’re butt-hurt on both sides.
— Coco
Although one member gaining popularity can be beneficial for a group, it’s often a burden when it comes to the group’s finances. Listen to the two insiders talk about the problems their idol friends experience with their groups.
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