Entertainment

Hundreds of K-Pop songs by KakaoM removed from Spotify

Including songs from IU, LOONA, Dreamcatcher, GFRIEND, SEVENTEEN, MAMAMOO, and more

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Image by GadgetMatch

K-Pop has been making waves both in South Korea and outside their homeland. And with the recent launch of Spotify Korea, international fans are expecting it to be recognized by major Korean music shows as an additional attempt in making more underrated artists and groups succeed without totally relying on Korean streaming platforms and Korean fans alone. But the recent feud between KakaoM and Spotify put everything to a screeching halt.

What is KakaoM?

KakaoM is a large co-publisher of K-Pop albums by Korean artists. Other than being a music publishing house, they’re also a music and concert production house, events management agency, talent agency, and even a record label. This basically means they can handle everything from handling K-Pop trainees and talents, up to pre-production, production, and post-production phases of a single, EP, mini album, or even a full album.

Image by GadgetMatch

Other than KakaoM’s in-house artists like IU (under EDAM Entertainment), Apink, VICTON, and Weeekly (under PlayM Entertainment), as well as non-KakaoM talents such as LOONA, Dreamcatcher, MAMAMOO, GFRIEND, SEVENTEEN, HyunA, and (G)-IDLE, this long Twitter thread shows the full list of K-Pop groups, duos, and soloists that are handled and/or whose albums were published by KakaoM:

Explaining the fiasco

Image by GadgetMatch

In an article published by the Korean site NAVER, Spotify has informed that KakaoM was unable to extend the validity of the agreement. Thus, effectively ending the contract today, March 1, 2021. Spotify also reported that they’ve been keeping in touch with KakaoM for a year but to no avail. They even said that KakaoM never informed the artists nor their respective agencies prior to the cancellation.

KakaoM isn’t totally a stranger in such issues. This already happened in 2019 when KakaoM failed to mass produce LOONA’s “[X X]” albums despite the large volumes of album pre-orders. That hindered LOONA from getting their first win in a music show. It even came to a point where they failed to renew LOONA’s songs listed under them in Spotify.

This also has a massive effect among international K-Pop artists and fans in general. With the large number of groups and artists alone, Spotify not only helps them get on a larger scale outside Korea, but it also contributes records to music charts such as Billboard.

Streaming charts have always been a big deal among K-Pop fans. With Spotify’s recent entry in the Korean music industry, fans have speculated that this unsettled agreement between Spotify and KakaoM was due to the fact that they don’t want to lose Melon, which is Korea’s top and largest music streaming platform with 28 million subscribers.

Other than the reliance of chartings and rankings by music shows such as Mnet’s M Countdown, KBS’s Music Core, SBS’s Inkigayo, MBC’s Music Core, and more, the streaming platform is owned by none other than KakaoM. This is a speculation all along but the fact that Spotify has 345+ million subscribers in 170 markets dwarfs Melon alone.

Stan Twitter memes everywhere

Some fans were able to make humor out of this controversy.

With KakaoM’s Melon ownership, international fans have joked around that signing up to Melon will never happen.

The fury of the K-Pop international fanbase might have made KakaoM realize their wrong action.

Orbits aren’t late to the meme party

It seems like every K-Pop fan is transferring to YouTube Music (not even Apple Music)

KakaoM as Thanos, anyone?

Memes aside, Spotify has re-assured fans that this issue is temporary and can still be resolved once KakaoM reaches a new global deal. Fans (like me) are hoping that KakaoM will settle this as soon as possible or this might be a huge loss not just to them, but for fans, artists, and their respective agencies as well.

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Entertainment

Netflix: 6 new K-Romance titles to put on your list

Because the world loves K-Romance

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June 7, 2023

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Netflix K-Romance
Images courtesy of Netflix

Whether it’s the suspense and butterflies brought by Crash Landing on You or the stirring connections from Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Business Proposal that made us all melt inside, Netflix has shown that it is a premier destination for some of the world’s best K-Romances.

In the last four years alone, K-Romance viewership on the streaming platform has tripled, with 90% coming from outside South Korea.

It doesn’t stop there: in the next five months, Netflix is set to release six more K-Romance titles to make us smile and touch our hearts even further with different compelling love stories, so make sure to add these to your watchlist!

See you in my 19th life (June 17)

In this spinoff from a hit webtoon, Shin Hye-sun stars as a protagonist who remembers all her past lives.

As a young girl in her 18th life, she falls for a boy next door. As she gets reincarnated for her 19th life, she tries to win him back, only to find out he has become a cold man who does not want to get close with anyone.

Can love triumph across lifetimes?

King the Land (June 17)

A wealthy heir played by K-Pop idol Jun-ho meets a girl played by fellow idol Yoona who smiles brightly as part of her job in one of his family businesses.

Not a fan of fake smiles, he dislikes the girl, writing her off as someone with fake personality.

Viewers will be in for a ride in the K-Pop idols’ K-Romance acting debut.

Behind Your Touch

In this all-in-one comedy-suspense-romance title, rom-com queen Han Ji-min is a veterinarian in a small town who has a very strange gift of psychometry.

When she convinces a detective of her abilities, they team up to solve neighborhood crimes.

Destined with You

In this story, Rowoon plays a lawyer who seemingly has it all, but is haunted by a family curse.

That is until he meets an unsuspecting civil servant played by Cho Boa, who will eventually serve as the woman to break the curse.

A Time Called You (3rd quarter 2023)

Business Proposal’s Ahn Hyo-seop is back, starring with Vincenzo’s Jeon Yeo-been in this remake of classic Taiwanese romance Someday or One Day.

Both leads will play two separate characters, with one of Jeon’s character travelling back in time to 1998 and meets a man played by Ahn.

This man bears an uncanny resemblance to her late boyfriend, complicating everything from the get-go.

Doona! (4th quarter 2023)

Yang Se-jong is a college student who had to deal not only with school but also with the fact that he’s living with a former K-Pop sensation, played by real-life former K-Pop star Suzy.

Their relationship starts out as one of mutual misunderstanding and dislike, and grows over time into one of love and trust.

But can their connection withstand the pressures of fame and last? 

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Entertainment

Netflix Tudum 2023: Talent lineup, how to watch live

Featuring 100+ Netflix stars

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June 2, 2023

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Netflix Tudum

Netflix’s Global Fan Event Tudum returns with its 2023 edition happening on June 17 at the Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, Brazil.

This two-hour live spectacle will stream on 23 Netflix channels and can be accessed by millions of fans around the globe. It will be available in 10 languages.

Brazil has always been a special place for Netflix, as Tudum was born in the country in 2020 as a local event. Tickets will be distributed live for fans on the ground on a first-come, first-serve basis.

 

This year, the event will feature more than 100 Netflix stars, including Chris Hemsworth and of “Extraction”, Gal Gadot of “Heart Stone,” and Henry Cavill of “The Witcher.”

There will also be more special appearances from the stars of Netlfix’s hit titles, like “Stranger Things,” “Squid Game,” “Cobra Kai,” and “You.”

For the night owls and early morning persons, Tudum 2023 will stream starting at 4:30AM in the Philippines and Singapore on June 18.

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Entertainment

vivo hosts Meet & Greet with Maine Mendoza

Great deals for walk-in attendees!

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May 25, 2023

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Maine Mendoza

Are you a big fan of Maine Mendoza? You’re in luck! vivo is hosting a meet & greet with the actress. And you can get great vivo deals too for attending.

Aptly called Aura with Maine, the meet & greet is being hosted to showcase the vivo V27 Series which has the Aura Portrait Master feature. Maine will meet the 20 lucky winners of their Instagram challenge where users flaunted their best aura poses with their V27 Series phones. All 20 will have have a photo and TikTok opportunity with the actress.

The Aura with Maine Meet & Greet is happening at the vivo concept store in SM Megamall on May 27, 2023 (Saturday) from 4PM-6PM.

Amazing deals from vivo

Even if you’re not one of the 20 winners, you can still come out on top if you decide to go. Walk-ins at the vivo store in SM Megamall will get freebies when they purchase a V27 and/or V27e phone.

vivo V27 Series

The vivo V27 Series comes in two variants — the vivo V27e which retails for PhP 16,999, and the vivo V27 5G which is priced at PhP 24,999.

The phones have a f/1.9 IMX766V 50MP ultra-sensing main camera. This is supported by EIS+OIS dual ultra-stabilization for sharp and high-quality shots even when moving or at night.

The Aura Portrait Algorithm paves the way for impressive image and video-processing yet on a vivo smartphone for its category.

vivo V27 5G

The vivo V27 has an insanely attractive design that makes it look a tad deluxe. But beauty isn’t its only redeeming factor. With a pocket studio appeal, Aura Portrait algorithm, and a Sony IMX766V sensor together with an EIS+OIS Dual Ultra Stabilization, it has a 50-megapixel Eye AF vlogging front camera.

The vivo V27 prides itself on a combined 12GB RAM and 8GB extended RAM. It also has 256GB of internal storage. It runs on MediaTek’s Dimensity 7200 and is equipped with a 4600mAh all-day battery life capable of 66W fast charging.

SEE ALSO: Photo ideas to soft launch your new relationship, Shot on the vivo V27

This article is a sponsored press release by vivo Philippines.

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