South Korean boy band Bigbang of YG Entertainment makes it to Forbes' list of 2016 Celeb 100 list due on July 12. The K-Pop idol offers a blueprint of making money in the music industry worldwide, raking in $44 million gross earnings over the past year, that is over $33.5 million more than the highest-paid American all-male pop group, Maroon 5.
Big Bang will be the first K-Pop act to be in Forbes list of Celeb 100. The attribute is more on the group's popular music than their business savvy. In March, YG's act landed no. 2 in TIME's 2016 Most Influential List, trailing United States Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. They earned more votes than Beyonce and Taylor Swift combined.
Composed of Kwon Ji Young aka G-Dragon or GD, 27; Choi Seung Hyun aka T.O.P., 29; Dong Yong Bae aka Taeyang or Sol, 28; Kang Dae Sung aka D-Lite, 27 and Lee Seung Hyun aka Seungri or Vi, 25, the band debuted in 2006, embarking on a gruelling schedule to release six albums (two in Korean and four in Japanese) in the next six years. YouTube also gives them global exposure though they did not earn money from it.
With massive fans worldwide labelled "VIPs," Bigbang's live concerts often have fans lining up or camping around the venue, starting more than 24 hours prior to the show, a phenomenon that seldom happens with Western artists. Some female fans would cry in the queue, just like the Backstreet Boys craze in the 1990s. The K-idols earned more than Martin Garrix and almost equal to Justin Bieber's, with a $2.6 million gross per city in their recent "Made" world tour.
The boys may not realize their huge earnings, as others manage it for them. For instance, the band's front man Kwon has his mother in charge of his earnings.
Managing the group is YG's founder, Yang Hyun Suk aka YG, a former K-Pop idol whose $630-million firm is a record label, concert promoter and talent agency that handles stuff from marketing to film to fashion. YG creates not only Bigbang but is making influence to the contemporary K-Pop movement locally, regionally and internationally.
YG does not only have Bigbang. Its talents abound most of whom are big names in the K-Pop and Korean wave space. It includes four-member girl group 2NE1 who sells out arenas globally, even making an Adidas commercial with Nicki Minaj. There is also "Gangnam Style" guy Psy who holds an all-time YouTube record of 2.6 billion views since 2012.
Check out Bigbang performing "Sober," from their most recent album "Made" and also features Kang's drumming skills.