YG to establish U.S. operation

YG Entertainment, one of South Korea’s largest music management companies, is setting up a North American base for its artists.

The agency, whose singers include K-pop acts 2NE1, Psy and Big Bang, said Friday that construction was underway in the United States for “YG Land,” an independent space complete with recording infrastructure to support and promote its artists in North America.

In partnership with the American real-estate agency MD Properties, “YG Land” will be built inside The Source, a shopping center scheduled to open in Orange County, California, in 2015, according to YG.

“YG Land” will become an “all-in-one” space equipped with all the basic facilities necessary for independent music business operations, such as recording studios, practice rooms and production studios. 

The space will also locally advertise and promote YG Entertainment and its artists through LED screens, electronic display boards and print billboards.

With the addition of a permanent production facility in the United States, YG said in a press release that it is seeking to develop a more sustainable way of promoting its artists overseas, breaking away from the one-time, performance-based approach typically taken by Korean entertainment enterprises.

“We recently held a ceremony to celebrate the new partnership with MD Properties,” YG said. “We plan to cooperate in developing new businesses in such areas as hotels, shopping, concerts and package tours, and food and beverage franchises in the future.”

By Sohn Ji-young (jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)