SM Entertainment’s(SM)’1st round pick’, which is expanding its appearance by investing in promising K -pop agencies, has revealed its true identity.It is the nest of boy group 82 Major, ‘Great M’, which is showing rapid rise with songs such as ‘Tip of the Tongue’ and ‘What Are You Looking At’.

SM Entertainment will become the second largest shareholder of Great M Entertainment(Great M), the agency of group 82 Major.SM recently announced that they will “begin to acquire shares” in Great M, and on the 27th, they completed the transfer, announcing that they will “become the second largest shareholder.”

This investment is attracting extraordinary attention from both inside and outside the industry as the first case of ‘external expansion’ of the multi-label system, which is the core of the ‘SM 3.0’ strategy announced by SM.’SM 3.0’ is a system in which production centers and related labels plan and operate IP(intellectual property rights)based on autonomy and independence, and the acquisition of Great M shares is the first case of a strategic partnership with an external label.SM has been establishing and strengthening a horizontal management method in which each of its core groups, such as NCT, Espa, and Rise, are turned into production centers.

82major is a six-member boy group that officially debuted in October 2023 under Great M.They released “Tongue Tip” in the second half of last year, which became a mega hit, and recently released “What Are You Looking At”, further solidifying their position as a top-tier fifth-generation idol.Great M, which discovered and trained 82major, was founded in 2020 by CEO Kim Young-sun, a former FNC Entertainment producer.

In relation to the strategic collaboration between SM and Great M, K-pop is paying keen attention to whether SM’s ‘instinct’ will hit the mark again.’Instinct’ is considered a so-called success song that made its presence known when it was released by 82 Major early last year.


Reporter Heo Min- mignon@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.