With K-pop booming in the US, agencies launch American bases to target both markets, bypassing reliance on local partners
With K-pop’s popularity spreading far beyond Korea, agencies are seeking new ways to reach global audiences.
While strategies include international partnerships and launching localized global groups, establishing headquarters in the US, the largest music market in the world, is emerging as a key move to expand their reach.
In establishing his own K-pop agency “Titan Content” in April 2023, Han Se-min, former CEO of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment, chose Los Angeles as its headquarters, with studio facilities both in Seoul and LA.
“K-pop is already big in America. It is recognized as a mainstream genre there, not just a niche. Many K-pop artists are achieving big success in the US, hopping on Billboard charts and holding concerts at big stadiums. In that vein, I thought, why not create a K-pop company in the US and aim to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with American entertainment giants,” Han told reporters during a press conference held on Aug. 6.
Although the company is headquartered in the US, its core identity and creative foundation remain rooted in Korean culture, and its talent is made up of K-pop “titans” who made history in K-pop, according to Han.
Apart from Han, Katie Kang, who was also the head of the artist planning and production committee at SM, Lia Kim, the founder of dance crew 1Million, and Lee Guiom, who founded magazine Dazed Korea in 2015, are also the figures leading Titan Content.
The company is set to test its global strategy to target both global and Korean markets, with the launch of its first K-pop act, AtHeart. The rookie group threw its hat into the ring on Wednesday with its debut album “Plot Twist.”
“For the past 25 years, K-pop hasn’t just stayed in Korea. Across the years, it steadily expanded into nearby markets like Japan, then into China and later into the US entertainment market, which is the biggest in the world,” a senior official at Titan Content told The Korea Herald.
“Given the growth of the K-pop industry, we didn’t want to expand slowly and tap into international markets, but we set up the company in the US so that we could compete with major players there and speed up K-pop’s global expansion,” the official further explained.
SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man took a similar path.
After leaving the company in December 2023 following a high-profile management dispute, the K-pop pioneer founded A2O Entertainment in Los Angeles, with a trademark registered in May 2024.
Rather than focusing solely on the Korean market, A2O Entertainment established its headquarters in the US to strengthen local industry connections and partnerships. By having its main office there, the company plans to provide a base for artists to promote and perform on a global scale, according to an official at the agency.
“K-content is no longer restricted to Korea or Korean-speaking audiences — it is reaching fans across the globe. Similarly, A2O Entertainment is expanding internationally, not just in the US, but also in other countries, with the aim of producing entertainment content that connects artists and fans from all over the world,” an official from A2O told The Korea Herald.
Music critic Lim Hee-yoon struck a similar chord, noting that a growing number of K-pop agencies will likely follow suit, aiming to reach both the US and Korean markets.
“K-pop has become so popular in the US that companies no longer just rely on local partnerships or US branches to promote their artists or foray into the US but are now setting up headquarters or offices in the US from the beginning to target the American and Korean markets at the same time. The US music industry is also becoming more open and interested in partnering with K-pop companies,” Lim said via phone.
junheee
