Strategic Expansion to Recruit Top Global Talent and Achieve Asia's Leading Music Publishing Status

Courtesy of SM ENTERTAINMENT

Kreation Music Rights (KMR), a subsidiary of SM Entertainment, is actively seeking to solidify its position in the music publishing industry by recruiting global talent. Over the past five months, KMR has inked contracts with 86 creators, including Dsign Music, a Norwegian company credited with producing hit K-pop songs like Girls’ Generation’s “Genie,” NCT Dream’s “ISTJ,” and Taemin’s “Want.” Additionally, Sweden-based songwriter-duo Sunshine, known for their work on Red Velvet’s “Psycho” and aespa’s “Spicy,” are part of KMR's impressive roster. 

▲ Courtesy of SM ENTERTAINMENTTo bolster its European presence, KMR established a body in Stockholm, Sweden, in December, focusing on talent recruitment in Europe. Plans are underway to set up a corporate entity in the United States, forming strategic partnerships to attract creators in North America. SM Entertainment aims to position KMR as Asia's premier music publishing company within the next five years.

Domestically, KMR has three production teams—Smash Hit, Monotree, and The Hub—operating as separate business entities. Monotree, with Chief Producer Hwang Hyun at the helm, boasts 603 licensed songs under the Korea Music Copyright Association, including works for IVE and Seventeen. The Hub, an all-foreign team of producers and songwriters, recently contributed to NMIXX’s “Soñar(Breaker)” and “Break The Wall.” Smash Hit, led by Chief Producer Kangta, comprises 22 Korean songwriters and is aligned with SM Entertainment's broader strategy.

The company's focus for the year includes recruiting top global songwriters across Korea, Europe, and the United States. SM Entertainment intends to leverage KMR's production capabilities to expand into the artist management business, aligning with its SM 3.0 ‘multi-label’ strategy.

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Kelly.K, pittou8181@gmail.com