Chapter 156
TL: KSD
There are two types of industries: labor-intensive industries and capital-intensive industries.
In simpler terms, it’s about whether you grind people or capital to make money.
And in the distant past,
About 20 years ago, to be precise.
The entertainment industry leaned more towards being labor-intensive. Most entertainment agencies were half-thuggish operations, and their systems were run haphazardly. Success depended on how low a manager could bow in front of a TV station producer and how hard an entertainer could roll around to create better songs, choreography, and personas. It was an era when group members stitched together their stage outfits in a single-room studio with scissors in hand.
But today,
The entertainment industry has transformed into something closer to a capital-intensive business. Entertainment agencies have grown into large corporations, and the K-System has become a god. Stars are no longer born of talent but are created within a system. These days, idols sing songs planned by the A&R team, recite lyrics crafted through collaborations between lyricists, and dance choreography outsourced to professional choreographers. It’s the era of industrial dolls.
And naturally, such comprehensive management includes their private lives as well. Even an idol’s dating life is meticulously managed by the agency, discreet restaurants, routes carefully curated to avoid journalists, and even date schedules…