AEG makes further strides in K-pop space

AEG Presents has joined forces with Galaxy Corporation, a Korean AI metaverse firm, to collaborate on the global expansion of the Korean pop (K-pop) genre.

It comes as AEG Presents gears up to open the “world’s first K-Pop specialised arena“, which will reportedly be enabled by the metaverse and augmented reality.

The strategic collaboration, announced this week during the Korean-Singapore Business Forum, is designed to further technological advancements in the touring and entertainment spaces, specifically around K-pop shows.

Galaxy Corporation began breaking into the music sector last December by signing “King of K-pop” G-Dragon, leader of the influential K-pop band BIGBANG.

The company works to distribute Korean entertainment to a global audience, through VR/AR content production, digital events, and performances. In addition, Galaxy deals with intellectual properties and operates in the television sector, producing Netflix’s Physical: 100.

“We will provide a new type of performance experience to the audience by developing technologies such as AI, augmented reality (AR), mixed reality, and robots into entertainment,” says Choi Yong-ho, CEO of Galaxy Corporation.

“We will also promote sustainable growth of the K-pop industry by discovering and supporting new artists.”

Adam Wilkes, president and CEO of AEG Presents Asia, adds: “We are looking forward to how the collaboration between the two companies will bring about both artists and audiences. We will build a platform for K-pop artists to continue to thrive on the global stage.”

By entering the partnership, AEG Presents aspires to build upon previous successes in the genre

In recent years, AEG Presents has dialled in on the K-pop market. The multinational firm is behind the 20,000-capacity CJ LiveCity Arena, which is projected to open in early 2025.

Set to open in Goyang City, Seoul, the nearly ₩2 trillion (€1.3 billion) development comprises the arena and a 40,000-capacity outdoor performance space as part of a larger K-pop entertainment district.

Projected to welcome over 20 million visitors annually, the innovative venue is reportedly designed with technological advancements at the forefront, such as the metaverse and AR.

In 2022, AEG Presents formally partnered with K-pop touring and marketing firm Powerhouse, which has worked with some of K-pop’s biggest stars such as BTS and Blackpink and is a partner of the world’s biggest K-pop festival CJ ENM’s KCON. The two firms had been working in tandem since 2010 when they produced what’s remembered as “the first blast of K-pop in the US”.

KCON expanded to its fifth region earlier this year, landing in Hong Kong for the first time alongside Japan, the US, Europe and Saudi Arabia.

By entering the partnership with Galaxy, AEG Presents aspires to build upon previous successes in the genre. The firm promoted BLACKPINK’s latest trek, the 2022-23 Born Pink world tour, which became the most-attended concert tour by a K-pop girl group with 1.8 million attendees.

BLACKPINK went on to headline the AEG-backed BST Hyde Park in London last summer, a milestone for the summer series: “Having a K-pop band headline a UK festival for the very first time and deliver a great show was an important moment for us,” said Jim King, CEO of AEG’s European festivals.

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