[news] 3 Members Of Group Dbsk Files Lawsuit

[kissez*]

It is also known that the content to the contract the 3 members cannot agree to includes having them belonging exclusively to SM Entertainment for 13 years and also unhappiness over profit allocation.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

A 13 year contract???

Lol.

*sniff sniff

I smell another "H.O.T."

I can't say that I'm not laughing my richard simmons off right now.

Eric had to pay a lot of amount of money to get Shinhwa out of there.

^Did not know. But why Eric? Because he's the leader? Did the other members help him out financially?

[Guest colloquy]

no offense to ANYONE

but am i the only one who actually saw this coming??

i know this is a sensitive topic...

but this is exactly what happened to HOT. really. this whole scenario is a replica of HOT's big conflict.

i remember watching a long time ago on mnet star watch that they wanted to perform together as dbsk 10 years later.

however... as i was watching this group go from airport to airport, i could tell....

they were DEFINITELY NOT HAPPY with their current situation.

all those airport fancams with their annoyed/ tired faces kind of showed that things were going downhill internally.

finally, this happened.

sm always has this jinx. they over work their artist to the point where the artist wants to leave. no joke.

Yeah, exactly what I was thinking. There's truth to rumors sometimes, after all.

I always thought that SM Entertainment treated their artists pretty poorly. Once you've maintained that level of popularity for a rather long period of time, that still seems to be rising and has even transcended to other parts of Asia, usually companies give more leverage and the artists have a tad bit more freedom. It's simply common sense. SM seems to enjoy putting the same restrictions on them till they eventually rebel and you have a power struggle of epic proportions. <3

Well, this is probably because from what I've seen SM Entertainment are only after money, as most idol agencies/companies. Common knowledge, tis so.

[7lotus]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

A 13 year contract???

Lol.

*sniff sniff

I smell another "H.O.T."

I can't say that I'm not laughing my richard simmons off right now.

^Did not know. But why Eric? Because he's the leader? Did the other members help him out financially?

I've heard the situations with H.O.T and Shinhwa were pretty ugly when they wanted to leave. Shinhwa had to go into a lawsuit to keep their name "shinhwa" because SM claimed to have the right to it. I've never heard that eric had to pay for shinwa's way out of sm though. that's shocking if it's true.

[Guest nGk2M]

One thing for sure, I truly believe these 5 boys will stick together, whether it's with SM or not.

Honestly, didn't we all kind of know about SM? I mean, they make very successful artists, but many of the groups disbanded under SM. And it was usually that most the band members decided not to resign the contract. Obviously, many of the artists were unhappy with their contracts with SM.

Nevertheless, I reallly hope they get this all figured out. I'm actually quite proud of the members for standing up for their rights! I heard that they only get about 10% of the profit? That's RIDICULOUS if it's true!! and the 13 "slave contract" or whatever is just downright wrong.

goossshhh i'm just so frustrated with SM. yeah, it might be rumors, but come on, we all know that SOME of it is true. I hope what happend to HOT doesn't happen again. i was so devastated when HOT broke up, and I was REALLY HAPPY that Shinhwa stuck together and moved to another company. I hope DBSK can be strong enough to stick together

[Guest kchan21]

I hope DBSK don't get screwed over like H.O.T. and Shinhwa. I wouldn't want to see such a great group go down in bitterness and lawsuits.

[Guest kriza_09]

^Did not know. But why Eric? Because he's the leader? Did the other members help him out financially?

I think it's because he was the only richer one of the group. The other members weren't quite well-off while Eric's family is quite rich even then.

[Guest yeonhee.]

I wonder if this is true.

[Guest tru32urluv]

UPDATE!!!!

There are now new UNOFFICIAL updates floating around in Korea as millions of Cassopeias are going sleepless and searching for more information about their beloved group. Apparently, Yoochun and Junsu have been going around together looking for law firms during their vacation so this was certainly not something that happened overnight.

While all seems calm for now, following the official statement from SM Entertainment, many are awaiting with anxiety with regards to what else will happen in the morning. Many are wondering if SM Entertainment are just papering over the cracks. As of now, all TVXQ notices and schedules on the SM Entertainment homepage have been deleted, including the SM Town Concert schedule.

Perhaps not strange to many but odd considering that they are SM Entertainment's #1 group now, TVXQ has had a 13 year "slave contract" with SM Entertainment. TVXQ members have only received a 0.5% increase in salary over the past 5 years despite their amazing success and huge fanbase. All 5 members are actually preparing to sue SM Entertainment because of this, not just Junsu, Yoochun, and Jaejoong.

Junsu's dad had been the representative of the 5 members and was at the head of the preparations to sue SM Entertainment. But SM entertainment found out about the pending lawsuit and proceeded to "bully around" Junsu. Yunho and Changmin aren't sueing SM at the moment, but neither are they resigning with SM at the end of their contract. Contrary to rumors, there has been no conflict within TVXQ members, and the whole issue is been between the members and SM Entertainment.

SM has been taking from 70%-90% of the profits that TVXQ makes, leaving only 10%-30% for the members themselves. Most people think that Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu will win their case because it is against Korean law to make "slave contracts." And slave contracts they are, receiving less than half is a stretch, but 10%?!?!

Ever since Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu started the cosmetics endorsements, SM Entertainment began to try and put down their efforts, wondering why the members were trying to go into business without first consulting with them. Junsu was being pushed around by a lot of upper officials in SM Entertainment because of his dad's involvement and his private endorsements.

Yunho and Changmin aren't betraying TVXQ for not being involved in the law suit. They all have wanted to leave SM Entertainment, but couldn't because of their contracts. Even if they had wanted to leave, the amount of money fighting lawsuits would be enormous. All 5 members are standing together against SM. It is very distinct that this is not a TVXQ vs. TVXQ fight, but rather a TVXQ against SM fight.

It should be noted that Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu do not want to completely terminate their contract, but they do want major revisions to be done to their contract so that the corrupted control that SM Entertainment has over them can be dissolved.

credit: allkpop.com

I hope everything will be settled soon...TVXQ will always stick together!

[Guest goong_93]

what???????????????????? No way!!!!!!!!!!!!! But...it's true...I've also been expecting when this bomb'll burst!! I just hope that they will stay together no matter what!! It's quite a bad timing for max & uknow now. since they have to focus on their 'acting debut' but... what can we do... I don't mind if it's SM's DBSk or not 'cause they ARE DBSK!! Just hope that the word disbanding WILL NOT APPEAR!!!!!!! Pleaseeee GODDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!

[Guest doremii*]

I'm not surprised by this. Like someone else mentioned, this is very reminiscent of the nsync & bsb issue back then.

edit: ok nvm i read through the thread. so the lawsuit is for the cosmetics company thing? well that's an entirely different situation then. lol

V I agree with a lot of what you said

[STAR_x.]

I'm just saying, 20% goes straight to their bank accounts for DBSK. 80% is not at all the net profit for SM. Now please don't say 80%-20% is a slave contract.

very well said, you brought out alot of good points. lol the thing is that fangirls think that DBSK is like the only people existing .. they don't really care about all the staff and crew. and honestly, Cassies get DBSK members the COOLEST stuff for gifts, so they don't even need their own money to buy it. and it's not even like they only make 20% of 100,000 USD.

if you think about it, DBSK sells AT LEAST 100,000 CDs per album / singles (? idk how their sales are like for singles so ..), so if you do all the math, each DBSK member makes 60,000 dollars, USD. 60,000$ is A LOT OF MONEY. yeah you can say "that's only accumulated after months' of hardwork though" blahblah. my parents don't even make 24,000$ a year and we're living pretty well so .. >_> idk why people would say that DBSK is not making enough money for a few months.

now for SM, the COMPANY not Lee Soo Man, if you do the math, if there's 50 staff members, then they each make 24,000$ compared to ONE dbsk member's 60,000$. and that's only if you dont include the cost of clothes, cost of make up, rent, SM building mortgage, utility bills, phone bills, cost of trainers, etcetc.

and it's not even like DBSK is filing the lawsuit about their socalled "unfair payments" :/ it's something about the cosmetic line thingie, lol. though i think a 13 years contract is absolutely nuts .____.

i feel like such a no life typing all of this ):

edit/ OH & btw, DBSK doesn't deserve ALL the credits for their amazing success today, so it's not like they're getting their money taken away. if dbsk get 50%, what about everyone else ?! the composers who composed their hit songs, the people who printed their CDs, the designers who did their album covers, the photographers who took their pictures, & their managers who managed their schedules and got them shows to go on, what about them? if it weren't for them, DBSk would just be 5 guys singing in the streets, they would not have the clothes they wear on stage, they wouldn't have those shoes, their hair would not look like that, etcetc. i can go on and on about the people who made DBSK who they are right now lol ..

[Guest xtehdeb]

lol this reminds me of nsync o___O

anyways.. this isn't really surprising to meh.

[Guest maydx93]

This doesn't mean disbanding right?

My heart is pounding so hard right now......

Please work this out.....

I really doubt this is about starring in dramas...

But I believe in my Dong Bang boys....they can overcome anything!!

And 13 years???!!!!

All 3 of them are '86....so they debuted when they were 17....and so 13 years would be mean they can change only after they turn 30..which is prob. after they return from the military....

NO!!!!

[Guest ms.incredible]

This is the problem with doing boybands . Both Nsync and Backstreet Boys had the same problem with Lou Pearlman(the man who created these 2 boybands) over profit allocation and tried to sue him . Both these bands felt like they were being cheated and didnt get the money they thought they deserved. The problem was Lou Pearlman was a rich man and had many lawyers and the contract that the boys signed(when they were young and so they probably didnt read all the conditions and fine print) basically resulted in the 2 boybands losing because of certain conditions within the contract and left the 2 boybands with nothing and a big lawyer bill. I definately saw this coming for Korean boybands/girlbands. Theres a big darkside with entertainment companies making boybands/girlbands due to greed. You may think they are being treated great in the public eye but you have no idea what its probably like behind the scenes.

Me too. I'm actually surprised at how surprised everyone else is about this. I know I've said this before but this is what record companies do and they get away with it b/c "idol singers" are so easy to replace with the next cute face.

When NSYNC was selling 20 million+ records RCA and Pearlman reported profits of over $150 million buck.......NSYNC made 7 million.....and that was before it got split 5 ways. That eventually ended with them settling out of court and NSYNC signing with Jive. That may be what these dude end up having to do(20% are you serious?), but are the other 2 even on board?

[kilaalaa]

if you think about it, DBSK sells AT LEAST 100,000 CDs per album / singles (? idk how their sales are like for singles so ..), so if you do all the math, each DBSK member makes 60,000 dollars, USD. 60,000$ is A LOT OF MONEY. yeah you can say "that's only accumulated after months' of hardwork though" blahblah. my parents don't even make 24,000$ a year and we're living pretty well so .. >_> idk why people would say that DBSK is not making enough money for a few months.

I don't think you calculate the amount earned from album sales like that. I think actual album royalties are much much lower for each CD. Rumor has it that SM paid each H.O.T member album royalties of 1 cent per CD sold. http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/1101020729/money.html

If you take what members of other groups in other companies are paid (17 cents per cd), then each DBSK member makes 17,000 dollars. Assuming that they sell 100,000 cds.

But anyway, I doubt that the majority of DBSK's income comes from album sales. Their endorsement deals/concerts are probably what brings in the money.

[Guest Leni1430265175]

wow there's 47 members reading this right now... >.> ... anywho.. i hope things fall through for the boys..they cant depend on living in SM for the rest of their lives.. and they are doing the cosmetic thing so they have a means to live in the future.. to actually work when they decide to not always do music.. its not a bad thing.. sm just seems to have a tight hold on the boys and they want a bit more freedom from it.. anywho.. i too hope they dont disband but if in the end they do .. im still all for them.. loving them individually.. if they decide to switch companies.. then im still all for them.. either way.. i hope things fall through.. everything will be alright.. i want to hear something from the boys themselves.. but if this is all we can get for now then i guess... but yeah..

edit-

i kinda wonder what avex has to say about this...

and STAR x ^ there has a point.. with the staff/crew .. ahha.. its irrelevant but i like it when people give the staff/crew credit for part of dbsk's success...

[Guest junho-world]

I'm really shocked that this is actually happening.

Like what other people said, this is like what happend to H.O.T. and Shinhwa.

SM never did learn his lesson, did he?

I really do hope DBSK will stick together because they are a really great group.

SM should not be doing this to DBSK and also to his other artist.

Hopefully DBSK can be strong enough to resolve all this.

[Pinkosa]

You guys need to relax...whatever is on the store for DBSK, it was bound to happen. As a fellow DBSK fan, I would say you guys need to face reality.

[Guest maydx93]

Does this mean the five year curse is going to come true after all?

They haven't made it to six years yet.....I just have to shake bad thoughts out of my head....

I don't want them to follow HOT and Shinhwa's footsteps....

[&. crepuscular]

it's something about exclusivity clause or smthn

i swear if they disband, i'm gonna fly to korea and shoot leesooman =____=

i hope everything straightens out soon. dbsk hwaiting!<3