AEG Presents has strengthened its commitment to the K-pop market by forming a strategic partnership with South Korean label and content company KQ Entertainment.

The move builds upon recent developments from the multinational promoting firm, which last year announced it would join forces with Korean AI metaverse firm Galaxy Corporation to further technological advancements in the touring and entertainment spaces, specifically around K-pop shows.

With this formal partnership, AEG will now lead producing and promoting breakout K-pop boy band ATEEZ’s worldwide tours. The eight-member group recently concluded the European leg of their Towards The Light: Will To Power trek, selling 180,000 tickets to sold-out crowds across the continent.

The AEG-promoted venture included milestones such as becoming the first K-pop artist to headline Paris’s La Défense Arena (cap. 40,000), and inaugural K-pop shows in cities like Lyon, Milan, and Zurich.

“We are always very keen to open up new arena markets for K-pop and we felt the perfect time to do this was on ATEEZ’s biggest-ever tour of Europe, and introduce Zurich and Milan which have both been resounding sold-out successes,” Simon Jones, AEG Presents’ SVP of international touring, said to IQ following the Swiss gig.

“The appetite for the genre shows no signs of slowing up.”

The recent tour’s North American leg sold 200,000 tickets and included sell-out shows at New York City’s Citi Field (41,800), two BMO Stadium (22,000) shows in Los Angeles, and Arlington’s Globe Life Field (40,300). ATEEZ will wrap up the tour with two Seoul shows at KSPO Dome (15,000) this weekend, 22-23 March.

Another AEG-supported K-pop project has reportedly stalled

AEG and KQ’s previous collaborations also include bringing the Billboard chart-topping band to Coachella last year as the first K-pop boy group to perform at the Goldenvoice festival, an AEG subsidiary. ATEEZ was also recently crowned K-Pop Artist of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

This latest venture with KQ further cements AEG’s efforts in the K-pop realm. In 2022, AEG 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.

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”.

AEG also promoted BLACKPINK’s 2022-23 Born Pink world tour, which became the most-attended concert tour by a K-pop girl group with 1.8 million attendees. The group headlined the AEG-backed BST Hyde Park in London in 2023, the first K-pop group to do so, with Stray Kids joining the headliner pool last summer.

Blackpink is due back out this year, with the Live Nation-promoted stadium tour stopping in Seoul, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, London, and Tokyo.

But, another AEG-supported project, the 20,000-capacity, K-pop-specialised CJ LiveCity Arena in Goyang City, Seoul, has reportedly stalled.

Originally slated to open this year, the Goyang city government ended its agreement with CJ LiveCity — a subsidiary of media conglomerate CJ ENM — last year after the company halted construction in the spring of 2023 due to funding issues.

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SM Entertainment has revealed details of a huge K-pop stadium spectacular coming to London as part of the label’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

In collaboration with London/Seoul-based concert producer and tech firm Frontrow, the company is bringing its SMTown Live concert to the UK for the first time this summer.

It will be held at London’s Allianz Stadium Twickenham on 28 June. EXO’s SUHO and CHANYEOL, NCT DREAM, WayV, RIIZE and NCT WISH head the first wave of performers confirmed for the show.

The event will mark the first time SM’s label-wide concert has visited Europe since 2010 in Paris

The event will mark the first time SM’s label-wide concert has visited Europe since 2010 in Paris.

SMTown LIVE 2025 launched last month with two sold-out concerts at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome in South Korea. Both Seoul concert dates sold out immediately, according to organisers, with 40,000 fans in attendance over the weekend of 11-12 January.

It will next head to Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros on 9 May, followed by Los Angeles’ Dignity Health Sports Park on 11 May. The series will conclude in Tokyo, Japan, on 9-10 August, at a venue to be confirmed.

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K-pop giant SM Entertainment has unveiled the full lineup for the first Mexico City edition of SMTown Live.

Since launching in 2008, the K-pop tour has been held in major cities worldwide including Seoul, New York, LA, Paris, Dubai, Santiago, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Singapore.

The first-ever Mexico instalment, co-promoted with Ocesa, will take place on 9 May at the GNP Seguros Stadium with acts including TVXQ!, Super Junior, SHINee’s Key and Minho, EXO’s Suho and Chanyeol, Red Velvet (without Wendy and Yeri), and NCT 127.

NCT Dream, WayV, aespa, RIIZE, NCT WISH, Naevis, Hearts2Hearts and SMTR25 are also featured on the bill.

Mexico City is one of five stops on this year’s SMTown Live tour, commemorating SM Entertainment’s 30th anniversary

Mexico City is one of five stops on this year’s SMTown Live tour, commemorating SM Entertainment’s 30th anniversary.

The outing kicked off with a two-night residency at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on 11 and 12 January, and heads to Mexico City and Los Angeles in May, London in June and Tokyo in August. Additional cities are expected to be added.

Alongside SM, the tour is promoted by AEG Presents and K-Pop touring and marketing company Powerhouse, which formed a strategic partnership in 2022.

SM Entertainment, founded in 1995 by Lee Soo-man, is widely credited with laying the foundation of the K-pop industry through its first-generation idols, namely H.O.T., S.E.S. and Shinhwa. Soo-man’s relationship with SM Entertainment dramatically ended in early 2023 after a management dispute, with the pioneer launching a rival agency.

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TAKK ab Entertainment and AEG Presents promoted Switzerland’s first-ever K-pop arena show last night with boy band ATEEZ.

The South Korean eight-piece, formed by KQ Entertainment, performed a sold-out show at the 15,000-capacity Hallenstadion in Zurich. The market first comes after ATEEZ made history as the first male Korean group to play Coachella last year.

TAKK’s vice president of booking, Théo Quiblier, told IQ that it’s “a huge challenge to bring A-list K-Pop acts to new markets due to the gigantic nature of their production”.

“Switzerland owes its very first arena show to the incredible vision and guts of the whole AEG team who took a BIG leap of faith in Zurich and Switzerland as a market and trusted us to deliver the vision they had for ATEEZ,” he continues. And of course, thank you to ATEEZ who gave Switzerland and their fans a chance.

“This show was a very special one as usually promoters love to rely on history and sales before committing. For this show, it was a white page. It was a proper jump into outer space with one of the biggest productions to play Hallenstadion in recent years so needless to say Simon [Jones, AEG Presents’ SVP of international touring] and I spent a certain amount of time on the phone on this one.

“But the result speaks for itself – the fans had one of the best nights of their lives with their favourite artist and that will always be the ultimate reward for us promoters.”

Jones tells IQ: “We are always very keen to open up new arena markets for K-pop and we felt the perfect time to do this was on ATEEZ’s biggest-ever tour of Europe, and introduce Zurich and Milan which have both been resounding sold-out successes.

“The appetite for the genre shows no signs of slowing up, and we’re pleased to go on the journey with our Swiss partners TAKK, whom believed in this great show with us. Thanks to them and all of team ATEEZ for bringing such a gigantic show to their Swiss fans – they are a huge force to be reckoned with!”

In recent years, AEG Presents has dialled in on the K-pop market. The multinational firm is getting ready to open the 20,000-capacity CJ LiveCity Arena in Seoul as part of a larger K-pop entertainment district.

“The appetite for the genre shows no signs of slowing up”

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 firm also 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:

AEG and TAKK aren’t the only promoters bringing K-pop to Europe, with concerts and festivals on an upward trajectory in the last couple of years.

In 2022, Germany hosted Europe’s first K-pop festival, Kpop.Flex festival, which sold more than 70,000 tickets in 84 countries. That year, TEG MJR promoted the UK’s first-ever K-pop festival, HallyuPopFest, at OVO Arena Wembley.

Elsewhere, the 19th edition of renowned K-pop tour, the Music Bank World Tour, took place in Spain, at Madrid’s 80,000-cap Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Earlier this year, an application was submitted to stage a two-day K-pop festival in North West London. Magic Sound is bidding to hold the 15,000-cap Made in Korea (MIK) 2025 at Northwick Park, Brent, from 7-8 June.

Meanwhile, a new report has projected the global K-pop events market – valued at US$8.1 billion (€7.9bn) in 2021 – will reach $20bn (€19bn) by 2031.

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K-pop festival Waterbomb will stage an Australian edition for the first time as it relaunches its international expansion.

The touring series plans to stop in Sydney later this year, picking up on the Waterbomb World Tour that faltered in 2024. Dates and performers will be announced in the coming months.

Waterbomb’s expansion comes after organisers failed to deliver its rapid global expansion last year, after it announced editions in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, the UAE, Singapore, the US, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The only new editions to go ahead were Hong Kong, the UAE, and Singapore, while the event continued its tour of multiple South Korean and Japanese cities.

The Los Angeles edition was postponed due to “operational challenges” with less than three weeks to go to the event, while the Indonesian debut in Jakarta was delayed in October. Extreme weather and flooding forced the cancellation of the Taipei and Ho Chi Minh events. No new dates have been announced for these editions.

“We’ll return stronger and better prepared to deliver the Waterbomb experience you’ve been waiting for,” said organisers at the time of US cancellation.

In contrast, another Australian festival will not return his year

Four stops are already confirmed for 2025, with plans to return to China, and South Korea, where the Seoul edition has been held annually since the event launched in 2015. The festival will debut in Manila, Philippines and Bali, Indonesia next month, after pushing both countries’ inaugural editions late last year.

Artists due to perform in Manila include Kangdaniel, Dynamic Duo, Sulreggae, Chanyeol, Bambam, Viviz, and other K-pop, hip-hop and dance stars.

Though lineups vary by city, past performers have included Blackpink, aespa, TWICE’s Nayeon, American rapper Jay Park, and SHINEE’s Taemin, and South Korean singers Hwasa, Chung Ha, Bibi, Simon Dominic, and Jessi.

In contrast, the Australian festival Hello Sunshine will not be held this year. The family-friendly event was set to return to Melbourne for its third year and debut on the Gold Coast this March.

Organisers cited low ticket sales and rising production costs as reasons for the cancellation.

Stone Temple Pilots, Smash Mouth, Wolfmother, Kasey Chambers, Rogue Traders, and Drapht were on tap to headline the event.

The cancellation is the latest to hit the Australian festival sector. Last November, the debut edition of You & Me Festival was cancelled for similar reasons. They join several Oz festivals cancelled in the past year, including Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo, and Return to Rio.

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K-pop giant HYBE has sparked privacy concerns after announcing it is to introduce an optional face-scanning entry system for shows in South Korea.

The Face Pass, which will replace ticket checks, will be piloted at boy band TWS’ 42:Club fan event, which runs from 14-16 February at the Handball Gymnasium in Seoul’s Olympic Park.

The tech combines finance app Toss’ facial recognition service with the ticketing platform of Korea-based Interpark Triple. HYBE says that fans will be able to register their facial data through Interpark before the shows, with the twin benefits of speeding up the entry process while also deterring touts.

“With a one-time facial registration, fans can enter venues easily and conveniently, enhancing their overall experience,” says Kim Tae-ho, HYBE’s chief operating officer. “We aim to expand this service globally to create a comfortable environment where fans worldwide can enjoy performances seamlessly.”

“Facial data is sensitive biometric information. Entrusting it to Interpark, HYBE and Toss raises questions about how it will be processed”

Face Pass users will be able to quickly enter events through gates equipped with cameras.

Fans will also be permitted to opt out of using the technology and instead go through a separate ticket verification process at designated booths. Nevertheless, the Korea Times reports the announcement has led fans to express reservations over privacy and security.

“Facial data is sensitive biometric information. Entrusting it to Interpark, HYBE and Toss raises questions about how it will be processed,” says one user on X. “Like past leaks of resident registration numbers or phone numbers, facial data could become vulnerable to breaches. The risk of misuse is real.”

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An application has been submitted to stage a two-day K-pop festival in North West London.

Magic Sound is bidding to hold the 15,000-cap Made in Korea (MIK) 2025 at Northwick Park, Brent, from 7-8 June.

MIK debuted in 2022 at Southwark Park in South East London with a lineup including Red Velvet, Suho, Pentagon, Viviz, Chung Ha, Golden Child, Cherry Bullet and Billlie, and also featured a day dedicated to hip-hop.

In its submission to Brent Council, Magic Sound, which notes it has also promoted events in London at venues such as The O2 and OVO Arena Wembley, says that MIK “will consist of a single concert stage showcasing Korean Pop and Chinese Pop acts of international recognition”.

“The London Borough of Brent (LBB), and specifically Northwick Park, have been chosen by the organisers due to the borough’s diverse population and access to public transport, walking and cycling facilities,” states Magic Sound’s application. “MIK 2025 will provide a youth-led boost to Brent’s local economy.”

A new report has projected the global K-pop events market will be worth $20 billion by 2031

A public consultation on the event is open until 14 January, with the application then set to go before Brent Council’s alcohol and entertainment licensing sub-committee at a later date.

A French edition of MIK was held at Paris’ Accor Arena in February 2023, but a planned UK sequel was cancelled later that year amid issues with ticket sales and rising costs.

Meanwhile, a new report has projected the global K-pop events market – valued at US$8.1 billion (€7.9bn) in 2021 – will reach $20bn (€19bn) by 2031.

The study, published by Allied Market Research, states: “The K-pop events market is expanding as a result of the economy’s improvement and the rise in disposable income.

“The recent decline in recorded music sales has increased demand for live music performances, which has greatly aided the expansion of the worldwide music event sector such as K-pop events. Also, the rise in music tourism activities among spectators and artists has fuelled the expansion of the K-pop event industry.”

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K-pop pioneer Lee Soo-man has launched a new agency after leaving SM Entertainment, the influential entertainment company he founded almost 20 years ago.

Under his leadership, the Seoul-headquartered firm developed the systematic training model that would become the blueprint for K-Pop idol development, launching acts such as H.O.T., Girls’ Generation, EXO, NCT, and aespa.

However, Lee’s relationship with SM Entertainment dramatically ended in early 2023 after a management dispute. As a result, he sold his stake in SM to the company’s rival, HYBE, sparking a battle for control of the company. HYBE ultimately abandoned its controversial move to take over SM, with parent company Kakao gaining control.

Lee then established his new company, Blooming Grace, which focuses on environmental, social and governance contribution projects and cultural technology development. Blooming Grace filed a trademark application for a new company called A2O Entertainment in May.

A2O Entertainment unveiled its first slate of trainees through a promotional video released last week

A2O Entertainment unveiled its first slate of trainees through a promotional video released last week via YouTube and Weibo (a Tencent-owned social media platform in China), introducing artists categorised into three groups: Rookie HTG (High Teen Girls, 16 and older), Rookie LTG (Low Teen Girls, 15 and younger), and Rookie LTB (Low Teen Boys, 15 and younger).

The launch floated a new music genre that the agency dubbed ‘Zalpha-Pop,’ targeting the Zalpha generation (Gen Zs and Alpha, born from the mid-1990s to the 2010s). The agency’s YouTube page has already attracted over 5,000 subscribers and nearly 95,000 views.

Throughout their training, the rookies will showcase performances on the A2O Channel, either as solo acts or as units, the agency said.

Lee’s venture is reportedly subject to a three-year non-compete clause set by HYBE, which would mean his production activities are currently restricted to overseas projects.

The Korea Herald said this explains the significant presence of Chinese trainees in A2O’s lineup, while The Korea Times reported that A2O held auditions for trainees in China and Japan last June.

Reports indicate Lee attempted to negotiate the removal of this three-year restriction but was unsuccessful.

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A reported grant of $2–3m per show to ensure that Singapore had exclusive Southeast Asia rights for Taylor Swift might not have been welcomed by the governments of Thailand or The Philippines, but the controversial move proved that the city-state’s ruling party has a good understanding of what benefits the live music industry can bring when A-list acts visit.

With a population of just 6m, the island nation punches well above its weight in terms of attracting international tours, and the corporates are on hand to assist, with AEG, Live Nation, and Eventim all having offices there. Elsewhere, promoters who regularly bring live entertainment to the powerhouse republic include Midas Promotions, Primuse, UnUsUaL Entertainment, Lushington Entertainments, Collective Minds, IMC, Symmetry Entertainment, Now/Live, Base, and LAMC.

Primuse is typical of the regional promoters that use Singapore as its base. While the company has Dream Theater and Swan Lake Grand Ballet touring through Singapore, much of its work is outside of the country in markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, and China.

While Live Nation’s 2024 international touring activity in Singapore has seen shows by Coldplay, Laufey, Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons, LANY, and Conan Gray, incoming tours for the remainder of the year include the likes of Stray Kids, Ben Elton, Olivia Rodrigo, and Dua Lipa. On the Mandopop side, acts like Mayday, AccuseFive, Tarcy Su, Wan Fang, Penny Tai, and Wakin Chou, have visited; as have J-Pop acts Fujii Kaze and Atarasshi Gakko.

“Over the last three years, Singapore has seen a meteoric surge in K-pop concerts”

Ticketmaster Singapore reports, “Over the last three years, Singapore has seen a meteoric surge in K-pop concerts. From 2022 to 2024, the number of events on Ticketmaster has grown by 250%, which proves that Korean pop has never been more in demand.” To that end, Live Nation has promoted shows in 2024 by ShiNee, IVE, ITCY, NCT Dreams, Stray Kids, Amber Liu, and Seventeen.

Following Taylor Swift’s six Eras Tour dates in March, forthcoming promotions by AEG Presents Asia include Fujii Kaze’s Best Of tour in October and three nights of gaming with BLAST Premier World Final Singapore – Counter Strike in November.

However, not every development is positive. Authorities are battling a massive rise in concert ticket scams, with reports that consumers lost at least S$518,000 in the first half of last year. And that figure no doubt rose as Coldplay and Swift shows piqued interest.

Another issue that those who book and promote shows in Singapore know all about is the scarcity of venues in the country. Like most Asian territories, buildings in the 1,000-to-5,000-capacity range are rare, meaning that most international acts below arena level do not visit.

“We’ve got a lot of small venues and one or two larger venues. And in between, there’s really nothing between 5,000 and 6,000 capacity. It’s recognised as a problem, but it’s very hard to deal with, especially in a land-scarce area like Singapore,” observes Steven Woodward at Midas Promotions, who have Singaporean shows by Crash Adams and The Script in the coming months, while Matt Maltese plays the UCC Ho Bee Auditorium at the National University of Singapore on 13 November.”

“We’re not just competing against the Western artists; we’re also competing with K-pop, Japanese, Taiwanese, and other Chinese artists”

“We’re not just competing against the Western artists; we’re also competing with K-pop, Japanese, Taiwanese, and other Chinese artists, due to the multiple cultures here – 70% of Singapore is Chinese,” says Woodward.

However, he notes that the National Stadium’s roof has proved crucial in securing the likes of Coldplay, Taylor Swift, and Ed Sheeran, as it protects events from the changeable Southeast Asian weather.

Other than the 55,000-capacity National Stadium, acts can make use of its sister arena venue, the Singapore Indoor Stadium (15,000-cap), which this year has hosted the likes of NCT Dream, Conan Gray, and Olivia Rodrigo, while in July 2023, it became the home of Hong Kong superstar Jacky Cheung, who sold out a remarkable 11 shows on his 60+ Concert Tour. Other venues used for concerts are Capital Theatre, The Star Theatre, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, The Theatre at Mediacorp, Gateway Theatre, Annexe Studio, and the Esplanade Theatre.

But there’s good news on the horizon. Earlier this year, a replacement venue for the Indoor Stadium was announced as part of government plans that include a S$165m fund to attract and host major events.

“They’ve already got a piece of land set aside, so the current stadium will stay where it is until such time as the new one opens,” reveals Woodward. “[Marina Bay Sands] are also building a new venue as part of their development – a 15,000-capacity indoor venue. But it will be three to five years minimum before those new buildings are available.”

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A new fan insights study by Live Nation has uncovered the rise of Asia Pop in Australia and New Zealand.

The company reports a 600% increase in the number of Asian Pop live shows and a 275% surge in the number of artists since 2015, with 98% of fans now listening to music in languages other than English.

Furthermore, the Future Sound study, which was based on 1,044 responses from Ticketmaster Asia Pop live music purchases, revealed that 35% of its Australian and New Zealand fanbase are aged between 27 and 48.

“What we’re seeing is not a new phenomenon; it has been an undercurrent in our musical landscape for years, only now receiving the widespread recognition it deserves,” says Wenona Lok, Asia Pop promoter and talent buyer at Live Nation Australasia. “Asia Pop has transcended its niche status and exploded into mainstream fandom, fostering deep connections between fans and artists through social content, dance and fashion to name a few.”

Lok, who worked on Stray Kids’ record-breaking Australian shows in 2023,  was a panellist for the How K-pop Conquered the World session at last year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC) in London.

“I think the reason K-pop is so big is because it’s really accessible,” she said. “If you go online, there are many fan groups that are happy to help educate you. Having the internet makes a big difference – it’s a right time, right place thing – but a lot of K-pop fans are women in their mid 40s, of all race groups. They come to the shows and bring their daughters because it’s something that is easy to share and get excited about.

“I don’t think we’re at the stage where it’s going to plateau yet. It’s something that people can really learn from and we’re also starting to see a lot of K-pop acts collaborate with Western artists.”

“Western consumption of Asian Pop has become so much more dynamic in the past three to four years, and globalisation of the wider genre is the clear next step”

In addition to K-Pop, Asia Pop (or A-pop) comprises a range of sub-genres, including J-Pop, C-Pop, Mandopop, Thai Pop, and City Pop, translating into record-breaking live performances.

Twice made history by playing four stadium shows in Australia in 2023, while Itzy’s performance at Auckland’s Spark Arena made them the highest-selling K-Pop act in New Zealand ever.

“All of our experiences have taught us how important the live experience is to any music lover, and given the unique offerings of a K-Pop or Mandopop or J-Pop show, we’re excited to see how the support of promoters such as Live Nation can help to amplify that impact at ground level,” says Asian Pop Weekly founder Jocelle Koh. “Western consumption of Asian Pop has become so much more dynamic in the past three to four years, and globalisation of the wider genre is the clear next step.”

Australasia has also produced homegrown talent such as Danielle and Hanni from NewJeans, Rosé from Blackpink, BangChan and Felix from Stray Kids, actor and singer Darren Qiu, and Cantopop singer Cecilia Cheung .

Upcoming tours include Stray Kids who will perform stadium shows in Sydney and Melbourne on their world tour in October, followed by Japanese virtual pop star Hatsune Miku’s first Australia and New Zealand tour in November. South Korean indie HYUKOH and Taipei-based jazz-influenced synth-pop band Sunset Rollercoaster will also perform in Melbourne this November.

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