[Sportschosun, Kim Joon-seok] Hyebin, formerly of Momoland, candidly revealed the reality of earnings for idols from smaller agencies, exposing the other side of the idol industry.
On the 6th, Hyebin posted a video on her social networking service titled "Why Idols Can’t Make Money."
In the video, she said, "It has been more than 10 years since I became an idol. Many people are curious about how much money idols make. It may seem like they make a lot, but they don’t."
Hyebin then explained the settlement structure for idols at smaller agencies in particular.
She said, "People think trainee life is free because the company invests in you, but except for major agencies, all the costs from your trainee days — lesson fees, meals, dorm expenses, and practice room rentals — are billed after debut. In simple terms, trainee life is entirely on credit. That means you debut with debt worth hundreds of millions of won."
She then recalled Momoland’s period of success.
She said, "Momoland reached No. 1 on a music show just two years after debut. It was truly called a 'miracle for idols from smaller agencies.'" She added, "But even though many people think that level of success means you must have made a lot of money, the reality was not like that."
Hyebin explained that various expenses tied to promotions are also shared by the members. "Song production costs, music video filming, jacket shoots, managers’ salaries, vehicle maintenance, fuel, and even hair and makeup for broadcasts are all settled with the company," she said. "Each music video costs hundreds of millions of won, and the members pay half of that. For me, that means costs of tens of millions of won each time. Since debut, I have filmed four music videos, and I cannot receive any settlement until all of that money is paid back."
She also gave a specific example of event income.
Hyebin said, "Even if an idol event pays about 50 million won on average, you split the profit with the company, divide it again by the number of members, and then subtract hair and makeup, stylist fees, meals, and fuel. In the end, I only get about 2 million won from one event."
However, she said even that income never actually reached her bank account.
She explained, "The money earned from events is reinvested into the next album or music video production. It was a structure where the money went back to the company before it could ever enter my account."
Hyebin also spoke about the fierce competition in the idol world.
She said calmly, "Among ordinary people, the top 1% become trainees, and only the top 1% of those debut. Then, even among debuting idols, you have to become the top 1% again before you can finally make money. I was not able to become that 1%."
narusi@sportschosun.com
