'Inkigayo' pressures artists to bail out of the '2010 MAMA'

The '2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards' (MAMA) is only a few weeks away, but the Korean music industry is heaving a heavy sigh due to the overlapping schedules between the 2010 MAMA and weekend music programs on KBS, MBC, and SBS. Although Mnet had previously stated that changing the event date is out of their control, it appears that SBS's "Inkigayo" cannot accept their statement. Furious over the timing which happens on Sunday, November 28th, representatives from the popular music program apparently gathered various agency representatives and delivered a subtle ultimatum. One anonymous industry representative�stated, "'Inkigayo' called all of the agency representatives together. Although they never told us to not attend the MAMA, they simply stated, 'Try and see if you can go,' which is just as, if not more, scary. After the meeting, all of the agency representatives called up Mnet and announced that their artists would not be attending." While SM Entertainment will be continuing their Mnet boycott this year, others, such as�JYP Entertainment, have decided to still send their artists to the awards event. Source + Photo: Newsen via Nate