Jang Cheol Hyuk and Tak Young Joon, co-CEOs of SM Entertainment, have been selected as part of the '2024 Indie Power Players' by Billboard.
On June 10, Billboard announced on its official website the inclusion of Jang Cheol Hyuk and Tak Young Joon, co-CEOs of SM Entertainment, in the '2024 Indie Power Players,' highlighting SM's global influence. In particular, Tak Young Joon's consecutive selection for the third year in a row, following 2022 and 2023, has attracted attention.
The 'Indie Power Players' list, started by Billboard in 2017, announces leaders of labels and distributors worldwide who have achieved independent success in the global music market, apart from the three major labels in the United States: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group.
Billboard stated, "SM has had a very successful year with its recently introduced SM 3.0 strategy. NCT 127 embarked on a global tour in 2023, and NCT Dream's 3rd full-length album 'ISTJ' and aespa's third mini-album 'MY WORLD' achieved significant success. The successful debuts of RIIZE and NCT WISH, along with RIIZE's debut track "Get A Guitar", which was selected as one of Billboard's '25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2023,' were also highlighted."
Jang Cheol Hyuk and Tak Young Joon, co-CEOs of SM, stated, "Moving forward, we will continue to surpass boundaries, set new records, and lead the future of music."
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It's weird to consider them indie when they are leading a major company.