Kakao Entertainment Partners with Sony Music to Accelerate Global Expansion

Kakao Entertainment announced on the 24th that its North American subsidiary Kakao Enter America and Columbia Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music, have formed a partnership to target the global market.

Columbia Records is responsible for the U.S. distribution and promotion of global pop stars such as Beyonc?, Adele, and Harry Styles, as well as BTS’s “Dynamite” and “Butter.” Kakao Entertainment plans to expand its global music distribution network and strengthen its music business competitiveness based on Columbia Records’ North American music business capabilities.

First, Kakao Entertainment will promote the North American debut of IVE, an artist under its label Starship Entertainment. It will support the global music distribution, local North American marketing, and promotion of the first full-length album “I’ve IVE,” set to be released on the 10th of next month, as well as “Kitsch,” which will be released earlier on the 27th.

Kakao Entertainment plans to continuously promote the overseas expansion of artists under its labels. Through partnerships with global entertainment companies and local experts, it will establish a global management system that supports overseas tours, promotions, and album releases for its artists.

Additionally, it will strengthen the global competitiveness of its investment and distribution business. In cooperation with Tapas Entertainment, the North American subsidiary of its story division, Kakao Entertainment will pursue global synergy in the intellectual property (IP) value chain connecting its music, story, and media sectors.

The CEO of Kakao Enter America will be Jang Yoonjoong, who is also the Global Strategy Officer (GSO). CEO Jang said, “It is highly meaningful to embark on the full-scale global journey of K-pop’s representative artist IVE together with Columbia Records, which has made history in pop music,” adding, “We will further strengthen our music business competitiveness and lay a solid foundation for sustainable global growth.”