Leaders of Domestic Labels Such as Pledis and BigHit Included
Jang Cheolhyuk and Tak Youngjun, co-CEOs of SM Entertainment, have been named to Billboard's "2025 Indie Power Players" list, which was announced by the American music magazine on June 10 (local time). CEO Tak was selected for the fourth consecutive year since 2022, while CEO Jang was chosen for the second consecutive year following last year.
Billboard highlighted the global achievements of groups NCT 127, aespa, and RIIZE, as well as the debut activities of rookie girl group HART2HART, as major accomplishments.
Regarding SM, Billboard stated, "Celebrating its 30th anniversary, SM announced the slogan 'THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE' and unveiled ambitious projects such as concerts, albums, and orchestra performances." The "SMTOWN LIVE 2025" concerts held in Seoul, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Tokyo, as well as the SMTOWN album that reinterpreted legendary SM hit songs, were introduced as representative examples.
Co-CEOs Jang Cheolhyuk and Tak Youngjun stated, "Our goal is to strengthen global influence and corporate leadership within the entertainment industry," adding, "SM is committed to the future of culture, based on bold creativity, solid planning capabilities, and deep respect for our own legacy."
The "Indie Power Players" list spotlights leaders of labels and distributors who have achieved independent success in the global music market, excluding the three major labels: Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music. This year, in addition to the SM co-CEOs, a large number of executives from labels under HYBE were also included.
This year's list includes Han Sungsoo, Master Professional at Pledis Entertainment who discovered SEVENTEEN; So Sungjin, Master Professional at Source Music, the agency of LE SSERAFIM; Shin Sunjeong, CEO of BigHit Music, home to BTS; and Choi Jaeyoon, CEO of hello82, a label responsible for the U.S. distribution of groups such as ATEEZ and P1Harmony.
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