The concerns related to CUBE Entertainment have peaked with the departure of their two popular boy groups, BTOB and Pentagon. Following this, the mid-sized K-pop label is garnering a negative image in public. Due to this, many are wondering whether they should debut a new boy group. Let’s explore their future and find an answer to the audience’s curiosity.
CUBE Entertainment’s Boy Groups Leave The Agency
BTOB and Pentagon were the representative boy groups of CUBE Entertainment after their heyday. They have been with the label since 2012 and are required to decide their contracts for future activities. After discussion, BTOB did not renew their contracts for the second time.
#BTOB Parts Ways With Cube Entertainment After 11 Yearshttps://t.co/KbF2KeIMET pic.twitter.com/SF3zZV4MIe
— Soompi (@soompi) November 6, 2023
As per the report of Sports Chosun, the primary reason for their departure was trademark negotiations. This is a similar case with their sunbae group BEAST, which failed to gain the rights to their trademark and changed their name to Highlight.
Meanwhile, Pentagon’s Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, Hongseok, and Wooseok have decided to depart from the agency. Jinho, Hui, and Shinwon have yet to announce the details of their contract, but due to the departure of most of the members, the group is unable to continue right now.
Last month, they released a song titled ‘Promise’ dedicated to their fandom ‘Universe.’ In the lyrics, they promised that they shall remember their journey together and remain with them. Fans are expecting them to continue working as a group.
However, their decision to leave the agency has raised concerns regarding the future of CUBE Entertainment because the company no longer has any active K-pop boy groups.
Which Of Their Artists Are Still Active?
Currently, the only active K-pop groups CUBE Entertainment has are (G)I-DLE and LIGHTSUM. However, (G)I-DLE is already in the sixth year of their career, so they will also enter contract renewal discussions starting next year.
https://youtube.com/shorts/AP49ixczBaM?si=jr6o22nUEptHrTpX
If the girl group decides to depart from the agency, then LIGHTSUM will be the only girl group in the company. However, CUBE does house many famous solo artists, including 2 AM Jo Kwon, Oh Seunghee, and Kwon Eunbin from the group CLC.
They also house various actors and entertainers such as Na In Woo, Yoo Seon Ho, Park Mi Sun, Lee Sang Jun, and Lee Eun Ji. Therefore, the agency isn’t at the brink of collapse, but they are no longer at the forefront of the K-pop scene.
Should The Agency Debut A New Group?
There are reports that the agency is planning to debut a new boy group next year. This is an understandable decision as, at the end of the day, CUBE is a K-pop artists management agency.
Cube hasn't filed its quarterly report yet but to give a little update on it, the remaining groups are G Idle, Lightsum, and Nowadays (upcoming boy group to debut in the 1Q of 2024 https://t.co/Qdqvd2ECP1). However, Cube is owned by VT GMP a comestics and media commerce business
— TMIKpop (@tmikpop) November 7, 2023
Unless they are planning to continue managing solo artists similar to PNation (before the debut of The New Six), AOMG, and Antenna Entertainment, they will have to debut a new group, particularly a successful new group.
Luckily, they have a legacy of debuting many popular boy and girl groups, including 4Minute, Beast, CLC, and BTOB. Their active girl group (G)I-DLE is also reaching new heights of fame as leaders of new-gen K-pop.
Therefore, there are many ways they can move forward. It will be interesting to see in what direction they eventually decide to step in and whether the rest of the Pentagon members and (G)I-DLE decide to renew their contracts next year.
