Stone Music Entertainment (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 스톤 뮤직 엔터테인먼트), is a South Korean music distribution company under

CJ ENM CJ ENM (, CJ Entertainment aNd Merchandising) is a South Korean entertainment and retail company founded in 2018. CJ ENM was established as a result of the merger of two CJ Group subsidiaries, CJ E&M and CJ O Shopping respectively, in July 201 ...

, along with music streaming store

Genie Music Genie Music (), a subsidiary of KT Corporation, is a South Korean company that specializes in the production and distribution of music content. Its music streaming service is the second most used in South Korea with 2.5 million subscribers as ...

. It was one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The company was also formerly a music production and management company and managed artists such as

SG Wannabe SG Wannabe () is a South Korean vocal group consisting of members Kim Yong-jun, Kim Jin-ho and Lee Seok-hoon. The group debuted in January 2004 with the single, "Timeless", from the album ''SG Wanna Be+'', and won Best New Artist at the Golden ...

Davichi Davichi () is a South Korean pop duo formed in 2008. The duo consists of vocalists Lee Hae-ri and Kang Min-kyung. Their name, "Davichi", is derived from the Korean phrase "shining over everything" ( 다 비치). The duo has released three studi ...

Roy Kim Kim Sang-woo (; born July 3, 1993), known professionally as Roy Kim (), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and radio presenter. He began his singing career after winning the television talent show '' Superstar K 4'' in 2012. Kim officially de ...

Son Ho-young Son Ho-young (; born March 26, 1980) is a Korean-American singer and musical actor based in South Korea. Best known as a member of g.o.d, he made his debut in the entertainment industry with the group in 1999 and pursued a solo career as a singe ...

Eric Nam Eric Nam (; born November 17, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality based in South Korea. Since his debut in 2013, he was named ''GQ Koreas Man of the Year in 2016'','' included on ''Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia ...

Fromis 9 Fromis 9 (; stylized as fromis_9) is a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2017 reality show '' Idol School''. The group is composed of eight members: Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park Ji ...

, HEDY, and

TO1 TO1 (; formerly known as TOO) (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by Mnet's 2019 reality show ''To Be World Klass''. The group debuted on April 1, 2020, with their first mini album ''Reason For Being: Benevolence'' with "Ma ...

, before the business closed in April 2021. Stone Music Entertainment (formerly CJ E&M Music) was named ''Music Distributor of the Year'' at the

Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards The Circle Chart Music Awards (), formerly known as the Gaon Chart Music Awards, are a major music awards ceremony that is presented annually in South Korea by the Korea Music Content Association primarily based on the commercial performance of t ...

in 2014.

History

The company was originally established as Mediopia in May 1993 and later renamed as Mediopia Technology Co., Ltd in June 1994, as a manufacturer and distributor of electronic devices. In January 2002, the company was listed on

KOSDAQ KOSDAQ (acronym of Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, Korean: 코스닥) is a trading board of Korea Exchange (KRX) in South Korea established in 1996. Initially set up by Korea Financial Investment Association as an independent stoc ...

. In August 2004, Maekyung Hudson was incorporated as a subsidiary. In July 2006, the largest shareholder changed from Poibos Co., Ltd. to CJ Corporation and was incorporated as an affiliate of CJ Corporation. The company later became a part of CJ Media Co., Ltd. In September 2006, the company was later established again as Mnet Media, following the merge with GM Agency, MaxMP3 and ID Icheon Entertainment. In January 2007, the company established entertainment company Core Contents Media, which was headed by producer Kim Kwang-soo. In May 2007, CJ Music was merged into Mnet Media, which was operated in the music distribution and broadcasting businesses. In January 2011, Mnet Media was merged into CJ E&M and renamed as CJ E&M Music. Following the merge, the company was revoked from the KOSDAQ listing in March 2011. In December 2013, CJ E&M Music acquired 19% of

Jellyfish Entertainment Jellyfish Entertainment (), is a South Korean entertainment company established by composer and producer Hwang Se-jun in Seoul, South Korea. Jellyfish Entertainment is the home of artists including Jang Hye-jin, VIXX, Verivery and formerly gug ...

's shares to form a partnership. In March 2014, the CJ E&M label system was introduced with

The Music Works The Music Works (; simply known as Music Works) is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2012 by Oh Won-chul (Philip Oh) joint-ventures with CJ E&M Music. The label currently manages several artists, namely GilguBonggu (GB9), and U ...

MMO Entertainment Wake One (), is a South Korean entertainment company under CJ ENM. The label is home to Davichi, Roy Kim, Ha Hyun-sang, Jo Yu-ri, TO1 and Kep1er (co-managed with Swing Entertainment). History The company was founded in 2014 by Son Dong-hoon u ...

, and 1877 Entertainment joining the system. In April 2014, CJ E&M Music launched a joint venture with Japan's

Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ent ...

, which was called ''CJ Victor Entertainment''. In September 2015, CJ E&M Music acquired

B2M Entertainment B2M Entertainment () was a South Korean record label founded in 2010 by Gil Jong-hwa. History B2M Entertainment was originally founded as Gil Entertainment. The company changed its name to B2M Entertainment right after Lee Hyori joined it. The c ...

. In October 2015, CJ E&M Music signed a strategic partnership deal with hip hop label

Hi-Lite Records Hi-Lite Records was a South Korean independent record label founded in 2010 by rapper Paloalto. Partnership with CJ E&M It was announced in October 2015 that the entertainment company CJ E&M would be acquiring the label. Representatives stat ...

. In January 2016, CJ E&M Music signed a strategic partnership deal with hip hop label

AOMG AOMG is a South Korean hip-hop and R&B record label found in 2013 by singer, rapper, and songwriter Jay Park. The label currently houses 20 musicians and UFC fighter Chan Sung Jung (The Korean Zombie). History Above Ordinary Music Group (AOMG) ...

. In 2017, CJ E&M Music established a new label named Stone Music Entertainment. The label began produce music for artists under CJ E&M Music, such as

Wanna One Wanna One () was a South Korean boy band formed by CJ E&M through the second season of ''Produce 101''. The group was composed of eleven members: Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-lin, Yo ...

, and JBJ, and managed Idol School's winning group,

. In August 2017, CJ E&M Music established the High Up Entertainment joint venture with producer team

Black Eyed Pilseung Black Eyed Pilseung () is a South Korean music production and songwriting duo made up of Rado (Song Joo-young) and Choi Kyu-sung, formed in 2014. They have produced hit songs such as Sistar's "Touch My Body"; Miss A's " Only You"; Twice's "Like ...

. In the same months, CJ E&M acquired an additional 32% of

's shares, beyond the 19% of the label's shares previously acquired in 2013, effectively becoming the label's largest shareholder, with a total of 51%. In November 2017, CJ E&M Music acquired

Amoeba Culture Amoeba Culture () is a South Korean independent record label established in 2006 by Dynamic Duo and Go Kyung-min. The label is home to prominent artists such as Dynamic Duo, Rhythm Power, and Ha:tfelt. The label had the third largest sales among ...

. In April 2018, Stone Music Entertainment was officially registered and CJ E&M later merged into Stone Music Entertainment in May 2018. In June 2018, Stone Music Entertainment established the exclusive label

Swing Entertainment Swing Entertainment (Korean: 스윙 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean privately held entertainment company founded in June 2018. The company is home to K-pop artists Kim Jae-hwan, A.C.E (co-managed with Beat Interactive), and Kep1er (co-mana ...

for managing

since the latter ended their contract with YMC Entertainment, with Shin Dong-il (who is the former manager under YMC Entertainment) as the label head. In August 2018, CJ E&M sold its 51% stake in High Up Entertainment back to Black Eyed Pilseung, making the former an independent company. In September 2018, Stone Music Entertainment established the exclusive label Off The Record Entertainment for managing the ''

Produce 48 ''Produce 48'' () was the third season of the South Korean reality competition series ''Produce 101''. It was a large-scale project in which the public "produces" a girl group by voting for members out of a pool of 96 contestants from South Kor ...

'' winners,

Iz*One Iz*One ( ; ko, 아이즈원, Aijeuwon; ja, アイズワン, Aizuwan; stylized as IZ*ONE) was a South Korean–Japanese girl group formed through the Mnet reality competition show ''Produce 48''. The group was composed of twelve members: Jang ...

, and '' Idol School'' winners

. In October 2018,

acquired distribution rights to Stone Music Entertainment's releases in digital format after it merged with the latter's sister company, CJ Digital Music. The two companies will still release physical albums separately.Genie Music poses threat to Melon by acquiring CJ Digital Music
(Jun Ji-hye,

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the ''Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacturer ...

, 2018-10-09) On January 31, 2019, Stone Music Entertainment confirmed the establishment of an exclusive label, LM Entertainment for managing

Kang Daniel Kang Daniel (; commonly stylized as KANGDANIEL; born Kang Eui-geon []; December 10, 1996) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and businessman who rose to fame in early 2017 as the first-place winner of the Produce 101 Season 2, second ...

and

Yoon Ji-sung Yoon Ji-sung (; born March 8, 1991) is a South Korean singer and actor. He is best known for finishing eighth in the second series of ''Produce 101'' and is the former leader of South Korean boy group Wanna One. Following Wanna One's disbandmen ...

since February 1, following the ended their contract with MMO Entertainment. The label is headed by Shin Dong-il who also headed their former label Swing Entertainment during the time in which

was active. On April 20, 2021, Sport Kyunghang announced that CJ ENM applied to close Stone Music Entertainment from April 8. According to the news, CJ ENM stated that they are “working on reorganizing its sub-labels for efficiency.” In May 2021, CJ ENM integrated their music label Stone Music, One Effect, Studio Blue and Off Record with the launch of a new music label,

Wake One Entertainment Wake One (), is a South Korean entertainment company under CJ ENM. The label is home to Davichi, Roy Kim, Ha Hyun-sang, Jo Yu-ri, TO1 and Kep1er (co-managed with Swing Entertainment). History The company was founded in 2014 by Son Dong-hoon u ...

. The first artist

were confirmed to managed under new label.

Partnerships and Music distributions

Labels and Investments *

H1ghr Music H1ghr Music (stylized as H1GHR MUSIC) (Hangul: 하이어뮤직레코즈) is an international hip hop and R&B record label founded by Korean American musician Jay Park and long time Seattle affiliate Cha Cha Malone in 2017. Stationed primarily i ...

MNH Entertainment MNH Entertainment (Korean: 엠앤에이치엔터테인먼트) is a privately held multinational entertainment group and talent agency based in Seoul. Founded in November 2014 by Lee Ju-seop, a former manager at JYP Entertainment. The company was f ...

Yuehua Entertainment Yuehua Entertainment (Chinese: 乐华娱乐, Korean: 위에화 엔터테인먼트) is a privately held Chinese multinational entertainment group and talent agency based in Beijing. The company was founded in June 2009 by former Huayi Brothers empl ...

* KQ Entertainment *

Distribution *

Ambition Musik Ambition Musik (앰비션뮤직) is a South Korean hip-hop label founded by rappers Dok2 and The Quiett on September 29, 2016. History The label was founded on September 29, 2016, under Illionaire Records with artists Kim Hyo-eun, Changmo, and ...

*Amoeba Culture (affiliate) *AOMG (affiliate) *Craft&Jun *Dooroodooroo Artist Company *Dorothy Company *

Feel Ghood Music Feel Ghood Music () is a South Korean record label and entertainment agency founded by Tiger JK in 2013. History Originally created in July 2013 by MFBTY to house the new group and their members (Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-rae, and Bizzy) the company Fe ...

(affiliate) *

(affiliate) *1llionaire Records *In Next Trend *Jellyfish Entertainment *Mapps Entertainment *MNH Entertainment * RBW *Swing Entertainment *Vismajor Company *

WM Entertainment WM Entertainment (Hangul: WM 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2008 by former singer Lee Won-min (birth name: Kim Jung-soo). The company is responsible for managing artists such as B1A4, Oh My Girl, and ...

*YNG & RICH Entertainment *Ballin ' All Day *

Oui Entertainment Oui Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment agency founded in 2017 by Wee Myung-hee. The label is home to artists such as its artists include WEi, Kim Dong-han, Jang Dae-hyeon and Kim Yo-han, and also manages actors Kim I-on and Kim So ...

*KQ Entertainment (co-managed by E&M Division with

KMP Holdings KMP Holdings (acronym for "Korean Music Power") (Hangul: KMP홀딩스) was a South Korean music distribution company. It was headquartered in Gangnam-gu, Seoul and was opened on March 18, 2010. History In March 2010, KMP Holdings was establish ...

and

) *Star Road Entertainment *

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

(for music program releases) *

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

(for drama soundtrack albums) * OCN (for drama soundtrack albums)

Former entities

Recording artists

* Bubble Sisters (2003–2005) *

Hong Jin-young Hong Jin-young (born August 9, 1985) is a South Korean trot singer and entertainer. She was a member of the short-lived South Korean girl group SWAN, which debuted in 2007. In 2009, she returned to the music scene, debuting as a trot singer. She ...

(2006–2008) *

Kim Jong-kook Kim Jong-kook (; born April 25, 1976) is a South Korean singer, entertainer, and actor. Kim debuted as a member of South Korean duo Turbo in 1995. The duo was considered to be one of the most popular idols in that time and sold out millions of ...

* SWAN (2007–2008) *

Lee Hyori Lee Hyo-ri (; born May 10, 1979) is a South Korean singer, record producer, activist, actress and television presenter. Dubbed as the "Nation's Fairy" during her ''Family Outing'' days, she debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Fin.K.L ...

(2006–2010) *

Ock Joo-hyun Ock Joo-hyun (; sometimes spelled Ock Ju-hyun; born March 20, 1980) is a South Korean singer and musical theatre actress, known mostly for her role as the lead singer of the South Korean girl group Fin.K.L. After their unofficial breakup in 2 ...

Yangpa Lee Eun-jin (; born March 17, 1979), better known by her stage name Yangpa (, lit. ''Onion''), is a South Korean singer. She debuted in 1996 with the hit single "Novice's Love." History 1990s Yangpa debuted in 1996 with the album ''Novice's Lo ...

Busker Busker Busker Busker () is a South Korean indie band who rose to fame through their runner-up performance in the South Korean music audition television program ''Superstar K3'' on Mnet. The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Jang Beom-june, bas ...

(2011-2013) * TimeZ (co-managed with Super Jet Entertainment) *

Yoo Seung-woo Yoo Seung-woo, also stylised Yu Seung Woo (, born February 26, 1997), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is signed to Starship Entertainment's subsidiary label Highline Entertainment. Career 2012-2014: Superstar K4 and de ...

(2012–2015) (managed under sub label UK Muzik) *

Park Jae-jung Park Jae-jung (born June 24, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He played the leading role in the television dramas '' You Are My Destiny'' (2008) and ''Joseon Mystery Detective Jeong Yak-yong'' (2009). Park also appeared in the second season of re ...

(2013–2015) *

Jung Joon-young Jung Joon-young (born February 21, 1989) is a South Korean former singer-songwriter, radio DJ, host, actor, television personality and convicted serial rapist. Jung first gained recognition in the 2012 season of the musical reality competitio ...

(2013–2016) *

JJY Band Drug Restaurant (Hangul: 드럭 레스토랑), formerly known as the Jung Joon Young Band (JJY Band) (Hangul: 정준영밴드), was a Korean rock band, formed in Seoul, South Korea in 2015. The band consisted of bassist Jung Seok-won, guitarist Jo ...

(2015–2016) *

I.O.I I.O.I (; also known as IOI or Ideal of Idol) was a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2016 reality show ''Produce 101'' on Mnet. The group was composed of eleven members chosen from a pool of 101 trainees from various enterta ...

(2016–2017/2019) (co-managed with

YMC Entertainment YMC Entertainment () was a South Korean entertainment company established in 2010 by Cho Yoo-myung, the eldest son of Trot (music), trot singer Tae Jin-ah. The company has been home to artists such as Shin Bo-ra, Kassy and Soulights, as well as ...

and Studio Blu) *

Spica Spica is the brightest object in the constellation of Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation α Virginis, which is Latinised to Alpha Virginis and abbreviated Alpha Vir or α Vir. Analys ...

(2012–2017) (co-managed with

) *

Emma Wu Emma Wu Ying-chieh (; born 11 August 1989), also known as Gui Gui (), is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Early life Wu Ying-chieh, nicknamed ''Gui Gui'', was born in Keelung City, Taiwan on 11 August 1989, and is the only child of divorced p ...

(2016–2017) *

Kevin Oh Kevin Oh (Hangul: 케빈오, born August 29, 1990), is a Korean-American singer-songwriter. He is the winner of '' Superstar K7''. He released his first EP, ''Stardust'', on January 20, 2017. He was also a contestant on the JTBC show, ''Superb ...

(2017) * JBJ (2017–2018) (co-managed with

Kakao M Kakao M (; formerly Seoul Records, YBM Seoul Records and LOEN Entertainment) was a South Korean entertainment company established by Min Yeong-bin in 1978. It is currently one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The company op ...

Fave Entertainment This is a list of labels controlled, distributed or associated with Kakao M. Subsidiaries House labels IST Entertainment IST Entertainment is a record label established by Kakao M in November 2021. The label (previously known as Play M Entertai ...

) *

(2017–2019) (co-managed with Swing Entertainment) * Lee Seokhoon (2015–2019) * X1 (2019–2020) (co-managed with Swing Entertainment) *

In2It In2It (; stylized as IN2IT, pronounced as "In to It") is a South Korean boy band consisting of six members, Yoo Ji-ahn, Jung Yeon-tae, Hwang In-ho, Han Hyun-uk, Lee In-pyo, and Isaac Voo, who previously participated in Mnet's 2016 survival show ...

(2017–2020) (co-managed with MMO Entertainment) *

Kim Feel Kim Feel (; born August 27, 1986) is a South Korean singer-songwriter. He was the runner-up of the television talent show ''Superstar K 6'' in 2014. Kim signed contract with CJ E&M in May 2016 and managed under CJ E&M label MMO Entertainment ...

* Hoons (co-managed with FRON+DESK) *

Heize Jang Da-hye (; born August 9, 1991), better known by her stage name Heize, is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, composer and producer currently signed to P Nation. The name Heize was inspired by the name of an American rapper Angel Haz ...

(2017–2020) (co-managed with Studio Blu) *

(2018–2021) (co-managed with Swing Entertainment) *

* Ash-B * TSUN * Nieah * MAMAN *

(2019–2022) * Truedy (2018–2021) * Soovi (2019) * $ammy (2019–2021) * Song Su-woo (2021–2022)

Actors

Lee Beom-soo Lee Beom-soo (born January 3, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is well known for his role in ''Singles'', ''Giant'', '' On Air'', '' Surgeon Bong Dal-hee, ''as well as in'' History of a Salaryman.'' Lee enrolled in the Department of Theater ...

Song Seung-heon Song Seung-heon (; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean model and actor. He has acted in various television dramas, notably ''Autumn in My Heart'' (2000), '' ''East of Eden' (2008), '' ''My Princess' (2011), ''Black'' (2017), ''Player' ...

* Kim Min-Jae

Subsidaries

* Core Contents Media (acquired by MBK Co., Ltd. as

MBK Entertainment MBK Entertainment (), was a South Korean entertainment company established by Kim Kwang-soo. The company was originally founded in 1999 as GM Planning. The company was absorbed by Mnet Media in 2006, following Kim Kwang-soo joint with CJ Group a ...

) *

Maroo Entertainment Maroo Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2010. The company operates as a talent agency, music production and distribution company, and film/drama production company. The company currently manages singer and ...

Controversies

Price manipulation

CJ E&M Music (then Mnet Media) was one of the 15 companies fined and sued by the Korean FTC for price rigging in 2011.

Plagiarism

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Broadcasting companies of South Korea Electronic dance music record labels K-pop record labels Record label distributors Record labels established in 1994 2021 disestablishments in South Korea Synth-pop record labels South Korean record labels Talent agencies of South Korea Defunct record labels of South Korea