Hybe Renames Japanese Subsidiary
The entertainment giant in South Korea, Hybe, has renamed its Japanese subsidiary.
Hybe Labels Japan, headquartered in Tokyo and led by General Director Khan Hyun Rock, is now known as YX Labels as of Friday (February 14).
The company’s rebranding in the second largest music market follows a significant reorganization of its global business, termed Hybe 2.0, which occurred seven months earlier.
New Leadership and Strategy
As part of the new HYBE 2.0 structure, the company launched a division named Hybe Music Group APAC aimed at overseeing all of the company’s music labels based in Korea and Japan.
Young Jae Shin has been appointed as President of Hybe Music Group APAC.
Young Mine Kim, the former CEO of SM Entertainment, has been appointed as chairman of Hybe Japan. Hybe aims to accelerate its growth in the country.
In a press release issued on Friday (February 14), Hybe stated that as part of its organizational framework, HYBE 2.0 is promoting a “multi-level strategy for the development of enterprises adapted to the culture and characteristics of each region.”
In addition to Japan, other regions targeted by HYBE include the United States, where it established Hybe America following the acquisition of Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2021.
Hybe Latin America was launched in 2023 through the acquisition of The expulsion of music, a partnership label for Spanish-language entertainment content.
Recently, the company expanded its footprint in the Latin American music market with the introduction of a new label.
According to Hybe, under its HYBE 2.0 strategy, HYBE Japan, now YX Labels, will establish an “independent multi-powered system to become a leading company in Japan.”
Hybe asserts that the new name for its Japanese unit, YX Labels, “reflects the label’s ambition to create a new ‘axis’ in the Japanese music market.”
In its press release, Hybe added: “YX Labels is a label that offers the most innovative and outstanding entertainment experience for all youth, including fans.”
“Not bound by conventional agreements, we aim to provide an unprecedented entertainment experience that reflects new trends in the Japanese music market.”
YX Labels is also running Listening shows at the local level to discover seven participants for a new Japanese K-Pop boy group based in Japan.
“The show will portray the raw emotions of the participants as they push their limits, compete, and support one another,” reports Korea Times regarding YX Labels.
In another development in Japan, just last week, Universal Music Group acquired a controlling stake in the well-known Japanese artist management and audio recordings firm, A-Sketch.
