[Real Talk] Will Cube be able to recover?

[Oliver]

Lets be real for a minute and try not to sugar coat things... Cube have been fading into the background a bit too much lately.. lets look at the facts..

 

• Rain

left after 1 album with Cube and started his label

• G.NA

also left after that sponsor scandal.. and she hasnt been popular for years but her public recognition was still good tho

• 4Minute

their last comeback was beyond tragic.. they sold 7k albums on Gaon and less then 250k downloads overall..

Even comparing it to Crazy which had 22k albums sales on Gaon and over 600k downloads... with their contracts ending this year do you think they will renew??

• Beast

As a non fan I havent heard much of Beast in 2015 compared to 2014.. their comeback came and went and then they started touring.. and their sales hasn't been as impressive as good luck or 12:30.. not digitally or physically and now that they lost a member do you think they will be able to maintain their position in kpop?

• Trouble Maker

Arguably the best thing to come out of Cube is also over now that Hyunseung left..

• Hyuna

Hyuna has been slowly declining lately [looking at her sales].. but tbh I think this isn't the end of her... She is born to be a star

• Acube/Apink

Idk what actually went on between those 2 companies.. even tho they were never directly connected Apink were still referred to as being apart of "Cube Family" but yea... Acube changed their name and are now under Loen..

• BTOB

BTOB are doing well now but they lack the fandom power.. I don't think they are capable of carrying Cube for the future generation..

• CLC

They have the talent, the visuals and the likability.. all their missing is a competent management  I'm not even gonna talk about how they fucked up with my girl Eunbin... but yea that whole mess did more damage then good.. their sales are still really bad.. and they are falling behind other new girl groups.. I hope their next comeback does well... #JusticeForEunbin

 

• Roh Jihoon

Went nowhere with his solo career... they should have put him in Btob instead of Peniel #SorryNotSorry

 

• Shin Jihoon

The Figure Skater from KPOP Star 2.. tbh I doubt people know shes even with Cube lol

 

• Pentagon

I think Pentagon is their last hope to fix things.. tbh.. they do have good looking members and they seem to be Cube's priority right now.. so will they be able to change Cube's fortunes??

 

Anyway.. what do you guys think?

[Jcey]

The future seems dark.......

[Sour Patch]

I have very little hope for them. If 4minute doesn't renew their contracts Cube is pretty done for. Also, Beast's contracts are ending soon too! 

[Byakugan]

They would still be doing fine, not as big as before but fine. I think Cube needs to stop debuting girlgroups tbh

 

Beast wont be affected tho, Hyunseung is the least popular and it seems like the many fans arent happy with him. Maybe they'll be able to bounceback who knows. They still bring good money

 

4minute's contract is expiring, but maybe they'll sign on + Hyuna brings in money

 

BTOB is selling really well in Japan too so they're bring some good money i guess. They will probably make up for 4minute's revenue

 

CLC is pretty much a lost cause. I dont see them getting popular. Well pray for a miracle

 

Pentagon tho, if they are successful then Cube is all set for good.

[Yeojin]

future seems dark definitely 

troublemaker could technically happen since he's still under cube but considering the negative public perception of him atm i doubt they would give them a comeback rn 

[seriouslykpop]

I had hopes for CLC cause their debut was pretty solid, but now things seem to be going downhill... CUBE better get its shit together, tbh.

[____Vatouhâ„¢]

If 4minute disbands just hope hyuna leaves cube and joins a different/better agency... she still has potential and is young.. so she can still do well as a solo in the future(maybe even hit more viral who knows) she also needs to pull her ass and learn English already.... she really needs to start working on her future solo career.. she needs overseas activities + maybe an international album would succeed too.. Korea usually gets bored of artist in a couple of years.. if she wants to repeak she needs to advance to a international level..(like maybe not as huge as PSY,but to a certain level)

 

beast is done for.. they can sell couple of physical albums.. but thats what all boy groups can do.. they probably wont get their relevancy back...

 

clc needs really good management to survive.... their next comebacks have to somehow do well or they'll be burried (they should add soyeon to the group as well IMO to make their chances bigger maybe... since soyeon got some popularity from P101)

[Oliver]

future seems dark definitely 

troublemaker could technically happen since he's still under cube but considering the negative public perception of him atm i doubt they would give them a comeback rn 

thats like damage control type of talk.. SM said Jessica was still with SM even tho she left SNSD.. and we all know how that ended

[Syara]

Hyunseung left Beast but not Cube (as i understood, though). But honestly i think Cube has it hard.

 

Beast will maintain or slowly decline as all 2nd gen groups; same has happened to 4minute, although it seems their case is way harder given that girl groups are hit or miss, no in between. Still they have Hyuna... 

 

As for the new generations, BTOB has the public recognition but honestly speaking they don't have the fanbase and will continue losing it if they follow the ballads path. I mean, yeah, they have all that fame because they are awesome singers, but the BTOB I loved when they debuted is gone and that's the main reason I stopped following them, I miss up tempo songs like WOW or Irresistible Lips... 

 

CLC is in a hard situation, too. They've been overshadowed by all the successful girl group debuts in 2015, and they'll have to work a lot, i mean A LOT to get the fame they'd need to save Cube.

 

Same happens to Pentagon; they really really need to be a smashing hit to make it, or Cube won't see the light again... 

[Belle.]

Will our(b2uties) hearts ever recover?

My heart won't

[93_JiHyun]

The future seems dark.......

 

They would still be doing fine, not as big as before but fine. I think Cube needs to stop debuting girlgroups tbh

 

Beast wont be affected tho, Hyunseung is the least popular and it seems like the many fans arent happy with him. Maybe they'll be able to bounceback who knows. They still bring good money

 

4minute's contract is expiring, but maybe they'll sign on + Hyuna brings in money

 

BTOB is selling really well in Japan too so they're bring some good money i guess. They will probably make up for 4minute's revenue

 

CLC is pretty much a lost cause. I dont see them getting popular. Well pray for a miracle

 

Pentagon tho, if they are successful then Cube is all set for good.

The only 'fans' not happy with Hyunseung are k-fans. And they was just a little over 200. Internationally, he was one of the top favorites, and had strong support.

 

 

If 4minute disbands just hope hyuna leaves cube and joins a different/better agency... she still has potential and is young.. so she can still do well as a solo in the future(maybe even hit more viral who knows)

 

beast is done for.. they can sell couple of physical albums.. but thats what all boy groups can do.. they probably wont get their relevancy back...

 

clc needs really good management to survive.... their next comebacks have to somehow do well or they'll be burried (they should add soyeon to the group as well IMO to make their chances bigger maybe... since soyeon got some popularity from P101)

 

Hyunseung left Beast but not Cube (as i understood, though). But honestly i think Cube has it hard.

 

Beast will maintain or slowly decline as all 2nd gen groups; same has happened to 4minute, although it seems their case is way harder given that girl groups are hit or miss, no in between. Still they have Hyuna... 

 

As for the new generations, BTOB has the public recognition but honestly speaking they don't have the fanbase and will continue losing it if they follow the ballads path. I mean, yeah, they have all that fame because they are awesome singers, but the BTOB I loved when they debuted is gone and that's the main reason I stopped following them, I miss up tempo songs like WOW or Irresistible Lips... 

 

CLC is in a hard situation, too. They've been overshadowed by all the successful girl group debuts in 2015, and they'll have to work a lot, i mean A LOT to get the fame they'd need to save Cube.

 

Same happens to Pentagon; they really really need to be a smashing hit to make it, or Cube won't see the light again... 

 

thats like damage control type of talk.. SM said Jessica was still with SM even tho she left SNSD.. and we all know how that ended

[Syara]

thats like damage control type of talk.. SM said Jessica was still with SM even tho she left SNSD.. and we all know how that ended

 

Nah but Hyunseung is not leaving Cube. Cube has Ra.D, that's all Hyunseung wants

[Guest]

They would still be doing fine, not as big as before but fine. I think Cube needs to stop debuting girlgroups tbh

 

Beast wont be affected tho, Hyunseung is the least popular and it seems like the many fans arent happy with him. Maybe they'll be able to bounceback who knows. They still bring good money

 

4minute's contract is expiring, but maybe they'll sign on + Hyuna brings in money

 

BTOB is selling really well in Japan too so they're bring some good money i guess. They will probably make up for 4minute's revenue

 

CLC is pretty much a lost cause. I dont see them getting popular. Well pray for a miracle

 

Pentagon tho, if they are successful then Cube is all set for good.

 

I don't follow any Cube group but just by curiosity, how much did Beast's last comeback sell (physicals & digitals)? and how much is BTOB selling in Japan? I'm asking just to see if they're doing well compared to other groups.

 

 

 

Anyway about Cube, it's sad to think they used to do really well and people associate them with the Big 3, but now... :/ I used to like 4minute songs back in their debuts. Maybe if they keep doing music like that they would have done better now. the "hip hop" style songs doesn't sell. I think Cube had the same issue as Dsp, where the Ceo fell sick and someone else handle the agency and it end up doing badly. Cube and Dsp are both in bad situations especially when comparing to how well they were doing years ago. ah well :S

[Oliver]

Nah but Hyunseung is not leaving Cube. Cube has Ra.D, that's all Hyunseung wants

Ra.D is not with Cube... his last comeback was released under his old company Realcollabo

[Yeojin]

thats like damage control type of talk.. SM said Jessica was still with SM even tho she left SNSD.. and we all know how that ended

thats why i said technically i know it isn't realistically lol

 

unless pentagon does well or they make hyuna go in an artistic direction more similar to her prime days or a miracle happens w clc then ////:

[s4a]

I don't think it's all that drastic yet and there are a lot of assumptions here:

 

- 4minute's last album didn't do well but there have been periods of time where 4minute hasn't done well and then spiked with their next album, either digitally or physically. They are a popular group with popular members. If they release a good public-friendly song with good promotion, it will do well. Hate, unfortunately, was not a song that was going to do well. The assumption is that they won't renew their contract at the end of the year and, until that happens, we don't know.

 

- BEAST will be hurt with the loss of Hyunseung but they still do well in Japan and they are still the breadwinner of the company. Other groups have survived members leaving so the assumption that BEAST will suddenly fall apart is just premature.

 

- I loved Troublemaker but that was a concept that was going to hit a brick wall at some point. The initial track was special; nothing was going to live up to it. 

 

- It's way too early to say that BTOB won't grow a fanbase and start carrying the company. They may. 

 

- CLC's issue is management, not anything else. CUBE's management of the group has improved leaps and bounds over the past month and a half, Eunbin nonwithstanding. It's also far too early to say "CLC will never make it" when there have been plenty of groups that started off slow and then blew up (Girls' Day, EXID, etc).

 

- Pentagon will probably do well as it's a rookie male idol group with visuals. That's all that's required.

 

Have other companies done well while CUBE hasn't done as well in the past? Sure. However, I just don't see the doom and gloom that everyone else does. 

[Oliver]

I don't think it's all that drastic yet and there are a lot of assumptions here:

 

- 4minute's last album didn't do well but there have been periods of time where 4minute hasn't done well and then spiked with their next album, either digitally or physically. They are a popular group with popular members. If they release a good public-friendly song with good promotion, it will do well. Hate, unfortunately, was not a song that was going to do well. The assumption is that they won't renew their contract at the end of the year and, until that happens, we don't know.

 

- BEAST will be hurt with the loss of Hyunseung but they still do well in Japan and they are still the breadwinner of the company. Other groups have survived members leaving so the assumption that BEAST will suddenly fall apart is just premature.

 

- I loved Troublemaker but that was a concept that was going to hit a brick wall at some point. The initial track was special; nothing was going to live up to it. 

 

- It's way too early to say that BTOB won't grow a fanbase and start carrying the company. They may. 

 

- CLC's issue is management, not anything else. CUBE's management of the group has improved leaps and bounds over the past month and a half, Eunbin nonwithstanding. It's also far too early to say "CLC will never make it" when there have been plenty of groups that started off slow and then blew up (Girls' Day, EXID, etc).

 

- Pentagon will probably do well as it's a rookie male idol group with visuals. That's all that's required.

 

Have other companies done well while CUBE hasn't done as well in the past? Sure. However, I just don't see the doom and gloom that everyone else does. 

I don't think its doom and gloom... but I think they could very well lose their standing in the industry..

 

4Minute stated that their contract renewals will be based on this comeback's performance.. its not really a blank assumption there..

 

Beast opened a new sublabel for Japanese activities and they are signed with Universal for japanese promotions so idk how it is working out for them... and according to Wiki their sales in japan are even weaker then Btob.. so idk if they can fall back on Japan

 

BTOB have been around for 4 years now.. but you are right.. you never know whats gonna happen..

 

CLC and Pentagon are where it should matter for Cube now.. they are both capable of doing really well

[Goten21]

YES FUCKING YES #JUSTICEFOREUNBIN

[s4a]

I don't think its doom and gloom... but I think they could very well lose their standing in the industry..

 

4Minute stated that their contract renewals will be based on this comeback's performance.. its not really a blank assumption there..

 

Beast opened a new sublabel for Japanese activities and they are signed with Universal for japanese promotions so idk how it is working out for them... and according to Wiki their sales in japan are even weaker then Btob.. so idk if they can fall back on Japan

 

BTOB have been around for 4 years now.. but you are right.. you never know whats gonna happen..

 

CLC and Pentagon are where it should matter for Cube now.. they are both capable of doing really well

 

Yeah and I get what you're saying. 4minute's situation is...a mess. Beast's isn't really that stable but BTOB is solid, CLC/Pentagon have potential and you never know with the next groups they debut. 

[deobizone]

well to preface this, not an @OP, but Cube isn't that bad as people think. people think they're in the red/in debt, becaquse of the negative profit figures shown in articles
 
those negative profit figures are solely a result of a merger Cube did with another company in order to get themselves listen on the KOSDAQ (a korean stock market exchange) and if you subtract the cost of that merger, their profit is in the plus. thats to say, they made a choice, an expensive one, but given if gets them on the KOSDAQ, it's potential for growth and for the better. i doubt they would of made such purchase if it wan't covered/it was last ditch option.

 

and, 4minute and Beast contracts, if they resign or not, will still decide alot. Beast makes (approximating) 50% of Cube's profit, next is 4minute as 15% (for all i know this incl Hyuna individual activity revenue) and then there's 9% from BTOB. these were at least the figure at the end of 2015. it could change

 

Moreover to the 'debt' ppl think they have. their 'losses' have been attributed to CLC when thats just not right. they may not be as big as other groups, but I still have hopes for them and hope they can catch a break. any one can do it anytime really, just need luck with that big break. EXID for example,, look how they are now, after being on the brink of disbandment. i just hope for them, they're all talented and pretty and everything you really need a gg.

 

iirc BTOB Remember that is at around 55k (give or take) so far, after less than a month from release (idr digital sales atm) and that already tops the numbers Complete/I Mean sold cumulatively at the end of 2015 charts (which were ~50k ea) and they still haven't had hit. well, they've just released 3 ballads...and i think that means their next cb will be more upbeat. since Cube called it a '3 ballad series' anticipate. also their Dear Bride in JP had 100k+ which was a first for them, before they sold but less...? If they get right song (+ lucky..?) they could just keep growing, but I still dont think theyve hit peak yet, hopefully not.

 

Beast, if they still, will still do well, ableit probs less, regardless of your opinion on what Hyunseung may have done to the group image/atmosphere in recent years, a loss of a member is simply a loss, no other way around it. it could cause a decline, maybe it's definitely will cause decline but i'm just being soft (biased)  ...but I think b2uties will still be loyal and with better song than YeY hopefully they can mange to still stay stable/active until they start enlisting.

 

the Jihoons are...yeah I dont think much people really know of Shin Jihoon, it's a shame bcs I love her voice and I think her songs are nice. but tbh, if I wasn't follower of Cube, idk if I'd know her at all(?)... And Roh Jihoon,, he's pretty forgotten about, anyways, he;s in Cube dungeon for now.. if he does comeback, they should give him r&b song instead of Ballad though like last time...I just think r&b will fit him better.

 

That being said, i still think regardless, whether acts leave or stay, I think there's a bit of reliance on Pentagon to really hit it big this year, and I hope they do. I think they definitely have the potential to, but I'm trying to keep my expectations low because I don't want to be let down. but they have people who have had fans for a while like Jino and Hongseok,, and even maybe mentionable, on a way smaller scale, a lot are fans of Hyojong though some didn't like his rap on Hyuna stages as well. And former models, or smth to that effect, basically visuals... hopefully they'll have good enough songs to last and be pretty relevant this year, their debut year, because their oldest, Jino, is already on older side to be debut right now

[lunakitten]

I have high hopes for Pentagon, as long as they don't completely flop then the group will do fine.

 

CLC have a chance to grow, Girl's Day and EXID failed in their first years and look at them now.

 

If Beast stay and stay away from 'YeY' sound and go back to their hit songs they can keep some relevance.

 

4minute saying if they choose to stay in Cube or not based on how well Act.7 did was bullshit. What an awful way to decide on your future, sales of 1 album that they themselves said they didn't think would sell well. If they do leave it was not because of the low sales for Act.7.

[STORM]

Cube will be fine if BEAST OT5 resign their contracts. Cube needs BEAST to keep bringing in the revenue to fund comebacks for the other groups.

 

If Sungjae accepts the role in Park Bogum's drama, there is a good chance his popularity would skyrocket and he would get even more CFs. Now BTOB have finished their ballad trilogy, their next comeback with a uptempo title track will be very telling how big their fandom will get. BTOB's last Japanese single sold over 108K so they're doing well in Japan.

 

Pentagon looks like they should do well with all those visuals. Jino and Hongseok are already known and the group also has foreign members from China and Japan. 

 

CLC is hard to to say right now. Their next comeback with Eunbin will be very telling of their future. CLC have the visuals and vocals to be popular group, they just need that hit song. 

[Youngjeezy]

hyunseung is still in cube though :/

[samshik]

Pentagon will save them

[Thigh-high feminist]

Don't know Eunbin. Don't know Pentagon. Cube needs to start with their marketing department.

 

I'm scared fir 4minute,tbh. But, I think Beast will recover. People will be supporting the remaining 5.

 

Hyunseung didn't leave Cube so Troublemaker isn't in jeopardy, right? Or, did I miss something?