CUBE Entertainment

Cube Entertainment (큐브엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean music label and entertainment company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

The label currently manages several artists, namely Jo Kwon, Jang Hyun-seung, BTOB, CLC, Pentagon, (G)I-DLE and notable trainees such as Yoo Seon-ho, Jo Woo-chan and Lai Guan-lin. It also manages several entertainers, including Lee Hwi-jae and Heo Kyung-hwan. It was formerly home to K-pop artists such as 4Minute, Beast, G.NA, and Roh Ji-hoon.

As of 2017, most of the label's music is distributed by Kakao M (formerly LOEN Entertainment) through a partnership agreement.

History
Cube Entertainment was founded on August 29, 2006 by Hong Seung-sung (aka Simon Hong), former president of JYP Entertainment, and Shin Jung-hwa (Monica Shin) as Playcube Inc. Due to the founder's past relations, Cube is sometimes mistaken as a subsidiary of JYP Entertainment, however, it is an independent corporation.

In 2009, Cube's first two groups debuted, with girl group 4Minute debuting in June and boy group BEAST in October.

In 2011, independent label A Cube Entertainment was founded, managing girl group Apink set to debut in the same year.

In 2012, sub-label Cube DC was launched, managing boy group BTOB which debuted in March.

Comedian Kim Kiri, a regular cast member on Gag Concert, signed onto Cube in September 2012, making him the first comedian under the label.

During late 2012, Park Chung-min became the CEO of Cube, after founder Hong Seung-sung stepped down due to his sickness.

In 2013, Korean entertainer Rain signed a contract with Cube Entertainment. He officially joined after he concluded his military service on July 10, 2013. Three months later Cube released a digital single for its new soloist artist, Shin Ji-hoon who placed in the top 6 in Korean singing competition K-pop Star 2. Another new soloist, Oh Ye-ri released her debut digital single, "Because of You" on November 6, 2013. She was the winner of MBC's MBC College Song Festival in 2009.

In August 2014, sub-label Cube DC merged with Cube.

Cube's second girl group CLC debuted in March 2015.

At the end of 2015, A Cube Entertainment, which manages Huh Gak and Apink, was acquired by its distributor, LOEN Entertainment. LOEN bought 70% shares in A Cube, therefore making it the sole owner of the agency. A Cube became a separate and distinct label under LOEN Entertainment with the new name Plan A Entertainment.

In March 2016, Cube acquired Starline Entertainment as subsidiary. In June 2016, Cube's first girl group 4Minute disbanded. At the end of 2016, Shin Dae-nam was elected to be the new CEO of Cube Entertainment, replacing former CEO Park Chung-min. New boy group Pentagon debuted in October 2016. This was followed by Cube's first boy group Beast leaving Cube in December 2016.

At the beginning of 2017, Universal Music sold their 8% stake in Cube. Following this, Cube Entertainment signed a distribution deal with Kakao M (formerly LOEN) for future music & content circulation.

In mid-2017, Cube's two male trainees Yoo Seon-ho and Lai Kuanlin participated in Mnet's Produce 101 Season 2. Lai Kuanlin was chosen to be part of the final lineup for project boygroup Wanna One after finishing in 7th place, while Yoo Seonho finished in 17th place. Lai Kuanlin debuted in Wanna One in August 2017, and will be promoting with the group until December 2018. Meanwhile, Jeon So-yeon who participated in the first season of Produce 101 debuted as a soloist in November 2017 with her song "Jelly". Jo Kwon of ballad group 2AM signed as a solo artist under the label in the same month, after staying for 16 years in JYP Entertainment.

TV personality Lee Hwi-jae signed a contract with Cube on March 5, 2018. In a report released in April 2018, Cube said that it had successfully made profit in 2017, a welcome improvement after incurring severe losses in 2016. In April 2018, Yoo Seon-ho debuted as a soloist. On May 2, Cube debuted (G)I-DLE, its their third girl group after 4Minute and CLC. May 5, Cube Entertainment announced '2018 United Cube - ONE-' concert. The concert with the Cube artists will take place at KINTEX in Ilsan on June 16 and were sold out in 2 mins.

In August 2018, Pentagon member E'Dawn and Hyuna announced their relationship. On September 13, Cube Entertainment announced that they would be terminating their contracts, citing that they could not "maintain trust" with them. After a backlash from the fans and a drop in stock price, Cube declared that the situation is still being considered and nothing has been decided yet for Hyuna and E'Dawn, saying that the issue will be discussed on a board meeting. On October 15, Cube confirmed Hyuna's departure, announcing that the record label has reached an agreement with Hyuna to terminate her contract.

On November 5, Cube debuted a ballad group "A Train to Autumn" with digital single “That Season You Were In” written by Kino.

Current Artists
All artists under Cube Entertainment are collectively known as United Cube.

Former Artists

 * 4Minute (2009–2016)
 * Nam Ji Hyun (2009-2016)
 * Heo Ga Yoon (2009-2016)
 * Jeon Ji Yoon (2009-2016)
 * Kwon So Hyun (2009-2016)
 * HyunA (2009-2018)
 * Beast (2009–2016)
 * G.NA (2010–2016)
 * Roh Ji Hoon(2011–2017)
 * M4M (2013–2015)
 * Rain (2013–2015)
 * Shin Ji Hoon (2013-2017)
 * Park Min Ha (2015–2017)
 * Choi Dae Hoon (2016–2017)
 * Triple H (2017-2018)
 * E'Dawn (2016-2018)

Concerts

 * 2011 United Cube Concert:
 * London (December 5),
 * São Paulo, Brazil (December 13)
 * 2013 United Cube Concert
 * 2018 United Cube - One (June 16)

Links

 * Official Website (Korean)
 * Official Website (Japanese)